In Lisbon and it’s … not all that?

[sellotape12]

Hmm am I missing all the hype about Lisbon? We’re here with a big family thing and whilst I was really looking forward to it I’m surprised how unimpressed we are. It’s dirty, polluted, congestion means it’s hard to walk or cross roads, we keep getting offered drugs and there’s so many identical tacky souvenir shops. Also it’s cloudy which isn’t helping as everything looks a bit grey and dead. Beautiful in the sun no doubt.
It feels like an upcoming city.

feel like I’m in the minority though!

Omg I've found my people. Went to Lisbon a few years ago in August (the year they had the wildfires) when it was hot and sunny. I live in London, and I love a city break but god it was grim, I hated it. Even the pretty trams were badly timed and overcrowded (and I get the tube most days). Never again. Sintra was lovely, though.

okay, so we found a nice neighbourhood that feels a bit more hip and less crowded with tour groups. It’s called The Triangle and is the bit between Santos and Bica. Still full of diesel and yes, dog poo again (!) but lots of nice coffee shops, restaurants, little bars and boutique clothing shops plus pretty streets.

We also went to Sintra which was a good trip. Felt fresh. No streets clogged with dirty traffic.

We didn’t go to Cascais in the end as the locals warned us off unless it’s sunny (“it is not good for the soul without sunshine”) and glad we didn’t as the heavens opened. But hear it’s worth it in sunnier times so don’t let me put you off!
I still maintain that the main central districts are grotty and not leafy: Chiado, Baixa and Bairro Alto (and why is every fourth shop selling postcards and tacky keyrings?!)
Tomorrow we’ll go to Belem and LX Factory.

To anyone who’s read the whole thing pls don’t let me put you off. Just bring shoes with grips as if it rains it’s very slippery.

We had a very positive experience in April! We stayed at The Jupiter hotel in Campo Pequeno (I think!) and it was lovely. It's abit further out but meant it was quiet. I woke up at 3am once and saw men working, cleaning the streets. We loved LX Factory, walking from Belem tower along the water to Pilar 7, Praça Do Comércio was beautiful, we went up the top for lovely views! The zoo was great and the cable cars were too. We loved it and would definitely go back! There's a lot we didn't do. Not with kids though, our 5 yo spent a lot of moaning and on my husband's shoulders😬

@tpmumtobe okay that’s interesting. We assumed that we would have had a totally different and more positive experience had the sun been shining and adding contrast. But that wasn’t the case with you. Can you put your finger on why you didn’t like it as you’re also a fellow londoner? I can’t help but think they should never allowed traffic in the old part of the city or something. Just find the whole place stunk up with diesel fumes in a way that never really bothers me at home. Everybody seems to be on their way to somewhere but not actually sitting down and enjoying life so you don’t get that siesta chilled vibe like other Mediterranean cities. Perhaps it’s a factor of been unlucky with the weather and the changing to low season with a different type of person in the city(?) I really don’t know. I usually love city breaks and I love Paris, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Madrid. Weird. I feel like every fifth person in london raves about Lisbon and fantasises about moving there or Berlin so I’m still like “ehh?!”

@sellotape12 I have exactly the same experience, every other person I know seems to love the place and I just don't get it, it's like we went to different cities! (Funnily enough we were in Berlin at Easter and it was bloody brilliant, absolutely loved it, would happily move there!).

We stayed in an Airbnb on the edge of the Bairro Alto with the sweetest owners, they were so lovely and friendly. But out and about I just found it, grotty, sweaty and a bit tense? DH and I both said it was like Shoreditch back before it became cool, OK for a night out but a bit grim for a longer holiday. The cobbled streets were really slippy, felt like I was always 2 mins from a broken ankle, the mess/rubbish was literally everywhere, it was very hot but there didn't seem to be any space to just breathe and watch the world? Everything was too narrow and pokey and there was too much traffic. The castle was crap - I mean, European landmarks are never that interactive or engaging (high five to the National Trust) but that one was particularly desolate. We got hassled by loads of street sellers, we travel a lot and I haven't felt so on edge about pickpockets since we were in Nairobi years ago.

We liked the aquarium and the water gardens. Belem was OK, ish. Bit empty and souless.

I guess we are quite active holidayers, and maybe if we went for a weekend of just bars, nightlife, mooching and cocktails etc we'd feel differently? My friends think it's amusing how much I hate the place.

We went on to spend time on the coast and a week on the Algarve and loved both of those.

And fwiw I feel the same about Bilbao. Hated it and the people were miserable so if that's on your list maybe cross it off too 🤣

I didn't like it, dreary.

Tbf successive mayors of Lisbon have tried to sort the traffic issue but there’s a lot of pushback from the locals. I do think lisbon has been a victim of its own success tourism wise - numbers are up 20% which is mad because it’s not really that big and it can’t cope.

I don’t find it chilled but then I don’t expect it to be. It is the capital city so it’s going to be busy

(I found the traffic in Paris absolutely awful - the huge width of the roads freaked me out a bit as it just seemed every crossing had 4 lanes of impatient drivers lined up to accelerate the moment the lights changed😆)

Porto has introduced a new traffic system this month, banning many vehicles during the day. It's an experiment so we'll have to see how it goes.

I'm just back from Lisbon and I bloody loved it! I didn't see a single dog poo and wasn't offered drugs even once...

Like a PP, I feel this way about Paris.

Yes a lot of people feel that way about Paris and I get it! Strangely I love Paris because I know the arrondisements to plonk yourself in for whatever mood you’re in. Each to their own.
I don’t love Vienna but do like Salzburg. I don’t like LA but do love NYC and Chicago. I didn’t love Beijing although I do like Bangkok. This thread has been fascinating.

@tpmumtobe “Shoreditch back before it became cool, OK for a night out but a bit grim for a longer”. You’ve nailed it. Also thanks, we’ll skip Belém.

Unfortunately there is an arc to this. A place of faded grandeur ( Barcelona in the early 90s , Lisbon about 10-15 years ago, now Marseille, Cadiz) gets discovered by a whole food chain: first hipsters then then add in air bnb, digital nomads etc. it used to be that lonely planet got in and then it was doomsday, but now with social media , instagram, tripadvisor etc expectations go through the roof, prices go up and the charm of having made a discovery is completely killed. If everyone is raving about it, it’s too late.

@sellotape12 Don't skip Belem - it's Bilbao the PP said she didn't like, not Belem.

The weather forecast looks good for tomorrow. Go to Belem, walk along the river, see the tower, eat Pastel Nata at the cafe where they were invented, visit the monastery (I think it's a monastery...), have a sangria in the sun.

You're in the tourist trap centre complaining it feels tourist trappy? Lisbon is lovely, but not perfect, if you don't like it, then you don't like it.

First time I went to London I stayed around Oxford Street and found it underwhelming as well. Later, I fell in love with the city.

I live in Belém. Would recommend a stroll by the river, visiting MAAT, padrão food descobrimentos, then CCB (great ice cream shop), jeronimos and back to the river and finishing at the tower. But you will probably hate everything, so don't bother.

I went about 15 years ago and I was not impressed.

Drug dealers everywhere trying to sell to me even as I was eating in a restaurant. Rude. Apparently drugs are decriminalised.

The best part was the custard tarts, and I took many boxes home. Otherwise, save your money.

Had a really good time. Liked the trams, the food was good at the Ritz, Porter Bistro and Armaha restaurant.

If you like fish eat at Tu e Eu, we ate at the one near the cathedral it was delicious. There is another branch in Alfama. Manteigaria has the best pasteis de nata. I loved Lisbon, and in the surrounding area Sintra is great, Cascais is beautiful, the monastery at Belem is fab. Have you been up to Gloria -San Pedro tram/funicular yet? There is a nice Mirador in a park at the top with cafes.

I agree, my experience was the same earlier this year and look forward to going back some time.

Final Edit **
That’s what we ended up doing. If you like the tourist stuff and the main drag of city centres then please ignore. You’ll have a great time as many people here have mentioned. Or if you’re like me and prefer to find the up-and-coming bits away from crowds read below. I guess Lisbon is at the cusp of overtourism so hopefully the below helps. Bear in mind this was early Oct.

• Walk from Alfama to Graça. Work those glutes! Once you leave this souvenir shops of Alfama you reach Graça and it is a lovely local’s kind of neighbourhood.
• Sintra is worth it. Take grippy shoes.
• LX factory is cool. Like a mix of Spitalfields and Peckham levels. Get the chocolate cake. Avoid the Mexican place. Taxi is €6 from the centre of Lisbon.
• Santos and Bica are more like the Brooklyn/ old Shoreditch / Montparnasse neighbourhoods. Still plenty of places to get cheap and authentic local speciality food with the locals, but also gentrifying so it’s a hip spot if you want nice bistros and coffee shops. Lovely winding streets to walk around. Very few tourists. Spent about 5 hours here just mooching.
• There are some nice bistros and an outdoor park café in Príncipe Real however we found the traffic awful, just clogged to the point of not able to relax.
• Heard the beach in Cascais is actually really nice and easy to get to; but go in the sunshine, that’s what all the locals advised.
• Didn’t make it to Belèm. We tried to yet 3 consecutive trams never showed up. Don’t over rely on the tram timetable, they skip or are often delayed. Just be okay with waiting for them.
• The Pink St. is absolutely shite, don’t bother.
• Elevator is okay, I guess? But just okay.
• Airport was chaos, even in mid-season, so leave extra extra time on the way home.
• Prado was a gorgeous restaurant. Book in advance!

I really love Lisbon and I've visited a few times - it's always been sunny and warm though! The walk up to the castle is lovely through nice old streets with lots of nice places to stop along the way, beautiful tiles and architecture.

There's a cool restaurant that's part of a circus school with a great view out over Lisbon on the way up/back down - Chapito a Mesa. Also Miss Can is a lovely little sardines shop where you can get nice sardines / wine for a light lunch. Time Out market is great. Trip out to Belem was lovely and well worth the trip!

Basically if you like old winding streets, beautiful tiles and architecture, mooching round shops, a bit of a city buzz and eating/drinking lovely food then it's great! I think you just have to work a bit to find the great spots like you do in any city.

We also went out to Sesimbra for a couple of days for some quiet days at the beach and it was great doing a bit of a city trip mixed with a quiet beach trip.

It's a darn sight better than Porto, despite the hype.

Porto was one of my favourite cities. In fact everyone I know who's been to Porto has loved it.

Good job we're all different and all like different things though, isn't it!

In Porto right now and really like it...bit less gritty than Lisbon, which I also really liked.

I absolutely loved Porto when I visited. One of my favourite city breaks ever. What didn't you like??

Glad you salvaged something out of the trip OP. We went to Belem on a river ferry, the art museum was superb. We didn't bother with the monastery because the queues were ludicrous but had an unexpectedly good time at the maritime museum next door. (The ferry might have been the best bit).