Lisbon in 3 Days: The Lucalvry Itinerary
By Alex Marlowe · Updated 2026-05-17 · 13 min read
An hour-by-hour itinerary for three days in Lisbon — Belém at opening, Alfama by tram, the fado houses worth booking, and the pastel de nata stops that anchor every day.
Day 1
Chiado, Baixa, Alfama, Mesa de Frades
- 8:30am — Coffee at A Brasileira (Rua Garrett 120)
The historic Chiado café where Pessoa took his bica every morning
The historic Chiado café where Pessoa took his bica every morning. Order it standing at the counter — €1.20 — and ignore the terrace tourist mark-up.
- 9:30am — Walk down through the Baixa to Praça do Comércio
Take Rua do Carmo and the elevator past the ruined Carmo Convent (re-enter from below f…
Take Rua do Carmo and the elevator past the ruined Carmo Convent (re-enter from below for the 11am opening), then the grid down to the river. The square is the most photogenic in the city before 10:30am.
- 11:00am — Carmo Archaeological Museum
The earthquake-shattered nave of the Convento do Carmo, with the small but excellent mu…
The earthquake-shattered nave of the Convento do Carmo, with the small but excellent museum tucked behind. Forty-five minutes is the right length.
- 12:30pm — Lunch at Cervejaria Ramiro (Avenida Almirante Reis)
A 12-minute taxi from Chiado
A 12-minute taxi from Chiado. The city's pilgrimage seafood address — order percebes if they have them, then carabineros, then the prego no pão for dessert. No reservations; arrive before the 1pm rush.
- 3:00pm — Tram 28 to Alfama
Catch it at Praça da Figueira, ride to Portas do Sol for the postcard view, then walk d…
Catch it at Praça da Figueira, ride to Portas do Sol for the postcard view, then walk down through the Alfama warren to the Sé cathedral.
- 5:00pm — Miradouro de Santa Luzia and the Castle
The viewpoint is free and the better photograph; the Castelo de São Jorge ticket (€15)…
The viewpoint is free and the better photograph; the Castelo de São Jorge ticket (€15) is worth it for the ramparts walk if you have ninety minutes.
- 8:30pm — Fado at Mesa de Frades (Rua dos Remédios 139)
The chapel-converted fado house with the seriously good kitchen
The chapel-converted fado house with the seriously good kitchen. Two sets, dinner around the music; book three weeks ahead. The walk back to Chiado is twenty minutes downhill through quiet streets.
Day 2
Belém at opening, Príncipe Real afternoon, Belcanto
- 8:00am — Pastéis de Belém at the bakery, not the takeaway window
Tram 15 from Praça do Comércio (25 minutes)
Tram 15 from Praça do Comércio (25 minutes). The original 1837 bakery opens at 8am; sit inside for two warm tarts and a galão. By 10am the queue is forty-five minutes; before 9am you walk straight in.
- 9:30am — Jerónimos Monastery
The cloister is the architectural set-piece of the city — early Manueline at its absolu…
The cloister is the architectural set-piece of the city — early Manueline at its absolute best. Allow ninety minutes including the church (Vasco da Gama is buried inside).
- 11:30am — Belém Tower
The 16-minute walk west along the river
The 16-minute walk west along the river. The interior tour is brief; the photograph is the point.
- 12:30pm — MAAT and lunch at Darwin's Café
The Champalimaud Foundation's riverside restaurant, with the most architecturally inter…
The Champalimaud Foundation's riverside restaurant, with the most architecturally interesting lunch room in the city and a Tagus view across the open dining floor.
- 3:00pm — Taxi back to Príncipe Real
Twenty minutes
Twenty minutes. Drop your bags at the hotel and walk the Praça do Príncipe Real itself — the cedar tree at the centre, the Embaixada concept store inside the 19th-century palace, and the descent through the design boutiques toward Praça das Flores.
- 5:30pm — Aperitivo at Park Bar (Calçada do Combro 58)
The rooftop carpark bar with the bridge view that runs the city's best sundown
The rooftop carpark bar with the bridge view that runs the city's best sundown. Order a port and tonic.
- 8:30pm — Dinner at Belcanto (Rua Serpa Pinto 10A)
José Avillez's two-Michelin-star room — the eight-course tasting (€225) is the right ca…
José Avillez's two-Michelin-star room — the eight-course tasting (€225) is the right call, paired with the Portuguese-only wine flight. Three weeks ahead in shoulder season; longer in May, June and September.
Day 3
Sintra morning, Tagus afternoon, Bairro do Avillez
- 8:00am — Train to Sintra from Rossio station
Forty minutes; the early train avoids the 10am tour-bus arrivals
Forty minutes; the early train avoids the 10am tour-bus arrivals. Pre-book the Pena Palace timed entry for 9:30am (€14) — the postcard façade is best in the early light.
- 11:00am — Quinta da Regaleira
Walk down from Pena (45 minutes through the Parque) or taxi (€8)
Walk down from Pena (45 minutes through the Parque) or taxi (€8). The Initiation Well is the architectural set-piece; allow 90 minutes for the gardens.
- 1:00pm — Lunch at Tascantiga (Sintra centre)
Small plates and a glass of vinho verde before the train back
Small plates and a glass of vinho verde before the train back. Skip the queue at Piriquita unless you want a travesseiro for the journey.
- 4:00pm — Train back, then aperitivo at Topo Chiado
The rooftop above the Carmo Convent, the most central terrace with a Tagus glimpse
The rooftop above the Carmo Convent, the most central terrace with a Tagus glimpse.
- 6:30pm — Slow walk through Chiado and the Baixa Pombalina
The grid empties as the office workers leave; this is the hour to revisit Praça do Comé…
The grid empties as the office workers leave; this is the hour to revisit Praça do Comércio.
- 8:30pm — Dinner at Bairro do Avillez (Rua Nova da Trindade 18)
The Avillez sister room to Belcanto — four spaces under one roof, the Páteo for the sea…
The Avillez sister room to Belcanto — four spaces under one roof, the Páteo for the seafood and the Mercearia for the small plates. The most reliable booking in the city for a final-night dinner; reserve a fortnight ahead.
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Editor-in-Chief
Alex MarloweAlex Marlowe is Lucalvry's Editor-in-Chief. Twelve years covering hotels and travel for Condé Nast Traveller, Monocle, and Wallpaper. Based between London and Lisbon.
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