For the last several years Lisbon has been seen as one of the top places to visit in the whole of Europe. When people think of traveling to cities in Europe a lot of people think of Madrid, London, Paris and even Barcelona – Lisbon isn’t always thought of and that is why it is unspoiled, its still unknown so visit it while it stays that way. There are just over half a million people living in Lisbon so it always feels laid back, relaxed and never over crowded which is rare for such an amazing city.
Lisbon might be ignored by many traveler but it consistently wins major travel awards year after year. I think there are probably a million reasons to visit Lisbon and other places in Portugal. Here are some of the best I think that should top the list.
Great Weather
Weather is always important when you’re choosing where to spend your holiday time – you certainly don’t want it to be raining when you only a few two weeks out of the office! Lisbon is an ideal choice because it is blessed with superb Mediterranean climate, that means there’s lots of sunshine throughout the year and very little rain. The climate is always warm and during the summer it can get unto 40 degrees!
It’s Affordable
Another major factor of how people choose a destination revolves around their budget. I can’t think of another European city where you can enjoy a 5 star top hotel, in a building that used to be a palace, right in the city centre for under £175 a night – well Lisbon is a place where it’s possible. It applies to everything, transport, food, drinks, absolutely everything is super affordable and one of the main reasons why travellers love going back. You can have breakfast, lunch and a coffee for under 13 Euros – amazing!
The Food
Food in Portugal is absolutely fantastic, locals are proud of it and the tourists always rave about it when they get home. I think the best idea to make sure you discover all the food on offer is to join a Lisbon food tour. There are so many food tours to choose from in Lisbon so make sure that you do your research! After lots of reading and chatting to fellow bloggers I opted to go for the Withlocals food tour, their name kept popping up in conversations – not only because people had joined their tours in Lisbon but also around the globe, I’m super happy I did choose them because they didn’t fail to deliver. Next time I’m looking for a food tour I’ll be checking if Withlocals are running one there. When I joined the tour I was able to enjoy street food, local hidden restaurants and most of all the food was the best I had of my whole holiday. The highlight had to be Bacalhau a bras – one of the most famous comfort foods that locals love. Bacalhau is salted cod pan fried with amazing local sourced ingredients such as potatoes, scrambled eggs and served up with olives and parsley, make sure you don’t miss this one! On the tour we dropped into a local cafe where we tried something I haven’t eaten for 20 years, snails! It was the most interesting dish that we tried on the food tour that day, our guide told us that its a popular dish in southern Portugal and you’ll often see people sitting out in the sunshine enjoying it. I think the best part about the dish was the stew that they were cooked in, in fact everyone on the tour agreed that the stew alone was worth trying the dish for – you’ve got to try something weird and wonderful when you travel!
If you’ve been to Lisbon or somewhere else in Portugal I would love to hear all about your experiences and stories. Just put your thoughts down in the comment section below, I’m really looking forward to reading them all.
