- In the summer of 2021, I traveled to Lisbon, in Portugal. Shortly after the city had reopened most of its attractions. In this video, I want to show you what
traveling in Portugal is like now and share my top 25 things to do in Lisbon during the new normal. (upbeat music) Hello and welcome to Lisbon, Portugal. We are here in the Praca do Comercio. This is the most important square of all of Lisbon. And it tells you a lot about
the history of the city and the country. The Praça do Comércio is
situated on the former side of the Ribeira Palace, which was official residence of the Kings of Portugal from 1502 until the 1st of November, 1755. On that day a terrible earthquake
followed by a giant firestorm and a tsunami destroyed two
thirds of the city of Lisbon and killed more than 30,000 people. It was one of the worst natural disasters in the history of Europe. The man who was responsible for the effective recovery of Lisbon from this terrible disaster
was the Marques de Pombal and many still consider
him the greatest national Portuguese hero of the past. And I guess a lot of you know the greatest Portuguese
national hero of the present. (speaking in Portuguese) The entrance to the square is marked by the Arco da Rua Augusta a triumphal arch with statues
of the Marques de Pombal and the famous Portuguese
explorer Vasco da Gama. A big equestrian statue in the center of the square , commemorates King Joseph I who oversaw the reconstruction of Lisbon after the earthquake. (upbeat music) And here you can see the most iconic mode of transportation in Lisbon. This is the Tram 28. It goes all around some of the most beautiful parts of Lisbon. And I can't wait to take it. (upbeat music) The cute and colorful Tram 28 is famous for breathtaking views
and absurdly steep climbs. The best stops to board
are either at the beginning of its route at Martim Moniz or at the end at Campo de Ourique. It's really nice. It's kind of like being on a safari in this old fashioned tram. super cool. (upbeat music) So I got off the tram at Largo das Portas do Sol, and it's beautiful. The terrace here is just gorgeous. And the tram ride was really fun. (upbeat music) After a short hike uphill, I arrived at the Castelo de Sao Jorge and as you can easily tell
by the crusader statue there behind me, this castle has a long
long history of battles won and battles lost. And most notably this castle saw the
Battle of Lisbon in 1147 when Lisbon was taken back
by the Christian Crusaders from the Muslim Moors. In later centuries the castle serves as the Royal palace, a military barracks, home of the Torre do
Tombo National Archive. And now as a national monument and museum. It is surrounded by a
peaceful and inviting park and offers stunning views
of the city of Lisbon. One of the amazing
things about this castle there is lots and lots of
towers that you can climb. And I mean, look around you. This is an epic 360 degree view. (upbeat music) I descended through the narrow streets of the Alfama district to get to a traditional Portuguese restaurant. (engine whirring) (guitar music) And here we have now one of
the most traditional dishes from Portugal, these are grilled sardines. So as a sea-faring nation Portugal has a lot of
experience cooking fish. And this is one of the most popular and most iconic dishes here. (guitar music) This is the Museu do Fado. Fado is kind of Portugal's blues music. So those are very melancholic songs about unfortunate love, sailors lost at sea. And this museum here tells
you all about the history of this traditional
Portuguese style of song. The origins of Fado
music can be traced back to the Lisbon of the 1820s when it was mostly performed by members of the urban working class. The Museu do Fado provides
a good introduction to this uniquely Portuguese style of music and allows you to listen to recordings by some of the most renowned
Fado artists of all time. (guitar music) And now I'm here at the
Largo das Portas do Sol. It's a beautiful place to have a drink in the afternoon here
at this viewing platform I got a Caipirinha cocktail. So cheers. What a view, I mean, check it out. (guitar music) I walked back to my Airbnb to get changed and took a taxi to the Santo Amaro Dock to go in a special
Portuguese boat adventure. And this is where the boat leaves. (guitar music) and here we are on the boat, like right in front. I feeling like I'm in Titanic, it's so beautiful with the sails and the wind in my hair. It's gorgeous, highly recommend this experience. During the boat trip, we saw several of the most
iconic landmarks of Lisbon including the bridge, Ponte Vinte e Cinco de Abril the Cristo Rei statue the Padrao dos Descobrimento monument and Torre de Belem watch tower. I will include a link to the boat tour and all the other things that
I mentioned in this video in the description below. (guitar music) After the boat tour I had dinner at one of the
restaurants at the dock before heading back to my Airbnb. Hello and good morning today. We're gonna start our day
off at the Pastels de Belem. These are legendary little custard cakes and I can't wait to try this. The Pastels de Belem or
Pastels de Nata were invented by the monks of the Mosteiro
dos Jeronimos in Lisbon. When the monastery had to close in 1834, the monk sold their top
secret recipe to the owners of a nearby sugar factory. Their descendants still make them today. The Pasteils are best
enjoyed fresh out of the oven with a bit of cinnamon and
powdered sugar sprinkled on top. Let's see what they taste like. Oh, it's flaky. It's really nice. I think I'll just bite it. Hm. Wow. It's really good. Especially the kind of vanilla interior, the delicious with the flakiness. (upbeat music) Here we are at the Padrao
dos Descobrimentos. In English you would translate this to "Monument to the Discoveries." And this is a monument
celebrating the discoveries that Portuguese explorers made. At the front of the monument
is Prince Henry, the navigator who initiated the exploration of other continents
during the 15th century. Close to him, are Vasco da Gama who first discovered
the sea route to India and Ferdinand Magellan whose ship successfully
circumnavigated the globe. The foundation of
colonies in Africa, Brazil and India allowed Portugal to
build a global trading empire and made it one of the
richest European countries of the 15th and 16th centuries. Next, I walked over to one of
Lisbon's most important sites. (upbeat orchestral music) And here we are at the
Mosteiro dos Jeronimos This monastery was founded
to celebrate the discovery of the sea route to India by Vasco da Gama which was a foundation for Portugal's rich and glorious golden age. Founded in 1501 by King Manuel I and financed by proceeds
from the spice trade. the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos is one of the most important monuments of Portugal's age of discovery. It is most famous for
its beautiful cloister and the church Santa Maria de Belem which house the tombs of King
Manuel and Vasco da Gama. The monasteries ornate
architectural style is called Manueline and
combines Christian symbols with nautical and nature
inspired decorations. (violin music) And this is the Torre de Belem from 1519. It's a powerful symbol of the
Portuguese age of discoveries. This watch tower here was the last thing that Portuguese ship
saw when they headed out towards their journeys of
discovery towards the Atlantic. And it was the first
thing that they saw when they returned home. Just like the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, the Torre de Belem is a great example of
Manueline architecture and displays many of its
characteristic symbols. The most striking one is the Cross of the Military Order of Christ, formally, Knights Templar which helped fund many of the
early voyages of discovery. Another important element
is the Armillary Sphere an astronomical instrument
representing the universe which was a personal emblem of Manuel I and is still present in
the Portuguese flag today. (upbeat music) I took a taxi back to my Airbnb, got changed and headed out again. This city, there's so many
hills, they 're pretty steep. It's a perfect city. If you're a mountain goat, or if you wanna save money
on your gym membership. I met up with my friend and fellow YouTuber Dean to
have dinner and to listen to some traditional Fado music at the Clube De Fado restaurant. (singing in Portuguese) So the dinner arrived
and I got the fried cod which is a traditional dish from Lisbon. What did you get Dean? - This is also cod, but a different configuration to your one. - There can never be enough cod in Lisbon - It never be enough cod. Bacalhau time. (singing in Portuguese) (upbeat music) - The next morning, I met up with Dean again
to go on a day trip. Good morning. And as you can see we're at the train station
today, back with Dean. - Hi guys, - And we're taking the
train to Sintra now. So Sintra is kind like
the must do side trip from Lisbon and I'm super
excited to get started. (upbeat music) Welcome to Sintra and what's kinda surprising at least or at least it was surprise for us it's pretty foggy here
and relatively chilly. I hope it will clear up later. After a quick breakfast
to the Cafe Saudade we took a taxi up the hill to get to the famous
Palacio Nacional da Pena. (soft orchestral music) We're now at the entrance
of the main palace. This palace was built in the 19th century and is like the most prominent expression of romanticism in Portugal. The Palacio Nacional da Pena is a colorful confection of onion domes, Moorish inspired keyhole gates, Manueline decorations and crenelated towers. It was commissioned in
1840 by Ferdinand II, an artistic German prince who became king of Portugal after
marrying Queen Mariah II. The interior of the palace is lavish with big chandelier lit halls, laid out dining tables, royal bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen and even a then state
of the art phone room. (orchestral music) All right, that was slightly foggy but still beautiful visit of Pena Palace. And now we're gonna head
over to the Moorish Castle which is kind of known as
a great wall of Portugal. (lighthearted music) This feels really a
bit like walking around in a mystical forest of a fairy tale or something. Up here in the mist with a vegetation there
.It's really, really cool. The Castelo dos Mouros was built during the occupation of Portugal by the Muslim Moors in the
eighth and ninth centuries. After being taken by Christian
Roconquista forces in 1147 the fortifications military
importance slowly diminished and it was abandoned
completely in the 16th century. The castle walls are
often enshrouded in mist but on a clear day, they
offer spectacular views over Sintra and all the
way to the Atlantic. (lighthearted music) We took a taxi back down the hill and stopped at a traditional
Portuguese restaurant for lunch. And I got some traditional sausages from the Northeast Portugal here and also some egg, fries and rice. So lots of carbs. I think it's gonna be great to recharge after all this walking. (upbeat music) After saying goodbye to Dean
who had to go back to Lisbon I called an Uber to get to
Sintra's most striking landmark. And this is the national palace of Sintra. It's the best preserved
medieval Royal residence in all of Portugal. This palace was inhabited constantly from the 15th until the 19th century and is extremely famous
for its beautiful interior. Highlights include the Swan Room from the 15th century and the Magpie Room. Legend has it King Jorge I got caught by his queen kissing one
of her ladies in waiting. He cheekily claimed the
kisses were innocent and 'porbem' for the good and ordered the room to be
decorated with 136 magpies, one for every woman at court. Another standout is the Salas dos Brasoes which features The Coats-of-Arms of Portugal's most
important noble families. Wow ! This room is amazing ! So well preserved. Some other rooms that I saw included the Golden Chamber, the precious Royal Chapel and the big kitchen that sits under the palace's famous twin chimneys. All right that was a pretty awesome visit. The palace is so beautiful
and well preserved. And now we're gonna walk over
to the Quinta de Regaleira which is one of the main
draw cards of Sintra. (piano music) The Quinta da Regaleira was created by the Brazilian millionaire
Antonio Carvalho Monteiro and the Italian architect,
Luigi Manini in 1910. It is a surreal wonderland
filled with new Manueline buildings, fountains, grottos
and underground caverns. Monteiro was fascinated by the Knights Templar and the Freemasons. And the park is filled
with their symbolism. The main attraction is the
mystical initiation well which was likely inspired by initiation rights
of the Knights Templar. Wow. This is amazing. This well comes down 27 meters underground in a spiral. Descending spiral. I've never seen anything like this. (upbeat music) Now at the bottom of the
well there is a grotto. Down here, so it's pretty cool I feel like Indiana Jones or something. (upbeat music) It's still kind of shrouded in mystery. Cause the man who built all this, or who had all of this built
didn't leave any records And it was his private property. So no one really knows
what he used it for. I left the park and then it
was already time for dinner. So I'm now at the Tascantiga, which has petiscos. Those are the Portuguese variety of tapas. And I'm super excited to try that. I think it's gonna be delicious. I ordered four of the best
petiscos of the restaurant slightly melted acid down cheese, with crispy slices of bread, candy pork cheeks, grilled octopus salad and mushrooms with smoked
ham and goat cheese. Oh, I think my personal
favorite now that I tried all of these, is the grilled octopus. That is amazing. If you like seafood, this is probably the right tapas for you. For dessert, I ordered some sweet Port Wine. I really think this Port
Wine is a favorite thing I've tried so far in Portugal. Absolutely love this. That's so good. All right. That was a pretty good meal. And now I'm gonna head back towards the train station
to go back to Lisbon. (soft music) Good morning. So today we'll start the day off with a food tour of Lisbon. We're here in a traditional
residential neighborhood of the city. And we're gonna go on a tour
with Culinary Backstreets which is a company dedicated to providing authentic neighborhood tours of Lisbon. After a quick breakfast, the Jardim da Estrela Park my tour guide Celia and I went to nearby market to have lunch. - We are here in the
Mercado de Campo de Ourique and we're going to taste some (indistinct) with a wonderful peri-peri sauce. - I'm very excited to try this cause I really love spicy food And I think this is quite spicy, right? The peri-peri - It's a little bit, a little bit - Okay.
- And I think you'll love it. - Perfect, I'm really
looking forward to this. (upbeat music) After a short walk, we arrived at the Imperial de
Campo de Ourique restaurant, where Celia showed me the best way to eat Portugal's favorite dish. - You remove the skin and now I'm ready to eat one of my favorite dishes. Is the best part when we finish with the
sardines, we eat the bread. - So eat the bread afterwards - Afterwards yeah. - Oh okay. Oh man, can't wait. (upbeat music) So we're gonna try some samosas which are from India and
kinda show the international influence that is in Portuguese cuisine. And of course we're gonna add
some spicy peri-peri on top. I think is gonna be delicious. And we gonna also have the
Sagres beer from Portugal. So cheers. The last stop of the tour
was the Pastelaria Aloma where I tried some
delicious Pastel de Nata and other Portuguese cakes and pastries. If you want to learn even
more about Portuguese food make sure to check out
my Lisbon food tour video which is linked in a description below. So the tour just ended and I'm here now at a
stop of the iconic 28 Tram to take me back to Alfama and there we are gonna visit the most important cathedral of Lisbon. (upbeat music) This is the Se de Lisboa, the city's oldest church. It's from the 12th century
and it's built like a fortress and this built has helped it
survive several earthquakes. It has been restored and
renovated several times and is still standing strong as one of the main symbols of the city of Lisbon. The construction of the Se de Lisboa was begun in 1147 on the
side of a former mosque after Christian armies
led by King Alfonso I, recaptured the city from the Moors. The facade of the cathedral and its blended rose window were built in the Romanesque style. But in later centuries Gothic style chapels, statues, tombs and an elaborate baroque nativity scene were added to the interior. I took the iconic Tram 28 again to get to my next destination. The Convento do Carmo is
the most striking trace of the terrible 1755
earthquake still visible today. The Gothic knave of the
convent church collapsed on worshipers during Mass and only the pointed
arches between the pillars were left standing. Nowadays, the church is a partly open air archeological museum
showcasing architectural relics from Portugal, as well as Aztec statues , Inca pottery, mummies from Egypt and Peru
(Portuguese spoken) and Gothic sarcophagus. (upbeat lively music) And then it was time for a little break. So now we're here at the
Cafe A Brasileira do Chiado which is a very famous
literary cafe here in Lisbon. It's from the 19th century in particularly beautiful on the inside. And it was one of the
favorite hangouts of Pessoa who is one of the most
important Portuguese writers. And to honor him they have like a milk rice
dish with his portrait on it. And we also have a traditional drink here. This is the Ginjinha which is a cherry liquor that
is really sweet and delicious. So cheers. (lively upbeat music) So I took the Metro to get here to the Parque Eduardo VII it's actually named in honor of a British king who visited the city in the beginning of the 20th century. And the fun fact is that this park actually has
the biggest Portuguese flag in the world. (singing in Portuguese) The park offers sweeping
views over the busy Praca do Marques de Pombal to the Tagus river. An interesting monument in
front of the Portuguese flag commemorates the so-called
Carnation Revolution which started on the 25th of April 1974 and helped Portugal transition peacefully from authoritarianism to democracy. (singing in Portuguese) (upbeat music) Hello, welcome to the future, at least to something that looks
very much like the future. We're gonna see a
completely different side of Lisbon today. We are at the Parque das Nacoes. This whole area was developed for the 1998 world exhibition in Lisbon and has lots of modern,
beautiful architecture and a special cable car that
we're gonna ride right now. (upbeat music) And here we are flying about 20 meters above ground in the Teleferico
in these cable cars. And we're heading towards the Oceanario which is the second largest
aquarium in all of Europe. The cable cars afford amazing views of the Parque das Nacoes skyline, the Tagus river and
the Ponte Vasco da Gama which is Europe's longest bridge. (upbeat music) And here we are at the Oceanario de Lisboa with more than 8,000 sea
creatures that live here and splash around in more
than 7 million liters of sea water. (soft music) The main attraction of the Oceanario is its
massive central tank with a rare sunfish, zebra sharks, neon fish and manta rays. Around the central tank four exhibitions feature Marine life from the Atlantic and Arctic,
Pacific and Indian oceans including jellyfish, clownfish, sea dragons and penguins. The two cutest inhabitants
of the aquarium, however are the sea otters, Mare and Micas who live in the Pacific section. (soft music) And for dinner, we are gonna mix it up a bit today because close to the Oceanario there is one of the best
pizza places in all of Lisbon. It's called Zero Zero. And yeah, I heard it's a really really good place for
invented pizza creation. So let's try it out. (lighthearted music) And I ordered one of the most inventive pizzas
that they had to offer here. This one is called Tartufo Porcini. So that means it has
(indistinct) mushroom cream. It has special cheese and it
also has sliced mushrooms. And I can't wait to try it, it smells so delicious already. (lighthearted music) I hope you enjoyed my video about the best things to do in Lisbon. If you also wanna know
about the best places to eat in the city, make sure to check out
my epic foods tour video where I show you all the best restaurants and food options in Lisbon. If you have any other recommendations for what to do in the city, please make sure to leave them in the comments below. I'm Max Nomad. And I will talk to you again soon.
