Portugal Day 1: Lisbon! Pink Street, Time-Out Market, and Churches!
I have been so lucky to travel Portugal in June 2025! I first visited in May 2022- with cooler weather and fewer crowds, as a combined result of the spring time shoulder season and early after-covid travel. June is hotter and more crowded, both due to the month and lack of covid travel restrictions, but Portugal is still a worthwhile and exciting place to visit in June!
Breakfast at Dear Breakfast- cute, tasty, pricey! About as expected. $68 (US) for four people, all the food as pictured (four coffees not shown).
We were pretty jet-lagged, but still walked around town as we waited for our 4:00 pm check in at our AirBnb! In the future, I’ll book a place or hotel with early check in, because this (even with bag drop off at €5 per bag) was a long first day, and after 12 hours of flying, I realllllly just wanted a nap.
But, we could see a bit, including some good and bad. Here is first what I did not love, primarily because I am extremely crowd-averse and was pretty tired due to jet lag, but I still cannot recommend. To skip to what I did love on my first day in Lisbon, click here!
The Eh of Day One
• The set up for Portugal Day (Tuesday June 10!) but the streamers might also be for Pride Month. The Portugal Day celebrations in Lisbon were super low-key, just lots of drinking (discarded plastic cups everywhere with the Super Bock label emblazoned on them, cigarette butts, and the ever-present smell of pee) and some places were closed down. If you’re into partying to reggaeton, Portugal Day might be a good day to visit!
• Baxia-Chiado metro station again (oh, how I’ve missed you, metro!). We did not get to use public transit so much this trip- we did not plan around it. For example, our apartments were far from any metro, and would require a bus to even reach it, making it less worthwhile. Additionally, the low cost of Uber/Bolts (I found the prices of each to be comparable, sometimes an Uber would be €0.50 more or less than a Bolt, so no real reason to choose one over the other, just choose the app your more comfortable with) made it way preferable to public transport. A €6 (I’m rounding up) trip from Belem Tower to central Lisbon split between four people was way too cheap to even think about the many busses (and time) it would take to get back to our apartment. Sorry, metro!
• LX Factory for the first time. NOT worth it. I’m very anti-crowds, and the LX Factory was not dissimilar from The Grove in LA or any other giant indoor market. Lots of English speakers, lots of pricey food. Not worth it in my opinion, but it’s your vacation.
Jardim Dom Luis, right outside the Time Out Market, and some Severance-looking office buildings nearby. This part of town was not the vibe for me, as it had more crowds and more industry, but I was glad to check it off the list of things to see in Portugal! The cool architecture reminded me of a Communist-era bloc, or a futuristic fascist building like in Andor. It was neat to see when walking by, but I would not recommend going out of your way to see it, unless you happen to be by the Time Out Market already.
The dreaded Pink Street. I’m sure this place would be cuter right in the morning with no crowds. In general, Green street was quieter and had more places to sit- Pink Street (first pic) was crowded, dirty, and had several homeless people sleeping on the side of the street. No fault to them of course- just saying it’s a sketchier area than most influencer may make it seem.
The Yay of Day One!
Already we get to the yays!
Green street! A cute little alleyway with some plants decorating it. There’s also a nice Chinese restaurant inside. Not a whole lot to say, besides this was a nice breath of oxygenated air in a busy city. Great for those insta pics!
The Church of Saint Roch! Free, cool temperatures, and a riot of babies, this Church was an unexpected surprise.
Lastly: our apartment! Cute, functional, and right above a tinsey tiny bakery that has fresh bread delivered every morning. They of course make coffee fresh right there, and the pastries were fluffy and delicious. A croissant a day- that’s how you know you’re in Europe!
Overall, a great first day in Lisbon! I would advise any traveler to have an early check in time, and make sure to eat and drink lots of water to fully enjoy what the city has to offer. I can’t say I’m a city slicker, so my review of any large city is going to be a bit dim, but as far as metropolises go Lisbon is a great one to stay in for a (brief) time.
See you tomorrow!
