Lisboa (Lisbon), Portugal Travel Blog By A.R.Arthur

From street cars, to winding hills just barely set up for the postmodern world it now exists in.

Here, in these arcane stoned ways, modern vehicles intermingle with sore tourists beaten by

Summer Sol and worn by coastal humidity intertwined with the ever-abundant scent of the

Jacaranda tree throughout urban area.

Take an Uber or a Bolt from the airport. It was €10 and fully worth it rather than struggling on

blisteringly hot public transport.

I only had a whole day to explore Lisboa so my first night was merely a one hour walk where I

encountered the globally ubiquitous, stone-faced corner shop vendor and purchased water. Bar

this interaction, the streets were alive with laughing families, lilac and fuchsia hues dominating

the skies as I headed for a park ground (insert name). I'd recommend the Lutecia Smart Design

Hotel as my balcony view was absolutely insane. Though like most European hotels, particularly

those in Southern Europe, a 4 star typically means a 2-3 star if you're lucky in terms of quality at

large. I got a great deal on the stay and staff, room service and amenities were pretty reasonable

and solid all things considered.

Lisboa View from the above

There's something less mythical, less enduring, almost morose about Lisbon for all it once was

and now is not, one might question just how this relatively small nation and population (approx.

10 million as of June 2025), could take on the world and live to tell the story of it. I think maybe

the absence of a monarchy has rendered the nation state weak unlike the Spaniards or the Danish.

I reflect on their monarchs, their one-time masters carved into the roads where Portuguese

domination once existed in the hands of the crown and this was a seafaring nation to be feared.

Now remnants of this seafaring exist only in the tertiary exploits of late state capitalism where

traditional tinned seafood, wrapped in ornate packaging is the souvenir we all long to pack

alongside boxes of pastel de nata lashed with the soft brown of Ceylon Cinnamon. I'd

recommend visiting Conserveira de Lisboa (Rua dos Bacalhoeiros 34) to buy said ornate canned

seafood. I purchased a tin of each of the following; Octopus, traditional bacalu & sardine fillets

in roasted garlic.

The views are enjoyable whilst the hills make 5000 steps feel like 15,000. Lisbon is unique in

that it doesn't quite feel European but inherently is. The creep of the Atlantic is coupled with the

pull of the Iberian peninsula and wider mainland Europe that culminates in a most queer of

fusions that renders Lisbon quite incomparable to other southern and more broadly, European

countries.

There's something strange about the lusophones, the way there lips merge into an ocean of

sounds, that repetitive sibilance, that obsession with compressed sounds that reflect almost that

strange swoosh of the waves along the coast of Lisboa.

Ubers are cheap, surprisingly so. With some costing as little as €5 euros for a few kilometres.

Grocery items felt slightly cheaper than Northern Europe but not to the extent of Italy.

Some more recommendations include buying Pastel de Nata at  Manteigaria (Rua do Loreto 2

1200-108 Lisboa)  where a box of 2 costs approximately €2.50. There's a brief wait but the line

moves fast and the heavy AC blasting as you enter brings much relief from the cumbersome*

Portuguese Sun.

Sé de Lisboa was also enjoyable though for the ticket price you can expect to be in and out in 15-

25 minutes at the most. As a Catholic, I appreciated the design and seeing the Church where

Saint Anthony was baptised. I'd also recommend Parque Eduardo VII if you're looking to chill in

the grass and walk in a hilly oasis of emerald flora.

If you, like me, enjoy buying art on your travels, you can find posters and other, more niche

souvenirs in the LX Factory area on Rua Rodrigues de Faria 103, 1300501. Here you'll also find

food options galore though it can get quite busy as the day wears on. I also checked out the Corte

Inglés department sure as I love to explore supermarkets in each new country I go to. They had

some pretty good deals!

Whilst I prioritised being out and about over museums, there are numerous worth visiting that I

intend to visit on my return to this seaside haven. One random enjoyment were Gomitas by

Salysol. Though perhaps not necessarily Portuguese, inherently Iberian. A little tin of assorted

sweets in different flavours, designs, textures and styles that came to my attention solely because

of the minibar. Despite searching far and wide, I could not find them elsewhere and ended up

purchasing three to take home directly from the hotel.

I asked my last Uber driver what he thought of Lisboa and he told me how most folks make

barely €1000 a month with the average apartment costing that as well. Locals seemed less happy,

more neutral or borderline downtrodden which led me to read much about Portuguese politics

and social issues. I noticed a certain sense of embedded diversity that felt less performative and

more like everyone is part of the society. I felt safe walking at night on my own and saw

numerous women do the same so feel that Lisboa seems to be safe for those concerned.

The airport staff were very nice bar the folks assisting pre immigration who were relatively rude

to practically everyone demanding travellers "MOVE" whilst one off duty border guard gave me

the complete incorrect advice for immigration. One common factor here; all were MEN, go

figure. The immigration officer on the other hand that I had, a woman, was very professional and

polite much like the flight gate attendant. I guess women just being better, more professional and

just nicer knows no borders!

In short, I understand why the remote worker boom has happened in Portugal as the covert

worker can blend in with ease. It has the lento sway of Southern Europe that can be grating if

you're a a fast paced, work obsessed invididual like myself. But there is a peace, an authentic

simplicity that makes Lisboa a city to savour the slowness, to find la dolce vita that accompanies

this bastion of Atlantic discovery, this people, this land once all powerful, now a beacon of quiet

beauty in this jaded postmodernity.