It has certainly happened to all of us. You are super-excited to travel to a city you’ve never been to. You read pages of reviews, make a list, and get ready for attractions you are supposed to be blown up by. Lisbon has sites that are not world-known but are no less important than a number of legendary wonders.
The Monument of Discoveries, Design and Fashion Museum, the Botanical Garden… I could be enumerating hundreds of attractions you can see, but you must understand that although all of them are of great interest, not everyone will enjoy them. You don’t want to spend crazy money on things that won’t impress you.
Here’s a minimal list of top things you must seriously consider to spend your money on. It’s a very limited list, but I assume these are the places that every tourist should visit, despite their personal interests.
1. Fado Dinner
You will have a big variety of expensive and classy restaurants in Lisbon, and each one of them will offer great food. But there is one place you just must visit. In fact, you also have a freedom to choose here, as long as you don’t get out of one of the most ancient districts of Lisbon, Alfama. You obviously have heard a lot of things you can witness in Alfama, but you must choose a restaurant besides the attractions to see.
I won’t take the responsibility of telling you which restaurant or cafe to choose. I want you to walk through the narrow streets of Alfama (to get spiced up with the atmosphere first) and then pick a restaurant you like. The reasons can be different, maybe you’ll like the location, the view, the smell of food coming from inside, this criteria don’t matter. There is only one condition, that restaurant must serve Fado music along with the meal.
Fado is the national music genre of Portugal. It’s very unique, and you’ll understand that once you hear the first notes. The melody is very sad, almost mournful. It’s mainly about love and human tragedy. You will win if the music at the restaurant you pick is live. Those performances are held by women dressed in Portuguese traditional dress, there might also be a few guitar players. The emotions are so strong that you are guaranteed to be touched (even if you don’t understand a word in Portuguese). Despite your tastes in food that I can hardly guess, you should also ask the waiter to help you out and bring the most traditional dish they have.
The combination of these two will make the best dinner you’ll have in Lisbon.
2. Your Hotel/Apartment
Here again, we encounter a cross-road of tastes. Some like to get all the luxury there is in hotel industry, others prefer the design and creativity and go for design hotels. There are also people who prefer renting their own houses. Vacation apartments in Lisbon are various and spread all over the city. This will help live closer to the locals (at least for a short period of time) and will be a perfect continuation of the Fado music.
Hotels are great in regard of room service and easy-reachable eating places. After all, we all like to find our room nice and neat when we come home in the evenings. That’s the hotel effect. If you find a cheap hotel, where the quality is high, it’s even better.
If you are out of young extreme and adventurous lifestyle, you must understand that it’s very important where you sleep, take a bath, and simply relax. This is why it’s so important not to spare money on your hotel or apartment.
3. Gulbenkian Museum
I am very well aware that some people are not for art. It’s a very individual interest but you should visit at least one art museum in Lisbon. The art the Portuguese display speaks of things they like, dislike, value and appreciate. After all, it speaks about the soul of the nation. Even if you insist that you don’t understand a thing of art, I will still be sure that there is a slightly-visible spark deep in your heart. You just need the right artwork to fire it up.
If I had to bet, I would trust Gulbenkian Museum for that role. This museum is like the Louvre of Portugal. The exhibits under the possession of this museum are exceptional. No wonder why the founder of the museum, Calouste Gulbenkian, had a motto “Only the best.” The museum was opened according to the last will of Gulbenkian, businessman of Armenian descend and on of the wealthiest men of his time. Naturally, it contains only the best examples of Portuguese and foreign arts.
The collection of this museum includes Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir just to name a few. There is also a whole section dedicated to modern art only. This section includes artists like Paula Rego, Almada Negreiros, Souza Cardoso, and many others.
It’s absolutely worth to spend your money here. First, you can be 100% sure that you are offered only the best, and, second, give your imagination and artistic soul a chance to reveal itself.
4. Go Surfing
Have you ever thought which are the most memorable moments when you’re traveling? If you add and multiply, the numbers will come up to one thing, the most extreme, crazy and unpredictable thing you have never tried before.
So here we go, surfing is an ideal option. If you are already a professional surfer, you might not find anything useful for you here, but if you have never tried this sport before, you have a great chance to join our first group.
There are two surf schools that are especially popular with tourists, the Epic Surf School and the Carcavelos Surf School. Both of these schools have professional teachers that will help you learn everything you need to surf.
There are only two things you should consider. It’s not a one-time trip to a museum or a restaurant. It’s basically taking classes, not one, and you obviously have to pay for them. The next thing is the time. You have to dedicate some of your concentrated time to the school. If you have both of those luxuries, then don’t miss the chance to learn surfing.
Think about how you’ll teach your grandchildren in future, telling about the crazy times in Lisbon.
5. Science Museum
The last but not the least is the Science Museum of Lisbon. When you hear the word science, you automatically resent the amount of information and numbers you will supposedly be forced to.
Don’t worry, it’s not going to be in any way similar to the torturous chemistry and physics classes of school. This museum will show you the fun side of science.
Actually, it’s a very suitable place for kids, so if you have any, make this destination a priority. If you don’t, then you can become a child yourself. It’s not that difficult at the Science Museum.
There are many intellectual and interactive tasks that you won’t have a second to get bored. There is one thing I advise you to remember, try everything that comes on your pay. This museum is like a fantastic playground for big children. It will be ideal to plan your visit here after the Oceanarium. It’s absolutely worth spending your time and money on. The amount of fun you’ll get here will prolong your life at least for a couple of days.
