Making the Most of 4 Days in Lisbon

Lisbon is a pretty spectacular city!  As Portugal's capital, it has so much to offer visitors.  Having done some research on what the tour guide books say are "must sees" along with the real-life experiences shared by others on social media sites like Trip Advisor and Facebook, I realized we were going to be challenged to do everything in the time we had before our cruise.  This was especially compounded when taking into consideration some of the most notable and historical places in the region are an hour or more from the city.

Admittedly, I'm more of an independent traveler . . . willing to rent a car and go exploring on my own.  I have done this on several occasions in Europe, so Portugal didn't seem too daunting to me.  That said, with a deeper dive in researching options, we settled on booking a majority of our tour time with a private guide.  Portugal Journeys with Peppe had high marks from prior guests, and offered great itineraries and very fair and affordable prices.

At Nazaré with Peppe

Making initial contact with owner/guide Peppe Santagata more than 6 months before our arrival in Lisbon, he was very thorough and timely in all communications with me.  He provided us with options that met our interests and made sure we were fully prepared for our time together. An added bonus of using a private guide was the personalized pick up and return service provided each day.  We were even able to make adjustments to have him drop us off at the end of our time together for other activities we had booked independent of his guided tours.

Looking back on the time spent in Portugal before our cruise, I wish we had had more time there . . . at least a full week!  That said, Lisbon is a beautiful city.  The history, architecture and people make it a destination worth considering for another visit.  So many people talk about the challenges of exploring by foot, especially if you have mobility issues like I do.  Lisbon is known as "the city of 7 hills" . . . and the hills and cobblestone walkways can require significant effort if you wish to explore the historic sites, neighborhoods and overlooks that many wish to experience.

Many visitors enjoy touring the city via Tuk Tuk.  I have to admit, initially a Tuk Tuk tour was high on my list "to do" too.  But once we settled in on touring with Peppe, the Tuk Tuk experience became less interesting.  For us, it was the right choice!  But many of the people we met on the cruise the following week had only good things to say about their time spent seeing Lisbon by Tuk Tuk.

I'll close with these images.  If ever I was doubtful of my decision to not drive in Lisbon, it didn't take much time for me to realize I was more than happy to leave the driving to professionals . . . our guides Peppe & Fabio, as well as the airport transfer and the taxi drivers who got us to where we needed to go!

I loved seeing the beautiful buildings throughout our time riding in the car.  But the traffic and pedestrians would have created enough frustration to prevent really enjoying our surroundings had I been driving.