Lisbon, Portugal Revisited: New Sights, Restaurants & a Fado Show, Our Second Journey Travel Guide

Welcome to Wild Meadow Studio’s Travel Blog, where we “Focus on the Journey” from first stages of planning to the last flight home and everything in-between! We’re excited to share our second Travel Guide on the historical, vibrant and soulful city of Lisbon, Portugal, which includes new sights, activities, restaurants, and a new Fado Show. For more information on Lisbon, checkout our other posts: “Top 10 Experiences in Lisbon, Portugal”, “How to get the most out of your 2-Day Visit to Lisbon, Portugal (Including a detailed Itinerary)” and “Tips & Recommendations, Helping You Create Your Own Perfect Journey to Lisbon, Portugal”.

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Table of contents:

1. 6 Additional Fun Things to do in Lisbon.
2. Some New Tips & Recommendations, Including Restaurants.
3. Let’s Map it Out, a Quick 2-day Itinerary.
4. Our Fav Photo from our Second Time Around.
5. References
6. The Wrap up

1. 6 Additional Fun Things to do in Funchal:

1. Lisbon Food Tour:

Like we’ve said in other posts, we love the Food Tours! This is something the majority of people would enjoy, not only do you get to try the traditional food from that city, but you also get a walking history tour of the area and recommendations on where to eat during your visit, so doing this tour at the beginning of your trip is ideal, if possible. On our second visit to Lisbon, we were able to book a food tour for our first evening there, (4:30pm to 7:30pm). So, this acted as our dinner and a fun activity, we were definitely full by the end. We chose the Lisbon: Food and Wine Small Group Walking Tour, through Get Your Guide. We highly recommend, really enjoyed it, our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable.

2. Convento do Carmo:

At 9:40am on Sunday, November 1^st, 1755, and estimated 9.0 magnitude, underwater earthquake hit off the south coast of Portugal. At this time-of-day locals were in church and unfortunately many were killed due to the falling rubble. After the earthquake there was a huge tsunami and fires, over 10,000 people died that day. The Marques de Pombal, who was instructed to rebuild the city, left this church as it was to stand as a reminder of this devasting day. Located at Largo do Carmo, in the Chiado District, (at the top of the Elevador de Santa Justa) and open from 10:00am to 6:00pm, closed on Sundays. This Church dating back to 1389 was very impressive and worth the look. For more information on this check it out here.

3. Fado Show at Mesa de Frades:

Fado music is known for its soulful, melancholy melodies, Fado meaning “Fate”, emerged in the working-class neighbourhoods of Lisbon and often explores love, loss, longing, and destiny in its lyrics. If you’re interested in learning more of the history of Fado, you can check out the Museu do Fado in the Alfama district. There are a lot of Fado houses that offer a traditional Portuguese dinner and a Fado show all over the city, most need to be booked in advance, (some weeks, and some months, depending on the time of year). So, we do suggest booking this before you leave for your trip. On our last trip we went to Mesa de Frades and really enjoyed it, they are located at R. dos Remedios 139 in the Alfama district. Mesa de Frades meaning Friar’s Table, is set in an 18^th century chapel with beautiful tilework on the walls and large wooden front doors that are used as the backdrop for the Fado show. We had a delicious Portuguese meal, with starters, main meal, and dessert, they have a few options to choose from for each, with vegan options, drinks are extra. You can book directly on their site in euros and pay the day of or through Viator in your local currency and pay about a week in advance, the price being pretty much the same. Check out Mesa de Frades here, and the Viator option here. This was a fun and entertaining experience.

4. Early Morning Photos on at Praça do Comércio & the Rua Augusta Arch:

We love to choose a popular starting point each morning, (especially when we are visiting a big city) where we can enjoy the location and take photos with less crowds and better light. On this trip to Lisbon, we choose the Praça do Comércio, the Rua Augusta Arch and area. This is one of the main squares in Lisbon and at the south end of the Baixa district at the waters edge. There is a lot to photograph here, the river, the 25 de Abril Bridge, the Cristo Rei Statue across the river, the square itself with the statue of King José l on a horse, (honouring him for rebuilding the city after the 1755 earthquake). As well, there is the impressive Rua Augusta Arch and pedestrian street, with the beautiful mosaic pavement. If there is a particular spot, you’re excited to see, always start there. On our previous visit, I wandered between the Se Cathedrale and Largo Portas do Sol, in the Alfama district, and took photos of the trams passing by, loved it and my photos.

5. Rua de São Cristovão, Food & Photos:

So, we kind of stumbled upon this place. We had read somewhere about this restaurant Union Portugal, that makes homemade empanadas and yummy alfajors (pictured below in the restaurant section) for dessert. They also serve the local Bifanas (meat sandwich), chicken sandwiches, appetizers, coffees, teas, smoothies, cocktails, wine and more. We enjoyed it so much we came twice on our last visit, The prices are also very reasonable, and if you follow them on Facebook or Instagram, they announce specials to their followers. It’s not a very big restaurant, but they do have indoor and outdoor seating. Sitting outside eating our delicious lunch, with the views of this street was a “pinch me moment” for us. At one end of the street is the pretty Church of São Cristóvão with a small square beside it, along the street there are colourful doorways and balconies, shops, cafes, and a tourist attraction, “The Historic Giant Plant of Lisbon” we believe it’s a magnolia tree that was planted in a small terracotta pot and has defied all odds in this urban setting and grown with its roots somehow being contained. It’s pretty interesting, and people travel from faraway places to see it, which is also interesting. Anyway, we really liked our new find and wanted to share it with you and recommend the Union Portugal for a meal or a snack during the day.

6. Alfama Revisited:

Alfama always seems to have more to offer and new things to see or do. The area is perfect for wandering, this time we spend a little more time in the Santa Cruz (near the Castle) and the São Miguel neighourhoods (basically between Miradoura das Portas do Sol and the river). Last time we were here we went inside the St. George’s Castle, and love it, so go if you haven’t been. So, this time we decided to explore the streets outside the castle, this is the area where the nobles lived so they could be close to their king. Today it’s filled with small cafes, boutique hotels and shops. As well, we could hear the loud squawking of a bird quite frequently, then realized it was the castle peacocks, calling to each other, we saw several wandering the streets in this area, was quite a beautiful sight. From this area we walked down to Miradoura Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol and enjoyed the many beautiful viewpoints in this area, Next we took the stairs down to São Miguel and did some more exploring, this area used to house the city’s sailors and fishermen and these maze-like streets were designed to confuse their invaders so they wouldn’t make it up to the castle. During the earthquake of 1755, the Alfama neighbourhood was largely spared and still retains its tangled medieval streets. We stopped for some sweet treats at Casa São Miguel, delicious. All in all, exploring Alfama is one of our favourite things to do, well worth a visit.

2. Some New Tips & Recommendations, Including Restaurants:

1. Lisbon Funiculars, Current Situation: Lisbon’s iconic funiculars, the Bica, Gloria and Lavra lines are currently out of service following a tragic derailment on the Gloria Funicular on September 3^rd, 2025, our hearts go out to everyone involved. Authorities suspended all operations to carry out safety inspections and upgrades, as experts work to retrofit these historic, nearly 140-year-old lifts with modern safety mechanisms. While the charming hills of Lisbon can still be explored by foot or elevators, the city is committed to preserving these heritage lines, and visitors can look forward to their eventual return, safer than ever. There is a new funicular that was newly inaugurated in 2024 that is still running as it is more modern in design. This lift takes you in-between the neighbourhood of Mouraria and the Graça viewpoint. There are also elevators located around the city to help you navigate without climbing hills.

2. City Card and Public Transportation: If you plan on using public transportation, including the elevators and funiculars (temporarily out of order), plus exploring some of the main attractions, such as the Torre de Belem, Lisboa Story Centre or Rua Augusta Arch, then I suggest you get the Lisboa card. You can get it for a 24-, 48- or 72-hour period. Check it out here for more information, current pricing, and a list of what is included or discounted. You can purchase it online and pick it up at any tourist information spot including the one at the Lisbon airport. This allows you to make use of it right away, by taking the metro into town. We picked up our Lisboa Cards, maps and schedules from the airport Information Centre and took the Metro into town, which was straight forward and easy to navigate.

If you’re not sure you will make good use out of the card, but will be taking public transportation, then get the Viva Viagem transit card. It can be picked up at any Metro station. For more info on this card, including pricing, check it out here. While you’re at the Tourist Information spot, make sure to pick up a city map, including Belem, plus schedules and information for the metro, trams and ferries, as these can change at any time, it’s best to have the most up to date information.

3. Tourist office: One very helpful thing to do when you first get to any city is to check out their Tourism Office. If you’re staying in a hotel, they often have a rack with lots of brochures and tourism books and maps, which is great and this might be all you need, but if you’re staying in a vacation home, they might not have as much information available, so locating your nearest tourism office is always a good idea. They can provide city maps, brochures on things to do, have information on tours and answer any questions you might have, making your stay more enjoyable. In Lisbon there is a Tourist office (Ask Me Lisboa) at Rua do Arsenal 5, (near Praça do Comércio) they are open, every day from 10:00am to 7:00pm. If you’re going to explore the area outside Lisbon while you’re here, they can also provide information for that. Check them out at visitlisboa.com.

4. Start your off Day Early: Start your day off early, this will always be our suggestion! When we say early, we’re talking 6:30/7:00am, but we know that’s not for everyone, so just get started as early as you can and always keep in mind open/closing hours and open/closing days for the attractions that you really want to see. If there is something you really want a photo of without people in the shot,start there! For more information on the advantages of getting up early, check out our post “Three Significant Reasons to Get Up Early, while Travelling”.

5. Speaking the Language: For some people speaking different languages comes easy and for some, it does not, I’m the latter. Although it’s not easy, we always make an effort to learn at least the pleasantries when we’re travelling. It’s one of our many favourite things to do! We also carry a language pocketbook with us, and we have google translate on our phones! We also like the free language app, Duolingo for some fun!

6. New Stay:

This time around we decided to stay in the Baixa District, as it’s very central to getting around, we were very close to Rua Augusta, the famous pedestrian street with lots of shops, restaurants and cafes, and best of all, this area is flat! We stayed at the Esqina Urban Lodge, located at Rua dos Sapateiros 92. It is an actual 2 mins walk to the Baixa-Chiado Metro stop, around the corner from the Pau de Canela Bakery, which we frequented, and less then 2 mins to Rua Augusta, 5 mins walk to the Rua Augusta Arch, 5 mins walk in the opposite direction to Rossio Square, 10 mins walk to the Martim Moniz Square where you can catch the Tram 28 or 12 at their first stop, very convenient. The hotel itself was very nice, recently renovated, has luggage storage, friendly staff, an elevator, good sized room with 3 windows, including one in the large walk-in shower, and a window seat. They gave us complimentary Pastel de Natas and water. Would definitely stay here again.

7. Some New Restaurants We Enjoyed:

1. Union Portugal: As discussed above, this was a new find we had read about, it’s located at Rua de São Cristovão 27, open from 10:00am to 11:00pm Sunday to Wednesday and 10:00 am to 12:30am Thursday to Saturday. The serve, Empanadas, Bifanas, chicken sandwiches, vegan options, desserts, smoothies, coffee, tea, cocktails, wine, and beer. We will definitely be back!

2. Mesa de Frades (with Fado Show): This is where we did our Fado show this time around, they offer a traditional Portuguese meal, starter, main meal and dessert, with choices for each and vegan have vegan options. It was very good, as was the service and the entertainment. Again, the setting was very nice it is in an 18^th century chapel with tilework on the walls, and large oversized wooden doors that acted as the backdrop for the show. This was also an average price as far as Fado/dinner shows, would recommend to others.

3. Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau: Located at Rua de São Nicolau 53, (at the corner of Rua Augusta where there is also an entrance) open every day from 10:00am to 10:00pm. Here they serve Bacalhau (large potato shaped crab cakes) and port wine. We tried these on our food tour and really like them, so stopped by for a snack. The glass they give you the port wine in, has that days date on them and you get to keep them, was a nice keepsake.

4. A Ginjinha Espinheira: Located at Largo de São Domingos 8, open every day from 10:00am to 10:00pm. Ginjinha is Lisbon’s iconic, sweet-tart cherry liqueur, made by infusing sour cherries with brandy, sugar and spices. It’s served as a small shot, was good, but a little strong. Something you should try during your stay. We did this during our Food Tour.

5. Manteigaria Silva: Located at Rua Dom Antão de Almada 1C/D, open every day from 10:00am to 7:00pm. We did this place as part of our food our as well. It is a little bit of a deli, grocery store and take out, it serves charcuterie type foods, and wine. Was delicious. Might be a good place to pick up a few things and either enjoy a meal in or to pack a picnic with.

6. Solar da Madalena Bifanas: Located at Rua da Madalena N:228, open from 7:00am to 8:00pm Monday to Saturday and close on Sundays. They serve pastries, snacks and bifanas, so good for any meal, we had the bifanas here and they were delicious.

7. Pau de Canela: Located at Rua da Vitória 57, just off of Rua Augusta, open every day from 7:30am to 11:00pm. They serve fresh breads, pastries, croissants, pastel de natas, cakes, coffee, teas, gelato and more.

8. Casa São Miguel: Located at Rua de São Miguel 5, in the Alfama district, open 8:45am to 7:00pm, but closed on Wednesdays. A great dessert shop, perfect for breakfast or a mid-day snack.

9. Nata Lisbon: Located at Rua Augusta 222, open from 8:00am to 12:00am, great for pastel de Natas, pastries, coffees, teas, and more.

10. Fabrica da Nata: Located at Rua Augusta 275, open every day from 8:00am to 11:00pm. Very pretty interior, great sandwiches, pastries, pastel de Natas and more.

11. Maria Palato Wine Bar: Located at 120 Rua da Madalena, open Sunday to Thursday 1:00pm to 9:00pm and Friday and Saturday 1:00pm to 11:00pm. This is a great wine bar, perfect for wine tasting and charcutier, we did wine tasting here during our food tour. Enjoyed it.

 3. Let’s Map it Out, A Quick 2-Day Itinerary:

We do have a more detailed full 2-Day Itinerary, in one of our previous posts, so these could supplement those or offers a few new things to try if you’ve been here before, there is so much to see and do in this city!

Day 1:

– Start your day off at Praça do Comercio, the main waterfront square. While here you can take photos of the square, statue, arch, river, and area, it’s so pretty here (especially with less crowds).

– then head towards the impressive Rua Augusta arch, make sure you take photos of the arch from both sides, looking towards Praça do Comercio is especially nice, as are the portico arches looking both directions from under the arch.

– Stroll down Rua Augusta, stopping for a Pastel de Nata (or another treat), at Pau de Canela, that opens at 7:30am, or Nata Lisboa, or Fábrica da Nata, theses open at 8:00am.

– Enjoy the atmosphere of this lively pedestrian street, paved in Portuguese designed tiles and lined with colourful buildings. Turn left on Rua de Santa Justa, (photo op) and take the Elevador de Santa Justa up to the Chiado District.

– Once at the top there is an observation deck you can check out that has great views over the city, (May be a small fee of 1.50 euros).

– To the right of the exit of the elevator is the Carmo Convent, depending on the time (it opens at 10:00am) tour this amazing Monument that stands as a reminder of the devastating earthquake of 1755 and all of the lives lost that day. If it’s before 10:00am and you have a little bit of time, explore the Largo do Carmo and area, then come back.

-Afterwards, make your way south (towards the river) through the Chiado district explore as you go. If in operation head over to the Bica Funicular, (as shown on the map above), more photo ops, this time of the bright iconic funicular coming up the steep hill with the river in the background, take it down the hill, then head towards the river, if interested you could stop by Pink St., a revived street with little shops, restaurants and lively bars, and as the name states a painted pink street, fun for photos too. If the funicular isn’t running, simply head south by foot.

-Continue down to the waterfront and enjoy the path along the water back to Praça do Comércio.

– At this point you might want to stop for lunch, either head back up Rua Augusta, wander through the Baixa and choose from one of the many cafes or head over to Union Portugal for some delicious empanadas and enjoy the beautiful and colourful street and the Historic Giant Plant of Lisbon, a magnolia tree that was planted in a small terracotta pot, and has grown quite tall.

– After stroll back to your accommodations and relax, change, and get ready for your Food Tour. If you do the one, we did you’ll likely be meeting at Rossio Square. We choose the 4:30pm tour as this would act as our dinner. Enjoy your tour and Traditional Portuguese food and wine.

Day 2:

• Starting point today is Praca Martim Moniz to hop on an early Tram 28, this way you’re more likely to get a seat with a view. Enjoy the ride through the winding, narrow streets and get off at Largo Portas do Sol.
• From there head north to explore the Santa Cruz neighbourhood, make sure you go down Rua do Espirito Santo and keep an ear and eye out for peacocks, if you hear them, you’ll know. If you haven’t been in the Castle yet, it’s definitely worth it. Now would be a great time, (it opens at 9:00am). Also, on Rua Bartolomeu de Gusmão they have some nice ceramic/tile shops.
• Next head down to Miradoura de Santa Luzia and enjoy the views, as well as the lookout its self, as it’s so pretty. Then on to Largo Portas do Sol and its large lookout.
• To the right of that lookout there is a set of stairs, take them down into the São Miguel neighbourhood for more exploring through ancient maze-like streets and stop for some treats at Casa São Miguel, or if you’re ready for lunch you could head to Union Portugal if you haven’t tried it yet, it’s about a 15mins walk, or try something in that area or down by the water.
• Once your hunger is satisfied you could check out the Sé Cathedral or the Fado Museum, both mentioned on the map above or head back to your accommodations and relax and get ready for a night out of Fado music and traditional Portuguese food.
• We are recommending Mesa de Frades, in the Alfama District, (about a 20 mins walk from the Baixa) but there are a lot of them, check out our post “Tips and Recommendations: Helping You Create Your Own Perfect Journey to Lisbon, Portugal” for more suggested Fado Show options. Reservations are need for most.
• Mesa de Frades has 2 show/dinner times 6:30pm to 9:30pm, we choose the earlier one as we couldn’t have waited until 9:30pm to eat! On your way back to your accommodations you could stop for some wine or just enjoy the city bathed in light!

4. Our Fav Photo From Our Second Time Around:

During our second visit to Lisbon, we decided to pick Praça do Comércio and area to wander through and take photos of in the early morning. We chose this photo as our favourite because of the memory it evokes of that quiet morning, the interesting layers it shares, the bright colours, the symmetry, there is a lot going on, but it all seems to work. We were able to get Rua Augusta, the arch and Praça do Comércio all in one photo. When taking the photo, we wanted the Arch to be the focal point, so we centered that in the middle, and we wanted the pops of yellow for brightness, from the buildings, the streetlamps on either side for symmetry, the beautiful and traditional Portuguese tilework of the street, and then when looking through the lens, we saw that we could also capture the statue in the square, that we were able to perfectly center, with the sunrise behind. The only edit we choose to do is to lighten it up a smidge to brighten up the colour a little more. And there you have it, our fav photo!

5. References:

All this information, research and suggestions came from our own experiences we had while revisiting the historical, yet modern water-front city.  As well, we spent countless hours reading and rereading travel books, like DK Eyewitness Travel, Top 10 Lisbon and DK Eyewitness Travel Portugal, and the Lonely Planet Portuguese Phrasebook and Dictionary. We also read multiple Travel blogs and Lisbon tourism websites like, VisitLisboa.

6. The Wrap Up:

 We hope this information inspires you to visit this pretty and historical water-front capital city of Lisbon, Portugal. We have added links to some of the new places, and restaurants, so that you can check them out and see what piques your interest. If you have any questions, ask away. Feel free to comment, give advice, join our mailing list, follow, like, pin, share with friends, anything goes. Let’s talk Travel!

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Thank you,

Beth de Verteuil

From, Wild Meadow Studio

Where we help you, Focus on the Journey,

www.wildmeadowstudio.com