Lisbon is not subtle with its charms. From the first tram ride up that cobbled hill, you will be seduced by glittering river views, some of the most majestic architecture in Europe and, er, washing lines crammed with colourful undies. Drink with arty locals at hip new bars, sway to fado, the city’s signature sound, and load your suitcase with retro souvenirs. As city breaks go, they don’t get much prettier, and it’s outstandingly good value, too.
SATURDAY
Morning
Lisboetas adore sugar, so top up your Viva Viagem (Lisbon’s travelcard) and hop on tram 28 to the Doce Estrela pastelaria to start your day with a slab of broa de Arganil, a spicy cake rammed with aniseed, walnut and raisins (from £1; Calcada da Estrela 251). Eat it with a milky coffee over the road at Jardim da Estrela.
Opposite, you’ll see the Basilica da Estrela, a towering cream-coloured cathedral that dates from 1790. Stroll through the pink marble interior to the presepio, home to a wonderfully elaborate 500-piece terracotta and cork Nativity scene, then burn off the morning’s sugar with a 112-step climb to the dome for a 360-degree panorama (£3.60).
From here, it’s a short stroll to the Campo de Ourique, where wide, leafy streets are lined with tiled art nouveau buildings. Buy a bottle of Tyto Alba red wine for later at Adega & Sabores (Rua Coelho da Rocha 94), and duck into Livraria Ler, a shop famous for hiding censored books behind a fake wall during the fascist dictatorship, which lasted until the early 1970s (Rua do 4 de Infantaria 18A).
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Afternoon
Restaurante Europa has a retro vibe. Feast on olive oil-drenched broad beans, salt cod and chickpea salad, and farinheira, a moreish pork sausage, with a glass of house white (mains from £5; Rua Francisco Metrass 57). Skip dessert and pop into Pastelaria Alfama, where the custard tarts have been winning awards for years (£1; Rua da Regueira 39).
Flag a cab to the Chiado district and stop at the last remaining gothic arches of the 14th-century Convento do Carmo. The roof of this white-stone church didn’t survive the 1755 earthquake, and now sunlight streams between the heavy pillars. The small archaeological museum on the site of the main altar houses a collection of Roman tombstones, ceramics, an Egyptian mummy and 4th-century coins (£3.50; museuarqueologicodocarmo.pt).
Nearby, in A Vida Portuguesa, the shelves are crammed with the colourful packaging of traditional Portuguese products. Snap up ketchup-red tins of sardines and twee, vintage-style bars of soap that look so good, you won’t want to use them (avidaportuguesa.com).
Evening
It’s hard to keep pace with Lisbon’s booming bar scene. For a good try, start at Nova, a new wine bar in Chiado with wooden benches, floor-to-ceiling windows and a rotating selection of less familiar Portuguese wines (from £3; Rua Nova do Almada 18).
The Michelin-starred Portuguese chef Jose Avillez is responsible for some of the city’s best new restaurants, and at Bairro de Avillez you’ll find four of them under one roof. Taberna is a laid-back option, with stools, small plates and an open kitchen. Try the exploding olives, which burst with liquid saltiness at first bite (mains from £5; bairrodoavillez.pt).
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The city’s twentysomethings drink beer in the narrow bars lining the alleyways of the Bairro Alto, but for more elegant surroundings, whizz north in a taxi to Procopio. Ring the doorbell to get in, then pull up a velvet chair (glass of wine from £3; barprocopio.com).
SUNDAY
Morning
Start at Alcoa, a swish bakery in Chiado with provocatively named pastries, including the custardy nun’s nipple (from £2; pastelaria-alcoa.com). Tram 15 will then trundle you west to the riverside district of Belem. You are here for the Jeronimos Monastery, a spiky mass of 500-year-old honey-coloured stone filled with fountains, carved marble and vaulted ceilings. If you’re going to visit a monastery in Europe, make it this one (£9; mosteirojeronimos.gov.pt/en).
Next, head to the sea to take a picture of the Belem Tower, a textbook example of sumptuous Manueline architecture. The rhinoceros carved into the off-white stone was inspired by the animal that arrived by sea from India when the fort was built to defend the city in 1514.
Walk a little further along the River Tagus and you’ll reach the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology (MAAT). This shimmering ceramic wave of a building opened last year to showcase contemporary painters, designers and architects through exhibitions and installations (from £7; maat.pt).
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From here, you’re a short walk from the LX Factory, where a former fabric company has been transformed into a cluster of hip cafes and shops. Take in bold street art, flick through the travel and photography books at Ler Devagar, then hand over your credit card for house-printed textiles and handmade ceramics at Pura Cal. Sunday is market day, so get ready to rummage for vintage clothes and antiques (lxfactory.com).
Afternoon
Seafood is a big deal in Lisbon, and you’ll find the best at the rickety tables of Restaurante O Palacio. Chase steamed clams and cold barnacles with cheap Sagres beer, then finish off, as the locals do, with prego, a traditional garlicky steak sandwich (mains from £4; Rua Prior do Crato 142).
The steep streets of the Alfama district are just the place to walk it off. Take tram 28, jump off when it starts to climb, then follow the tracks. Push on up to the top of the hill to reach the Moorish Castelo de Sao Jorge — climb the ramparts for the best river and rooftop views (£7.60; castelodesaojorge.pt).
Evening
Lisbon is the birthplace of fado, and you can’t get an idea of the city’s soul without hearing it live. At cosy Tasca Bela, with its gingham linens and mirror-covered walls, eat fried cod and octopus salad before the lights dim and the sorrowful music wafts around you (from £15 a meal; book ahead: 00 351 926 077511; Rua dos Remedios 190).
The intimate vibe continues at the new Le Consulat hotel, back in Chiado, where we’re headed for one last drink. The former Brazilian embassy has been dolled up into a moodily lit cocktail den, with drinks including the Vilma Goes to Hollywood — gin and sparkling rosé in a flute coated in rose petals (cocktails from £8; leconsulat.pt).
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Getting there
TAP Portugal flies to Lisbon from Heathrow and Manchester; returns start at £80 (flytap.com). Or try easyJet, from Bristol, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Liverpool and Luton.
Where to Stay
The Memmo Principe Real, next to the historic Bairro Alto district, has sleek, modern rooms in soft neutral colours, ingredients for making cocktails on arrival, and free walking tours of the neighbourhood daily at 5pm. Doubles start at £220 (memmohotels.com).
The funky LX Boutique Hotel has a sushi restaurant, bright-blue walls and large french windows with views across the Tagus to the Christ the King statue. Doubles start at £82 (lxboutiquehotel.com).