Lisbon was meant to be the easy part. A few days of eating our way around the city in June 2026, then a flight to Madeira for a week of hiking.
Then, three days in, we had a bit of a disaster and a medical emergency, and the flight to Madeira was suddenly in doubt.
We still loved it. Outside Asia, Portugal would be our number one place to live, and we love Lisbon. But a few things caught us out, and if it is your first time there, these are the ones we would want you to know.
Five things that caught us out
1Four days is not enough
Lisbon is just way too big to do in four days, especially with a tooth emergency in the middle. If you are travelling, give it at least a week. If we come back, we would stay a month and fully explore.
The other thing everyone told us afterwards: do not skip Porto. We missed it, and so many people said we should have gone. Portugal is a small country, but it needs more time than you think, and one week is very rushed.
2Tijs's tooth fell out mid-sentence
We were just walking along, Tijs was talking, and his front tooth fell out. It is an old crown from an injury years ago, and sometimes it goes. And our flight to Madeira was less than 24 hours away.
The first dentist glued it back in. It lasted about an hour. So Tijs emailed his dentist back home, who sent over X-rays and photos, and the new dentist emailed back to say they had the piece and could fit him in at 3pm.
We had read online it might cost 1,800 euro. It cost 200, for a semi-permanent one fitted the same day in June 2026. Back in Australia the same job would have been a couple of grand and five to seven business days. People ask whether we worry about healthcare on the road. Honestly, it has often been cheaper and easier to get than at home.
His gum was very sore, but he was stoked, and we made the flight. Two drinks into dinner that night, the tooth did not hurt at all.
3We skipped the market because people said it was touristy
We kept hearing about Time Out Market the whole time we were there, and we only ever got a quick look in. One of the reasons we did not go was that we had been told it was touristy.
Is it touristy? Yes. But it is touristy because it is genuinely good. Every stall is picked by Time Out Lisbon's editorial team, so Michelin star chefs sit next to traditional Portuguese food under one roof. Go on a weekday, get there before lunch, and grab a table before you order anything, because the communal seating fills up fast.
4It is busy, and it is not cheap
Know going in that Lisbon is very, very touristy. We loved it, but expect crowds.
We paid 150 dollars a night in June 2026 for a small one bedroom apartment in the heart of the city. It had a kitchen, the comfiest bed and a view, and it was walking distance to everything. We would stay in Bairro Alto again, and Alfama, the oldest part of the city, is the other area worth looking at.
5The hills are real
You will not struggle to get your steps in. Lisbon is genuinely hilly, and we walked everywhere. Do not hire a car here. Save that for Madeira.
The historic trams are iconic, but slow. Tram 28 is worth doing once for the views over Alfama, so go early, before it fills up. And watch your footing on the way home from dinner, because those streets are slippery. We were slipping every time.
The bits we would keep exactly the same
The gym first. We found a gym about a five minute walk from the apartment, 11 euro per entry in June 2026, with everything we needed, and we trained there several days running. After that, coffee and work. There is a coffee chain all over Lisbon that feels like a big co-working space, full of people on laptops.
Praça das Flores at 5pm. Tijs calls this the best tip in Lisbon. Praça das Flores is a little square with a park, heaps of chairs, a takeaway cocktail place and cafes and restaurants around it. One of us got a typical Portuguese cocktail, amaretto and lemon, that tasted like a Starburst. There is not a flower in sight. Maybe it is just not the season.
Dinner on the same square. Magnolia was recommended to us so many times, and it lived up to the hype. Abbey gave it 10 out of 10, the burrata and the Japanese chicken were the standouts, and the wine and the service were great. It was also where Tijs asked the waiter for the best of his Sardinian wine, having forgotten we had left Sardinia. Book online or on WhatsApp, and come back for breakfast.
A bifana. Thin pork marinated in white wine, garlic and spices, in a soft roll. It is the most iconic street food in Portugal and it is cheap. For a more local one, go to O Trevo. It was cash only and about 2.50 euro in June 2026, and it was unreal.
A rooftop drink. Park is the famous rooftop bar in Lisbon, and it happened to be right in front of our apartment. It is a little touristy, but the views make it worth it. It opens around 4pm, and you take the lift up from inside the car park.
Pastel de nata, warm. You will eat a million of them, and the quality is good pretty much everywhere. Just get them warm. We ended our last night with one, and it was better than the one before.
So, is Lisbon worth it?
Yes. If you are heading to Portugal, do not skip Lisbon. It is such a cool city, the food is unreal, and everywhere you go there are beautiful old buildings, churches and tiled walls.
Just give it the time we did not. We would build a Portugal trip around four places now: Porto, Lisbon, Lagos for the beaches, and Madeira for the landscapes and the hiking.
Abbey & Tijs