• Home
  • About
    • Disclaimer
  • Destinations
    • United Kingdom
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • America
    • Disney
  • Lifestyle
    • Korean TV
    • Food & Restaurants
    • Photography
    • Just For Fun
  • Travel Tips
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Lets Go Somewhere Else

Travel & Lifestyle

You are here: Home / Europe / DISCOVERING LISBON | A SOLO TRIP MEMOIR
Europe

DISCOVERING LISBON | A SOLO TRIP MEMOIR

18/03/2020 Comments : 10

Cliché title? Probably! I nearly went down the route of “Discovering myself in Lisbon!” but that would of been unforgivable right? All jokes aside, Lisbon was incredible. Wow. An experience and a half! Lisbon was officially my first solo trip (after having a bad experience in Vienna, I’m writing it off completely!) So, would it be another cliché to state that Lisbon changed my life? Possibly. But here is what I got up to while there, all by myself. 

Lisbon Street

A Trip of Many Firsts

I decided before I head off that I would do my best to live the real “traveller life”. No cheating and grabbing an Uber from the airport, it must be a local bus. I would also be staying in a hostel. I did compromise with myself first though; it was going to be a private room and bathroom. Besides from group tours, I have never stayed in a hostel before, so I was really going “all out” at this point.

I grabbed the city bus from straight outside the airport. As you come out of the terminal, there is a blue and yellow stall for Aerobus, where a lady sold me a ticket for 4€. (Please note: prices may have increased for 2020) Alternatively, there are ticket machines dotted about. The bus journey takes around 45 minutes, but the views are so lovely. So sit back and enjoy the ride!

Lisbon City Destination Hostel

The Hostel

After jumping off the bus, I made my way to City Destination Hostel first so I could drop my backpack off and explore. I was greeted with all the bathroom necessities, a frame which showed all the tours, free snacks, water and wine too! This was an incredibly lovely surprise!

The hostel itself was really lovely. I didn’t really sit in the common areas (hello, my introverted self!). I didn’t want to do the whole travel chat and get myself sad that I was leaving in 3 days’ time, while others were living their best lives. One night I did have an inconsiderable neighbour though. They were screaming, jumping on the bed, and having some loud… intimate moments… at 3am on a Wednesday. But hey, best lives right? At this point though, I just went downstairs and asked the night staff for ear plugs.

Lesson learnt: Bring ear plugs, even if you’re staying in a private room.

I later found out there is a sister site to this hostel, which has a beach view and a rooftop garden, so I recommend checking that version out first! I later visited it myself as part of a tour stop and regretted my booking in my current hostel. That one was seriously so nice. Sigh.

Lisbon Main Street

Exploring the city

By this point (about 3 hours in) it really sunk in that I could do whatever the hell I wanted without consequences to anyone else. I guess this is the feeling that solo travellers get addicted to! Eating a little too much, I listened to some live music on the shore line and walked up a lot of hills. I feel like I could justify the food I ate due to the amount of walking I did.

Lisbon Streets and Icecream

Lisbon Blossoms

So what exactly did I get up to besides exploring the streets?

Here is a rough guide I’ve put together, if you ever visit Lisbon.

Day One:

Lisbon View Point Landscape

Miradouro da Senhora do Monte

Lisbons Highest Viewing Point.

I noticed the sunset was pretty intense, so I did a quick research on where I could watch it and came across this hill! Doing my best impression of a walk/run hybrid, I walked that steep hill. Being the highest viewing point in the city, I was surprised how empty it was. This is also a place where you can grab a photo of one of Lisbon’s famous trams (right hand side!) Unfortunately there is a fence covering most of the view point, but this is for your safety so try not to be too bitter, because it’s worth it! You can still see the view at least. At the top there is also a café, it wasn’t open when I arrived but I imagine this would be really nice in the summer after climbing that hill.

Hi it's a photo of me at the landscape point

A real Insta VS reality moment. I took the above landscape shot through the fence. 

Time Out Market Lisbon

The Time Out Market

Noted as one of the top places to visit, the Time Out Market was an eclectic collection of local food businesses. Everything that you would want to eat or drink here, you can. There were also a lot of locals inside too! (That is when you know it’s good!). The tables are set out as large benches, so do not be surprised if you have strangers crammed in next to you. It’s all part of the atmosphere though and I really enjoyed it. I opted for a vegan cheese burger and rosemary salt chips from one of the stalls on the right hand side. It was one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten! I’ve not got the establishment’s name, but I believe it’s one of the very few burger joints inside. You are given a buzzer after you pay, and this will light up when your food is ready. This is also a hub for those custard pastries (Pastéis de Nata) that you’re probably craving by that point too.

Day Two:

Sintra Tour Landscape

Sintra Tour

I found this tour on AirB&B experiences. It was also my first time trying out AirB&B experiences and it was a positive experience! The tour was called “This Is Sintra! A Day to Remember!” (link here!) and they definitely lived up to their name. The tour group now take up to 16 people, but when I went there were only 8 of us. We managed to fit in one minivan! Due to the small size of the group, this tour felt more like I was adventuring with friends all day and was a 10/10.

This tour took me through Regaleira Palace (that spiral staircase you see on Instagram), Small local villages, A traditional lunch in a remote village, Adraga Beach, Cabo da Roca (beautiful view point), Their countryside house in the woods (with a view), where you can also meet a giant dog called Balu and finally, ending with a drive back and a free sweet treat! They do not stop off at the Sintra Palace, but that’s okay (for me) I wasn’t big on visiting anyway.

I also learnt a valuable lesson on this day trip, do not trust others to take good photos of you. Haha!

When I arrived back in Lisbon, I was super tired from the whole day so I nipped into a McDonalds (yes, I try it in every country I visit! – does anyone else?) And helped a Grandma navigate the self-service machine.

Day Three:

Belem Tower and Me

Belem Walking Tour

When I woke up on the 3rd and final day, I realised that I hadn’t seen that much of the city, so today was going to change that! My flight wasn’t until the evening so I decided to take a free walking tour with the hostel. Luckily, I made a few temporary friends here, who helped me take photos of myself! (I did bring a tripod, but felt too shy to use it) and explored the historical side of Belem. I didn’t really enjoy this tour to be honest. There was an incredible amount of talking and not enough exploring, so I often stood back from the group, researched myself and explored at my own pace. I wrote a walking tour of Belem myself, based on my own experiences. You can check that out > here <. My version is all bite size history and definitely not overwhelming. I tipped the guy regardless of my experience.

Belem Cathedral

Riding In A Yellow Tram

After making my way back to Lisbon, and coming out of the Metro, I saw a yellow tram and a long queue and took a leap of faith. Luckily, because I was by myself, I got on before a lot of tour groups and got a seat at the very back of one. You will have to queue for this, but if you head straight to the starting point of Tram 28, you will get on. Eventually.

I didn’t have much time left, so I purchased a single ticket and just went with it. The experience itself was really cool! I didn’t actually know where it was heading when I jumped on, but I checked out Google Maps and realised we were heading for the Alfama District, so I jumped off half way up the hill and walked the rest.

Alfama District Lisbon Blossoms and Yellow Tram

Alfama District

One of the most memorable parts of Lisbon for me! The streets were dotted with blossom and colourful houses. Making my way to a courtyard with a view, I sat and people watched before enjoying another view nearby. I did not have very long to explore everything this district had to offer, by this point I only had 45 minutes to grab something to eat and explore before I really had to call an Uber to the airport. (I had left it so late that I decided the Uber on the way back was 100% worth it!). Just as I arrived, I managed to grab a table with a view and explain to the waitresses that I only had 20 minutes.

Lisbon Sunset

Thoughts…

This was a really pivotal moment for me surprisingly, when I sat down to eat and munched on the salad I’d ordered. It was a moment of realisation that I had done this. I was eating, to an incredible view, sun shining on my face, in a country by myself, where I had an incredible time. Most of all, I was proud of myself and my achievements.

I guess that is also another moment travellers get addicted to.

Lisbon Arch Way Yellow

Have you ever been to Lisbon? Let me know in the comments.

____

If you like this post, you can pin it on Pinterest! (click the image below)

Pinterest

You might also enjoy

Street image of europeMY MYSTERY DESTINATION EXPERIENCE
HallstattHALLSTATT – A PHOTO JOURNAL
THINGS TO DO IN DESENZANO AND SIRMIONE
Previous:
A COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE SWISS TRAVEL PASS
Next:
FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOI AN (A GUIDE TO THE ANCIENT TOWN)

Comments

  1. Megbeth Travels says

    27/05/2020 at 17:17

    Great post! I almost feel like I was there with you 😂 The Alfama District looks beautiful and I’m glad you got to see so much on the tours!

    Reply
    • kirstindalton says

      28/05/2020 at 18:26

      Thank you so much Meg!

      Reply
  2. emma says

    28/05/2020 at 07:05

    Wow! Love the pics and how much you managed to fit into 3 days. I did a flying day visit to Lisbon a few years ago and always wanted to go back.

    Emma | http://www.lifeofemmax.co.uk

    Reply
    • kirstindalton says

      28/05/2020 at 18:27

      I feel like Lisbon is one of those places that you know you can revisit a lot but never see it all!
      Thank you Emma 🙂

      Reply
  3. LifeInPostcards says

    28/05/2020 at 09:13

    Woohoo! First solo trip of many I hope! Lisbon is an awesome city and I’m glad you had a great time x

    Reply
    • kirstindalton says

      28/05/2020 at 18:28

      Oh there has definitely been many since this post! Hopefully many more to come! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Nic | Nic's Adventures & Bakes says

    29/05/2020 at 09:18

    Thanks for sharing your trip to Lisbon, I have never been, and would like to go once we can travel again 🙂

    Nic | Nic’s Adventures & Bakes

    Reply
    • kirstindalton says

      14/06/2020 at 11:13

      Thanks so much Nic!

      Reply
  5. Verity says

    06/06/2020 at 09:34

    Love your writing style! Sounds So much like a fab trip, that I’ll now- have to put Lisbon on my go-see-it list for next year.

    Reply
    • kirstindalton says

      14/06/2020 at 11:56

      Thank you verity!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

About Me

Welcome to Lets Go Somewhere Else! My name is Kirstin, I'm a 29 year old solo traveller who knows what it's like to want to travel so much but not have the time. Let's Go Somewhere Else covers destinations on a budget, within work holiday allowance and while you have a 9-5! All photos on this blog were taken by me unless otherwise stated. ✉️ If you want to contact me, my email is: Kirstindalton@yahoo.com

Want to stay updated for when I post?

Enter your email address here to receive notifications of new posts by email.

Trip Schedule:

  • London Day Trip
  • Eastbourne Beach

 

Design by SkyandStars.co
Back Top

Copyright © 2021

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

SAVE & ACCEPT