A Backpacker's Guide to Lisbon

For the budget traveller, Portugal is a dream: top hostels rarely get above €20 per night, ingredients for a whole meal (with drinks) can be bought from the mercados for under €5, and generous cocktails in bars all sit around the €3-€4 mark. For this reason, Portugal's capital of Lisbon seemed like a great city to visit, and so here's what we found you can get out of 3 nights spent exploring the city.

For a bustling capital, Lisbon well and truly has the right balance between the laid back, interesting culture of Portugal and the 'something to see in every corner' nature of a city. From the tree-lined main street Avienda da Liberdade, the neighbourhood of Belem famous for its portugese tarts, to the ultimate nightlife district of Bairro Alto (complete with over 200 bars lining the streets), Lisbon has a unique character that varies over the seven hills it is built on.

Yet at the same time, it feels a little familiar in places: vintage trams rattle through the steep, narrow streets and a red suspension bridge across the river make it feel like a slice of San Francisco has been recreated in Europe; while a giant Jesus statue at the very edge of the city has a striking resemblance to the famous one in Rio de Janeiro. We may not have been to either of these places, but at least now we have photos which we could use to claim we have!

ONE DAY IN LISBON CITY
To be able to pack in the most sights (without feeling tired from all the hills), we picked up a 24 hour train, bus and tram card for 5 euros and used it for all it was worth.

First stop: a tram ride to Belem. Just 15 minutes from the city centre, this district is popular with tourists for one main reason: custard tarts. The Pasteis de Belem bakery has been running since 1837 and has become so famous for its Portuguese tarts that on any given day, you can expect to line up for at least 5 minutes to get into the door. €1.05 later, and you have a freshly baked, still warm tart in your hand, with packets of icing sugar and cinnamon to decorate with as much sweetness as you can handle. The pastry is so flaky and the custard centre is so thick and delicious.... These tarts may be found all over portugal, but after having a Pasteis de Belem anything else would just be disappointing.

Next up: the districts of Chiado and Baixa. Right in the city centre, these areas are home to the shopping and cafe districts of Portugal, and are nice to wander around. Still full from the Portuguese tarts, we didnt stick around here to be tempted by any more food, and instead decided to milk our transport cards for all they were worth.

Tram No 28: This tram is one of the smaller, vintage style trams that hurdles across the hills from one side of Lisbon city centre to the other, making for an easy way to do the 'tourist loop' of the city. We rode it first in the direction of the Castelo, a giant castle up on the hill. We were planning to come back there later to watch the sunset (because apparently it is spectacular since Lisbon is the only European city that directly faces the west), but unlucky for me I got sick that afternoon which meant I couldn't leave the hostel.

After riding it to the end of the line in that direction, we then got on to go the opposite way back through the city. The only flaw to this plan was that we didn't know where the tram stops actually were or where it would end up, and eventually hunger got the better of us and we ended up getting off in an area called Campo De Ourique to track down some food. A €3 slice of quiche with salad later and some vague directions from the restaurant owner about where we actually were, we decided to not be so lazy and walk home instead. At least it was a relatively flat section of Lisbon...

DAYTRIP: Sintra
A 45 minute train ride from Lisbon gets you to the little fairy tale- like town of Sintra. Full of palaces, gardens, churches and quirky architecture, this town is such a unique place that it was given World Heritage Status by UNESCO in 1995.

Two of the biggest attractions in Sintra are the Palacio Nacional da Pena (a grand palace on top of a hill that easily looks like it houses a princess or two), and the Castelo dos Mouros (a big castle built by the Moors, again on top of a hill). When we realised that entry to both of these would total just under €50 for the two of us, we weighed up the cost and realised that we had already seen the best of the Moorish architecture (the Alhambra in Granada) and we will probably see better palaces to come (apparently Austria has some good ones).

Besides, there was really one thing in particular that we had came to Sintra to find: the initiation well.

Sitting inside the Palacio e Quinta da Regaleira (Regal palace and gardens), the initiation well is something that many tourists don't know about, and it was only lucky we found out about it. On our last day in Lagos the hostel owner showed me a picture of this well, and said that when people arrive from Lisbon, the first thing he asks is always 'did you find the well in Sintra??'. With the thought that we were on to something a little bit different, we arrived in the tourist office in Sintra to ask where it was. The lady told me 'it's one of my favourite places in all of Sintra' and was only 10 minutes away.

With high hopes, we walked to find the Regal Palace, paid our €4 student entry fee (so glad we packed those!), and entered the grounds. And even with all the hype, we weren't disappointed.

The grounds are basically made up of a big, intricately designed palace that was the summer residence of some Portugese royalty, along with these gardens full of lookouts in turrets, grottos in caves, tunnels and the big initiation well.

The whole place felt really grand, especially because the map and information around the place was written in a really descriptive, flowery and overall ridiculous style of English that made it seem like the person who wrote it was writing a thesis or something. To give an example, here's what they had to say about the initiation well on our map:

"A subterranean tower that sinks some 27 meters into the earth, made accessible by a monumental spiral stairway. This hallowed space, full of esoteric and alchemical associations, makes the relation between Heaven and earth immensely felt".

Hmmm... Mike and I couldn't help but laugh at the thought of some asian or European tourists, who can barely speak English, trying to make sense out of that.

In plain English, here's what it really was: after following some tunnels under caves (which are lit up with some fairy lights along the way), you end up in this spiral well that is about 9 stories high. The walls are covered In this green sort of moss, and at the top there's a revolving stone doorway that lets you in and out. Basically, it was just something really cool and different to see, and it felt like you were exploring through Middle Earth (which made Mike excited).

Sintra is also known for a local liquer produced in the area known as ginja. Essentially a cherry liquer served in a tiny cup made of chocolate, it is am intense alcohol flavour sweetened by the aftertaste of the chocolate cup. Since it was famous for it, we thought we better try a cup as well and while the cherry liquer was not exactly my taste, what's not to love about something served in chocolate??

NIGHTLIFE AND HOSTEL LIFE
Our base for this exploring was at one of the best-value hostels we have had so far: the G Spot. Despite the name, it was one of the best places we have been. For €15 a night, we got QUEEN SIZE bunk beds in a dorm, free pancake breakfast with nutella every morning, free family dinner and a glass of wine every night, and free pub crawls. A young american guy only opened the place this year, and he was awesome (he even brought me a cup of tea when I was sick).

Every night he took us to the Bairro Alto district, where basically these tiny little bars lined the streets and served cheap drinks and shots for about €1. The bars are so tiny that everyone spills out onto the streets and they are just lined with people. But unlike back home in Newcastle, where people on the streets would be dodgy and probably break out into fights in no time, here it was just relaxed- you didn't feel unsafe, you didn't see people passed out in gutters or girls screaming and stumbling around in heels. They have a much better drinking culture over here, and it was great to experience it a little.

NOW.. We are traveling north to the beachy towns of Portugal in the hope that Mike can find the only waves he will get in the next 5 months.....