Exploring Lisbon: A Journey Through Culture and History
Lisbon: Cobblestones, Culture, and Coastal Charm
In this week’s episode of Travel in 10, David Brodie and travel writer Tim Johnson head to one of Europe’s most underrated capitals—Lisbon. While it might not be top of mind for a first or even second trip to Europe, Portugal’s seaside capital rewards travelers who love slow discovery, local flavour, and old-world charm mixed with modern energy.
In This Episode:
Why Lisbon is a City That Reveals Itself Slowly
- It may not have the landmark checklist of Paris or Rome, but Lisbon offers a unique rhythm. Cobblestone streets, pastel buildings, tiled façades, and a coastal breeze make it a place to explore without an agenda.
Must-Visit Sites & Neighborhoods
- Castelo de São Jorge: Hilltop castle with panoramic city views and live Fado performances
- Expo 98 Site & Oceanarium: A modern contrast to the historic core—great for families, cycling, and architecture buffs
- Belém Tower: 16th-century ceremonial gateway, now a relaxed riverfront gathering spot with music and street food
- Baixa & Barrio Alto: The bohemian heart of the city, with vintage shops, music venues, bookshops, and endless places to explore on foot
Fado: Portugal’s Melancholic Soundtrack
- Fado, the traditional Portuguese music filled with emotion and longing, is everywhere in Lisbon—especially in castle courtyards and cozy venues. Tim gives his honest take (not for every mood), while David highlights how it captures the soul of the city.
Take the Tram
- Hop on Tram 15 for a scenic ride along the Tagus River toward Belém—passing Christ the King, Lisbon’s answer to Rio’s Christ the Redeemer, and soaking in sweeping water views.
Elevador de Santa Justa
- An iconic 1902 neo-Gothic elevator connecting Lisbon’s lower and upper old towns. Come for the convenience, stay for the skyline views (especially at night when it's lit up).
Final Thoughts:
Lisbon isn’t a city that tries to impress with immediate grandeur—it’s a place that gets under your skin the longer you stay. From its layered history to its dynamic neighborhoods and warm affordability, it’s a European capital you’ll want to revisit again and again.
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Transcript
Lisbon may not be the city you think about on your first, your second, or even your third visit to Europe, but it is a wonderful place.
Speaker A:A city set on the water with a winding labyrinth of cobblestone lanes.
Speaker A:Portugal's capital is a place that you could explore for weeks and weeks and weeks.
Speaker A:David, let's talk about Lisbon.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:It's a great spot, and I'm looking forward to getting into it this week.
Speaker B:It's somewhere I have not been as recently as I would have liked.
Speaker B:It's been a while since I was last in Lisbon, but I am planning a trip there later this year, and I know you've been there a lot more recently, so I'm looking forward to hearing some of your insights.
Speaker B:But, you know, the thing that struck me about Lisbon on our.
Speaker B:On our first trip there is, for one, it's a very affordable city.
Speaker B:I found of all the European capitals, at least when we were there, you know, Portugal definitely is a bit more.
Speaker B:Bit more on the affordable end of the scale than a lot of other regions throughout Europe, but at the same time, super rich in culture, in history, great food.
Speaker B:Yeah, I was really impressed with it, and I'm looking forward to going back.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:And Portugal in general and Lisbon specifically, you know, it's.
Speaker A:For whatever reason, it's been.
Speaker A:Those have been destinations that I visited a lot lately.
Speaker A:So whether at the end of a cruise or just on a special family trip a couple of years ago or whatever, it just feels like we were talking about Rome earlier.
Speaker A:It feels like all roads have led to Portugal for me lately.
Speaker A:And, And Lisbon really is, you know, like, you think about Rome, where do you go?
Speaker A:Okay, Coliseum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Vatican.
Speaker A:Think about Paris, you know, Eiffel Tower, you know, the Seine.
Speaker A:You know, there's so many sites that you would go and see first thing in Paris, you know, London, Big Ben, et cetera.
Speaker A:Where do you go, you know, real quick, you know, where do you go in Lisbon?
Speaker A:And it's.
Speaker A:And it's just.
Speaker A:Just not that kind of city where it wows you with its immediate tourist appeal.
Speaker A:And I think that may be the reason that I love it so much, because it's a city where you.
Speaker A:Where you.
Speaker A:That you discover slowly.
Speaker A:It's a city that reveals itself to people who want to just wander where you go, okay, I'm going to turn this corner.
Speaker A:And then you find something that you absolutely love.
Speaker A:And, you know, and it is.
Speaker A:It is a livable city, as you said, it's much more affordable than many other European capitals.
Speaker A:Still, even Though Portuguese tourism is going through the roof the last few years, it is.
Speaker A:It is definitely a little bit more affordable.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:Yeah, yeah, let's.
Speaker A:Let's talk Lisbon.
Speaker A:What do you want to.
Speaker A:What do you want to dive into first?
Speaker B:Well, maybe let's start off with, you know, some of the.
Speaker B:Some of the.
Speaker B:As you say, there's not, maybe those, those bucket list sites, but there are still some.
Speaker B:Some really iconic sites that I would recommend visiting and some great neighborhoods.
Speaker B:And I'll maybe kick us off with a couple.
Speaker B:You know, one of the, One of the places that, that we really loved and probably started off our tour of the city was Castello de Sao George.
Speaker B:But.
Speaker B:But it is the iconic kind of hilltop castle overlooking Lisbon.
Speaker B:Great panoramic views, the city cannons, you know, up overlooking the city.
Speaker B:And also, at least when we were there, and I think this is not uncommon, some great musicians who are up there playing as well.
Speaker B:Fado music is something I'm sure will come up a lot in our discussion because it is really a key part of the soul of the city, this sort of deeply melancholic traditional Portuguese music that's really sunk with emotion.
Speaker B:And you'll quite often find fato players there up in the castle.
Speaker B:So I thought that was a great way to sort of kick off a tour of the city.
Speaker B:And then the two other ones that I would call out were the former Expo site, where Expo 98 was, where this is, you know, definitely much more of the modern, modern architecture, some beautiful boardwalks, family attractions, great bike paths and stuff.
Speaker B:Much more modern part of the city.
Speaker B:And also probably one of the best oceanariums aquariums in Europe there.
Speaker B:So that was another great place to visit.
Speaker B:But then the one that we probably spent the most time at, and I imagine you've probably spent a good chunk of time here as well, Tim.
Speaker B:A district called Barrio Alto, which was kind of the.
Speaker B:The bohemian nightlife district.
Speaker B:A lot of tiny bars, rooftop venues, music spilling out onto the street.
Speaker B:It was a place that we spent days just as wandering around from.
Speaker B:From boutique to restaurants to all there was to see and do there.
Speaker B:And definitely one of my favorite parts of the city.
Speaker A:Yeah, I totally agree.
Speaker A:I have thoughts on Fado.
Speaker A:I don't know if now is a good time to talk about them, but Fado is very interesting.
Speaker A:I'm a big fan of local song and I'm a big fan of local expressions of culture.
Speaker A:Fado, I'm just.
Speaker A:I'm not going to go into it.
Speaker A:I don't want to.
Speaker A:I don't Want to insult any of our Portuguese listeners?
Speaker A:Just not my favorite.
Speaker A:I didn't feel good coming out of the fado performance.
Speaker A:You know, it's a lot of, like, it's a lot of mournful tones.
Speaker A:You know, if you're in the right mood, you know, baby, maybe it's the right thing.
Speaker A:But fado, definitely.
Speaker A:I mean, you're absolutely correct that fado is the Portuguese, you know, really national expression of song.
Speaker A:But yeah, I do have thoughts on fado, and it is that it is not my favorite, but Barrio Alto, yes, everyone should go.
Speaker A:You know, that typical old town, cobblestone streets, great little squares that.
Speaker A:That you can just stumble upon again.
Speaker A:Record stores and bookshops and, you know, all those.
Speaker A:All those things that you would hope to find, vintage stores.
Speaker A:And in Barrio Alto, you've also got the elevator des Santa.
Speaker A:I'm going to say juste, but it could be justa.
Speaker A:I think it's just.
Speaker A:Which is this maybe the most iconic?
Speaker A:We were talking about icons in other cities.
Speaker A:One of the most iconic sites in Lisbon.
Speaker A:And it is this neo gothic elevator, because you have the lower part of the old town, the upper part of the old town.
Speaker A: t there, and they built it in: Speaker A:And it's great for a photo.
Speaker A:They light it up at night.
Speaker A:And it's also really convenient because if I don't like walking up hills very much.
Speaker A:And so it's nice to just get on the elevator and go up.
Speaker A:So that's also in Barrio Alto, you know, and.
Speaker A:And worth.
Speaker A:Worth a stop.
Speaker A:One.
Speaker A:One other thing that's not too far away that I love to do is to go further down towards the river and get on the number 15 tram, which is a great way to just go across along the river.
Speaker A:This is the sort of like very wide river that almost looks like it's part of the sea.
Speaker A:And I think it is, in fact, you know, sort of brackish water, that kind of thing.
Speaker A:Very, very close to the sea.
Speaker A:And you go along this tram and you can get these wonderful views of Christ the King, which is their version of Christ the Redeemer.
Speaker A:You know, the famous, famous statue in Rio de Janeiro, they have one of those in Lisbon.
Speaker A:And also just all the.
Speaker A:The cool stuff along the waterfront.
Speaker A:And that will take you.
Speaker A:Excuse me, to the Belem Tower.
Speaker A:And the Belem Tower dates back to the Portuguese renaissance in the 16th century.
Speaker A:This was once the ceremonial gateway to the city.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker A:In addition to the history, it's also a place where people just love to come together and you'll find like street food, you'll find a guy playing the guitar.
Speaker A:Great sunny place surrounded by green space.
Speaker A:And that's another place again, right on the water.
Speaker A:So if it's hot, if it's a, if it's a, you know, been a busy day, nice place to go, sit down, maybe grab a little bit of street food, listen to the busker and just chill out in this cool historic place.
Speaker B:Well, you mentioned, you mentioned Belem and, and my can't miss is going to relate to that so we'll circle back to that as we kind of continue on here.
Speaker B:But we, we've talked a little bit about some of the main things to see in the city and we're, we're, we're coming up on the 10, 10 minute mark so why don't we, we come back with a little bit more on kind of the where to stay, the where to eat, a little bit of the, the practicalities of the city and, and both of our camp misses as well.
Speaker A:Sounds good.
Speaker A:And I've got two camp misses so stay tuned.
Speaker B:Yeah, sounds good.
Speaker B:Thanks Tim.
Speaker B:Sam.
