Lisbon & Porto - Highlights, hidden treasures & great restaurants

If you like port wine, then definitely do some wine cellar tours while in Porto! Taylor's has a nice outdoor deck with beautiful views of the city and offered 3 samples and an hour or so long tour of the cellar for about 5 euros. Graham's also has an outdoor seating area with some views of the city, as well as a menu for nibbles and wine.

For seafood, head over to Porto's beach are and check out Praia da Luz, which has outdoor seating right above the beach.

If you're spending a few days in Lisbon, make sure you make a day trip out to Sintra to visit the castles!

I second a trip to Sintra. It is an easy train ride and well worth your time. In Lisbon, there is a park with a fantastic view which has a little café, Miradoura de Santa Catarina. It has the statue of the Adamastor, a seafaring legend. Just walk a little ways off the beaten path in Lisbon and you will find hidden treasures of your own. the people are incredible. Make sure to try Gingja, maybe misspelled, it's the local liquor and an event in itself. Walk the tree lined promenade past Rossio area and you can see all the flea market sales. Lisbon is a great walking city. With the hills and neighborhoods it reminds me a lot of home, San Francisco, it even has its own version of the Golden Gate Bridge. Enjoy! Hank, Novato,CA

We ended a trip going to Porto, Sintra, and Lisbon.

The Majestic Cafe Porto
Lisbon / Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
Sintra is worth the effort

you can see my pics at my personal blog.
http://www.gadtravel.com/2008/07/barcelona-lisbon.html

I went to Lisbon, with a day trip in Sintra, for my three day stop-over. I second regarding trying the drink Ginjua (sp?), and the many pastries and sweets, though I only had the egg tart. Alfama in Lisbon is very interesting, fado music, there are a few high viewpoints that are pretty nice in Lisbon, amazing beaches (Carcavelos is easy by train), palaces in Sintra are breathtaking, and Cascais is a charming resort town.

You might want to check out Time Out Lisbon. Their website gives an enormous number of restaurants, neighborhoods and great things to do. Lisbon Lux is also a great resource.
Porto also has a version of Time Out but I'm not as familiar with it.

For a spectacular view of Lisbon, take the ferry at Cais do Sodre across the Tejo to Calcilhas. When you exit the ferry, turn right and walk along the wharf for 10-15 minutes. You will come to two restaurants right on the river with amazing views back over to Lisbon.. It's becoming more known but still has very few tourists. One of the restaurants is Ponte Final. Sorry, I can't remember the other one. But, I've eaten at both and they are similar. You are also very close to the 25 Abril Bridge so have great views in both directions.

The Majestic Cafe Porto was fantastic! Great dinner! The line can be long, but it seems to move quickly.

Two cafes great for coffee and desserts:
Cafe Nicola in Lisbon
Cafe A Brasileria in Lisbon

Lisbon restaurant called Bonjardim. Simple, but tasty - roasted chicken and you can add a salad and fries to it. Homemade PeriPeri sauce.

There is a restaurant diagonal to the right when you come out of the Rossio Station. Don't know the name, but only Local people were there eatting. Really great.
Edited: I found the restaurant! its called Cafe Beira Gare. We also went to the Buffet do Leao- lots of local there too and to the Restaurante Leao D'ouro.

I took my sister to the Solar do Vinho do Porto. Not many people here when we went. Great place to taste different ports.

Hope this helped.

If you're visiting the Elevador de Santa Justa or the nearby Praca do Rossio (Rossio Square) in Lisbon, a few steps off the square is the preserved 1907 Art Deco facade, with 2 beautiful murals, of the small Animatografo do Rossio, the oldest surviving cinema in Lisbon. Unless you're a big fan of Art Deco, it's not worth going out of your way for, No reason to go inside as it's now a peep show.

225 - 229 Rua dos Sapateiros. Enter the street through the arch at the south end of Rossio Square.

The Pavilhão Chinês is a bar (although I just had a pot of tea), where each room is decorated with old toys - lovely atmosphere. It's a bit of a hike up from the Bairro Alto, but worth it.