A wonderful four days in Lisbon

A wonderful four days in Lisbon. It was my husbands 70th birthday at the beginning of March so we treated ourselves to a wonderful four days in Lisbon. This post is about our adventures and some recommendations of sites to see, areas to visit and restaurants to enjoy.

The view from our balcony window at the The Santiago de Aflama. A wonderful boutique hotel situated in the old part of Lisbon.

Above I am wearing my navy padded jacket originally from Arket similar. I purchased it several years ago and find it very useful for travelling. Plus my beige trousers similar below:

What I packed and wore for our trip

As you know I love my berets. I usually buy them in St.Tropez market. Etsy do similar ones.

The Cathedral you can see in the background is the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora. Build in 1147 in the Romanesque style. It survived many earthquakes and has been modified, renovated and restored several times. Nowadays it is a mix of different architectural styles.

The second day in Lisbon we visited The Botanical Gardens. They are considered one of the best botanical gardens in Europe. Created in 1873, and its large collection of subtropical vegetation remains impressive today. Many of the exotic plants are neatly labeled, and one that stands out is the Australian Cycad, an unusually-shaped tree with twisting trunks. Another curiosity is the butterfly greenhouse, which is the only one in Europe that’s open to the public.

We spent an hour walking round this enchanting and peaceful garden. It is a treasure trove of plant specimens from different parts of the world, featuring cycads, gymnosperms, palm trees, tropical fig trees, and much much more.

Me on the second level of the The Jerónimos Monastery. It  is one of the most prominent examples of the late Portuguese Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon. Erected in the early 1500s near the launch point of Vasco da Gama’s first journey. The tax on the profits of the yearly Portuguese India Armadas paid for the construction of the Monastery.

Above shows a fresco set into the monastery wall. If you want to visit the Monastery I would advise you to buy tickets in advance as there are long queues. More information here.

Belém Tower which is officially the Tower of Saint Vincent. It is a 16th-century fortification that served as a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers and as a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. This tower symbolises Portugal’s maritime and colonial power in early modern Europe.

Visit to The national palace of Pena

The national palace of Pena is a Romanticist castle in São Pedro de Penaferrim. It is situated in the municipality of Sintra, on the Portuguese Riviera. The castle stands on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains above the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its metropolitan area

We spent about an hour exploring this magnificent palace. You need to book tickets in advance and I would advise getting the free bus to take you up the mountain as it is a very steep climb to get there.

We were sad to leave Lisbon. It was a fantastic whirlwind visit and we would love to go back there again as there is so much to enjoy and explore.