lISBON for one day

A coworker of mine was in Lisbon for the day with a cruise, and used a tour company (they were two couples, so this private tour was affordable). I don't remember which one, and she's now away for another week, but I can ask her when she returns if she liked it.

Be aware that Lisbon is very hilly. Like it is said of San Francisco, "if you get tired of walking around Lisbon, you can always lean against it." The Baixa district (in the center) and Belem (outside the center but with major sights) are flat. The Bairro Alto and Alfama districts (on either side of the Baixa) are hilly, and while they are very interesting neighborhoods to walk around and have the sort of things that would interest you, they are not for anyone with difficulty walking around hills.

Hello Harold,

We come from New York. Hope the weather realizes Spring is around the corner.

I knew Lisbon was hilly, but not that hilly. When your co-worker returns please let me know what tour company she used. There are ten of us, so I am hoping we can create our own tour.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

I wonder if she was on the same cruise itinerary we are on - transatlantic from South Hampton to Fort Lauderdale, do you know?

Peace,
Susan

I am also interested to hear about this tour. We just put a deposit on the Celebrity Equinox April 2016 Transat from FLL to Barcelona which includes a day in Lisbon.

Not only is Lisbon extremely hilly, the sidewalks are beautiful tiles that get VERY slippery when it rains. Forget any walking tours-they go through the Bairro Alto and the Alfama.
Your best bet is the Baixa and a HOHO bus.

Hello Emily,

Thank you for the information about the tiles. We have painted driveways where we live and they get extremely slippery, and I nearly fell during a rain storm.

People have written about an all day tour that goes through Lisbon and other areas, did you do that or the HOHO bus? Did the HOHO bus let you off in front of the places you wanted to visit?

Thank you again for your information.

Peace,

Susan

I did indeed do both the walking tour and the HOHO bus. The HOHO bus stops in front of many places and the the place to pick it back up is very clearly designated. It even slows down on the vista where the best view of the city is so people can get snapshots.

There are also plenty of coffee houses, snack bars, and little shops to while away the time. Portugal is known for inexpensive but well crafted embroidered linens and while that's not really my style, I picked some up as souvenirs for others. They are also famous for doing really, really good things with "garbage" fish-sardines, herring, dried codfish-you'll be pleasantly surprised!

Emily

Thank you Emily.

We will be in Lisbon for only one day. Since you have done the HOHO and the tour of Lisbon and the surrounding area which would you recommend doing?

I like sardines.

I do not know if we will ever be back to this area, which is why deciding what to do is hard.

Once again thank you.

Peace,

Susan

I would probably do the HOHO. It stops at a lot of different places and you can get a good feel of what's going on in the city. Of course, the final decision is yours.

Enjoy the grilled sardines. I'm very jealous.

Emily

Hello Emily,

I will have some for you. Wish I could take some home for you.

We are still deciding what to do. I do not if we will ever be back to this area, do we know one city or get an over view of the area.

Hoping this will be my biggest decision in life.

Peace,

Susan

My coworker has returned. She used Yellow Cab Tours while in Lisbon for a day with a cruise, and said she would recommend them. E-mail them and see what they arrange that would meet your needs: http://www.yellowcabtttours.pt/