A Vida Portuguesa

Complete guide with attractions and venues where to eat/drink, get those very special souvenirs from (bespoke & local brands and markets) and catch a beautiful sight…or just your breath after walking up and down the hills of this marvellous city. Lisbon is all about art, colors, architecture and GOOD vibes! 🇵🇹💚 💡General tip: combine Lisbon with visits/stays in Sintra and Porto. Highlights: 🚋 Trams - The Lisbon tramway network is a system of trams in operation since 1873; it presently comprises six lines and has a length of 31 km with 63 trams in operation (45 historic "Remodelados", 8 historic "Ligeiros" and 10 modern articulated trams). Tram 28 is famous because happens to go past many of the city's most significant landmarks in districts like Alfama, Baixa and Estrela. Because the route also uses some heritage-style tram carriages, it has become a popular tourist attraction in the city. 💠 Azulejos - is a form of Spanish and Portuguese painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework. Azulejos happen to be one of the most distinctive art forms in Portugal and are found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses, schools, and nowadays, restaurants, bars and even railways or subway stations. 🧼 Soaps - Oprah Winfrey said they're one of her favorite things, so the world is now also a fan of Portuguese soaps. But they're not recent products. They've been made since the 1800s and are 100% natural. They've maintained beautiful Art Deco and Art Nouveau packagings from the 1920s, and have become one of the favorite gifts to take from Portugal. 🥮 Pastel de nata - is a Portuguese egg custard tart pastry, optionally dusted with cinnamon - looks like a cross between a custard tart and a cake; created by monks in the Jerónimos Monastery, a major tourist attraction today and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 🍲You also have to try these traditional dishes: Bifana, Sardines, Caracoletas & Prego na Pao, Alheira de Mirandela, Queijadas. 🧉Ginja - also known as ginjinha. This sour cherry liqueur is a tourist favorite but has sweetened locals’ palates for a long time too. There are establishments in Lisbon entirely dedicated to selling this sweet beverage made with Morello cherries, a variety of spices, and plenty of sugar. Nowadays, ginja is also served in edible chocolate cups. While you may choose among white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate, dark chocolate does indeed pair beautifully with the super sweet, almost syrupy drink.

The magnificent tile! It’s hard to resist falling in love with the azulejos (tiles) adorning the buildings of Lisbon. It seems cliché and obvious, but those tiles are ubiquitous and will overwhelm you with the sheer number of façades. Only a cold heart is impervious to their charm. And, most can be easily viewed from street level -- even while pushing a stroller. You will see tiles everywhere you go. So, it almost seems silly to suggest a tile walking route because any walking route automatically becomes a de facto tile walking route just by virtue of being in Lisbon! It would be like suggesting a blue sky walk, or a bacalhau restaurant walk – it will automatically happen! Instead, EFTF has highlighted a few areas in which to pay extra attention to the tiles. These areas can be folded into a day’s itinerary or be the target of a special trip by an especially smitten family member. These are presented in descending order of appropriateness for children. It’s not that tiles aren’t appropriate for children; it’s more that kids aren’t doing cartwheels in excitement for them. And as we move down this list, the tiles can be within a child’s reach – breakable!