Lisbon

Lisbon: Fado, Tiles, and a Romantic Dinner for One

Lisbon swept me up in a wave of color, cobblestone, and charm — a city that feels part San Francisco, part storybook. The red rooftops tumble toward the Tagus River, and the golden light seems to make every tile sparkle. Maybe it’s the seven hills, the vintage trams, or the 25 de Abril Bridge that mirrors the Golden Gate, but after living in San Francisco for twenty years, it all felt oddly familiar — only with better pastries.

We based ourselves at Pestana Rua Augusta, a modern boutique hotel tucked right off Rua do Comércio — perfectly central and walkable to nearly everything. From our window, we could feel the pulse of Baixa’s historic streets, hear the clip-clop of trams, and smell the morning espresso drifting up from nearby cafés. It was the perfect base for exploring Lisbon’s grand plazas, historic neighborhoods, and waterfront views.

A Day of Lisbon’s Highlights

We started our day in Belém, home to Lisbon’s most iconic landmarks. The Jerónimos Monastery, with its intricate Manueline architecture, is a masterpiece that took over a century to build and stands as a tribute to Portugal’s Age of Discovery. Inside rests Vasco da Gama, the explorer whose voyages opened the sea route to India and changed global history.

Standing before his elaborate tomb — carved with ships, ropes, and celestial symbols — I felt genuinely awed. It’s one thing to read about explorers in history books, but quite another to stand a few feet from the man whose courage helped chart the world. The setting, grand yet serene, felt like a cathedral to curiosity itself.

Just down the road, the Belém Tower rises over the Tagus River like a stone sentinel. Built in the early 1500s to defend the harbor, it once greeted returning explorers who had sailed to the ends of the earth. Climbing its narrow staircases leads to panoramic views that stretch across the water, the same horizon that once carried da Gama’s fleet. The view makes you pause and imagine what it must have been like to set sail into the unknown.

Of course, no visit to Belém is complete without stopping at Pastéis de Belém, the birthplace of Portugal’s famous custard tarts. After falling in love with pastel de nata in Porto, we had to see the original in action. Watching trays of golden pastries glide overhead on conveyor belts while the air smelled like sugar and vanilla — pure heaven. And yes, they lived up to the hype: warm, flaky, and just sweet enough.

Before heading up to the castle, we stopped for lunch at Restaurante São Jorge, a sunny terrace café tucked on one of Lisbon’s hills. I ordered grilled sardines with new potatoes and a tomato-cucumber salad — simple, salty perfection. There’s something delightfully local about sardines in Lisbon: they’re rustic, flavorful, and best eaten outdoors with a cold drink and the hum of conversation nearby.

From there, we made our way to Castelo de São Jorge, perched high above the city. The castle’s medieval walls and winding paths lead to spectacular views — terracotta rooftops tumbling down to the blue river below. We even came across a few resident peacocks strutting their stuff, as if they owned the place (and honestly, they do). It’s one of those stops where you pause mid-photo and think, wow, this really is Lisbon.

Back down in Baixa, we wandered through the grand Praça do Comércio, framed by the Arco da Rua Augusta and the river beyond. Street performers, sand sculptures, and the salty breeze gave it a lively yet laid-back feel.

From there, we wandered into Pink Street — officially Rua Nova do Carvalho — once the seedier side of town, now one of Lisbon’s most Instagrammed spots. What used to be a sailors’ red-light district has been reborn into a lively stretch of bars, cafés, and street art where the pavement itself glows bubble-gum pink. Overhead, rainbow umbrellas float like confetti, casting playful shadows as music spills out from open doors. It’s impossible not to smile — everyone seems to be taking photos, laughing, and soaking in the energy. Lisbon has a way of reinventing itself, and nowhere shows that better than this cheerful, candy-colored street that never quite sleeps.

A Romantic Dinner for One

By late afternoon, my husband began to fade fast — the long day, hills, and sun took their toll. He retreated to the hotel for what he called a “quick nap,” while I had a ticket to a candlelit dinner and Fado show at Parreirinha de Alfama, one of Lisbon’s most beloved Fado restaurants. It’s tucked away in the Alfama district, Lisbon’s oldest neighborhood, where narrow alleys twist like ribbons and laundry flutters between pastel buildings.

I walked into the restaurant surrounded by walls of blue-and-white tiles, vintage guitars, and portraits of legendary Fado singers. The air was thick with the scent of garlic, wine, and saudade — that untranslatable Portuguese feeling of longing. My table, of course, was set for two. So yes, this became a romantic dinner for one. But when you’re in Lisbon, you don’t skip Fado just because your dinner date is horizontal back at the hotel.

Between soulful performances, I sipped wine, watched the flicker of candlelight dance across the tiled walls, and soaked in the emotion of it all. Even without understanding every word, Fado reaches right into your soul. When I finally powered my phone back on at the end of the night, ready to call an Uber, I found exactly zero missed calls. Yet when I walked into our room around 7:30 pm, my husband looked up, bleary-eyed, and announced, “I thought you were dead.” Foolish man — who here is Magellan? I can safely navigate a new city on my own!

A Perfect Lisbon Morning

Before heading south to Lagos, we lingered over one last breakfast — perfectly plated eggs Benedict and chocolate pancakes garnished with berries and edible flowers. Lisbon knows how to do breakfast and beauty. Sitting there with coffee and orange juice in the sunshine, I thought about how much this city reminded me of San Francisco — but with better weather, fewer hills to complain about, and much cheaper wine.

Lisbon may test your patience with its lines and steep streets, but it rewards you with music, flavor, and heart. It’s a city that doesn’t just ask to be seen — it asks to be felt. And even if you end up at a “romantic dinner for one,” you’ll still walk away completely enchanted.