Did you enjoy Lisbon?

[Anonymous]

We went in November and it was fabulous. Weather was beautiful. Food was fabulous. Many sights. Lots of walking. Nice shopping. Prices were very reasonable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am considering a trip there but with my children. Two friends felt it was absolutely like a fairytale, beautiful buildings, great tarts, and friendly people. Two other friends seemingly had opposite experiences - dirty, grimy, covered in graffiti with not a lot to do. Neither friend group knows the other.

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder!

I traveled to Lisbon with my young teens 2 years ago- we loved it! People were friendly. Food was decent. Prices were reasonable. We walked everywhere. The fort was fun hike and provided great views of the city. We ate at places where locals eat vs the ones designed for tourists.

We also toured the smallish museum about the history of Lisbon and it was fascinating.
We took the train one morning to the beautiful seaside town of Cascais and spend the day there. On a different day we did a day trip via train to Sintra. It is beautiful if you like castles and forts.

Every medium to big city has graffiti and issues like homelessness etc.

I hope you visit Portugal and especially Lisbon! There are so many day trips that you can make it your home base and keep busy for 7 days!

[Anonymous]

It was okay. Honestly all of Portugal is overrated IMHO. The food is pretty bland unless you really like cod and potatoes. The city has some picturesque plazas and stately boulevards but it doesn’t really compare well to other European capitals. One other thing that bugged me about Portugal is that unlike Spain, Italy, and southern France, there isn’t the tradition of the “Paseo” where families walk the Main Street in the evenings. If the streets are crowded, they’ll be crowded with tourists not locals. I don’t mean to run down Lisbon too much - it certainly has charming parts. But it just wasn’t a highlight for me.

[Anonymous]

I found the food very centered on seafood and wine, so decide if that's your vibe.

The city is pretty and interesting, but does have big hills so plan you're route. It's a nice place to stroll and sit in a restaurant or cafe, but I don't know what I'd do to entertain kids. I think of it more for people who enjoy a 3.5+ hour meal with lots of wine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I found the food very centered on seafood and wine, so decide if that's your vibe.

The city is pretty and interesting, but does have big hills so plan you're route. It's a nice place to stroll and sit in a restaurant or cafe, but I don't know what I'd do to entertain kids. I think of it more for people who enjoy a 3.5+ hour meal with lots of wine.

I agree with this but there are some cultural sites of Lisbon that are lovely (Belem tower, Castelo, etc). I found it so pleasant to walk around and just take photos and go into shops. It is a casual type city overall- it's not Paris or Florence. Little formality and you will get some servers who do not know their food or wine but just go with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lisbon is just ok. Porto is amazing!

DP

Lisbon is just okay. Porto is better.

My kids loved Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, London, Paris, etc., but I wouldn’t bother taking them to Lisbon or Porto. FTR, I’ve been before…and I’m not sure how we would fill our time. It’s a decent enough trip for adults who drink.

PS - laughed at the post re: “they have good tarts.” lol. True, but not a reason to schlep kids to those cities.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was okay. Honestly all of Portugal is overrated IMHO. The food is pretty bland unless you really like cod and potatoes. The city has some picturesque plazas and stately boulevards but it doesn’t really compare well to other European capitals. One other thing that bugged me about Portugal is that unlike Spain, Italy, and southern France, there isn’t the tradition of the “Paseo” where families walk the Main Street in the evenings. If the streets are crowded, they’ll be crowded with tourists not locals. I don’t mean to run down Lisbon too much - it certainly has charming parts. But it just wasn’t a highlight for me.

+1

Tourism boards made fetch happen with Portugal. It’s like they want to be as popular and fun as Italy, but they just aren’t. Never will be.

[Anonymous]

We preferred Porto to Lisbon - both include lots and lots of walking (we averaged over 15k steps per day, both cities very hilly)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lisbon is just ok. Porto is amazing!

DP

Lisbon is just okay. Porto is better.

My kids loved Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, London, Paris, etc., but I wouldn’t bother taking them to Lisbon or Porto. FTR, I’ve been before…and I’m not sure how we would fill our time. It’s a decent enough trip for adults who drink.

PS - laughed at the post re: “they have good tarts.” lol. True, but not a reason to schlep kids to those cities.

Oh this is interesting- I was considering taking my kids to Lisbon on a city break because it seemed like there was a lot to do for kids- e.g., riding the trams, Oceanarium, daytrips to Sintra and Caiscais. But now I'm wondering if London or Rome (or elsewhere in Italy- I'm open to suggestions!) would be better? This would be in the winter. We're likely to go to Paris at another time.

[Anonymous]

Like PP said, didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. I am not a huge fan of Portuguese food generally. Much preferred Porto but in general, I’ve enjoyed trips to Spain and Italy much more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It was okay. Honestly all of Portugal is overrated IMHO. The food is pretty bland unless you really like cod and potatoes. The city has some picturesque plazas and stately boulevards but it doesn’t really compare well to other European capitals. One other thing that bugged me about Portugal is that unlike Spain, Italy, and southern France, there isn’t the tradition of the “Paseo” where families walk the Main Street in the evenings. If the streets are crowded, they’ll be crowded with tourists not locals. I don’t mean to run down Lisbon too much - it certainly has charming parts. But it just wasn’t a highlight for me.

Families don’t “paseo” because central Lisbon is now too expensive to live in dur to tourism …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What's the best time of year to visit to balance the weather and crowds?

We had fantastic weather in late March but because we went to Portugal then, it ruled out beach oriented areas like Argarve.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was okay. Honestly all of Portugal is overrated IMHO. The food is pretty bland unless you really like cod and potatoes. The city has some picturesque plazas and stately boulevards but it doesn’t really compare well to other European capitals. One other thing that bugged me about Portugal is that unlike Spain, Italy, and southern France, there isn’t the tradition of the “Paseo” where families walk the Main Street in the evenings. If the streets are crowded, they’ll be crowded with tourists not locals. I don’t mean to run down Lisbon too much - it certainly has charming parts. But it just wasn’t a highlight for me.

Families don’t “paseo” because central Lisbon is now too expensive to live in dur to tourism …

DP. But is it really more expensive than day, Seville or Rome, where we definitely saw other local families?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was okay. Honestly all of Portugal is overrated IMHO. The food is pretty bland unless you really like cod and potatoes. The city has some picturesque plazas and stately boulevards but it doesn’t really compare well to other European capitals. One other thing that bugged me about Portugal is that unlike Spain, Italy, and southern France, there isn’t the tradition of the “Paseo” where families walk the Main Street in the evenings. If the streets are crowded, they’ll be crowded with tourists not locals. I don’t mean to run down Lisbon too much - it certainly has charming parts. But it just wasn’t a highlight for me.

+1

Tourism boards made fetch happen with Portugal. It’s like they want to be as popular and fun as Italy, but they just aren’t. Never will be.

I think a lot of the families choosing Portugal have done Italy already and looking for other European options. It was different years ago when an American family might spring for a single European vacation during their child raising years vs now when airfare is much more accessible and common.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It was okay. Honestly all of Portugal is overrated IMHO. The food is pretty bland unless you really like cod and potatoes. The city has some picturesque plazas and stately boulevards but it doesn’t really compare well to other European capitals. One other thing that bugged me about Portugal is that unlike Spain, Italy, and southern France, there isn’t the tradition of the “Paseo” where families walk the Main Street in the evenings. If the streets are crowded, they’ll be crowded with tourists not locals. I don’t mean to run down Lisbon too much - it certainly has charming parts. But it just wasn’t a highlight for me.

+1

Tourism boards made fetch happen with Portugal. It’s like they want to be as popular and fun as Italy, but they just aren’t. Never will be.

I think a lot of the families choosing Portugal have done Italy already and looking for other European options. It was different years ago when an American family might spring for a single European vacation during their child raising years vs now when airfare is much more accessible and common.

The direct flights (and relatively shorter flight time due to it's western position) from several American cities also helps. Although we didn't go I seriously considered Portugal as the first European trip for my kids because the logistics were relatively easy compared to other destinations.