How to spend a perfect Sunday in Lisbon, featuring cathedrals, contemporary art and custard tarts
Even the trams seem to have sore heads in Lisbon on a Sunday morning. One of the sunniest cities in Europe, the insistent yellow orb that blazes down on the terracotta rooftops may be a delightful start to the day, or a little jarring at first – especially if you had a late, late night sipping ice-cold bottles of Superbock beer amid a bar-hopping adventure in the Barrio Alto neighbourhood.
Those ancient, canary-yellow trams wheeze and creak up the steep hills. And you may well empathise with their pain. But stand tall as the locals do, and revive yourself with an espresso while leaning against a bar counter with a copy of the sports daily Record, where a discussion on the merits of Sporting Lisbon, Benfica and, naturally, Cristiano Ronaldo with fellow café dwellers should wash away the remains of the hangover.
Lisbon is a city where the little things capture your heart more than any grand municipal projects. The sunlight reflecting off a worn and cracked “azulejo” tile pattern on a forgotten wall, a hi-hat crash of tide slapping against the fudge-coloured sands of Cascais beach, and the aroma of peri-peri chicken and grilled sardines emanating from a tiny restaurant kitchen; these all combine to create an edge-of-the-Continent vibe where the whispers of Old Europe mingle and cavort with the briny sea air of the Atlantic beyond. And the atmosphere is never better than first thing on a Sunday.
Got the brunchies?
Brunch of the poached eggs and smashed avocado type are rarities in this city, with most locals making do with a coffee and a custard tart (the famed pastel de natas) until at least noon. If you want to blend in, hold your appetite until you can order a plate of bacalhau (salt cod, served in gargantuan portions with coriander, garlic, potatoes, onion and olive oil).
Few places do it better than Pateo 13 (Calcadinha de Santo Estevao 13; 00351 21 050 3434; open from noon, mains around €9), an outdoor-only space in the Alfama ’hood with charcoal-grilled sardines, squid and bream as well as that ubiquitous salt cod.
For an early morning, local approximation of brunch head to the Mill (Rua do Poço dos Negros 1; themill.pt; open from 8.30am, brunch around €9), an Aussie-Portuguese hybrid serving up toasties loaded with grilled chorizo, roasted peppers and cheese from the Azores, and a take on Buck’s Fizz, where the prosecco is replaced with native espumante sparkling wine.
Now walk it off
The calorie and carb count may be sky-high in Portuguese dishes, but the steep hills mean you’ve a fair chance of burning it off swiftly if you take a hike to one of the city’s miradouros, translated as lookout points. The Jardim de Sao Pedro de Alcantara in the Barrio Alto corner of Baixa (downtown) is an absolute joy, where you’ll get views of the River Tagus, the city cathedral, castle and the Parque Eduardo VII.
The Largo de Santa Luzia is the other essential miradouro with its walled garden decorated with azulejo tiles and a view out across the Tagus and the colossal whitewashed St Vincent monastery. For some sand between your toes, take the local train from Cais do Sodre to Cascais, an ancient fishing port where, upon alighting, you’ll be almost directly on the soft sands of Praia da Conceicao. Trains leave every 20 minutes, the journey takes 40 minutes and tickets are about €5 return.
Pretty as a picture
Turning a power plant into a gallery? So far, so Tate, but Lisbon’s attempt at this type of transformation is more than just mere mimicry. The MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology) complex (matt.pt; opens at 11am) has retained much of its former analogue-era machinery giving it a Terry Gilliam Brazil-esque, Brutalist feel.
Visit this summer (Covid allowing, of course) and you’ll find four or five different exhibitions including Aquaria – Or The Illusion of a Boxed Sea where numerous artists and filmmakers give their interpretations of the future of marine life in the era of climate change. It’s all fairly avant-garde stuff and, as you’ve probably figured out by now, this isn’t the place to find the Old Masters.
For that, head to the National Museum of Ancient Art (museudearteantiga.pt, open from 10am) where, inside this 17th-century palace, you’ll find Indo-Portuguese cabinets complete with snarling tiger legs and the Saint Vincent Panels, the masterpiece of Nuno Goncalves, court painter to King Afonso V, showcasing late 15th-century clergy, aristocracy and the common people.
Music maestro
The Belem Cultural Centre (ccb.pt has classical performances (usually in the smaller of their auditoriums) on Sunday mornings at 11am.
Check the website for Covid updates but, at the time of writing, Sunday concerts include recitals of Bach’s Fugues and the Czech-based Wihan Quartet performing works by Haydin and Schumann.
Sunday lunchtime concerts are also returning to the Gulbankian Museum (gulbankian.pt) if Covid allows. Starting at noon, check the website for when the concerts take place; currently scheduled is a performance of two works by Prokofiev on May 9 by the Galbankian Orchestra.
Market forces
The problem with the Mercado da Ribera (timeoutmarket.com; open from 10am) is its sheer popularity. Converted into a gourmet-food court by Time Out Lisboa magazine in 2014, there are ample gourmet rewards if you’re prepared to take on the hordes. Try O Prego da Peixaria’s prego steak sandwiches and the cuttlefish or partridge croquettes at Croqueteria.
The LX Market (lxmarket.com.pt; open from 10am) cites itself as a “creative sphere”, a slightly grandiose description for an immense former warehouse in the Alcantara ’hood. There’s studios, cafés and shops here permanently but the Sunday-only market sees a joyously ramshackle array of stalls pitch up selling everything from ceramics to (good quality) second-hand threads to lampshades made from Jack Daniel’s bottles.
Let us pray
Built on the site of a mosque in the 12th century, restoration work at the Sé cathedral on Largo da Se (mass 10am) recently unearthed part of the mosque wall as well as a Roman road lying directly underneath. See them for yourself by heading to the cloisters right next to the cathedral.
The ornate white dome (lit at night) of the Basilica da Estrela on Praca da Estrela (mass 10am) houses acres of pink and black Portuguese marble, all built on the orders of Queen Dona Maria in the 1790s after she gave birth to a male heir. Gorgeous views over the rooftops are yours if you’re prepared to haul up the 114 steps to the summit.
If you do nothing else...
There’s plenty of Michelin dining on offer, but you haven’t really tasted Lisbon until you’ve had a bitoque; it’s steak topped with a fried egg and surrounded by a small lava flow of chips. Nowhere does it better on a Sunday than O Bitoque (Rua Ferreira Borges 59; 00351 21 396 5636; mains around €8), a bijou, humble café with zero pretension and gargantuan portions that hums with a down-to-earth atmosphere.
For ideas on where to stay, see our complete guide to the best hotels in Lisbon
