Before I give you the lowdown on the best spots to visit in the charming Portuguese capital, I thought I would first share five helpful Lisbon travel tips I wish I knew before my trip. First things first...

WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES

Ladies, leave your heels at home, and bring a pair of trainers instead. Lisbon isn't only some kind of a European version of San Francisco, with steep hills everywhere you look, but it's also covered with uneven cobblestone, which can make walking a slightly precarious situation if you're a clutz like me. Especially when it starts raining and the streets turn into slippery slides. 

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Preden z vami delim seznam znamenitosti in restavracij, ki jih morate v portugalski prestolnici nujno obiskati, vam bom najprej povedala nekaj uporabnih informacij, ki vam bodo med raziskovanjem Lizbone zagotovo  prihranile kakšno neprijetno presenečenje. No, pa začnimo...

PRIMERNA OBUTEV

Vem, da zvenim kot vaša mama, ampak resno, udobna obutev vam bo rešila življenje - mogoče tudi dobesedno. Lizbona ni samo nekakšna evropska verzija San Fransica, s strmimi ulicami na vsakem vogalu, ampak je poleg tega tudi pokrita s tlakovci, ki znajo biti precej neprijetni za hojo,  sploh v dežju, ko se pločniki spremenijo v vodne tobogane. Če ste tako nerodne kot jaz, petke pustite doma in s seboj raje zapakirajte superge. 

DON'T EAT THE APPETISERS

Unless you want to pay. In most countries, appetisers brought to your table without you ordering them first are 'on the house', but not in Portugal. I made a mistake of taking them as a friendly gesture, only to be surprised with a hefty bill at the end! If you aren't willing to pay for them, just turn them down as soon as they're being served. 

BE AWARE OF OPENING HOURS

Unlike in Spain, siesta isn't observed in Portugal, however, many restaurants close between 3 and 6 pm or so. In addition, plenty of them seem to be open in the evenings only, so it's best to always check the opening hours online first and avoid the disappointment of being greeted by closed doors. 

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PLAČLJIVE PREDJEDI

V večini držav so predjedi, ki ti jih hočeš nočeš prinesejo na mizo, brezplačne oziroma 'na hišo', Portugalska pa je na žalost izjema. Mene je že v prvi restavraciji presenetil račun, ki je imel zaradi dveh mini prigrizkov kar dvojno ceno od pričakovane. Jaz pa sem mislila, kako so prijazni... haha! No, če si teh predjedi ne želite pojesti (in plačati), jih lahko brez problema kar takoj zavrnete.

ODPIRALNI ČAS RESTAVRACIJ

Čeprav na Portugalskem nimajo sieste, tako kot Španci, imajo njihove restavracije velikokrat deljeni delovni čas, in so nekje med tretjo in šesto uro popoldan zaprte. Nekatere so celo odprte samo zvečer, tako da je vredno na internetu vedno vnaprej preveriti odpiralni čas, preden se znajdete pred zaprtimi vrati. 

HAVE ENOUGH CASH

Surprisingly, not a lot of places in Lisbon take credit or debit cards, unless you're a 'lucky' owner of a Portuguese debit card. In most restaurants, tourists can only pay with cash, same goes for a number of tourist attractions. The only time I was able to use mine was on transport ticket machines and for an entrance to Castelo de Sao Jorge. 

GET THE VIVA VIAGEM CARD

The first thing on your list upon touchdown should be getting the Viva Viagem card you can use on all public transport including the metro, buses, trams, ferries and trains. If you're familiar with London's Oyster card, it's basically the same thing. You can buy the card at a ticket machine for €0.50 and then top it up as you go. 

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PLAČEVANJE Z GOTOVINO

Ko sem bila na Švedskem, plačevanje z gotovino v nekaterih kafičih sploh ni bilo možno, v Lizboni pa sem imela ravno obraten problem - skoraj nikjer namreč ne jemljejo plačilnih kartic, razen debetnih domačih. V celem tednu sem lahko kartico uporabila samo dvakrat in sicer pri nakupu vozovnice za javni promet in vstopnine na grad. 

VOZOVNICA ZA JAVNI PROMET

Prva stvar, ki jo je pametno storiti takoj po pristanku, je nakup vozovnice za javni promet - Viva Viagem kartica. Uporabljaš jo namreč lahko na vseh oblikah prevoza, od avtobusov in metroja do tramvajev in ladjic. Deluje na enakem principu kot londonska Oyster kartica - za €0.50 jo kupiš na avtomatu in potem po potrebi nanjo nalagaš denar. 

For some reason, Lisbon has never been on my 'top places to visit' list, but when it was time to choose my first solo travel destination, it got recommended to me right, left and centre, and so the decision has been made - Sandra is going to Lisbon! Why I hadn't thought about paying it a visit sooner is beyond me, because it's honestly one of the best (and most affordable) European weekend getaways, combining old Mediterranean charm and what I describe as San Francisco vibes. Long story short, I loved it! You can expect lots of tips and guides coming your way in the following few months, but today let me introduce you to the hotel I stayed at on my last night in the city.

Lizbona nikoli ni bilo eno izmed mest, ki sem si jih pod nujno želela obiskati. Pravzaprav niti ne vem zakaj... Mogoče, ker se o Portugalski prestolnici ne govori toliko kot na primer o oblegani sosedi Barceloni, ki jo ima že vsak na svojem 'to-see' seznamu? No, kakorkoli. Vesela sem, da sem na koncu prav Lizbono izbrala za moje prvo uradno solo potovanje - navdušila me je z nizki cenami, pridihom starega Mediterana in podobnostjo s San Franciscom, ampak več o tem v prihajajočih objavah. Danes je na sporedu ocena hotela, v katerem sem prespala zadnjo noč. 

Hotel Lisboa Plaza, a charming boutique hotel run by the same family since the 1950's, had me at hello with its location, before I even set foot inside. It's an ideal starting point to explore the city, right around the corner from the nearest metro station, just off the famous designer shopping avenue Avenida da Liberdade, and a stone throw away from all major sights. Having everything on the doorstep was such a nice change after my 20-minute uphill battles to get from the nearest metro station to the hotel I previously stayed at, haha! But it's not just the central location that impressed me. The double room in a traditional style with modern touches was incredibly spacious, had the comfiest bed, a proper sofa and a beautiful tiled study desk I fell head over heels with the moment I spotted it - I love unique little details like this!

Hotel Lisboa Plaza je malo večji družinski hotel, ki me je v prvi vrsti prepričal z lokacijo v samem centru mesta. Nahaja se ob znani nakupovalni aveniji Avenida da Liberdade, blizu vseh glavnih znamenitosti in metro postajo dobesedno za ovinkom - pravi balzam za noge po štirih dneh 20-minutnih nočnih maratonov navhrib od najbližje postaje mojega prejšnjega hotela. Navdušila me je tudi prostornost sob (v moji sem imela celo kavč), ter preplet tradicionalne in moderne notranje opreme. Pisalna miza s keramičnim pultom me je osvojila v prvi sekundi! 

Another thing I need to mention are the communal areas. I'm not the one to rave about reception lobbies, but the lounge area at Hotel Lisboa Plaza is on another level. I wouldn't mind waiting there all day for my check-in. There's a TV, a library section, refreshments (tea and coffee), and even an internet point with computers and a printer for guests to use when they please. Not what you normally see in a four-star hotel! Speaking of the internet, you'll be happy to hear the wi-fi is free of charge, fast, and available throughout the hotel.

Recepciji oziroma skupnim prostorom hotela se res nikoli ne posvečam, ampak vse je enkrat prvič. Tale 'javna dnevna soba' si zasluži omembo. V njej se lahko zlekneš na kavč, gledaš televizijo, prebereš kakšno knjigo iz hotelske mini knjižnice, ter se vmes še osvežiš z brezplačno kavo ali čajem. Aja, pa tudi hotelska pisarna z računalnikom in tiskalnikom ti je na voljo 24/7, brez dodatnega plačila. Popolnoma nepričakovano v hotelu s štimiri zvezdicami, ampak zelo dobrodošlo, še posebej če se nimaš kam dati, medtem ko čakaš na check-in. Mimogrede, brezplačen wifi je na voljo po vsem hotelu, pa še hiter je! Zame vedno zelo pomembna informacija... 

The roof terrace with loungers and a bar section is a nice addition as well! It was a bit too chilly for me back in March to take advantage of it, but in the summertime I bet it's an amazing spot to rest your feet and enjoy a drink after a long day of sightseeing. I did a quick tour of it here in my vlog, where you can also see how my room looked like in detail.

Terasa z ležalniki in mini barom v petem nadstropju hotela je prav tako prijeten dodatek. Za sončenje je bilo marca na žalost še malce premrzlo, si pa kar mislim kakšo luštno vzdušje mora biti tam poleti - za noge v luft in koktelj v roke po napornem dnevu pohajkovanja. Za lažjo predstavo, en hiter ogled terase (in svoje sobe) sem ovekovečila tudi tule v mojem zadnjem vlogu iz Lizbone. 




Last but not least, let's have a word about the hotel breakfast. I'm not too picky when it comes to it - a slice of bread with some cheese and tomatoes or a jam croissant normally does it for me - but I was seriously impressed with the extensive buffet selection. There was everything from pastries, jams, eggs and yoghurts to fruits, cheese, salami and even desserts for those with a morning sweet tooth - chocolate fountain included. Yes, really, there was an actual chocolate fountain. Good thing you also get access to the gym!

Jaz pa seveda ne bi bila jaz, če se za konec ne bi dotaknila še hrane - v mojo nočitev je bil namreč vključen tudi samopostrežni zajtrk. Sama sem po pravici povedano zadovoljna že s kosom kruha in sirom ali pa kakšnim rogljičkom in od hotelskega zajtrka že v štartu nikoli veliko ne pričakujem, ampak tokrat sem bila prijetno presenečena. Izbor hrane je res ogromen, za vsakega se nekaj najde. Od peciv, marmelad, jajc in jogurta do svežega sadja, narezkov in celo konkretnih sladic, takšnih za po kosilu. In ja, tudi čokoladna fontana se je znašla med njimi (na sliki spodaj). Še dobro, da v kompletu z nočitvijo pride tudi dostop do fitnesa! 

Overall, I couldn't have asked for a better night's stay, and if I visit Lisbon again (or should I say when, because I'm definitely coming back for more sightseeing and octopus), Hotel Lisboa Plaza or another one of the charming Lisbon Heritage Hotels will be my number one choice for my home away from home.

Po vsem prebranem že lahko sklepate, da sem bila nad hotelom več kot očitno navdušena. Če se vrnem v Lizbono (oziroma ko se vrnem, saj sem si za naslednjič pustila še nekaj dnevnih izletov pa tudi hobotnica me vabi), se zagotovo vrnem na isto lokacijo ali pa preverim še kakšen drug Lisbon Heritage hotel - po prvotnem vtisu pričakujem le najboljše.