Things To Do In Lisbon: With A Day Trip To Setúbal
Similar to Barcelona, Lisbon is incredibly large and although I stayed for three days, two of those were day trips to nearby cities and towns, there was still so much I missed. I had the best food in Lisbon, from incredible vegan/vegetarian restaurants to an amazing organic food store that had so many vegan options.
The walk to Castelo de São Jorge was hot, no surprise there, but worth it with the beautiful views overlooking the entirety of Lisbon. From the top, the sights of the Abril Bridge, very similar looking to the Golden Gate in San Francisco, and the Santuario Nacional do Cristo Rei can be seen, along with the frequent airplanes taking off from the nearby airport.
Castelo de São Jorge
Top tip, watch where you are walking on the uneven cobblestone ground, I nearly broke my ankle by being too distracted by the scenery and history. There are very few information placards except in the museum, so I recommended a tour, either an audio guide or a physical one. I used ‘Get Your Guide’, which was cheap and perfect as the narrator goes into great detail for every section, but it is also skippable if you wish to move on quicker.
The museum contains many artifacts from the 10th century all the way up to 1755, when the earthquake hit and destroyed a lot of the castle.
Visitors are able to walk along the walls of the castle and seeing the views of Lisbon from all angles. Beware some of the stairs up to the walls are steep and narrow, and not many people are patient, by this point I was ready to throw some people over the walls.
Throughout Lisbon, and especially leading up to the Castle, fruit stands are everywhere, selling pots of strawberries, peaches, and pineapples. This was perfect after leaving the Castelo de São Jorge as I was hot and needed a bit of energy to get me down the hill and do some more sight-seeing.
Cathedral of Santa Maria Maior
Is it a travel blog or new city without going to a cathedral? I think not. I didn’t plan this, but on the way from the castle to the main centre of Lisbon I stumbled across the Santa Maria Maior, and although far smaller than the cathedrals and basilicas of Spain and France, it was just as beautiful. Stunning carved tombs and religious statues decorate this quieter church. Visitors are able to view the cathedral’s nave from an above balcony, along with the magnificent circular stained-glass window.
Within the cathedral there is a treasury, but they do not allow for photography, so you’ll just have to take my word about the stunning pieces that are held here. My two favourites were the Reliquary Chest of Saint Vincent and the Mother of the Pearl.
During my trip to Lisbon, I learnt about what the city experienced in 1755, and although I love to discover the history of all the places I visited, I found it very strange that I had never known that Portugal suffered an earthquake, and the strongest recorded in Europe and Northern Africa. Estimated to have been a magnitude of between 8.5 to 9, followed by a tsunami and fires, making it one of the worst in European history, if not the worst. Lisbon has a whole museum dedicated to retelling the events.
The Story Museum
This museum was incredible and I cannot recommend it enough! The audio guide, which you should 100% get, is sensory and changes when you walk through different areas of the museum. The beginning of the museum shows Lisbon’s history and the significance of the port, followed by walking through a recreation of the hull of a trading ship, where the audio guide explains the spices they collected, and as it lists of the items you can smell them. The timing was spot on, from the cocoa to the cinnamon.
Midway through the experience, there is a cinema section which shows the events of the earthquake in 1755. If I had been alone I would have been terrified, with a pitch black room, squeaky doors that open and close on a timer, and loud bangs from the screen. This recreation of the events really helped put the disaster into perspective and show the extent of how bad the earthquake was. The next section shows the minds behind the rebuilding and expansion of the city. This exhibit is suitable for all ages, as it is immersive and eye-catching for younger children, but still factual and entertaining for all.
Food
The food in Lisbon was delicious! There were so many vegan options, and unfortunately where I was staying was slightly away from the main centre where the majority of vegan restaurants were, but I found a few closer to my hotel.
Giulietta
A vegan Italian restaurant, which not only had the best pizza ever, but the place itself was so pretty. Decked out with pink chairs, that I want so badly, and marble tables, this restaurant was stunning. The outside seating area looked cute and would be nice during the day in the sun, drinking (non-alcoholic) cocktails. With so many vegan options, I struggled to pick as I wanted the focaccia, risotto, pizza, but ended up going with a vegan pepperoni pizza because it’s my comfort food.
I had to roll myself out of the restaurant – three joes’ vegan pizza in Winchester has been replaced, and it hurts my soul to say that, but this pizza was out of this world, heaven on a board! As soon as the board was placed in front of me, the smell was incredible. For a second I questioned if it was real cheese, but better. Everything about it was perfect, the dough cooked perfectly, the amount of sauce, the vegan cheese, the oil and seasoning on top and the good amount of ‘pepperoni’, all of it was perfection. The waitress working there was so lovely, and so accommodating with my attempted Portuguese. Prices were also so good! For a large ‘pepperoni’ pizza and fresh lemonade it was very good value!
The Greens
This little restaurant on the corner near the Praça do Comércio was delicious, and although not specifically vegan, there was a good selection. My meal of a mango smoothie and a vegan burger, where the burger bun was green from the spinach, was delicious and a perfect lunch, along with the waitress being lovely.
My second day in Portugal was spent in a nearby town, which is coming in the next blog.
Setúbal
Day three was another day trip, but this time to the coastal city Setúbal, where I spent the day at the beach.
The train situation to Setúbal from Lisbon Entrecampos was quite difficult to navigate as this trainline was private, and the ticket machines were different. When attempting to use this machine, it wouldn’t accept any of my cards and my cash was too much, however the train itself was better than the main one I took the day before with a double decker train and cheap.
Once I was in the city, it was a hot forty-minute walk to the beach but well worth it. The beach, Praia da Saúde, was not the best I have ever been to, but it was exactly what I needed – sand, sun, and sea. The day was spent relaxing and sunbathing, although I did get extremely burnt.
The few days spent in Portugal were amazing, and I would love to go back to Lisbon and explore more of the amazing city. I would definitely recommend staying closer to the centre, near the waterfront, but regardless the hills make it a hot walk around the city, especially in summer.
