Portugal is a beautiful country, full of sand, surf, friendly locals, and delicious seafood. As an artist, I LOVE the colors and patterns of Portugal. The entire country is full of design eye candy from the architecture to the warm color schemes of Pena Palace and historic buildings. It even inspired some of my own designs like my Hearts of the Sea collection. If you’re a creative, solo female traveler, or just looking for some women-friendly activities, here is my Girls Guide to Lisbon featuring my favorite landmarks, beaches, and restaurants. I’ve also included a Google Map with all of these spots down below that you can save should decide to travel to Portugal.
It’s relatively affordable to visit compared to other parts of Europe, so I found my money stretched a little further here. I shall add more to the list as I revisit this beautiful country!
THE CREATIVE GIRLS GUIDE TO LISBON
- THE CREATIVE GIRLS GUIDE TO LISBON
- LISBON
- BEACHES
- Costa Da Caparica
- Espaço 20
- LANDMARKS
- Rua Augusta Arch
- Belém Tower
- DAY TRIPS + ATTRACTIONS
- Pena Palace
- Boca Do Inferno
- Day Tours: Sintra, Cabo Da Roca + Cascais
- FOOD
- SINTRA
- Porto Dos Sentidos
- LISBON
- Cervejaria Ramiro
- Palacio Chiado
- Time Out Market Lisbon
- Food Tours + Dinner Shows
- Food: Cooking Classes
- LISBON TOUR OPTIONS
- Creative Workshops: Jewelry, Pottery + Tile
- Street Art Tours
- Water Sports: Surfing, Kayaking, Snorkeling
- Day Tours: Arrábida Natural Park
- Day Tours: Beaches
- Day Tours: The Algarve
- Day Tours: Tomar + Évora
- Day Tours: Obidos + More
- Animals: Horses, Dolphins + Aquariums
- Boat, Bike, Bus, Walking + Helicopter Tours
- LINKS
- MAP
LISBON
For the majority of the trip, I stayed in Lisbon, with day trips to other regions. We used rideshare apps as our primary mode of transport. Additionally, we booked a hired tour to take us all over Lisbon, Cascais, and Sintra to see all the sites.
Here are my favorite spots:
BEACHES
Costa Da Caparica
This part of the Lisbon area has 26 kilometers of beautiful beaches, lined with a boardwalk of cute eateries and beach clubs.
We visited the Praia Nova section of the coastline and spent a luxurious, relaxing day at one of the beach clubs.
I loved walking the shoreline and observing all the different kinds of sea life native to Portugal.
Espaço 20
Espaço 20 is a fun beachside bar where we spent the majority of our day at Praia Nova. It has a prime location right along the promenade. This is one of my favorite spots on my guide to Lisbon.
There are a wide array of cabanas and beach chairs right on the sand, and you can order your food and drinks directly there. It’s nice to be able to lounge on a beach chair and sip a cold drink while you bask in the sun.
This is a perfect place to lounge for a girls day out at the beach, or spend the day here with a beach read if you’re a solo-female traveler.
At one point in the day, it started to drizzle, and the hosts were kind enough to move us under a covered cabana.
They don’t have a website, only a facebook page, but you can head to their Instagram page if you want to see photos of their menu options.
LANDMARKS
Rua Augusta Arch
This monumental arch was built after this part of the city was decimated in an earthquake, fire, and tsunami in 1755.
It’s located on the northern end of the Praça do Comércio, which is a beautiful square located right on the banks of the Tagus River.
Climb to the top via a spiral staircase to see amazing panoramic views over the river and Praça do Comércio.
Belém Tower
If you’re into architecture, be sure to add a stop at Belém Tower on your tour of Portugal. This 16th-century limestone fort is considered the gateway to Lisbon, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It was originally built to defend the city and later transformed into a lighthouse. Look for the rhinoceros gargoyle on the Western face of the tower.
Also, take time to explore the plaza near Belém Tower. There are some beautiful map carvings and monuments like the Monument to the Discoveries.
DAY TRIPS + ATTRACTIONS
As I mentioned above, we did a hired tour for the day to take us around to see the Lisbon landmarks. They also showed us several sites like Cascais and Boca de Inferno on the way up the mountain to Sintra.
I’d recommend doing the same if you want to venture outside of the city, it’s well worth it as Portugal is beautiful!
Pena Palace
This beautiful palace in Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a must-see on your itinerary. Design aficionados like me will appreciate the beautiful use of color and patterns in this castle. The warm yellow hues all around Pena Palace are perfect for taking pictures.
I loved walking around and looking at all the intricate design details as captured in my photos.
King Ferdinand II commissioned this castle in the 1800s, and its unique architecture has European and Islamic influences. If you have extra time, stroll through the beautiful gardens which contain over 2000 species of plants.
Tours from Lisbon to Sintra often sell out, so I will list out a few options from Get Your Guide below in the tours section. Please note, it’s best to book in advance during the summer high season when there are a lot of visitors.
Boca Do Inferno
On the way up to Sintra, we stopped in the town of Cascais, which has a beautiful town square with cute shops and restaurants.
Boca do Inferno, which translates to “Hell’s Mouth,” is located just outside Cascais. The ocean here has carved out some arches and caves into the rocky seaside cliffs, with monstrous waves that crash through like an erupting volcano — hence how the formation got its name.
There’s a small restaurant here, tourist stalls, and a viewing platform. It’s worth the short stop on the way to Sintra. The views from this lookout point are beautiful!
Day Tours: Sintra, Cabo Da Roca + Cascais
Boca do Inferno and Cascais are included on several day tours out of Lisbon. I’ll list out some options below. However, please note that tours often sell out in the high season. I’ll include several tour options and hopefully you can find one that’s open.
FOOD
SINTRA
Porto Dos Sentidos
Our tour guide took us to this small family-owned restaurant in Sintra on the way to Pena Palace that was delicious.
Porto Dos Sentidos serves traditional Portuguese dishes, I tried the traditional codfish dish called Bacalhau à Minhota. They also had an amazing strawberry ice cream sundae to top it off!
LISBON
Cervejaria Ramiro
This restaurant was recommended to us by our local friends. We knew it was popular because the first night we tried to go, the line was around the block and the wait was hours long!
We did manage to get a table on our second night after waiting in line for an hour, but it was worth the wait!
Cervejaria Ramiro has some of the freshest seafood in town. The food is literally in water tanks around the restaurant and they cook it fresh. Be sure to plan accordingly if you’re going to visit, as it’s very popular. I had the tiger prawns and they were delicious!
If you can’t get into the restaurant, the 1908 Lison hotel across the street also has a great restaurant.
Palacio Chiado
This former palace-turned restaurant makes for a unique experience – there are seven different eateries where you can sample everything from Portuguese tapas to a nice minty Mojito.
Palacio Chiado occupies the 18th Quintela Palace and was renovated to include a series of casual to fancy restaurants and bars across its two floors. Each area is completely unique from the tasting menu to the decor.
Time Out Market Lisbon
This foodie haven contains over 50 different food stalls. You can sample food and drinks from Portugal’s most famous chefs.
Be sure to sample Portugal’s most famous pastry, Pastéis de Nata, which are Portuguese egg custard tarts. Our local friends told us that Time Out Market Lisbon is the best place to sample them.
Food Tours + Dinner Shows
If you want more value for your money and a deeper experience with Portuguese cuisine, I’d recommend doing a food tour. There are several options that let you sample traditional dishes while seeing the sights of the city.
Food: Cooking Classes
If you’re more hands-on and want to dive into Portuguese cooking, here are a few cooking classes you can take in Lisbon. Several options show you how to make the popular traditional Portuguese dessert, Pastéis de Nata.
LISBON TOUR OPTIONS
If you want a more structured tour or want more options for what to see around Lisbon, I’d recommend checking out Get Your Guide tours. I’ve used them for tours across Europe and they were great. Their app has GPS and helps you point yourself to the tour meeting spot with the meeting location shown live in the app.
I know what it is like to be a busy creative executive and not have a ton of time to search through activities. So I’ve gone through and vetted the best options and broken them down by activity type so you can easily find something you like.
Creative Workshops: Jewelry, Pottery + Tile
Street Art Tours
Water Sports: Surfing, Kayaking, Snorkeling
Day Tours: Arrábida Natural Park
Day Tours: Beaches
Day Tours: The Algarve
Day Tours: Tomar + Évora
Day Tours: Obidos + More
Animals: Horses, Dolphins + Aquariums
Boat, Bike, Bus, Walking + Helicopter Tours
Thanks for checking out my post! If you’d like to shop my art collection inspired by the colors of Portugal, check out my shop, and see a preview of some of the items below.
LINKS
BEACHES
- Costa da Caparica
- Espaço 20
LANDMARKS
FOOD
SINTRA
LISBON
TOURS
MAP
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and I may make a small commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products and services I use.
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