After spending two days in the Azores 🔗, we got up early and walked to the airport from Hospedaria Casa d’Avo. The airport is quite small, and we were checked in by an agent at the Azores Airlines counter. We had three transit stops before our final destination, so the agent and her manager had some back and forth about the baggage tags and how to properly attach them. The check-in agent issued each of us a consolidated boarding pass for four flights: to Lisbon, Athens, Munich, and finally Reykjavík. With fingers crossed that our bags—containing all our cold-weather clothes—would make it to Iceland, we headed through security to the boarding area for flight TAP Air Portugal 1828.
We walked across the tarmac from the terminal. It was still dark outside, and we boarded via stairs. We had priority boarding and exit-row seats. Luckily, the middle seat remained empty, giving us three seats between the two of us. The entire row next to us was also empty, so we decided to stretch out. One of the flight attendants noticed and handed us a blanket for the short hop, which was a nice touch. We parked at a remote stand upon landing and were taken to the terminal by bus.
We headed to the TAP Premium Lounge at Lisbon Airport for breakfast. Having woken up very early, we decided to take it easy and lounge around for a while. After brunch, we headed out to take the Lisbon Metro into the city. We were able to recharge our existing cards with another 24-hour ticket at the counter.
Our plan today was to take the famous Tram 28E. We took the Linha Vermelha (Red Line) from Aeroporto to Alameda and then transferred to the Linha Verde (Green Line) from Alameda to Martim Moniz. There was a huge line, but this time we were prepared to wait.
The trams arrived every 7–12 minutes, and after a few turns, we managed to get seats. I don’t think there were any locals on this tram at all! The tram took us up the hill into Alfama and then across Baixa and Bairro Alto heading west. We decided to ride all the way to the end, making a mental note of the stops we wanted to visit on the way back. The ride took about an hour and was a fun, relaxing way to see Lisbon.
We spent some time around Campo de Ourique and saw Igreja de Maria Auxiliadora and Church Santo Condestável. We then took the tram to the Estrela stop to see the Basílica da Estrela.
The Basílica da Estrela is a Baroque-style church with twin bell towers. It houses Queen Maria I’s tomb. There was an option to go up and see the view from one of the towers—the Miradouro da Basílica da Estrela—for a fee.
Our next stop was the São Bento Palace, home to the Assembleia da República. It was an impressive, stately building, typical of grand government structures.
We walked further down to the next tram stop. The surrounding area had several interesting buildings. We took the tram back across Bairro Alto and Baixa toward Miradouro de Santa Luzia in the east.
We first headed to Miradouro das Portas do Sol, which offered panoramic views of traditional Alfama houses with red roofs and ancient churches. We could see Igreja de São Vicente de Fora and the Panteão Nacional from there.
Miradouro de Santa Luzia is a popular observation deck featuring an outdoor garden with a shaded walkway. It overlooks the Tagus River and the Terminal de passageiros de Santa Apolónia, where a huge cruise liner was docked. One of the walls featured a beautiful tile mural of Lisbon.
We then took the tram back down and saw the Sé de Lisboa and the Church of Saint Anthony of Lisbon, which is believed to mark the birthplace of St. Anthony. From there, we caught the tram to Praça do Comércio.
Praça do Comércio had a wonderful vibe in the evening. People were strolling as the sun set, boats were bobbing in the river, and street musicians added to the pleasant atmosphere.
After spending some time there, we headed back to the airport. We took the Linha Azul (Blue Line) from Terreiro do Paço to São Sebastião and transferred back to the Linha Vermelha (Red Line) for the airport.
Our flight was quite late, so we returned to the TAP Premium Lounge for dinner. The lounge closed at 11:00 PM, at which point we moved to the gate area for flight Aegean Airlines 723 to Athens.
The boarding area was packed and felt too small for the number of passengers. We sat on the floor for a while until boarding began. Interestingly, the flight attendants were very insistent that overhead bins be used exclusively for suitcases; all backpacks had to go under the seats. It was almost obsessive; by the time we departed, there were many empty bins that could have easily fit smaller bags. This was the first European flight of the trip to offer a complimentary snack and beverage service. The flight was comfortable, and we managed to sleep for most of the way.
