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Lisbon is a cracking city. You know this, we all know this. It's been the number one city break destination filling up your Instagram feed for the past two years.
And for good reason too. It's beautiful, it's affordable, the locals are brilliant, its approach to tech businesses and remote working has attracted young people from all over the world, and the food? Don't even get me started on how gosh darn delicious the food is.
Personally, my best tip is to rent one of the thousands of electric scooters that you can find (literally) littered all over the city – download the scooter company's app (there are several different ones), swipe the scooter, and you're off. Scoot along the seafront all the way down to the Belém Tower (it's about seven kilometres but you're scooting, and if it's a sunny day it's a delight).
On a more sombre note, and for a fascinating slice of history you probably know little about, take time to visit the brilliant Museum of Aljube, where members of the resistance who opposed the Portuguese dictatorship (1926-1974) were imprisoned – many never to be seen again.
Elsewhere, there's the LX Factory, a bustling hive of artists and foodsellers (think Boxpark but with actually independent stores – the bookstore there is unreal). Get lost wandering the streets in the Alfama district up to the castle, take yourself over to the Mercado de Santa Clara for a mix of bric-a-brac and art, and hop from €2 beer bar to €2 wine bar in the tiny-but-packed backstreets of Bairro Alto – just north of Calcada do Combro. Omg and do brunch. Do it twice a day. No one outside of Australia does brunch better than Lisbon.
With summer coming up, the Money Diaries Facebook Group have been excitedly chatting city break plans – with a nod to finances, of course. What are their best tips for a fun but budget-friendly trip to Lisbon? Click through to find out and add your tips at the bottom!
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