Well-Traveled Wife: guide to lisbon

i think i could move to lisbon! portugal is so

so so amazing, and lisbon has just the right

big city feel while still having lots of charm.

it reminded us of our city, san francisco.

the pastel colors, the people, the sights,

it was a dream. without further ado, here is our:

{hotel}

it's pretty much necessary that you stay at

the independente hostel & suites.

^^ this is one of the best places i have stayed, because it's

incredible but such a good value as well. don't be fooled

by the word "hostel"...this building is the former swiss

embassy and has been turned into the most gorgeous hostel.

if you're wanting to save money, book one of the shared rooms

with great wooden bunkbeds and clean bathrooms. if you

want a private room, pay a little bit more for a top floor

suite overlooking the entire city, castle, and river.

since we stayed here during offseason, we did the top

floor suite and that view made my entire year. this place

is top notch and also has the best restaurant in lisbon

inside of it... but more on that later. basically, just

remember that the independente is the place to be!

{sights}

bairro alto-- this neighborhood is the best neighborhood. set aside time to wander the streets and take in all of the houses. in love. it's so picturesque, like you're living in a postcard. i took one of my favorite pictures ever of my favorite street in this neighborhood.
chiado neighborhood-- right next to the bairro alto is the chiado neighborhood with a different feel, but also great! while bairro alto is the more working class residential/charming neighborhood, the chiado is the elegant, sophisticated district with great cafés, restaurants and theatres...as well as shopping!
são jorge castle-- this castle is on top of a hill overlooking lisbon, and you can see it from all over the city. it's quite a walk to get up to it, but a pretty walk! look ahead of time and decide if you want to pay to go in. it's pretty great perched up on top of the hill.
alfama district-- the "historical soul of lisbon" with the best views and streets that feel like a maze. it's so magical! wander through here, or catch the #12 or #28 trolley to get a tour without all the walking!
ponte 25 de abril-- AKA, the twin to the golden gate bridge. chase showed me a picture of this before our trip and i thought he was kidding...it's so crazy because it looks so similar! it is called the "twin sister" of the golden gate. we knew we liked this city! :) you can walk down to the water to see it, or take a cab across it! if you go across the bridge, be sure to check out the cristo rei statue.
torre de belem-- it's cool to see this tower down on the water that used to serve as a "gateway to lisbon" during the exploration years, and a defense mechanism as well.
national pantheon-- you have to take a little walk down to this, but between paris and rome i always love to see a good pantheon. this one is so pretty and you can see it from all the lisbon hills, so it's fun to walk down to it...plus there is the cutest little neighborhood surrounding it!
igreja de sao roque-- voted as best church in lisbon. it's beautiful and ornate, with a wooden ceiling and amazing altars, sculptures, and paintings. it is stunning to see how ornamented it is inside...shows how wealthy the catholic church was in portugal!
national tile museum-- magical if you love those portuguese tiles like i do. what a feast for the eyes! {closed mondays}
go down by the river to the praça do comércio. it's a fun area at night, and that yellow color of the square just about made me faint i loved it so much!
if you have time for a day trip, take the train to sintra and see the most amazing castle there ever was...pena national palace.