Lisbon, Portugal – Arrival and First Day

We had beautiful weather for our trip from Porto to Lisbon. The train was packed and this was even the off-season for travel. As far as comfort, the train line between the two cities is a bit rough and curvy, so if you have any form of travel sickness, take your medications!

There were several areas along the way that showed the affects of all the rain Portugal has received this spring. Several places were flooded and there appeared to be a lot of farm land underwater.

Lisbon Central Station

The main train station in the city is Lisbon Central Station, which is also a bus and metro hub, so you have several travel options when you arrive to your hotel. We chose a cab, but be careful and take a photograph of your meter before you get out, our cab driver still tried to rip us off. Instead of the 12.60€ he was owed, he tried to charge us 20€ and finally got 15€. He was very talkative and did show us a few sights along the way, but it still annoyed the both of us.

Palácio das Especiarias

We stayed at the Palácio das Especiarias, a boutique hotel on the edge of the old historic part of town.

They have individualized rooms, a beautiful garden and many free amenities.

Every day after 3PM, they have free wine and cheese downstairs, which you may also take up to the garden or even your rooms. The wine appears to come from the Duoro River region and is pretty good.

Restaurants

Azia Thai Restaurant

Pretty tired from our journey we immediately started looking for comfort food, what better cuisine than Chinese food!

It is a small restaurant but prepares all manner of dishes, from Thai, Japanese to Chinese. They also have a pretty good wine list with half bottles. The wonton soup with noodles is very good and highly commended.