A wine fan in Lisbon: 24 hours!

24 hours in Lisbon – what are we going to do? Last Thursday, I arrived at Lisbon airport around three o'clock, where Chantal was already waiting for me. We jumped in a taxi to the city center. We quickly dropped off our things at the hotel. Internacional Design Hotel , where we were surprised with a welcome drink. That's a great start.

After four o'clock we continue to Chinese Pavillon , but upon arrival it turned out to be closed. The nearest place was Pão A Mesa . Nothing special in itself, but we found everything we needed there: Vinho verde and tasty snacks to start the afternoon.

Yummy! It's a hollowed-out loaf with a dip of cheese, ham, mushrooms, onion, and apple. Super delicious! Want to make it yourself? You can find the recipe here.

After three glasses of vinho, we decide to move on. Many blogs have described the Chinese Pavilion as an absolute must-see, so we decide to take a look. But must-see? No. It's dark and huge, with all sorts of things (figurines, soldiers, trinkets) collected and displayed behind glass. Not impressed. We quickly move on to Rua dos Rémedios for dinner.

Chinese Pavillon and Pao a Mesa can be found on Rua Dom Pedro

Eating in Alfama

Here we're having dinner at Alfama Cellar, a wine bar and restaurant in the Alfama district. Call it what you like: authentic, trendy, they don't make things difficult for you here. You have a choice of four main courses; there's no cola, but there is water, beer, and several good Portuguese wines. We chose a veal stew and one with fish and prawns . Of course, with a vinho branco.

Alfama Cellar you will find it at Rua dos Rémedios 127

A day full of goodies

The next day started off great. The breakfast was fantastic. From croissants to scrambled eggs and quiches, plus fruit, yogurt, and homemade jam. After fighting off the hangover with a bucket of fresh juice and coffee, we headed to the Mercado.

At Mercado di Ribeiro, we started the day with a pastel de nata, the Portuguese cream tarts. So delicious. You can find them everywhere in Portugal, but the original recipe belongs to Fábrico dos Pastéis de Belém . Belém is a neighborhood of Lisbon, but it's quite far from the city center. The pastel we tasted at the Mercado was also delicious with the abatanado (large coffee).

You can also indulge in all kinds of delicacies such as burgers, fish & chips, croquettes, sushi, pulled pork and Portuguese francheshina . I once had that last one in Porto Tried it. It was quite intense – a grilled cheese sandwich with extra cheese and ham on a plate full of sauce. I opted for the fish & tips, Chantal had a cheeseburger. Everything was freshly made, everything was delicious.

On to Lisbon

Fancy a weekend in Lisbon? From Amsterdam or Eindhoven you can get there in about 2.5 hours. Lisbon . You can also combine this trip with a visit to Porto . Then you fly to Lisbon, take the train to Porto, and then fly back to the Netherlands. Even better: visit the Douro vineyards.