7 of the best things to do in Lisbon

26.11.2023 - 18:35 / lonelyplanet.com / Jorge De-São

Over the last decade or so, Lisbon has emerged as one of Europe’s top tourist destinations.

With its cobbled alleys, soft color palette, UNESCO-listed heritage sites and white-domed cathedrals, it has also drawn a flux of new residents, all seduced by its beauty and balmy weather. Here's our guide to the best things to do in Portugal's capital city.

One of Lisbon’s few must-see sights is Belém's undisputed architectural showstopper, the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. You will almost certainly want to photograph the stunning honey-stone Manueline cloisters inside this UNESCO-listed 1495 monastery. On the nearby riverfront, another UNESCO-listed signature sight is the Torre de Belém. This chess-piece-like fortress epitomizes the excess of the Age of Discovery, and the tower top rewards stair-climbers with sublime views over the Tagus. When you're done with sightseeing, cocktails and pomegranate-pink sunsets await down by the river.

Planning tip: Time your visit to Mosterio dos Jerónimos for early or late in the day if you want to avoid the crowds.

Legend has it that Lisbon, like Rome, was built upon seven hills. The city – reputed to be Europe’s second-oldest capital after Athens – has mushroomed since its founding some 2,700 years ago and now covers many more than just seven hills, meaning that there are plenty of vantage points to take in the views. Known as miradouros in Portuguese, these spots dot the historical center, affording stunning vistas of this pastel-hued metropolis and the mighty Tagus River along its southern edge.

Local favorite miradourosinclude São Pedro de Alcâtara, a postage-stamp-sized garden in the trendy Príncipe Real neighborhood where you can soak in the view while sipping a glass of rosé, and, directly across town, the Miradouro da Graça that looks out over the nearby Castelo de São Jorge, the ruins of an 11th-century Moorish palace. 

For picture-perfect panoramic views similar to what’s on offer at the Elevador Santa Justa (a turn-of-the-20th-century public transit project linking the central Baixa neighborhood with its hilltop neighbor, the aptly named Bairro Alto, or "high neighborhood") head to TOPO, a terrace bar on the top floor of a shopping center off the fast-gentrifying Martim Moniz Square. 

Planning tip: The best time to visit is sunset, when Lisbon’s hallmark golden light illuminates the city.

Get a sense of Portugal’s once-global presence at the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, the country’s answer to the Louvre. It contains treasures of Portuguese and European art, but also pieces that were taken from formerly colonized regions that once stretched from West Africa to India to Japan. Housed in a 17th-century palace in the Lapa neighborhood, the museum also has a manicured garden