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Lisbon or Lisboa in Portuguese is the capital and largest city of Portuguese Republic (葡萄牙). Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, and the second-oldest European capital city after Athens, predating other modern European capitals by centuries. Besides UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Lisbon also has many famous and beautiful landmarks.
Leisure trip at a glance
Country: Portuguese Republic
Period: 27 Aug to 29 Aug 2010
Flight timings:
27 Aug: EZY 1449, GVA–LIS, ETD 1725 ETA 1855
29 Aug: EZY 1448, LIS–GVA, ETD 1515 ETA 1835
Air tickets: Return tickets at CHF 267.90 per person (inclusive of airport taxes)
Accommodation:
Ibis Lisboa José Malhoa Hotel (27 to 29 Aug)
Currency exchange rate: EUR 1 = SGD 1.72 (Aug '10 period)
Here's the overview of the trip itinerary:
Day 1 – Evening flight EZY 1449 from Genèva Airport to Lisbon Airport. Took Aeroshuttle to hotel. Shopped at Hard Rock Café, and had dinner at Restauradores Square. Back to hotel and had a good rest.
Day 2 – Took train to Sintra and visited Castle of the Moors and Pena Palace. Had lunch at Sintra Old Town and back to Lisbon. Visited Monument to the Restorers, Equestrian statue of King John I, Santa Justa Lift, Rua Augusta Arch and Equestrian statue of King Joseph I. Had dinner at Rossio Square.
Day 3 – Woke up early and took tram to Belém. Visited Jerónimos Monastery, Padrão dos Descobrimentos and Belém Tower. Took Aeroshuttle to Lisbon Airport and had late lunch at Airport.
Humberto Delgado Airport
The Humberto Delgado Airport or Aeroporto Humberto Delgado in Portuguese, is simply known as Lisbon Airport. It is located 7-km northeast from the city center of Lisbon. The IATA code for this airport is LIS.
There are two terminals in Lisbon Airport (photos below). Terminal 1 is used mainly by TAP Air Portugal and Star Alliance airlines, while Terminal 2 is used mainly by budget airlines like EasyJet, Ryanair and Transavia.
Transportation
Getting in/out from the Airport
The easiest way to get in/out of the airport is by Metro train. The Aeroporto Metro station is located at the Southern edge of Terminal 1 arrival area, and it takes 20-minutes to reach downtown Lisbon.
As our hotel was near to a Aeroshuttle drop-off point at 'Av. Jose Malhoa Sul', we decided to take the Aeroshuttle from the airport. The Aeroshuttle operates from daily 0815 to 2115 hours in a frequency of every 30-minutes. Conveniently the Aeroshuttle stop (left photo below) is located outside the airport terminal building and air-conditioned van (right photo below) shuttle passengers right to the stop. The bus was clean, comfortable and most importantly punctual.
Cost of a single trip was EUR 3.50 per person and tickets (photo below) can be bought at the Aeroshuttle booth or on the bus. We chose Aeroshuttle because it was slightly cheaper than taxi and more convenient than Metro.
The Lisbon Metro or Metropolitano de Lisboa in Portuguese is a rapid transit system in Lisbon and has been operating since 1959. The Metro consists of 4 lines and each can be differentiated by its color (photo below). Now there are 56 stations with 44.5-km of tracks. Service starts daily from 0630 till 0100 hours and trains run at a 5 to 8-minutes interval.
Lisbon Metro uses Viva Viagem card system which is an electronic smart card that can be bought and loaded on Ticket Vending Machines and Ticket Offices. Each paper card (left photo below) cost EUR 0.50 and non-refundable. But it can be reloaded unlimitedly during one year after purchase. Price per trip varies depending on the distance and travel zone. For example, a return trip could cost EUR 2.20 while a single trip within a single zone cost EUR 0.85. This Viva Viagem card system is similar to Singapore contactless and passengers just need to tap on the gantry card reader before entering or leaving the station (right photo below).
Train from Lisbon to SintraGetting to Sintra from Lisbon is easy. There are trains, at least every 30 minutes on weekdays and weekends, departing from Lisbon's city center Rossio station. The journey takes 39-minutes to reach Sintra. Trains are sleek in design for its exterior (left photo below) and modern in its interior (right photo below).
Sete Rios Railway Station (photos below) is the main bus station for long-distance buses to destinations all over Portugal. Sete Rios is also on the blue line of the Lisbon Metro, and its metro station is 'Jardim Zoológico'. This was the railway station we boarded our train to Sintra.
Rossio Railway Station or Estação de Caminhos de Ferro do Rossio in Portuguese (photos below) is a railway station located in Rossio square. Similar to Sete Rios station, Rossio station is well located between two Metro stations: 'Restauradores' of Blue line and 'Rossio' of Green line. This was the railway station we alighted from Sintra.
A return (round-trip) ticket from Lisbon to Sintra railway station cost EUR 3.50.Lisbon Trams
There are two distinct types of trams, the historic 'Remodelado' trams (left photo below) and the modern 'Articulado' trams (right photo below). We were lucky to ride on both types of trams on 15E route during our trip to Belém distict. Tram tickets cost EUR 1.45 in a single trip and can be paid using Viva Viagem card.
As warned in many tourist guide-books and websites, highly skilled pickpockets operate along the tram 15E route from city center to Belém.ScottURB Bus in Sintra
It will be a 1-km walk from Sintra train station to Sintra-Vila. Thus, we took the ScottURB bus number 434 (left photo below) from the railway station. The bus takes 10-minutes from train station to Castle of the Moors, and another 5-minutes from Castle of the Moors to Pena Palace in one direction within single loop. Tickets (right photo below) can be bought on the bus and cost EUR 4.60 which allowed passenger to hop-on and hop-off.
Tram to Pena Palace in Sintra
After some climbing and exploring at Castle of the Moors, we dropped the idea to walk another 500-meters of steep incline to the Pena Palace from its entrance. Thus, decided to take the tram (left photo below) which cost EUR 2 to the Pena Palace. We bought our tickets on the tram (right photo below).
Accommodation
Ibis Lisboa José Malhoa Hotel
Booked this Ibis Lisboa José Malhoa Hotel (photos below) via the internet a month before the actual trip at EUR 98 per room without breakfast for 2 nights.
The hotel is well located; it is less than 5-mins walk from the nearest metro station 'Praça de Espanha' station. Basic amenities could be found in this standard room (left photo below) such as TV with international channels and even a huge bathtub (right photo below). There was also free wireless internet available.
Breakfast was not included in the hotel package, but we paid additional EUR 12 per person for two days during our stay. Breakfast was a good with a selection of breads, cereals, meats, cheese, fruits and yoghurts, all served till midday (photos below).
The restaurant for breakfast was spacious (left photo below) but not packed. What I liked was the availability of Portuguese egg tarts served daily at its buffet counter (right photo below).
Following were my breakfast selections (photos below) during the 2-day stay.
Interesting Observations- Old School weighing machine (left photo below) was spotted at Rossio railway station where coins are required to be inserted and a small card with printed weight will then be generated.
- Lisbon can be superstitious, especially on the number '13'. As such there was a 13th floor missing in the hotel we stayed (right photo below).
- In Portugal, the rooster is a symbol of faith, good luck and justice based on the legend of the "Old Cock of Barcelos". This vividly colored national symbol, known as 'Barcelos Rooster', is mostly found in its typical ceramic form as well as embroidered on towels and aprons. This emblem in many forms can be found in every local shop and especially gift shops (left photo below).
- One of the greatest pastries to binge-eat in Lisbon is the Portuguese Egg Tart or Pastéis de Nata in Portuguese. This egg tart has crisp and flaky crust holding a creamy custard center which was blistered on top from the high heat of an oven (right photo below).
Travel Tips:
 |
If staying in Lisbon for more than 2 days and a museum-lover, then it is worth to get a Lisboa card. Lisboa Card is a tourist attraction discount pass which provides admission to dozens of popular sites in Lisbon for one flat price, allowing visitors to save money when visiting multiple locations. In addition to the free attractions, the Lisboa Card also includes a free travel pass with at least 24 hours of unlimited public transportation. |
Here are a few of the more notable attractions included with the Lisboa Card:
- • Belém Tower
• National Pantheon
• LISBOA Story Centre
• Jerónimos Monastery
• National Tile Museum
• Pilar7 Bridge Experience
• National Coach Museum
• National Costume Museum
• National Ancient Art Museum
• National Museum of Theatre and Dance
• And more!
Useful Links:
Visit Portugal
https://www.visitportugal.com/en
Wikitravel - Lisbon
https://wikitravel.org/en/Lisbon
Wikitravel - Sintra
https://wikitravel.org/en/Sintra