Lisbon, Portugal!

I LOVE Lisbon/Lissabon/Lisboa!

On May 7th, right after my tax presentation with EY, I went on a three-day adventure to Lisbon, Portugal to meet up with some friends from USC! In case you ever want to travel there, here are the tourist attractions I visited, along with my tips and funny stories.

Things to Do & See:

• Alfama Neighborhood

  • We stayed in this stunning neighborhood, and it was such a vibe! I loved wandering through the narrow, hilly streets and admiring the houses decked out with colorful plants and decorations.

  • Pro tip: do not wear sandals like I did—unless you want to risk slipping on the cobblestones every two steps. Still, I survived (barely). We got fresh fruit and breakfast from the cutest market literally

  • 10 steps from our apartment—no joke, the best bread I’ve ever had.

• Monastery of São Vicente de Fora

  • We passed this on our way to a local coffee shop. I didn’t go inside, but the building was beautiful from the outside!

• Copenhagen Coffee Lab

  • Great chai lattes + prime tram-watching location. Lisbon’s tiny yellow trams are iconic and SO cute.

• Belém

  • A lovely district along the Tagus River. We spent Day 1 wandering around here, and it did not disappoint.

• Mosteiro dos Jerónimos: This breathtaking monastery has two parts: the paid section (about €9) and the free church. The line for the monastery was insane in the morning—like, two hours in the blazing sun—so we went to the church first, then came back later when the line had died down. Totally worth it. The architecture is surreal. A must for photo lovers.

• Jardim da Praça do Império: A gorgeous garden and fountain area right out front.

• Pastéis de Belém: THE Portuguese custard tart. I had multiple people recommend this, and they were right. It lives up to the hype.

  

  THE Portuguese custard tart

• Torre de Belém: Classic waterfront tower with a huge LISBOA sign nearby—great spot for pics.

• Central Tejo: Not a museum stop for us, but we wandered the area and found a cool open lookout with stairs and space to relax by the water. It’s hard to describe, but it was nice.

• Cristo Rei

  • Lisbon’s version of Rio’s Christ the Redeemer! We didn’t make it across the bridge to visit, but we could see it from a distance. If you won’t be going to Rio (I will be in 2026—woo!), then I definitely recommend checking this out!

• 25 de Abril Bridge

  • The San Francisco doppelgänger. It’s red, it’s long, and it made me feel like I had teleported to California—even though I’ve never actually been.

• Santa Maria Maior

  • This area had flea-market-style tables, cute jewelry vendors, great restaurants, and views upon views. Home to two iconic spots:

    • Castelo de S. Jorge: You HAVE to go here. Entry was under €10, and there’s so much to see—historic buildings, incredible viewpoints, and even live peacocks!

    • Sé de Lisboa: A beautiful cathedral we passed by (and admired from the outside).

Santa Maria Maior + Friends

Castelo de S. Jorge + Peacocks

• Arco da Rua Augusta

  • Located on Augusta Street, this famous arch leads to the huge Praça do Comércio by the water. There were lots of street performers, music, crowds, and tourists.

• Miradouro Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen

  • We watched the sunset here, and it was amazing. One of my favorite moments of the trip.

• Cascais (Day Trip)

  • About 30 miles west of Lisbon, this coastal town is so worth it. On my last day before flying back to Germany, we went shopping at local boutiques, grabbed to-go sandwiches, and spent the afternoon on the beach. Absolute bliss.

Cascais Coastline

Tips & Funny Stories:

Early Flights = Chaos (But Worth It?)

I booked a 6am flight out of Frankfurt to match my friends’ schedule and save money… and let’s just say I will not be doing that again solo. The airport closes at night, so my plan to sleep near the gate failed. I ended up camping outside security from 11pm to 4am, clinging to my fanny pack and backpack like my life depended on it (which, low-key, it did). Was I tired? Yes. Did I get through it with adrenaline and productivity? Also yes. No regrets—but also… maybe no repeats.

Lisbon Metro Mayhem

I’m confident navigating German public transport, so I thought I had this in the bag. Wrong. The language barrier and unfamiliar system had me mixing up directions on almost every connection. The metros are color-coded, but each line runs in two directions, and the station names started to blend together. I definitely went the wrong way a few times and may or may not have gotten off at the wrong stop… more than once. But hey! There is almost always someone around who speaks English if you need help.

Food Review: From 10/10 to... 6/10

Breakfast every day: 2 scrambled eggs, half an avocado, strawberries, and local toast = perfection.

Day 1:

Snack: The famous custard tart—best thing I ate all trip.

Lunch: Brazilian panini + fried chicken cheese bites = 10/10.

Dinner: Bacalhau à Brás (salt cod, scrambled eggs, potatoes) sounded like my dream meal… (because I love eggs) but after a few bites, the flavor got old fast. I couldn’t finish it.

Day 2:

Lunch: A basic ham & cheese sandwich + carrot soup. I tried to be adventurous with the soup and… never again.

Dinner: Shrimp, steak, and chickpea purée (which looked like mashed potatoes). Tasty, but the purée got weird by the end.

Day 3:

Lunch: Two fresh sandwiches from a local shop in Cascais, eaten on the beach. Simple, satisfying, and perfect.

BUY THE CAMERA

I’ve been documenting this semester with just my phone, and honestly… I regret it. My friend brought a real camera, and the quality + ease was unmatched. I’m definitely getting one before Singapore and Brazil.

This trip was such a blast and the perfect way to celebrate wrapping up my EY tax project. I learned a lot about travel, safety, public transport mishaps, and most importantly—how to enjoy a place fully by slowing down (not always backpacking), staying local, and soaking up the sun (and custard tarts). Next up: embracing Mannheim!