5 days in Lisbon
More: When to visit Lisbon · Lisbon travel guide
5 Days in Lisbon: Complete Itinerary + Day Trips
Five days lets Lisbon properly, Baixa + Alfama + Belém + Sintra day-trip + Cascais beach. Here's the day-by-day route.
Day 1: Baixa + Alfama + Castelo
Morning
Walk Praça do Comércio + Rua Augusta arch + Baixa grid. Coffee at Café A Brasileira.
Afternoon
Climb to Castelo de São Jorge (15 EUR). Wander Alfama's tiled lanes + Miradouro Santa Luzia + Portas do Sol.
Evening
Fado dinner in Alfama (Mesa de Frades, A Baiuca, or Pateo de Alfama). Reserve 1-2 days ahead.
Day 2: Bairro Alto + Chiado + LX Factory
Morning
Bairro Alto + Chiado walking. Carmo Convent ruins + Café A Brasileira (Pessoa's haunt).
Afternoon
Tram to LX Factory — old industrial complex turned design district. Ler Devagar bookshop + Sunday brunch.
Evening
Time Out Market dinner (32 stalls, easy sampling). Bairro Alto bars after 10pm for nightlife.
Day 3: Belém + Cacilhas ferry
Morning
Tram 15 or Uber to Belém. Jerónimos Monastery + Belém Tower combined ticket (18 EUR). Pastéis de Belém custard tarts.
Afternoon
MAAT museum + Cordoaria Nacional + Padrão dos Descobrimentos monument.
Evening
Ferry across to Cacilhas for dinner: Atira-te ao Rio or Ponto Final. View back to Lisbon skyline.
Day 4: Sintra day-trip
Morning
8am train from Rossio Station (40 min). Bus 434 from Sintra station to Pena Palace (yellow + red on the ridge).
Afternoon
Quinta da Regaleira's initiation well + grounds. Moorish Castle ramparts. Lunch at Tascantiga in Sintra village.
Evening
Return to Lisbon by 7pm. Dinner at Cervejaria Ramiro (Lisbon's famous seafood spot).
Day 5: Cascais + departure
Morning
Train from Cais do Sodré to Cascais (40 min). Old fishing town + Atlantic coast walks.
Afternoon
Lunch at Cascais. Optional: continue to Cabo da Roca (Europe's westernmost point, 30 min bus from Cascais).
Evening
Return to Lisbon. Final dinner at a Bairro Alto tasca or rooftop bar with Tejo view.
5 days in Lisbon: a day-by-day itinerary
Five days is ideal for Lisbon plus its two great day trips:
Day 1 — Alfama
Sao Jorge Castle, the maze of Alfama, a ride on Tram 28, and a fado dinner.
Day 2 — Belem
Jeronimos Monastery, Belem Tower, and the original pasteis de nata.
Day 3 — Sintra
A full day at the fairy-tale Pena Palace and mysterious Quinta da Regaleira.
Day 4 — Modern Lisbon
Chiado and Bairro Alto, the LX Factory, and viewpoints (miradouros) at sunset.
Day 5 — Coast
Cascais and the wild cliffs of Cabo da Roca, mainland Europe's westernmost point.
Tip: wear proper shoes — Lisbon's hills and cobbles are relentless.
What do days four and five actually add?
Days four and five do one of two things, and choosing between them early matters more than choosing which sights to add. Outward, they turn a city break into a regional trip by reaching the hills at Sintra, the coast west of the city, or the far side of the estuary. Inward, they buy back the pace that three days of climbing spends, giving one unscheduled neighbourhood day away from the ridge climbs of the first three. Most five-day plans default outward without weighing the second option, and end up with more time on trains than the trip needed.
Of the outward options, Sintra is the largest single addition, because it is the nearest place to Lisbon that is genuinely unlike Lisbon: a wooded microclimate on higher ground, noticeably cooler and cloudier than the city on the same afternoon. That difference is the value, and it is also why the day cannot be shortened.
Day five is the real fork. A coastal day and a slow city day are not interchangeable, and the right answer depends on who is travelling. Families, anyone visiting between November and March when short daylight makes a 40-minute rail trip each way expensive in usable hours, and anyone who has already walked two ridges a day for three days will usually get more from staying put. Everyone else should go west.
Pacing five days so you never take two travel days in a row
Alternate the days: one out, one in, repeated, holds up far better across five days than stacking the excursions at the end.
The rail geography enforces some of this on its own. Every day trip from Lisbon is an out-and-back on a line that ends in the city, and the western trips run on two lines with no useful connection between their outer ends, so nothing chains. Two excursions on consecutive days therefore means roughly three hours of platforms and carriages inside 48 hours, most of it retracing the same track.
South of the river is the least-known option and the one with the most planning attached. Fertagus trains cross the Tagus from Roma-Areeiro and reach Setubal in around 57 minutes, running roughly every half hour and calling at Entrecampos, Sete Rios and Campolide on the Lisbon side. Arrabida park sits less than 10 km from Setubal, but public transport into the park itself is sparse and some beach services run only through the summer, so treat it as a driving or guided day rather than a rail one outside the warm months.
Keep the last day close to the city if a flight follows that evening.
Where a five-day plan goes wrong
The most common error is filling all five days with excursions. Four travel days out of five means most of the stay is spent in transit, and the city you came for becomes the place you sleep.
The second is scheduling Sintra on the final day before departure. The hill draws cloud and rain that the city does not get, and a last-day booking leaves no slack to move it if the weather closes in.
The third is a ticketing trap. The basic 24-hour Carris and Metro pass does not cover the suburban railway, so it is worth nothing on a Sintra, Cascais or Setubal day. A separate and dearer version of the same 24-hour pass adds the CP urban lines, and choosing the wrong one on a day-trip morning means buying twice.
The fourth is assuming Arrabida can be reached on public transport in the off-season, when the beach services that reach it are seasonal.
What to skip: a second palace at Sintra if the day already holds one plus the town, and Cabo da Roca unless the coastal day is already going ahead and the connecting bus is part of the plan rather than an afterthought.
| Day-trip option | Departure station and line | Approximate one-way time | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sintra | Rossio, Sintra line | About 40 minutes | The strongest single addition; needs a whole day |
| Cascais | Cais do Sodre, Cascais line | About 35 to 40 minutes | A slower coastal day with level walking |
| Setubal and Arrabida | Roma-Areeiro, Fertagus, via Entrecampos, Sete Rios and Campolide | Around 57 minutes, about every 30 minutes | Beaches and hills, but the park needs a car or a tour |
| Cabo da Roca | Bus from Cascais or Sintra | Around 30 to 45 minutes by bus | An add-on to a coastal day, not a day of its own |
5 Days In Lisbon FAQ
Is 5 days enough for Lisbon?
Yes — two days in the city plus Sintra and a coastal day trip.
Is Sintra worth a day trip from Lisbon?
Absolutely — its palaces are the highlight of many Lisbon trips; go early.
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