Lisbon rewards a slow pace. It is a city of seven hills, steep cobbled lanes and viewpoints, where yellow trams climb past tiled facades and the light off the Tagus changes through the day. Three days is enough for the essentials: the old centre, Belém and a day trip to Sintra. This plan keeps the walking manageable and the booking simple.

Before you go

  • Transport card. Buy a reusable navegante occasional card for €0.50 at any Metro station, including the airport. Load a Carris/Metro ticket (€1.90, valid 60 minutes), zapping credit (€1.72 a ride) or a 24-hour ticket (€7.25). The 24-hour ticket with CP trains to Sintra and Cascais costs €11.40.
  • Book the big three. The Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower and Pena Palace all use timed tickets. Book them as soon as your dates are fixed.
  • Mondays. Jerónimos, Belém Tower, the National Coach Museum and the National Pantheon are closed on Mondays. MAAT closes on Tuesdays instead.
  • Shoes. Lisbon’s limestone pavements are beautiful and slippery. Wear shoes with grip.
  • Tourist tax. Hotels add €4 per person per night for guests aged 13 and over, up to seven nights.

Day 1: Baixa, Alfama and the castle

Start on Praça do Comércio, the great riverside square rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, and climb the Rua Augusta Arch for a view over the Baixa grid. Walk up Rua Augusta to Rossio, then catch Tram 28 from Martim Moniz early, before the queues, and ride it up through Graça.

Get off at Portas do Sol for the viewpoints of Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol, then climb to São Jorge Castle (€17) for the widest views in the city. In the afternoon, wander down through the lanes of Alfama to Lisbon Cathedral (€7, closed to sightseeing on Sundays). If it is a Tuesday or Saturday, the Feira da Ladra flea market fills Campo de Santa Clara beside the National Pantheon.

In the evening, stay in Alfama or Mouraria for fado, the city’s soulful song, now on UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage. Many fado houses serve dinner with the music and have a minimum spend; shorter shows with a glass of port are a lighter option. The Fado Museum in Alfama, open Tuesday to Sunday, explains the history.

Day 2: Belém

Take tram 15E or a Cascais line train from Cais do Sodré to Belém, and be at the Jerónimos Monastery (€18) for your morning slot. The church, with the tombs of Vasco da Gama and Camões, is free. Then queue, briefly, for custard tarts at Pastéis de Belém.

Walk across the gardens to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (€10) and along the river to Belém Tower (€15, timed slots, buy before you get there). In the afternoon choose between the royal carriages of the National Coach Museum (€15) and the contemporary art of MAAT (€16), whose roof you can walk over for free.

On the way back, stop at LX Factory, a former industrial complex in Alcântara full of shops, bars and restaurants, or have dinner at the Time Out Market in Cais do Sodré.

Day 3: Sintra

Trains from Rossio reach Sintra in about 40 minutes. From the station, bus 434 climbs to Pena Palace (€20 with the palace interior, timed slots) and the Castle of the Moors (€12). In the afternoon, walk back down to the town for Quinta da Regaleira (€20) and its spiral Initiation Well. Start early, as queues for the bus build by mid-morning, and check the Parques de Sintra site for weather closures in winter. If you prefer not to plan the day yourself, guided tours from Lisbon often add Cabo da Roca and Cascais.

Is the Lisboa Card worth it?

The Lisboa Card includes public transport and free entry to the Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower, São Jorge Castle, the Coach Museum, the Pantheon and the Rua Augusta Arch, plus discounts at others. On a busy Belém day it can pay for itself; on a day of wandering it will not. Note that it gives only a discount at Pena, Regaleira is not included, and you still need to reserve slots at Jerónimos and Belém Tower.

If you have more time

Add the Oceanário in Parque das Nações, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum (free on Sundays from 2pm) or a day on the coast at Cascais. In the evening, the miradouros of São Pedro de Alcântara and Senhora do Monte are the classic places to watch the sun go down.