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Lisbon, Portugal: Your Next Amazing, Affordable Adventure

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isbon is the closest European capital to the US and one of the oldest European capitals, predating Rome, London and Paris by centuries. We love Lisbon for its amazing food scene, approachable pricing, warm climate and the beautiful bay. We first visited in 2017 and were so excited to come back this May 2019. We hit up some of our favorites from our last trip and found some new gems to share with you. Follow us @Lifetailored to checkout our discoveries and keep reading for everything you need to do on your next trip to Lisbon.

What’s amazing about Lisbon is a bottle of superb wine will be just $20 and entrees are under $10. Uber is everywhere and 50-75% cheaper than here in NYC.

The Ritz originally opened in decadent 1959 Lisbon

Four Seasons Lisbon Review

We stayed at the Four Seasons Ritz Lisbon which is perfectly situated in the city center 15 minutes from everything and right next to the beautiful Parque Eduardo VII park.

The restaurant serves classic Portuguese specialties and has a killer wine list with local varieties. We loved each of the recommendations from the sommelier. They paired perfectly and opened us up to varieties we had never seen before and most of the bottles were in the $20-40 which is something you’ll immediately notice about Lisbon.

Our favorite feature of the Four Seasons Lisbon was the panoramic gym on the roof. We could see from bay to sea and there’s a bright blue track perfect for starting your day with a sunrise run.

For our photo shoot, we used Capture, our new on-demand photography app to find our superb photographer. We booked him for 2 hours for $99 and his photos speak for themselves.

We’re launching in NYC and expanding quickly, so if you read this article and want a Lisbon photographer, then download the app now and drop a pin when you arrive to Capture your trip.

If you want to get a taste of the city, head to the Time Out Market as soon as you arrive. There are 20+ vendors that are mini versions of eateries around the city plus wine bars, beers and even a storied canned fishery that makes perfect gifts for friends.

No visit to Lisbon is complete without grabbing either lunch or dinner at La Cerveceria. They don’t take reservations and get extremely busy so if you want to grab lunch head there around 10am, for dinner I would recommend 4-5pm. We showed up at 8pm and waited 3 hours and still never got a table, so go early or go hungry.

They do have a to go window, so if you want just a bite of their world famous ceviche then you can stop by any time and expect to wait maybe 30 minutes. They serve wine and beer from the to go spot, so it’s a great choice as a pre dinner drink and snack spot.

Home of the ~$20 bottles of wine is A Taberna da Rua das Flores
. We stopped in for lunch and had a delicious cold gazpacho which was perfect for the 90 degree weather, a local Pilsner for $3, four more dishes and our total bill was under $50 and it was one of the best meals we’ve had in a long while. It’s a cash only spot and gets packed like most places in the city, so make a reservation or get there early.

In what used to be a brothel is a speakeasy style lounge with nightly burlesque shows, Pensão Amor. Be warned, most cocktails in Lisbon are going to lean heavily on the sweeter side so if you like your drinks spirit forward, avoid any of the juices they add to their drinks because they use a heavy hand.

Lisbon Travel Tips

When you’re planning your trip to Lisbon, here are a few tips:

June – September is brutally hot and most places either have no A/C or don’t crank it up
March – May the weather is beautiful and you can beat the crowds

Guys, if you go in the warmer months, pack some shorts. I always prefer pants because I think men look better in them but I was sweating my pants off and wish I had planned smarter.

Wei always plans her outfits using Rent the Runway using their unlimited plan which gets her four pieces, including handbags, dresses etc and thanks to me signing up she has 8 pieces at any given time. Despite the hefty price we actually save money using it and it’s the perfect solution for traveling and dressing like a local. Use our code to get $30 off your first order.

TAP Air is the main carrier and what we always use to fly to Lisbon. If you want to fly Business Class, you can buy an economy ticket and bid on an upgrade. We scored an upgrade for $300-500 per ticket in the past and it’s definitely worth it. They’ve upgraded their seats recently and I always love their meal service which is completed with rich Ports, chocolate, cheese and fruit. If you want to learn more about flying for free using points checkout our YouTube channel.

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Lifetailored has partnered with Creditcards.com for our coverage of credit card products. Lifetailored and Creditcards.com may receive a commission from card issuers Additional Disclosure: This site has affiliate links. We may be compensated when users make a purchase or register to a third party website. For more details read our privacy policy.

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