Start in Alfama, the oldest quarter. The streets are too steep and too narrow for cars, which means tourists tend to skim the perimeter while residents go about a centuries-old routine in the middle. Pick a miradouro — any miradouro — and sit with a coffee until the rhythm becomes legible.
Ride the 28
Tram 28 is the only tourist ride in Lisbon worth taking — and it only works if you catch it at 7:30 a.m., before the queues. The route climbs from Martim Moniz through Graça, Alfama, Baixa and Estrela. At dawn, you'll have the carriage almost to yourself, and the city will look like a photograph of itself from 1958.
Eat pastéis, then eat more
Portuguese cuisine begins and ends with the pastel de nata, and we refuse to apologise for that. The best ones are at Manteigaria in Chiado — walk in, stand at the marble counter, order two, dust the tops with cinnamon, and eat them while they're still almost too hot to hold.
Beyond the city
Sintra is thirty minutes by train and contains the most photographable castle in Europe. Go on a weekday, early, and leave by lunchtime before the tour buses arrive. Cascais, in the other direction, is a fishing village turned seaside town and makes a perfect afternoon escape from the Lisbon heat.
