Another outdoor space in which to consume food and drink – this time in Parque Eduardo VII. Once you have admired the view from the top of the Parque, down Avenida Liberdade to the river, take a break at the Botequim do Rei cafe which is attached to a restaurant of the same name and consists of an esplanade next to a pond that is home to a variety of water birds and a shoal of koi carp. In the other direction, the tables look down onto an unusual, ornately decorated, disused gym hall that somehow manages to blend into the park.

This space is well sheltered from the wind and serves as an efficient sun-trap where you can enjoy the peace and quiet of the park. I love to go there with a book on sunny days and read, or just relax watching the birds float around unperturbed on the pond. It is possible to order food from the snack menu at any time, but there are also outdoor tables that are set up under an awning and from here you can take advantage of the full restaurant menu whilst enjoying the fresh air.

The waiters speak excellent English and while I suspect this cafe may be a bit touristy, the location, for me, makes up for this. The menu is the same as you would expect in any snack bar of this nature in Portugal.

This restaurant and esplanade is closed on Mondays.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Botequim do Rei – Esplanada | Coffee & tea, Relaxing, Restaurants (Portuguese) | Meal € 13.00
Parque Eduardo VII | Avenidas | +351213160891
Tue – Sun 10:00 – 22:00

Tucked away in a tiny little street in the suburb of Penha Franca is the entrance up to Miradouro do Monte Agudo. I think that this miradouro is one of the prettiest in Lisbon that offers yet another spectacular view over the red rooftops that characterize this city. The 180° view of Lisbon is stunning, from the river right up to Saldanha and the north.

This miradouro is off the beaten track and if you approach it from Graça (rather than Anjos) the route to it is nice and flat! Go through a gate in a rust-colored wall (with a rather misleading red No Entry sign on it – this is for cars rather than pedestrians) and there is a windy cobbled road that leads up to the view, which took my breath away the first time I saw it.

There is a little kiosk that serves ‘tosta mista’ sandwiches, coffee and beer up here, and you can sit and watch the sun set over the river whilst sipping on a nice cold imperial (beer). This miradouro has recently been renovated – the tiled benches have been well-restored and the pillared pergolas have been repainted giving the area a pleasant ambiance. If you like to relax, with a gorgeous view in front of you then this is the place for you and as summer is moving winter out of the way, the cafe has become quite busy again and there is a nice atmosphere as friends meet to enjoy the sun.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Miradouro do Monte Agudo | Coffee & tea, Relaxing | Coffee & cake € 5.00
Rua Heliodoro Salgado | Alfama & Graça
Apr – Sep 10:00 – 22:30 daily, Oct – Mar 10:00 – 18:00 daily

Esplanada do Principe Real is a nice terrace in one of Lisbon’s nicest parks. It’s a great place to have breakfast or just a coffee.

The place has changed owner several times in the past, with mixed results. But it seems that this time they’ve got it right. Each Saturday morning you can visit the Principe Real Organic Market, right next to the terrace.

Although I normally come here during the day to catch some sun and read a magazine, they are open until 2 in the morning.

The whole area around the park has become increasingly interesting, with a lot of shops and cafés opening. A nice place to stroll around a bit.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Esplanada do Principe Real | Bars, Coffee & tea, Relaxing | Meia de Leite € 1.40
Jardim do Príncipe Real | Príncipe Real | +351962524513
Thu – Sat 09:00 – 02:00, Sun – Wed 09:00 – 00:00

The Champalimaud Foundation is a research biomedical center, founded in 2010. The building was built from scratch, in a zone just behind the Belem Tower, where nobody would go before. But now, inside and around the building, there are plenty of places to promenade, relax and most importantly, enjoy Lisbon’s fantastic views. Fortunately no one has to be a researcher to go there, since the promenade is open to public, and even the tropical garden, inside the building, is free admittance.

And, to make this place even better, it houses the wonderful Darwin’s Cafe, for when your stomach starts to rumble.

I have been there many times now, because the place has a fantastic view of the river and the Belem Tower, plus the building itself is an architectural pleasure, with many spots to discover.

I guarantee this is an amazing spot, still not in the guidebooks, but a place you wouldn’t want to miss.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Champalimaud Foundation | Relaxing | Free
Av. Brasília, Ala B | Riverside | +351210480200
09:00 – … daily

This spot/location is called “Portas do Sol” (Sun’s doors) for a good reason. Here one can have all the sunshiny views that Lisbon has to offer. Close by the bar, there’s the Saint George’s castle, Alfama, Sé (the cathedral) and down there, the river Tejo.

A bar with such an astonishing view is reason enough to pay it a visit. But this bar offers much more. It’s modern, well designed, with very “cool” staff and with a broad offer of food and drinks. And exceptional for an open door bar like this: surprisingly clean!

From lunch to snacks, juices to wines, and a reasonable selection of tea, you can sit on their relaxing black sofas and have whatever you want with the best view Lisbon has to offer, as a bonus!

The bad news about this bar is that once you are there, it is really very hard to leave. The good news is that, when you do, you can get the famous Tram 28 that passes just by.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Portas do Sol Drinks & Food | Bars, Relaxing, Snacks | Drink € 3.50
Largo das Portas do Sol | Castelo | +351218851299
Sun – Thu 10:00 – 00:00, Fri – Sat 10:00 – 02:00

The Saint George castle is the most enchanted, extraordinary and magical place in Lisbon to be.

From the castle, you have a impressive view over most of Lisbon, and the Tagus river. Every time I visit the castle, I just feel gifted for living in Lisbon and having such a fantastic spot so close by. I can stand hours staring over the city, watching the boats crossing the river, the beautiful city landscape, and figuring out what changed since the last time I was over there. Most of the castle are ruins, but nice ones. And there is the “castelejo”, a small castle inside the castle, where you can wander around the top towers and take tons of nice photos.

Inside the castle there is a nice and fancy restaurant called “Casa do Leão”, plus a pleasant esplanade cafe and a very nice giftshop. I try not to miss the concerts, plays and festivals that every year take place in the castle, normally at night, which highlights even more the beauty of the place.

I confess it’s my favorite Lisbon spot, ever! Some surprises can await you there, as it happened to me. A old lady singing Fado songs to the wind, another girl rehearsing her singing, peacocks… Whenever I go there, I reboot from all my worries and bad feelings. Magic? Probably.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Saint George’s Castle | Art & culture, Relaxing | Students € 7.50
R. de Santa Cruz do Castelo | Castelo | +351218800620
Nov – Feb 09:00 – 18:00, Mar – Oct 09:00 – 21:00

Mãe D’Água Amoreiras Reservoir is in front of Amoreiras’ Garden, or Amoreiras’ Garden is in front of it. It doesn’t matter. What is worth knowing is that, yet small, this reservoir, called “Mãe D’Água”, translated “Mother of the Water”, is a jewel unknown to tourists. It’s the old city reservoir, not in use anymore. Nowadays it’s open for visitors and for special occasions, such as private parties or an art exhibitions.

The interior is composed of a huge marble squared room, with for central columns and a also huge pool with clear and transparent water. On hot days I almost feel like jumping in the water. I just wished they would let me!

There is also a beautiful ancient fountain from where the aqueduct water arrives. You can go up the fountain and have a gorgeous view to the reservoir. And continuing on the stairs you can reach the roof, where the view is as gorgeous as inside. You can have a wonderful view around the city and witness the aqueduct from a different angle.

It’s a Water Temple, for meditation, for dazzle and for fun!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Mãe D’Água Amoreiras Reservoir | Art & culture, Relaxing | Entrance € 2.50
Praça das Amoreiras 10 | Estrela | +351213251644
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 18:00

If I have some favorite spots that keep moving, those would be the funiculars, trams and lifts of Lisbon. I have already talked about the Santa Justa Lift (see the Santa Justa Lift article). This time I am going to talk about my other favourite, the Lavra funicular. I usually get this one when I want to visit Torel Garden (see Torel Garden article) or go to “Campo Martires da Patria”, two nice gardens up on its hill. Not only, since the area at the top end of Lavra really provides a nice walk.

The Lavra funicular may be not so fun to ride, but it is the most charming, and certainly it is the most quiet (often private!) public transport in Lisbon. It’s very large inside, with long wooden seats and metal wheels that transport me way back in history. This is the oldest transport in Lisbon, with more than 120 years and also considered a national monument.

This is one of the four Lisbon Lifts that takes you over Lisbon’s hills, the others being Gloria, Santa Justa and Bica. I have talked about my favourites, but actually I love them all.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Lavra Funicular | Art & culture, Relaxing | 2 rides € 3.50
Rua das Portas de Santo Antão 150 | Liberdade
Mon – Sat 07:00 – 21:00, Sun 09:00 – 21:00

This is probably the most secret garden in Lisbon. Everyone in Lisbon knows it exists, has an idea where it is located, but most have never actually been there, including me until recently.

The first time I entered it I felt like entering a sacred garden, as beauty arises as you pass by the main entrance. The fountain, the Egyptian statue, the green walls, everything is perfect. The garden is located on a hill, gorgeously planted with trees and with the nicest seats a garden can possibly have. The seats are almost chaise longs, perfect for a morning load of vitamin E through sunbathing. I said morning because in afternoons the sun won’t be that helpful.

The view from the garden is fantastic, as most of views over Lisbon. And that’s not all. The garden is divided in more lowered levels, one with a nice recent opened cafe, a children playground and another fountain. Although the garden is quite old, the 2000s restoration works gave it a new fresh air.

Another great sight you get from the garden is of the surrounding XVIII and XIX charming mansions of the neighbourhood.

There are two possible ways to get to the garden. One is getting the Lavra Lift (check the Lavra Lift article, which will get you almost to the garden’s main entrance. The other entrance is at “trua do telhal”, opposite to number 49. Also a very discreet entrance, so pay a lot of attention.

This is not the best garden, but surely the most lovely!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Torel Garden | Coffee & tea, Relaxing | Free
Rua Júlio de Andrade | Liberdade
07:00 – 19:00 daily

In 1755, Lisbon suffered a huge earthquake. Because of that, only a few medieval buildings survived. One barely survived, but was left exactly as it remained after the destruction, as a symbol of loss and hope. The Carmo Convent, built in 1389, once a gorgeous and unique Gothic church in Lisbon, and nowadays an open air museum, with huge marble columns and stones that contrasts magically with Lisbon blue sky, is the perfect attraction by itself. A very peaceful place, right in the heart of Chiado. It’s a good place to spend some hours visiting, and sometimes I have been there only to read a book or only rest for a while.

The important thing is that a visitor, or a local, cannot miss it, not only for the testimonial of Lisbon History, but also for its great archaeological museum, which hosts prehistorical, roman, medieval and pre-earthquake finds. Even two Peruvian mummy’s are there. Once you enter, you will be enchanted by the view of the nave of the church. I always am!

If you are lucky enough, or just an organized person, you can get an open air concert or watch a play in this gorgeous site. Sometimes paid, but most of times free entrance for both spectacle and museum. Last time I was there I attended two wonderful choir concerts for free.

It’s a place to go in a sunny day, and once you get there, it’s impossible not to be astounded!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Carmo Archaeological Museum | Art & culture, Relaxing | Adults € 2.50
Largo do Carmo | Chiado & Baixa | +351213460473
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 17:00/18:00 (Oct to Apr)