Kristen & João

Portugual's national airlines, TAP, is a great option for your flight search. If you want to tag on a European adventure before or after the wedding weekend, check out TAP's Stopover option! Click here for TAP Stopover

Uber is a fantastic (and very cheap!) option for getting around Lisbon and to/from the weekend's festivities

Lisbon has a lot to see and we would recommend at least 2 days to go around the historic areas (Chiado, Baixa, Castelo de Sao Jorge, Alfama...). Some of our favorite things to do are:

Try the famous Pasteis de Belem: Lisbon's typical pastry, the egg-tart, can be found in every single coffee shop but for the original ones you have to go to "Pasteis de Belem" which have been making the delicious egg-tarts since 1837

Drink a Ginjinha with the locals: A drink made from Ginja (or Morello cherries), and tasted by locals in tiny cups at any time of the day. Both "Eduardino" (Ginjinha Sem Rival) or "A Ginjinha" are institutions of Lisbon, and next door to each other. Make sure you ask "com fruta", so you can taste the berries as well.

People watch at Chiado: Rua Garret in Chiado is always bustling with all types of people, stop for a freshly baked croissant w/egg cream, chocolate or whatever your heart desires and a "bica" (expresso) while people watching a Pastelaria Benard.

Listen to some live Fado in the narrow streets of Alfama or Bairro Alto: Fado (which means fate) is the typical music from Lisbon, usually one singer accompanied by at least one guitarist. Tasca do Chico is a good spot in Bairro Alto to walk-in go for one or two songs (the place is tiny and it gets pretty crowded, but there is always a place to stand) and has fado every day. Barto, near the Castle, is also a good place to listen to a few songs in a relaxed environment - they typically have Fado on Tuesdays, but we would recommend checking the program (here: https://chapito.org/agenda-mensal/barto-biblioteca/). Additionally there are a myriad of restaurants that will have daily Fado shows, however they cater mostly for tourists and the experience is a bit too intense unless you are Fado lover! Some of the restaurant options are Adega Machado, Senhor Vinho, Case Luso and o Forcado.

Ride the #28 tram up to the castle: Lisbon's old public transportation systems relied on electric trams to connect the different hills of the city. Nowadays a few of those old trams are still operating, with #28 connecting Chiado to the Castle. We would recommend taking the tram a bit before all the Tourist get in (Calhariz Bica - you can also check out the "Elevador da Bica" while you are there) direction to the Castle. Be aware of pickpockets in the crowded tram.

Enjoy the views: Lisbon is the city of seven hills, lending itself to amazing views from one hill to the other, stop for a drink at some of our favorite spots - Topo (Chiado), Kiosk at Sao Pedro de Alcantara (Principe Real), Park Bar (Chiado), Miradouro da Graca (Graca)...

Sintra is a little town about 18 miles from Lisbon's downtown, up on a hill with cool weather during the hot Portuguese summer months. For that reason it was for centuries the summer residence for the Portuguese royal family.

We recommend renting a car or getting a driver for the day doing the following itinerary:

Head to Sintra in the morning, and have a quick taste of the local pastry at Piriquita (have to try a Queijada and a Travesseiro), before visiting the sites.

There are many palaces in the Sintra Area to visit, but we would recommend Palacio da Pena plus one more (we would chose between Monserrate or Regaleira).

After Sintra take the scenic way to Cabo da Roca (western most point of Europe), you can stop there for a quick pick, or continue straight to Guincho for a late lunch. 

Taste some very fresh fish and seafood at one of the ocean facing restaurants, Montemar, Porto de Santa Maria and Furnas are our favorites.

Continue to Cascais, where you can stop for a quick ice cream at Santini, and then instead of taking the highway back to Lisbon, drive along the coast/river until you hit Lisbon.

Cervejaria O Ramiro: This whole in the wall seafood only restaurant has been an institution in Lisbon forever, unfortunately with the increasing tourism, and the walk-in only policy, the wait time to get a table at normal meal times is just insane (maybe because the seafood is also very good :) ). The kitchen never closes so we would recommend going for a very late lunch or early dinner (3pm-5pm) to avoid the queues. Need to try the perceves (goose barnacles), ameijoas a bulhao pato (clams in white wine and garlic sauce), gambas da costa (fresh shrimp from the Portuguese coast), gambas aguilho (small shrimp in garlic sauce), the carabineiros (make sure you taste the sauce in its head) and finish off with half of a prego do lombo (filet mignon steak sandwich). Drink loads of Vinho Verde (light "green" wine from the north of Portugal)

Bairro do Avilez: Lively, modern restaurant in Chiado from Jose Avilez with great typical Portuguese food. Make sure you make a reservation. This chef has two other restaurants in the area that are also very good - Minibar (nouvelle cuisine) and Belcanto (fine dining).

O Magano / Coelho da Rocha: Off the beaten path, these two sister restaurants offer great traditionally cooked Portuguese food with a great wine selection. Make sure you have a reservation as they are very popular amongst locals.

Time-Out Market: This old market converted in a food-hall with some of the best restaurants in Lisbon is a great option for a quick lunch around the area.

A Cevicheria: Tiny Peruvian restaurant in Principe Real with great Pisco Sours, we would suggest going there for an appetizer and a cocktail at the tables outside before heading to dinner.

Sala de Corte: For the meat lovers, this place has a selection of meat cuts from all types of cows, aged/non-aged...

Some of the other top restaurants from known Portuguese chefs are: Alma, Loco, Pap'Acorda, A Travessa and Bica do Sapato.