lisbon/porto tips

[BigDahliaFan]

We are off there next week for a week. Any tips?

Both are fab cities!
Lisbon -
Walk loads, go on the tram, go to Belem to the Pastel de Nata cafe and all the lovely buildings on the river front
Get the train to CAscais and spend the day by the sea
Get the train to Sintra
Go to the Time Out food place

Porto -
Tram to Foz and have a day walking along the sea, stopping at beach bars and cafes
A Port Tour (we did Taylors - was really good)
River trip under the 7 (?) bridges
Walk loads, and then walk more! See all the tiled churches etc
Go and look in the station (if you're not arriving by train anyway) - it's got an amazing foyer
Enjoy the views from high up - climb one of the towers
The Harry Potter bookshop, if that's your thing...

Plan where you might want to eat - lots of places get booked up in advance, the best ones are tiny and busy.

Marvel at how nice (and cheap) the wine is.

Have a Porto Tonico. And have it early in your trip, so you've got time to have more!

We didn't do them in the same trip, but absolutely loved both.

My son said both are very hilly so good footwear.

Booking places to eat is stressing me slightly. Can you do it on tbe day?

@BigDahliaFan yes, i was in Porto exactly two years ago and had no problem booking on the day.

Eat octopus, drink port or the beautiful Portuguese wine

Agree about the tram up to the Atlantic, sat at a cafe and ate calamari

We booked on the day or walked in to restaurants in Lisbon. There are so many lovely independent restaurants. Travel is so easy by metro or tram, just buy the top up cards from the machines in the metro. The 28 tram is definitely worth a ride despite the queues but you can walk up the hill to Alfama if you are reasonably fit and then catch it there for the rest of the ride.

We enjoyed strolling around Belem and then stopped at LX Factory on the way back for dinner. We went with kids and they enjoyed the Aquarium and Quake museum as well. I loved it, one of my favourite holidays.

It was Porto where we missed out on places to go because we hadn't booked. There are SO MANY lovely little places that are less touristy, but they were busy. We booked a couple online on the day.

Don't stress though - you won't go hungry! It's just that we missed out on some of the places we'd looked up beforehand/seen in articles or guidebooks because we hadn't booked. So if you're the kind of person that does lots of research before you go, then there's no harm in booking places you fancy trying.

The big places all along the front very much cater to the many visitors who come past, but the better places are down the side streets and the locals are wise to them!

@BigDahliaFan what kind of holiday are you after? Museums? Nature? Gastronomy? Nightlife? Give some more details and we might be able to help with more specific tips. Otherwise just read trip advisor and go to the top 5 places.

Sightseeing, museums, and food!

Lisbon tips (I don't know Porto well). Sightseeing - A fun if tiring sightseeing activity is to try and climb Lisbon's 7 hills looking for Miradouros and see lovely views of the city. Save the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte for sunset and get the best view of all (but it's a steep climb to get there!).
The Calouste Gulbenkian museum has an extensive art collection and is set in lovely peaceful gardens in the city centre. The tile museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo) is quirky and extremely portuguese.
Food - if you like steak, try Cabaças restaurant near Largo do Chiado - you cook your own steak on a hot stone. For another unusual restaurant try Chapitô à Mesa which is actually in a circus school (where sometimes there are shows), which has modern Portuguese food and panoramic views.
Try some green wine (vinho verde).

If you are happy to eat a bit earlier than the locals you may find it easier to get a table as a walk in.

https://www.ccb.pt/en/macccb/
Museum of Contemporary Art in Belem - absolutely fantastic place to visit!

Trams: the 28 is very busy with long queues of tourists, so you can get the 12 instead which does part of the route. Much less crowded and still gives you a good experience.

Go up the Elevador first thing in the morning, again to avoid queues.

I love Lisbon.

But be careful of the numerous smart guys in white shirts who walk around offering their top quality ice. They're not trying to sell you frozen water.