24 Hours in Lisbon
Covers Paris, Rome, Florence, Venice, Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Porto and Bruges, with timed entries, airport fares and closing days checked at the source.
UpdatedThis page carries dated prices, schedules or seasonal facts checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book.
Lisbon has one of Europe's shortest airport runs. ANA, the airport operator, says the metro takes you to downtown in about 20 minutes, and a ride costs $2.20 (£1.60; €1.92) if you tap a contactless bank card at the gate. That makes it an easy city to snack on after an overnight flight, and the airport's own long layover page covers the shorter version.
The harder part is the shape of the city. The two big monuments are at opposite ends: Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, out west by the river, and São Jorge Castle on the hill above Alfama. Between them sit the Baixa, the river square and the food hall at Cais do Sodré. This plan takes Belém first, when it is quiet, works east through lunch, and climbs to the castle in the late afternoon, so the evening starts in Alfama, where you want to be after dark.
At a glance
- Best for
- Couples and solo travelers who want views, a food hall and fado in one day
- Skip it if
- Steep, cobbled streets are hard for you, or your only day is a Monday
- Airport to center
- Metro, about 20 minutes to downtown with one change, $2.20 (£1.60; €1.92) by contactless card
- One night, mid-January
- $89 (£67) for a 3-star double in the Baixa on Kayak (January 15, 2027); $127 (£95) on June 11, 2027
- Arrive by
- 8:30 a.m. Tuesday to Sunday, or start at lunch and swap Belém to the next morning
In this guide
The 24-hour plan
- 9:30 a.m.
Jerónimos Monastery
Be at the cloister for the 9:30 a.m. opening, before the tour coaches. It is closed on Mondays; buy at the online ticket office to skip the queue at the desk.
- 11:15 a.m.
Custard tarts at Pastéis de Belém
Three minutes along Rua de Belém. Eat them warm with cinnamon and sugar at the tiled tables inside.
- 1:00 p.m.
Lunch at the Mercado da Ribeira (Time Out Market)
Ride back east on the riverside tram or train to Cais do Sodré and eat at the food hall's counters.
- 2:45 p.m.
Praça do Comércio and the Baixa
Walk the river square, then up Rua Augusta through the grid of streets rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake.
- 4:00 p.m.
São Jorge Castle
Climb to the castle for the walls and the view over the Tagus. In winter the last entry is 5:30 p.m., so do not arrive late.
- 6:00 p.m.
Miradouro de Santa Luzia
Walk down from the castle to the tiled terrace above Alfama's rooftops for dusk.
- 8:30 p.m.
Dinner and fado in Alfama
Drop into the lanes around Largo do Chafariz de Dentro, where the fado houses are. Grilled sardines in season, petiscos all year.
- 11:00 p.m.
Bairro Alto bars, Rua da Atalaia
A taxi or the metro to Baixa-Chiado, then up the hill. Bairro Alto's bars spill into the street late into the night.
The route is 5.4 miles (8.7 km) from stop to stop in a straight line; the real walk is longer.
Jerónimos Monastery is closed on Mondays and on January 1, Easter Sunday, May 1, June 13 and December 25; São Jorge Castle closes on January 1, May 1 and December 24, 25 and 31.
How the 24 hours work
Start at Jerónimos when the cloister opens at 9:30 a.m. A regular ticket is $20 (£15.10; €18). The cloister is open Tuesday to Sunday until 5:30 p.m., last entry 5 p.m., and the monastery is closed on Mondays, as well as January 1, Easter Sunday, May 1, June 13 and December 25. Walk three minutes to Pastéis de Belém, then ride back along the river to Cais do Sodré for lunch.
After lunch you walk the Baixa from the Praça do Comércio and climb to São Jorge Castle. An adult ticket is $19.10 (£14.30; €17). From November to February it opens 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. with last entry at 5:30 p.m.; from March to October it stays open to 9 p.m. The castle's museum is temporarily closed while toilets are upgraded. From the castle it is downhill to the Santa Luzia terrace for dusk, then into Alfama for dinner.
If your day falls on a Monday, swap the morning: start at the castle at 9 a.m., do Belém's riverfront and custard tarts without the monastery, and spend the afternoon in Chiado. If it rains, the Mercado da Ribeira is the place to wait it out.
Where to stay for one night
Sleep in the flat Baixa, between the hills, so every stop on this plan is a walk or one ride away. We priced the Baixa, Alfama and Bairro Alto on Kayak for one Friday night, two adults, 3-star or better, guest score 8 or higher, taxes and fees in:
- Baixa: the cheapest qualifying hotel on January 15, 2027 was $89 (£67), and on June 11, 2027 it was $127 (£95), both a few minutes from Rossio.
- Chiado and Bairro Alto: closer to the nightlife and noisier on weekends, and uphill from the river.
- Alfama: atmospheric, close to the castle and the fado houses, but a climb with luggage.
Lisbon adds a municipal tourist tax per guest per night at the hotel. The city's tax page blocked our check on October 21, 2026, so we do not quote the rate here; your booking confirmation should show it.
Getting in from the airport (and the station)
The metro leaves from beside the arrivals hall on the red line. Change at Alameda to the green line for Baixa-Chiado or Rossio. Tap a contactless bank card at the gate for $2.20 (£1.60; €1.92), or buy a navegante occasional card for $0.60 (£0.40; €0.50) and load a single at $1.90 (£1.40; €1.72).
For the day, the Carris/Metro 1 Day ticket at $8.10 (£6.10; €7.25) covers 24 hours of metro, buses and trams from first validation, including the tram to Belém. It needs the navegante card.
Taxis queue outside arrivals. ANA's own estimate for a ride to the center is $11.20–$16.80 (£8.40–£12.60; €10–€15) including luggage fees, metered; it tells passengers to make sure the meter is on and to take a receipt. Ride-hailing pickups use a set area in car park P2. Trains from Porto arrive at Santa Apolónia and Oriente.
What to eat in 24 hours
- Pastéis de nata at Pastéis de Belém, warm, with cinnamon and powdered sugar on the table.
- A food-hall lunch at the Mercado da Ribeira, where the Time Out Market's counters fill one side of the old market building.
- A bifana, the garlicky pork sandwich sold at counters all over the Baixa.
- Petiscos in Alfama: small plates, grilled sardines in summer, and a glass of vinho verde.
- Ginjinha, the sour cherry liqueur served by the shot at tiny bars around Rossio.
Lisbon makes our best food cities for 24 hours list on breakfast alone.
If you only have 12 hours
Drop Belém. Take the metro to Baixa-Chiado, walk the Praça do Comércio and Rua Augusta, lunch at the Mercado da Ribeira, climb to the castle and finish at Santa Luzia and dinner in Alfama. You keep the view, the old town and the best evening, and you lose the monastery and the custard tart pilgrimage. The airport is close enough that you can stay out until the last hour before check-in.
What 24 hours costs
Per person, two adults sharing a January room:
- Hotel, half an $89 (£67) double: $44 (£33)
- Metro in and out, two contactless rides: $4.30 (£3.20; €3.84)
- Navegante card and 1 Day ticket: $0.60 (£0.40; €0.50) plus $8.10 (£6.10; €7.25)
- Jerónimos Monastery: $20 (£15.10; €18)
- São Jorge Castle: $19.10 (£14.30; €17)
That is about $97 (£72) before food, drink, fado cover charges and the tourist tax. Taking a taxi in from the airport instead of the metro adds very little if two of you share it.
Getting there from the US and the UK
Lisbon is TAP Air Portugal's hub. Scheduled nonstops run from New York JFK, Newark, Chicago O'Hare, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Washington Dulles and Miami. Atlanta and Dallas/Fort Worth were not on the route table when we checked. From the UK, Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Edinburgh have nonstops; Stansted does not.
US and UK passport holders need no visa for a short stay. The EU's Entry/Exit System has been fully operational at all Schengen external borders since April 10, 2026, so your fingerprints and photo are taken on a first entry and your passport is not stamped. ETIAS is not yet in operation; the EU will announce the start date several months ahead, and the fee is set at $22 (£16.80; €20). If Lisbon is a stopover rather than a destination, read our guide to free stopover programs.
When to go
Spring and fall are the best seasons for a day on these hills. June is festival month, and summer evenings in Alfama are long and crowded. Winter is mild and bright, but the castle closes at 6 p.m. and the walk down from it is in the dark by dinner time. For a second Portuguese city on the same trip, see 24 hours in Porto, or compare Madrid.
Lisbon’s Snack Score
How well Lisbon works for 24 hours and one night: six factors, scored 0 to 10 the same way for all 45 cities. Our verdict here is a conditional one, which takes 0.3 off the weighted average. How we score
- Sights in a dayEditors · 30%7.5
- FoodEditors · 15%8.0
- After darkEditors · 10%8.0
- Compact routeData · 15%8.0
- Airport to centerData · 15%9.4
- One-night costData · 15%7.7
The numbers behind the score
- Airport to center
- 20 min from Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport: Metro red line from Aeroporto, changing at Alameda to the green line for Baixa-Chiado (ANA puts the metro at about 20 minutes to downtown), $2.20 (£1.60; €1.92)
- One night, Friday
- $89 (£67) on January 15, 2027 · $127 (£95) on June 11, 2027 (Baixa)
- Day ticket
- Carris/Metro 1 Day ticket (24 h), on a navegante occasional card ($0.60 (£0.40; €0.50)): $8.10 (£6.10; €7.25)
- 24 hours, per person
- $66 (£49): half the average room, the airport ride both ways and a day ticket (entries extra)
- Nonstop from the US
- JFK, EWR, ORD, LAX, SFO, BOS, IAD, MIA
- Nonstop from the UK
- LHR, LGW, MAN, EDI
Hotel prices: Cheapest 3-star-or-better hotel double, 1 night (Friday), 2 adults, Kayak stay total with taxes and fees, guest rating 8+, Kayak neighborhood filter Baixa + Alfama + Bairro Alto, checked 2026-10-21; an inn and a guesthouse listed lower were skipped. January: Dalma Baixa $89; June: Behotelisboa $127..
Weather month by month
Best months for walking around by our weather score: May, June, September. Daytime highs and lows, rain days (1 mm or more) and sunshine hours are 2016–2025 averages for Lisbon (Open-Meteo historical weather archive).
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 59 | 61 | 63 | 67 | 73 | 77 | 83 | 84 | 80 | 74 | 64 | 60 |
| High °C | 15 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 23 | 25 | 28 | 29 | 26 | 23 | 18 | 16 |
| Low °F | 48 | 49 | 51 | 53 | 58 | 61 | 64 | 65 | 63 | 60 | 54 | 50 |
| Rain days | 8 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 11 | 9 |
| Sun (hours) | 8 | 8 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| Weather score | 8.2 | 9.1 | 9.0 | 9.1 | 10.0 | 10.0 | 8.9 | 8.6 | 9.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 | 8.3 |
Where Lisbon ranks
Tickets and tours you can book
Lisbon: Food and Wine Small Group Walking Tour
Meet by the center statue in Rossio Square (Rossio metro, green line); the guide carries a blue badge or bag. Vegan and celiac options are not available. Same operator as the walking tour, so pick one if you want variety.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Best of Lisbon Walking Tour: Rossio, Chiado & Alfama
Meet by the statue of D. Pedro IV in Rossio Square. Lisbon is steep and cobbled, so wear proper shoes. At $25 it is the cheapest orientation on the list and a good first morning.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Lisbon: Sailboat Sunset Tour with a Drink
Board at Doca de Alcantara, Gate 2, west of the center near the 25 de Abril bridge; the exact berth comes by WhatsApp on the day. Extra food, drinks and tips are not included. Times move with sunset.
Rating as shown on GetYourGuide
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
Frequently asked questions
Is one day in Lisbon enough?
For Belém, the Baixa, the castle and an evening in Alfama, yes, at a steady pace. It is not enough for Sintra, which needs most of a day on its own.
How do you get from Lisbon airport to the city center?
Take the metro red line and change at Alameda to the green line for Baixa-Chiado. ANA says the metro reaches downtown in about 20 minutes. A contactless ride is $2.20 (£1.60; €1.92). A taxi costs about $11.20–$16.80 (£8.40–£12.60; €10–€15) by ANA's estimate.
Is Jerónimos Monastery open on Mondays?
No. The cloister opens Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and a regular ticket is $20 (£15.10; €18). It also closes on January 1, Easter Sunday, May 1, June 13 and December 25.
How much is the São Jorge Castle ticket?
An adult ticket is $19.10 (£14.30; €17), and ages 13 to 25 pay $9.50 (£7.10; €8.50). The castle opens daily at 9 a.m. and closes at 6 p.m. in winter and 9 p.m. from March to October.
Is there a 24-hour transport ticket in Lisbon?
Yes. The Carris/Metro 1 Day ticket is $8.10 (£6.10; €7.25) for 24 hours from first use on the metro, buses and trams. A version that adds the Cascais and Sintra trains costs $12.80 (£9.60; €11.40).
Further reading
Official sources
- ANA Lisbon Airport - Public transportation and taxis (official) – Metro about 20 minutes to downtown; navegante card $0.60 (£0.40; €0.50); taxi estimate $11.20–$16.80 (£8.40–£12.60; €10–€15); checked October 21, 2026
- Metropolitano de Lisboa - Buy (official) – Contactless ride $2.20 (£1.60; €1.92), zapping ride $1.90 (£1.40; €1.72), 1 Day Carris/Metro $8.10 (£6.10; €7.25), with CP trains $12.80 (£9.60; €11.40); checked October 21, 2026
- Museus e Monumentos de Portugal - Jerónimos Monastery – Regular $20 (£15.10; €18), Tuesday to Sunday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., closing days; checked October 21, 2026
- Castelo de São Jorge - Schedules (official) – Winter 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., summer to 9 p.m., closing days, museum temporarily closed; checked October 21, 2026
- Castelo de São Jorge - Tickets (official) – Adult $19.10 (£14.30; €17), youth $9.50 (£7.10; €8.50); checked October 21, 2026
- Kayak - Lisbon hotels, January 15 and June 11, 2027 – Cheapest 3-star+ hotel double rated 8+ in the Baixa, Alfama or Bairro Alto: $89 (£67) January, $127 (£95) June, stay totals; checked October 21, 2026
- Wikipedia - Lisbon Airport – Airlines and destinations table for US and UK nonstops; checked October 21, 2026
- eu-LISA - Entry/Exit System fully deployed – EES at all Schengen external borders since April 10, 2026; checked October 21, 2026
- European Commission - ETIAS – Not yet in operation; fee $22 (£16.80; €20); checked October 21, 2026
