The 7 Best Day Trips From Lisbon, Portugal • Indie Traveller

There is so substantially to do in Lisbon that it’ll hold you active for days on conclude. But there are also some highly worthwhile areas to stop by inside day trip length of the metropolis.

Getting lived in Lisbon for in excess of 7 many years, I have experienced plenty of time to look at out all of the greatest day visits from Lisbon. Listed here are my top suggestions:

Sintra

Sintra is quickly the most common day journey from Lisbon and with fantastic reason. The town by itself is cute, with tons of medieval architecture and established among eco-friendly mountains, but the true causes to go to are the Palacio Nacional da Pena and the medieval Castelo dos Mouros.

Castelo dos Mouros is an aged stone castle that has great sights of the Atlantic and surrounding mountains and usually takes a tiny on-foot climb to get to. You can stroll there from Sintra together the most important highway, but the 2km Rua Marechal Saldanha climbing route is substantially nicer.

The 19th-century Palacio Nacional da Pena is unusually vibrant. The interiors are appealing even though not necesserily ready in line for ages (occasionally there are a long queues), nevertheless the exteriors of the palace with the domed towers and eccentric shades are normally really worthy of seeing.

Ahead of you depart Sintra, seize a travesseiros pastry and queijadas tart at the Casa Piriquita bakery that has been open considering that 1862.

Other than these major sights, Sintra has many gardens, palaces, and museums to stop by. Honestly, there is a whole lot much more in this article than you can see on a day journey, but it’s even so popular for individuals to pay a visit to for one particular day. Make confident you get an early commence leaving Lisbon so you have a great deal of time to investigate. You can get to Sintra by means of the suburban prepare (on the Sintra Line) from Rossio station in central Lisbon.

Alternatively, it’s value reserving a tour to Sintra just to help save time and in good shape anything in. Sintra includes a ton of strolling as the sights are quite spread out, so a tour will conserve you a whole lot of hassle and you’ll spend your time in the most effective way. If you take a tour, you will have time for much more sights, these types of as the breathtaking Quinta de Regaleira, an unconventional backyard that has many cave tunnels and an ancient nicely with a staircase.

Obidos

Obidos is an outdated medieval town that was given to Queen Isabel de Aragon as a wedding ceremony reward from her spouse King Dinis in the 13th century. It ongoing to pass among royal families until finally the 19th century. The town was when enclosed by a stone wall that dates back again to the medieval period and you can nonetheless wander along what’s still left of it these days.

With its several restored structures with flowers hanging from balconies, Obidos is a single of the prettiest cities you can go to in Portugal.

Curiously, the heritage of Obidos is extremely tied with literature. In point, the city is a UNESCO Town of Literature, so it has some interesting bookstores. One of the most impressive is the Livraria de Santiago, which is within just the 18th-century Sao Tiago church.

Check out some ginjinha (a bitter cherry liqueur originating in Obidos) or have a cold beer at a plaza. The most effective way to get to know Obidos is to just wander all-around and get a bit missing together the cobblestone streets.

Obidos is about 75 minutes from Lisbon in the District of Leiria. You can get there via the A8 if you are driving, or catch a Rodoviaria do Oeste bus from the Campo Grande bus station (you can see the timetable on the web and acquire your ticket at the station).

Arranged tours from Lisbon are also readily available. These blend Obidos with other areas like the spiritual sanctuary of Fatima and Nazare, the web-site of the world’s tallest waves and surfing world documents.

Serra da Arrábida and Sesimbra

The Serra da Arrabida is a tiny mountain array that extends earlier mentioned the bay of Setubal south of Lisbon. There’s a blend of lush coastline, inexperienced woodland and shrubland generating it an fascinating position to hike.

There are some community transportation links to the cities of Sesimbra or Setubal, but you won’t get to a lot of other destinations by bus. If you are just going on a day excursion it’s worth using the services of a automobile for a working day and going on a mini highway vacation to make the most of your time.

Some of the most gorgeous shorelines in the vicinity of Lisbon can be identified here, these as Galapinhos Beach.

There are heaps of climbing trails also, which are marked out. If you want to test some routes out beforehand or download a map, I’d suggest making use of AllTrails.

While in Sesimbra stop by the 17th-century Fortaleza de Santiago, and really don’t skip the Museo do Mar (Museum of the Sea) within the fort if you want to come across out about the town’s heritage. There’s a Moorish castle above the city also, which dates to the 10th century.

It’s well worth owning some freshly caught grilled sardines even though you are there. The town also has lots of watersport tours on provide, like diving and kayaking expeditions.

Berlengas Islands

The Berlengas Islands are created up of a few various islands, but you can only pay a visit to just one, the Berlenga Grande island. The just one disadvantage of this day vacation is that it does have to have forward organizing. As only 350 people are permitted on the island just about every working day, you will want to grab your ticket in advance (in particular if you are browsing in peak year).

The island is just 1.5km extensive, so a day journey is plenty of time to take a look at. You can hike all over the island, pay a visit to the outdated fortress, laze on the seaside, or scuba dive in the Normal Reserve of the Berlengas. There is a lighthouse on the island too, the Berlenga Lighthouse, that is nevertheless in use nowadays. The only way to get to Berlenga is by boat, and most embark from Peniche.

It is value keeping a night time in Peniche, so you can check out the coastline and jump on a boat early the future morning. The boat journey takes about an hour and if you are small on time 50 percent a working day is adequate to explore this tiny island.

Peniche is a tiny town wherever most men and women appear right here to surf. The waves are a great deal friendlier to amateurs than the gigantic swells that crash on the shores of Nazare. But even if you’re not a surfer, there are a great deal of places for swimming and sunbathing.

Evora

Evora is an suitable working day journey for foodies and heritage followers. Some of the very best-preserved Roman ruins in Portugal are in Evora. Just one of the most nicely-recognized is the Roman temple, a 1st-century marble temple which is now a damage.

One more heritage hotspot in Evora is the Bone Chapel, a part of the Sao Francisco church. It was created in the 17th century and it’s quite spooky. On the inside of the church, many of the walls ended up developed utilizing human bones. The skulls adhere out among the cement and give the full spot an eerie experience.

Evora is also acknowledged for its wine. Get a little bit tipsy at Cafetaria Pateo de Sao Miguel ahead of jumping on the bus back to Lisbon.

You can get to Evora from equally the Sete Rios and Oriente bus stations. There are buses really routinely, and you can examine for schedules and up-to-date price ranges on the Rede Expressos website.

Nazare

Regarded for its unusually tall waves, this coastal fishing city was place on the map in 2011 when Garett McNamara, a specialist US surfer, conquered a 24-meter wave around the lighthouse off North Seaside.

A lot more just lately, on the 29th of Oct 2020, the German surfer Sebastian Steudtner established the Guinness Environment Report for the biggest wave at any time surfed. The 26.2-meter wave that broke that day was an additional of Nazare’s monster waves.

The city itself will not preserve you fast paced for too extended, but it is fantastic to see the waves crashing onto shore, primarily around Oct and November when they’re generally at their strongest. The best place to enjoy from is the lighthouse, which has a large system-like area.

There is a extensive stretch of seashore along the entrance of the town, and you can often swim there if the sea is behaving itself that working day – but if you are on the lookout to lounge and snorkel, there are other beach locations.

You can acquire the funicular in between the two sections of the city, one particular of which sits substantial earlier mentioned the coast and has some fairly impressive views of the beaches underneath.

Nazare is about 2 hrs travel away from Lisbon and between 2 to 3 hrs away by bus. There are public transit alternatives from the two the Sete Rios and Oriente bus stations, with operators like Rede Expressos and Flix Bus. Nonetheless, Nazare is very best blended with other web-sites on a day excursion by vehicle, or frequented as section of a multi-cease tour such as this a person.

Cacilhas

Cacilhas is a neighborhood on the south financial institution of Lisbon, offering you terrific sights of the city and the 25th of April Bridge.

Walk along the Tagus River and quit for a lunch of freshly grilled fish at a area restaurant. Around the ferry station, there are predominantly contemporary seafood dining places, like Ponto Last.

If you are seeking for wide variety, a single of the greatest meals places in town is the Rua Candidos dos Reis, a avenue lined with restaurants and ice cream retailers.

There’s a no cost panoramic lift you can go up to see the metropolis and city from a various standpoint. Extravagant a fantastic coffee and looking at some art? Then head to Casa da Cerca, it is just 5 minutes stroll absent from the elevate and they have up to date artwork exhibitions, a cafe, and a adorable terrace.

The great factor about Cacilhas is that it’s just a 10-minute ferry experience away from Lisbon. You can effortlessly catch the ferry from Cais do Sodre station. If you’re in a more adventurous mood (or perhaps dwelling in Lisbon and seeking for a random position to go), you can also get to other towns by the bay from here, these types of as Seixal.