The first stop on our honeymoon was Lisbon, Portugal! Mike and I had both never been to Portugal and we knew we would love exploring the historic city and everything is has to offer. Unfortunately, the day before we left for the honeymoon, I caught a cold (didn’t know it would last for two months but that’s a story for another time…), and was trying to recover and enjoy the honeymoon at the same time so there were definitely some days we didn’t get to do everything or we napped a lot, but we made the most of our trip and I wanted to share everything we did in Lisbon!
Where We Stayed in Lisbon
We booked our honeymoon through a travel agent (which I highly recommend!) since I knew that with the wedding planning, I wouldn’t be able to give my full attention to the details of the honeymoon. Our travel agent booked our stay at the Intercontinental Lisbon and it did not disappoint! Our room was a large king with a huge bathroom and had a wonderful view of the city! We took an Uber from the hotel for the most part, it’s not exactly walkable to the main squares but it’s still in a great location. We ordered room service a couple of times and had quite a few drinks at the lobby bar, and they were all great! The staff was attentive and very helpful as well.
Day One in Lisbon
The first day was our arrival day and after landing at 8 am and attempting to check in, we changed in the hotel bathroom and set off for some exploring while waiting to check in to the hotel room. Mike found the cutest coffee shop near our hotel, Simpli Coffee, so we ventured there for a coffee and some breakfast. It had the cutest aesthetic, great coffee, and wonderful food- highly recommend!
We decided to take a walk and so we walked to the National Museum of Science & Natural History, which only cost a few Euros each and had some interesting exhibits and beautiful tile work! After walking around their gardens as well, we walked down the street to a viewpoint called Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, which had gorgeous views of all of Lisbon! There was also a cute garden nearby that we passed that had a fun market going on, called Principe Real garden! We looked around the different booths and picked up some souvenirs.
After some lunch, we went back to the hotel to check in and get a nap in before our evening reservation!
After a nap and shower, we got ready and headed to Rossio Square to meet up with Samuel and the rest of our group to do one of my favorite things in a new city- a food tour!
Samuel gave the best food tour we could have asked for, and we had the best evening ever! He took us all around Lisbon, giving us a history lesson, food knowledge, and so many tips to make the best of our stay in Lisbon! Here’s a link for the food tour– I recommend going on your first night so you become familiar with the city and he will send you a ton of recommendations afterwards for the rest of the trip!
Day Two in Lisbon
The next day we ordered room service breakfast and decided to go exploring! But first, I realized I forgot my curling iron, so we had to go buy one. After an hour walk, we returned to the hotel and headed out for the day. We started the day at Castelo de Sao Jorge, a castle in the middle of the city with amazing views from all around!
Tickets were 10 Euros each and well worth it! Exploring the castle, seeing the peacocks, and enjoying the view while having a mid-morning beer was worth it! They have a few carts/ stands right after the main gate selling beer, coffee, water, and some snacks as well!
After the castle, we walked down to find some lunch. Let me tell you my opinion on the food in Lisbon- it was my least favorite part of the honeymoon. Yes, I just bragged about a great food tour and it was amazing, but that was the best meal I had in Lisbon. I don’t eat fish, and Lisbon’s biggest cuisine is fish. I was also sick so I was craving comfort food but after walking by restaurant after restaurant we ended up a lot of the time at a touristy trap type of place simply because they had something I could eat. We found O Ninho after walking down the hill from the castle and they had a brunch plate that was very yummy!
After brunch, we explored the Carmo area a bit and ended up at Carmo Rooftop– a great bar Samuel from the food tour told us about and it had amazing views overlooking the city (including the castle we visited that morning)! His advice was to also skip the elevator, Santa Justa Lift, and go to Carmo Rooftop for the same view! Also, on the walk there from the square, if it looks like you can’t find it, keep walking. It took us a bit of time to find it but it was worth it for the view and the drinks!
That day, we also ventured to the National Tile Museum. It’s a little out of the way so we took a cab but it was definitely a cool stop and something I’m very happy we did! The tile work in Lisbon is breathtaking and I have so many photos of just tile from the trip, and this musuem was so cool!
After a nap and some dinner, Mike and I enjoyed a bottle of wine and desserts at one of the touristy restaurants on Rossio Square to finish up our evening.
Day Three in Lisbon
The next day, the rain started. And a lot of it. But we were determined to make the most of the day, and Mike and I met up at the LX Factory with an old coworker of his and had breakfast and then we walked around and had a couple drinks and did some shopping! LX Factory is a really cool spot with lots of stores, restaurants, and art so definitely plan for a couple of hours here!
After LX Factory, we headed to the Belem area to go to the aquarium and the Maritime Museum, which was a great rainy day activity. After some museum exploring, we headed to Pastéis de Belém to have the world famous egg tart! They were so delicious, and we ordered some other snacks and beer and wine to have a late afternoon snack.
Day Four in Lisbon
For our last full day, we decided to take a day trip to Sintra. I booked palace and Castle of the Moors tickets before we left for our trip, so we had a 9 am arrival in Sintra. The Pena palace has timed tickets, so you have to buy them in advance or be stuck waiting there for your time. We woke up and it was pouring rain, so instead of taking the train like we originally planned, we decided to Uber to Sintra. It was about 35 Euros from our hotel, and he dropped us off at the palace. We got in no problem with our timed tickets and took the shuttle up to the palace. You can walk the large hill to the palace entrance, but that is a separate ticket than the palace ticket. If it wasn’t raining so hard and if I wasn’t so sick, we probably would’ve walked it.
After the Pena Palace, we walked down to the Castle of the Moors and explored that as well. It is walkable, turn right out of the palace garden entrance and its about 5 minutes away. There is also a bus, but the road to Pena Palace is one way so it’s a long loop. It was so rainy and slippery we decided that instead of hiking back down to the town to find lunch, we went back to the hotel via Uber and took a nap!
For our last night in Lisbon, my husband’s favorite soccer team was playing so we found a sports bar to watch it and then we headed to Time Out Market. Highly recommend Time Out Market! I got sushi and Mike got a big pork sandwich that is popular in Portugal! They have a couple of bars there as well!
Overall our first stop on the honeymoon was a blast and I hope this travel guide helps you plan your trip a little bit! Our next stop was the Algarve and you can read all about it here.
Have you been to Lisbon? Let me know in the comments below or over on Instagram!