Quick take
- A week in Lisbon lets you do the classics without rushing.
- Plan for one big day trip (Sintra) and one calm escape (coast or small town).
- Add one modern-contrast day and one slow garden day.
- Repeat your favorite ritual twice: sunrise, sunset, or a café stop.
- Alternate hill-heavy and hill-light days for happier legs.
- A one-week trip is perfect for couples who want romance and variety.
How we update this guide
We try to keep advice here timeless (neighborhood logic, routes, pacing) and call out details that can change quickly (opening hours, transit patterns, prices, seasonal events). If something important changes, we want to hear it.
- Site-wide review date: 2025-12-31
- If you spot an error: send the page URL + what changed + the date you observed it.
- For anything time-sensitive, verify official sources close to travel time.
Days 1–3: classic Lisbon foundations
Start with the classic trio: the central core, the old hills, and the riverfront monuments. These days create the ‘Lisbon identity’ that everything else builds on.
- Day 1: Baixa/Chiado orientation + sunset + easy dinner.
- Day 2: Alfama/Graça hills + viewpoints + fado (optional).
- Day 3: Belém monuments + riverfront light + early night.
Day 4: big day trip (Sintra)
If you only do one ‘wow’ day trip, make it Sintra. Start early, choose fewer stops, and keep the day focused.
- Start early to reduce crowd pressure.
- Choose 2 major stops max for a calmer day.
Day 5: calm escape (choose one)
A week in Lisbon deserves a calmer contrast day trip. Choose coast, surf town, or a small-town atmosphere — depending on your mood.
- Option A: Cascais for an easy beach and promenade day.
- Option B: Ericeira for surf-town energy and ocean air.
- Option C: Óbidos for a walled-town, slow-walk day.
Day 6: modern Lisbon contrast day
Modern Lisbon is your ‘space day’: wide promenades, modern architecture, and easy movement. It’s perfect after day trips and hill days.
- Parque das Nações: modern waterfront promenades and a calmer pace.
- Beato/Marvila: creative warehouses and tastings.
Day 7: slow Lisbon (gardens, cafés, final sunset)
Your final day should feel like a love letter: slow streets, one last pastry, one last viewpoint, and enough time to actually notice the city.
- Choose a garden neighborhood: Príncipe Real / Estrela / Lapa.
- Do one final dessert stop and one final sunset.