Lisbon Region

Portugal's capital and its surroundings: Lisbon's old town, the palaces of Sintra, the Cascais coast and the Setúbal Peninsula.

This region is defined as the Lisbon and Setúbal districts and broadly corresponds to Turismo de Portugal's "Lisbon" tourist region; to the north, Óbidos and Nazaré in Leiria district belong to "Central Portugal", to the east Santarém, Évora and others belong to the "Alentejo", and a stretch of the Alentejo coast in the south of Setúbal district (such as near Sines) is also included in this region in this scheme. Lisbon has the old streets of Alfama and the Castle district with Tram 28, Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery (World Heritage Sites), Praça do Comércio, fado performances and custard tarts, and Parque das Nações in the east. To the northwest, the Sintra cultural landscape (a World Heritage Site) concentrates Pena Palace, the Moorish Castle and Quinta da Regaleira; Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point of continental Europe; Cascais and Estoril are seaside resorts; and Mafra Palace is also a World Heritage Site. On the south bank of the Tagus, the Setúbal Peninsula has the Arrábida mountain coast, the fishing village of Sesimbra, the Tróia Peninsula, and the Sado Estuary, where you can see dolphins. A common itinerary is 3 days in Lisbon, 1–2 days for Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Cascais, and 1 day for the Setúbal Peninsula. Lisbon's airport is close to the city with a direct metro link; Sintra and Cascais can be reached by suburban train, and the Setúbal Peninsula is more flexible by car or bus. The city is hilly with slippery cobblestones, so watch out for theft; in summer Pena Palace and similar sites require booking a time slot, and weekends are especially crowded.

Destinations

• Lisbon
• Sintra

Itineraries

• Lisbon, Porto & Algarve Classic – A first-time route connecting Lisbon, Sintra, Porto, the Douro Valley, and the Algarve.
• Lisbon First Visit: Classic – Alfama, the Belém World Heritage sites and the Sintra palaces: three days to see Lisbon's must-see sights
• Lisbon and Day Trips – Based in Lisbon, with day trips to Sintra, Cascais, Óbidos and Nazaré
• Lisbon Family-Friendly – Oceanarium, lifts and trams, Sintra's fairy-tale palaces and Belém custard tarts, a relaxed pace for families with kids
• Iberian Peninsula: Madrid to Porto – A grand rail and bus journey from Madrid through Seville, the Algarve, and Lisbon to Porto
• Lisbon's Old Town and Museums in Depth – The Upper Town, Miradouro da Graça, the tile museum and the Gulbenkian, plus a day trip to the Roman city of Évora
• Lisbon Food and Fado – Food markets, cherry liqueur, small restaurants in Mouraria and Alfama fado, eating your way through the old town