How to spend a 9-hour Layover in Lisbon, Portugal: One day in Lisbon

Located along the Portuguese coast, Lisbon is the largest city in Portugal and the capital. Recently dubbed “Europe’s coolest city” by CNN, this charming hilly spot is reminiscent of a European San Francisco. We recently had the opportunity to take a 9-hour layover and let’s just say it’s a must!

Why a Layover in Lisbon is a good idea

The Lisbon airport, while not huge, is completely set up for layovers. A quick 20-minute drive to the city, as well as ample baggage storage, makes it easy to pop into the city during a long layover.

Bag Storage: Located outside of the departures area (Terminal 1) are blue lockers you’ll spot in the photo above. To find them, you’ll want to pretend you’re exiting from the passenger drop-off area onto the curb and turn left. Depending on the size of the locker, you can plan to spend anywhere from 3,00€ to 9,00€ / 3-hour period. Note: if you land later in the day, you may have to book 2 smaller lockers as they get pretty busy.

Getting into the City: We opted to Uber into the city (prices range from ~8€ – 15€). For a cab, you can expect about a 20€ ride. Conveniently, the Uber pick-up and drop-off area are right across from the blue lockers.

Start your Layover in Lisbon with a traditional meal

Depending on how much time you have when you get into the city, opt for a sit-down lunch or a quick meal at a café. Our original plan included lunch at the popular locals’ spot O Velho Eurico. However, our flight arrived a few hours late so we opted for something quicker from Solar da Madalena. This very spot is nothing fancy but has some of the best “pastel de nata” and “Bifana” in town. (And it’s cheap!)

A note on eating in Portugal: Similar to what you might experience in Spain or Italy, sit-down meals are not meant to be rushed and can take a few hours. If you only have about 45 min – 1 hour for a meal, opt for a quicker café.

Take a TukTuk Tour in Lisbon to visit the top sights

While Lisbon is a very walkable city (and also very hilly – so be sure to wear your walking shoes), when only having a few hours, a TukTuk Tour is the way to go. Our tour with local resident João covered the historic area of the Alfama District. The tour covered the city monuments near the castle (Sé Cathedral, Saint Vicent Church, National Pantheon) along with beautiful vista points (Miradouro da Senhora do Monte and Portas do Sol). We also took the time to drive through the iconic 12th-century streets while learning local tips from our guide.

About the tour: 2 hours, $31 / per person.
Note: The tour didn’t get us all the way out to the famous Belém Tower, it covered a lot of ground in 2 hours.

If you get lucky and visit on a Tuesday or Saturday, head to the Flea Market

Dating back to the 1200s, the “Feira de Ladra,” which translates to the “Thieve’s Market” is held every Tuesday and Saturday on the edge of the Alfama Neighborhood. Our guide let us know that the market earned its name back in the day when sellers would steal historic items such as traditional wall tiles and church artifacts to sell on the street. Today, visitors can find everything from clothes to antique art and souvenirs.