Lisbon, the capital and largest city of Portugal, captivated our hearts as we strolled down its charming, hilly streets. Portugal’s popularity is going through the roof, with its visitor numbers increasing year over year, and its stunning capital city is a good reason for this increasing interest. If you’re lucky, you’ll get to have one-on-one chats with locals, as they’re very open to sharing the history and story of their city, and of their own personal lives, with visitors. That’s what we came to experience as Angela, an 84-year-old woman, began a conversation with our tour guide in Portuguese from her second story apartment on Carlos Lola Street. Through his translation, not only did we learn that she had lived there since she got married, but we also learned that she had lived in the same neighborhood in Alfama her whole life. A neighborhood, which our guide told us, is known for neighbors being very close knit; he said many times you can find them all sitting around a table set outside in the narrow neighborhood street as they share dinner and stories together. Angela told us that her street had been named after her downstairs neighbor, Sr. Carlos Lola, complete with a plaque placed on one of the buildings. Our guide explained that those plaques, which we noticed on quite a few buildings in the Alfama neighborhood, were placed by the town to recognize significant or well-known locals.
But, if our words don’t have you falling in love with this picturesque city, maybe this photo montage we took throughout our travels will. Escape to Lisbon with us . . .
Augusta Street, which is bookended by two squares: the Rossio Square and the Commerce Square.
Commercial Square.
Views from Jeronimos Monastery in Belem.
The courtyard at Jeronimos Monastery in Belem.
Inside the chapel for Sunday mass at the Jeronimos Monastery.
The Belem Tower.
The Lisbon Cathedral, often referred to as Se, is among the most important Portuguese religious buildings.
St. Anthony’s Church, built on the site where St. Anthony was born in 1195. He’s revered as a matchmaker, protector of young brides, and patron of the lost and found.
Views of Alfama and the Castle of St. George in the background. Our driver took us here as his favorite spot in the city.
This little church sits behind the lookout point of Alfama (previous photo). This Church of the Holy Saints of the Hill is known as a place of solace for women with fertility issues.
Iberostar Lisboa, our home during our stay in Lisbon.
Modern-styled guestroom at Iberostar Lisboa.
Great welcome amenity—Portuguese treats and suggestions on places to visit during our stay!
Guests at Iberostar Lisboa can find a smartphone on lend for them to use in each guestroom.
Guests can take these out with them in the city, use social media, make local and international calls, plus get tips on what to do.
The sleek lobby at Iberostar Lisboa.
The pool deck at Iberostar Lisboa.
The octopus dish we had at Iberostar Lisboa’s Restaurante Luz was delicious to the last bite.
The Lisbon streets come alive at night as locals and visitors hit the bar scene.
The Time Out Market.
The scene inside the Time Out Market—food vendors galore, local craft beer, and a very cool vibe.
Recycle bins in Lisbon.
That’s Angela from her second-story apartment looking over Carlos Lola Street.
Carlos Lola Street, named after Angela’s neighbor.
Charming street views.
Trolley transportation is available throughout most of the city.
LX Factory is a hip area with lots of bars, restaurants, and music.
