Tiles is a big part of Portuguese culture and they do not run on any variant of Scandinavian minimalism directly, so there is a lot to look at! The entire city is covered with fantastic tile decorations and Portuguese tile is very much an art form. Have a look at the tile museum which is located in a beautiful building that was once a monastery. Another exciting museum is the Electricity Museum which, through a permanent exhibition, presents the history of energy, it is also a cultural center that welcomes many different types of exhibitions and events in art and science. To get a really good view of the city you can go by elevator, it is called Santa Justa and it is a very beautiful small building in the neo-Gothic style. The iron elevator takes you 45 meters upwards, and it connects the lower parts of Lisbon with those higher up. When the energy sinks and the sugar cravings hit, it’s time to look up a cafe and order the national cake, or the national mini pie rather, which is a mini pie with puff pastry and egg cream. Yummy.
Don’t miss out to taste Portugal’s sweet port wine! In the Bairro Alto district, which used to be an old working quarter, there are a lot of port wine bars and other nice places where you enjoy the evening. It is totally okay if you are not knowledgeable at all when it comes to port wine, in a port wine bar they can usually do their thing and you can sip your way until you find a port wine that sings harmonious tunes on your tongue. Bairro Alto is the area to hang out if you want to experience the fado. It is the Portuguese ‘own version of the music genre blues and is really something very special. Depending on where you are going somewhere, you may be able to listen to lesser-known musicians, but there are also bars where more established musicians perform.
Go on a day trip to Sintra, it only takes half an hour by train from Lisbon. There you can look at a colorful palace in yellow, white and blue but what is even more interesting is perhaps the strange tower of Poço Iniciático, or the well – it depends a little on how you see it. It’s a magical place, it really has to be experienced on the spot. You will get through mazes, secret corridors and arches and finally you will reach an even more magical place with a lush garden, small lakes and fountains… Like it is taken from a fairy tale!
