
Lisbon – Our Truths & Trivia
Just a little fun...
So this post is our light-hearted view of Lisbon
It has some of the interesting stuff, a few trivial facts, and our thoughts on this Portuguese city.
Quick Links
Let’s start with the Truths about Lisbon
It’s Portugal’s capital city and lies along the River Tagus, sailing distance to the Atlantic OceanLocation
The 3 C's
Continent
Europe
Country
Portugal
Capital
Lisbon
The beautiful city of Lisbon is the most westerly capital in mainland Europe.
On 1st November 1755, Lisbon experienced a devastating natural disaster, an earthquake, which reached an incredible 9 on the Richter Scale. This awful event subsequently caused a tsunami along the coastline.
Unbelievably Portugal has only been liberated since 1974. On 25th April 1974, the Carnation Revolution (military coup) took place to overthrow the then-current regime. During the coup, very few shots were fired, hence the name of the revolution.
Lisbon is an ideal location for a mini-break, and I’d highly recommend that you stay for at least 3 or 4 nights. There is so much to see and do in Lisbon and so many intriguing districts to discover on foot. You may also want to allow a day to visit the captivating palaces at Sintra.
In my opinion, Lisbon’s architecture, people and food, are second to none in this charming city.
National Flag

Regional Flag

It’s good to talk
What speaks?
Language
Portuguese (English is widely spoken)
International Dialling Code
+351-21
Currency
Euro
What Time?
Timezone
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)
Difference from UTC
0 Hours
So what’s this Trivia then?
(About Portugal’s largest city, with its iconic trams and captivating Fado bars)Did you know?
- That Lisbon is built across seven ancient hills, believe me, it feels like there are certainly more than seven when you stroll around. The name of these hills are; São Jorge, São Vicente, São Roque, Santo André, Santa Catarina, Chagas and Sant’Ana.
- Lisbon is the second oldest European city after Athens. Portugal’s ancient capital can boast of being one of the world’s oldest cities.
- There’s a Sardine Festival held in Lisbon every June, also known as the Feast of St Anthony. They like their sardines here, there is also a shop dedicated to tinned sardines Conserveira de Lisboa.
- The delicious egg-based pastel de nata was first created by the Catholic Monks in the Hieronymites Monastery in Belém.
- The similarity with San Francisco doesn’t just stop at the trams, the red Ponte 25 de Abril has a likeness to the Golden Gate Bridge too. They both also have fantastic seafood and don’t get me started on those hills again.
- The Panteão Nacional houses the tombs of some of Portugal’s significant historical figures, including the legendary footballer Eusébio.
- You can share a seat with a poet. Outside of the café Brasileira is a lovely bronze statue to Lisbon’s renowned poet Fernando Pessoa, who sits amongst other café dwellers.
It's famous for...
Food and Drink
Pastel de Nata
Bacalhau
Frango Assado
Ginjinha
Historic café’s
See and Do
Discover the districts
Largo do Carmo
Miradouros
You must head to one of Lisbon’s many viewpoints, as Lisbon is a hilly city the vistas are magnificent.
Take a tram
Ahh yes it goes without saying that you’ll want to experience a tram ride through the tiny streets of Alfama. Also, why not jump on one of the three funicular trams, named Glória, Bica & Lavra, adorned with local art.
Belém
In Belém not only will you be able to visit Belém Tower and the ancient Jerónimos Monastery. But you can also stroll along the River Tagus and see the incredible Monument to the Discoveries.
Palaces at Sintra
Movies & Music
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Yes, in 1969 George Lazenby appears in Lisbon as ‘Bond’ James Bond. It was his one and only portrayal of 007 the secret agent.
Night Train to Lisbon
This 2013 film stars the English actor Jeremy Irons. He plays a Swiss teacher who decides to leave his career behind in search adventure.
Fado
Visiting a Fado bar was one of the highlights of our visit.
Listening to the melancholic tones and thought-provoking laments are so moving.
We discovered ‘Tasca do Chico’ in Bairro Alto, we pushed open the heavy entrance door to reveal another world beyond it.
A reference guide
I love nothing more than planning a trip and so often I use the DK Eyewitness books. This Top 10 Pocket Travel Guide was invaluable to us.
We used a previous version of this book to plan our Lisbon mini-break, now you can grab the revised copy.
And our thoughts on Lisbon?
(Would we return? Is it good value? And did we feel the love?)Return-a-bility
Notes:
I would not hesitate to return; I feel there was so much more for us to see and experience. Our visit to Lisbon then inspired our return to Portugal the following year to embark on a two-week road trip from north to south.
Value for Money
Notes:
We found the prices for food and drink in Lisbon fairly reasonable, although once we toured more of Portugal, it is even cheaper out of the cities.
Getting around town
What's it like discovering the city?
Is it walkable? do you need to use public transport? did we leave with weary feet?
(0% - It's mountainous and public transport's a joke 100% - I'm in paradise.)
Notes:
In the heart of the city, it is reasonably walkable, although there are quite a few hills in places. We used a train to get to Belém and also to Sintra, which was very easy and sensibly priced.
Just for the fun of it we jumped on one of the iconic trams and also took a trip on Glória, one of Lisbon’s three funicular trams.
Janis's Hi's & Lo's
Highlight
I loved visiting Lisbon, the architecture, the vibe and the friendliness of the city were incredible. I must admit though stopping at the ‘Tasca do Chico’ Fado bar until the early hours of the morning was definitely one of my outstanding memories.
Lowlight
I’m really struggling to think of anything, other than I wasn’t quite prepared for the change in weather when we reached Sintra. Another layer or two would have been helpful.
Gary's Hi's & Lo's
Highlight
Lowlight
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Comments
I had no idea this city is as old as time itself. Unfortunately only had 24h in town, but now need to go back.
Gary and I loved Lisbon and Portugal in general, it still feels undiscovered in places. The people were so welcoming and also food and drink were pretty reasonably priced. We did a two-week road trip and just touched the surface.