Magical Lisbon In One Day Itinerary Full Of Food, Sights & Culture 

I just spent 10 magical days in Lisbon, Portugal and even though it’s a city you can easily spend weeks in and not get bored, you can still see the highlights in just one day. But only if you are smart with your planning. 

That’s where I come in! I created the ultimate Lisbon in One Day Itinerary to use when planning your trip to make sure you see all the good stuff even with limited time! 

Looking for tips on Lisbon in a day from cruise ships? I got you! I went viral on TIkTok for creating a bingo card around the Ultimate World Cruise and now know way too much about the cruise world. I actually was inspired to create this Lisbon in a day tour guide post after chatting to friends on the ship who were about to port in Lisbon and needed tips for things to do in a single port day! 

While this guide expands beyond port hours for regular travelers, you can easily tailor it to meet your cruise needs if that’s your route. 

Magical One Day Lisbon Itinerary Full Of Food, Sights & Culture 

Get ready to walk a lot, like the amount you would in New York City since Lisbon is large and there are a lot of hills! I wore my Twoobs all over Europe and they were so supportive, my new favorite travel shoes for sure!! 

I also recommend you grab a metro card as you will be taking public transportation, along with Bolt/Uber in this guide. You can easily buy metro passes in stations and also on many trams – I suggest loading about 10 Euros on each card. 

Sunrise: Photoshoot at Tram 28 + Funiculars 

If you are coming to Lisbon city for photos, trust me when I say you need to get up at sunrise to photograph the famous Tram 28 and also the funiculars. There’s a few yellow funiculars around the city and this is where tourists usually snap photos in front of as they park for a few minutes at the top and bottom of the hill, making it an easy photo opp! 

Expect you don’t want to be fighting off other tourists, so I recommend you get there early (but only if you want to- otherwise sleep in and skip the sunrise photoshoot!) 

We were staying at Jam Hotel which is near the water and the closest funicular to our hotel was the Bica Funicular. We woke up at 6am one day and were at the Bica Funicular by 6:30am, thankfully to a totally dead and empty street. 

We were able to take tons of photos and videos with the yellow funicular and take all the time we wanted!! As a photographer, this made me so happy since I knew we didn’t have to stress about it later with more people. 

The tram 28 also runs right by Bica Funicular and it starts early in the morning, usually around 5:30am. If you want a photo of it, or want to ride it without crowds, now is also the best time to do so. 

Breakfast At Your Hotel Or Copenhagen Coffee Lab

Most hotels in Lisbon offer free breakfast, so I recommend you dine there. For the second half of my trip, we stayed at Hotel Hotel in downtown Lisbon and they had the best breakfast spread and would do made-to-order meals, like scrambled eggs with avocado. 

But, if you are looking for breakfast at a local spot, I recommend Copenhagen Coffee Lab. There’s a few around the city so you can find one near you! Another great spot for breakfast sandwiches particularly is La Boulangerie which has mouth-watering croissant sandwiches, but it’s a little out of the way unless you are staying in that part of the city. 

10am: TukTuk Tour

Skip the walking tour in Lisbon and instead do a TukTuk tour! TukTuks are little cars and trust me when I say you’ll want to see the best of Lisbon without walking up all the crazy hills. 

It’s easy to find locals offering TukTuk tours at the center of the city, near Rossio Square, or near your cruise ship port, but if you can reserve ahead I recommend taking a I Tuk You tour via Airbnb Experience. It’s run by a local couple who know the city like the back of their hand. 

The tour groups are small, we just had one other couple with us and we had a blast. João, our guide, took us to popular sights but also showed us some secret areas of the city we would have missed. This was a great way to get a mental map of the city, and knock a lot of sights of the list. 

Some sights include:

• Porta Sol: crazy views over the Tagus River
• Lisbon Cathedral / Sé de Lisboa: The oldest church in the city
• Miradouro da Graça: a famous sunset viewpoint 
• National Pantheon: burial site for Portugal national treasures 
• Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora: Beautiful church 
• Baxia: Downtown city center
• Alfama: Historic neighborhood
• And more! 

11am: Alfama Stroll

There’s a lot of fun things to do in Lisbon and places to explore, but Alfama is a neighborhood that deserves a little more time to explore it by foot in a way your TukTuk can’t do. 

Alfama is one of the few areas of the city that survived the massive 1755 earthquake that destroyed about 90% of the city. You can still feel the history as you stroll the streets, which are now covered with little markets and colorful decor. 

Spend 30-60 minutes strolling the streets, getting lost, popping into stores, maybe even grabbing a pre-lunch snack at one of the stalls. 

Noon: Santa Justa Lift

Baixa is the city center neighborhood and where you’ll find Rua Augusta which is a giant street lined with shops and restaurants. You can walk down from Alfama to reach this in about 10 minutes to the Santa Justa Lift.

Lisbon’s Santa Justa Lift, also known as the Carmo Lift, is a beautiful  1902 wrought-iron elevator in neo-Gothic style. It transports passengers between the lower Baixa district and the higher Bairro Alto and the top offers a panoramic observation deck with stunning views over the city.

It’s also a major tourist trap. The costs 7 euros to ride the lift, and the line is usually a few hours. Or, you can can simply walk up the hill and in about 5 minutes find yourself at the top of the tower at the literal exact place the lift drops paying passengers off at, but for free. 

There’s so many things to do in Lisbon and standing in lines is not one of them. 

The easiest way to find the top of the lift is to type in “Carmo Rooftop” in your Google Maps and follow it until you see the lift bridge. Ps, this is a bar and a great spot to grab an Aperol spritz if you want a detour! 

1:00pm: Time Out Market For Lunch

For lunch, walk about 20 minutes down the hill to Time Out Market, the famous food hall in Lisbon! This place is packed with tons of local restaurants, cafes and vendors so everyone in your group can find something they’ll want to eat. 

The two places I want to call out is:

• Taylor’s Port: Taylor’s is the most famous Port house in the country, and while there is a tasting room you can visit, you an also find a stall at Time Out do a port tasting! 
• Artisan Stall: I can’t remember the name of this store, but it’s in the middle of the market on the floor surrounded by seats. It has the coolest artisan gifts along with tinned sardines in tons of flavors, the latter I took home with me since I’m obsessed. 

2:45 Pastel de Nata at Pastéis de Belém

There’s a lot to see in Lisbon but also a lot to eat and Pastel de Natas are a national treasure that I personally could not get enough of. Pastel de Nata is a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, usually dusted with cinnamon and they taste like heaven on earth. 

I made it a point to eat at least one, if not more, per day during my trip. You can throw a stone and hit 3 Pastel de Nata shops, but Pastéis de Belém is the most famous shop and it’s right by Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, your next stop!

To reach it from Time Out Market, simply hop on a tram or the bus and ride it about 15 minutes! Hop off at Pastéis de Belém  and grab yourself some hot, fresh out of the oven treats and eat them outside the shop. 

3pm: Tour The Jerónimos Monastery / Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

The Jerónimos Monastery is hands down one of the top must visit places in Lisbon. I didn’t do any research on it ahead of time, I just was told to go so I didn’t know what we were walking into. 

My jaw dropped on the ground when we walked inside. This beautiful interior is full of maritime baroque architecture, which I’ve never seen anywhere in the world. The place looks like a combo of Hogwarts meets a Game of Thrones palace – just stunning. I would go back again and again, it’s so pretty. 

The line outside may be long, but inside won’t feel crowded. Just make sure to get tickets online before you arrive and have them ready to download on your phone!! 

4:30: Belém Tower

Next up is the Belem Tower! This tower is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is officially the Tower of Saint Vincent. It’s a magnificent 16th-century fortification that was once used as a prison – but like, probably the prettiest prison in the world. 

It stands as a symbol of Portugal’s maritime power and served not only as a prison but also a ceremonial entrance to the city and a launching point for voyages of exploration. Most people visit it after the The Jerónimos Monastery since they are nearby each other. 

Warning: the line can get long at the tower, so make sure you get tickets ahead of time! We actually didn’t have enough time to go in during our visit and I planned to go back later during the trip, but they are closed on Mondays so I only ever got to see the outside of it. Still beautiful, but next time I visit Lisbon I will be going inside! 

6pm: Sunset Sail On The River

Sailing under the Ponte 25 de Abril, which is a sister bridge to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, was the highlight of my trip in Lisbon. 

We did a sunset sail on the night of the summer solstice, which was extra magical, but it’s fun any time of the year.  Pretty much all the sail tour companies will launch from the marina right under the bridge. There are a lot of companies, but I recommend booking this sail with Rui, the cutest little man who is a great guide, keep boat tours small and lets you bring on wine and drinks for the sail. 

We had a BLAST sailing around the river at sunset. Rui played music, taught us history and we made new friends, too! Oddly enough, one of the women on the boat lives about a mile away from us here in San Francisco so we swapped numbers to hang out again in California. 

Seeing the city from the water is going to blow your socks off. 

8:30pm: Dinner at LX Factory

For dinner, walk about 10 minutes to the LX Factory, a spot that tourists don’t seem to know about in Lisbon but totally need to. The LX factory is a collection of restaurants and artisan shops directly under the 25 April Bridge. Many spots are open late for dining and it’s such a cool vibe. 

Head over, pick a restaurant that calls to you and feast in this unique area of the city with locals. We had late night beers and truffle french fries as a brewery here!

From there, take an Uber or Bolt back to your hotel (will cost about 7 Euros). And THAT is a wonderful, massive 24 hours in Lisbon.  

Other Neat Things To See in Lisbon With More Time

If you have some extra time, these are the sights I recommend visiting! 

• Castelo de São Jorge: Once a real fortress (think knights!), it’s now a cool, restored spot with stunning city views. Keep an eye out for the resident peacocks showing off their feathers, and don’t forget your camera for those epic panoramas from this castle! 
• Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara Market: one of the best Lisbon things to do is hang with locals. Head to Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara to find a full time street market with stalls selling drinks, sangria, food and snacks. There will be live music here and we had a blast looking at the stunning views of Chiado and the city.
• Rosamar: Hands down the best restaurant in Lisbon for seafood! It’s such a vibe here, I loved our dinner and am still dreaming about that Alvarinho paired with oysters. 
• Ponto Final: The most famous restaurant in the Lisbon area that’s right on the water with sunset views serving up authentic Portuguese food.

Day Trips From Lisbon Worth The Time

If you have more time to spend around Lisbon, there are two day trips that I time are totally worth the time!

Sintra Castles

Sintra is a magical town about 45 minutes from Lisbon that’s set in the woods and full of castles and historic manors. It’s most famous for Pene Palace, that yellow and red castle you’ve probably seen photos of perched on a hill. But there’s so much more to see. 

We have a whole guide on visiting Pene Palace to check out before you go, but keep in mind that it’s best to get there via Uber or Bolt (way faster and pretty cheap at $20 each way!) and you will also want cash. The cash is for TukTuks to take you up to Pene Palace as they don’t allow cars at a certain point. 

Beyond Pene Palace, Sintra is packed with more history. I’m not going to lie – I thought it was overhyped and was a tourist trap so I almost didn’t go another a friend of mine asked me to go with her last minute. I was blown away. 

Beyond the main palace, Quinta da Regaleira was our favorite since it’s like a jungle over there, with a cool well and caves to explore. We didn’t get a ton of time here since we did it so last minute and I can’t wait to come back to Sintra again in the future, but with a whole day this time. 

Cascais Beach Day

If it’s hot out and you’re craving a dip the ocean, take the train from Lisbon to the beach town of Cascais!! It’s a direct train about 50 minutes that takes you right to downtown Cascais, a very weathly beach community. 

They have plenty of beaches to choose from. Back your towel, sunscreen, and swimsuit and spend a day being lazy under the sun. We swam at Praia da Rainha, and then grabbed lunch at a nearby restaurant overlooking the ocean. There’s a fortress and a lighthouse you can tour, along with shops but the main point of this town is to relax on the beach! 

Looking for even more tips? Check our our complete guide to Lisbon that our editor Taylor wrote after her 3 day visit! It’s packed full of hotels, restaurants, hotel ideas and more. 

If you are heading to Porto after this, also don’t miss our Porto itinerary with hacks for skipping lines and other must-do activities.