A 3-Day Guide to Visiting Lisbon in March
Planning on visiting Lisbon in March? There is plenty to do as the city grows warmer and preps for summer. After scoring round-trip airfare for only around $280, Lisbon became the perfect place to spend my final spring break as a college student. Enjoy the smaller crowds and the city’s timeless aura. This blog covers a detailed 3-day itinerary for visiting Lisbon in March.
View my blog post here on the best tours in Lisbon for first-time visitors!
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What to Do in Lisbon in March: A 3-Day Itinerary
Day One
Afternoon – Praca do Comercio, Rua Augusta
Welcome to your first day in Portugal! Depending on what time you land in Lisbon, you may have more time to explore your first day than we did. As for us, we arrived in the afternoon, and it took a little longer to get to our hotel than anticipated due to a taxi conundrum. But once we checked into our hotel, we put all of that behind us and got ready to explore on our first evening there.
We first headed to Praca do Comercio, a large communal square with a monument. There are lots of restaurants surrounding this square. Hungry from our flight, we found a restaurant serving some hearty pizza to sit down at. You will also want to walk down Rua Augusta, a stylish street lined with restaurants and shops.
Evening – Explore Alfama District, Watch Sunset from Miradouro das Portas do Sol
What I was most excited about in Lisbon was the Alfama district. I had been dreaming of exploring these cobblestone streets with homes dressed in the most beautiful tiles. If you’re hoping to be immersed in a world of tiles, you cannot miss the Alfama district. Not only did I see beautiful tiles, but I also saw the most amazing paintings and art decorating these homes. Oh, what it must be like to call Alfama your home!
If you’re curious to find a good lookout spot over the red roofs of Lisbon, then look no further and head to Miradouro das Portas do Sol. I was blown away by the views around us. This is a touristy spot, and you may have to wait for a turn to take a photo, but I think it is worth the hype in order to see the famous red-tiled roofs dressing the city. I recommend sticking around to watch the sunset to end your first evening, as Lisbon in March offers spectacular sunsets.
Day Two
Morning – Bica Funicular, Explore Bairro Alto
Adding to the list of must-dos in Lisbon in March is the highly photographed Bica Funicular, a tramcar that ascends and descends a steep street in the Bairro Alto district. If you wish to take a ride for fun, a single ticket costs 3.80 Euros. We, however, only wanted some photos here. We waited for the car to ascend and empty out before jumping on for photos. It reminded me a lot of being in San Francisco. Great experience!
After seeing the Bica Funicular, take some time to wander the streets of Bairro Alto. You will again find beautiful homes either painted with gorgeous pastels or covered in more tiles. You may even be lucky enough to spot a scooter!
Afternoon – Belém Tower
Belém Tower served as a point of embarking and disembarking in the 16th century. Nowadays, however, it operates as a beautiful tourist destination. While tours are offered here, we decided to admire it from the outside. Depending on the time of day, the tide may be low enough to walk out close to the tower as we did. There were lots of people around, and a talented violinist was playing renditions of pop hits. I loved the lively atmosphere!
Take some time to explore the area around the tower as well. We enjoyed spending time here and walking through some pretty gardens on the way back to the tram car.
Evening – Peri Peri Chicken for Dinner, Shopping
A food you absolutely have to try while you’re in Lisbon is Peri Peri chicken! I recommend heading to a restaurant called Bonjardim to try this recipe. This is where the locals recommended going, and it did not disappoint. This chicken was slowly roasted over a fire after being marinated in a homemade peri peri sauce, along with the perfect amount of salt. Even more peri peri sauce is served with the chicken. Be cautious, as it can be spicy. You may want to think twice before dumping all of the sauce onto your chicken. I, however, savored every bite of this meal. In fact, I loved it so much that I came back to Bonjardim the following evening for even more! What I would give to return to Bonjardim for this chicken…
We spent the rest of our evening doing some shopping. I’m always down to shop for more clothes. I love being able to tell people, “Oh, I got this in Portugal!” when they ask about an item of clothing I’m wearing. I always come back from Europe more stylish than I was before.
Day Three
Day Trip to Sintra to See Pena Palace
My absolute favorite experience from my trip to Lisbon in March was taking a day trip to Sintra to see and explore Pena Palace. There are other castles worth visiting in Sintra as well, but we opted just to go to Pena Palace for the day. It opened at 9:30 am, and we wanted as much time there as possible before the crowds hit, so we left Lisbon quite early.
How to Get to Sintra From Lisbon: Getting to Sintra from Lisbon is very easy. Trains leave the Rossio Train Station every half an hour. A round-trip ticket to and from Sintra only costs 4.30 Euros, which is quite a bargain! The train ride there takes about 40 minutes. It makes some stops on the way, but the Sintra station will be the last one it stops at, making it easy for you to remember when to disembark.
How to Get to Pena Palace From the Sintra Train Station: Once you get out of the train station, you will see buses lining the streets, ready to take you to whichever palace is on its route. You pay for the transportation. For us, the bus was very crowded, and it took us up some very windy roads since Pena Palace is situated on a very large hill. It dropped us off at the entrance, where we bought tickets to the palace. The ticket price for the palace and gardens is 14 euros, a great price for what you are getting. We additionally paid a small fee for another vehicle to take us up to the actual palace, which I highly recommend doing. You can walk to the palace from where you buy tickets, but it is very steep and takes a long time. All the other visitors who had walked told me they wished they had taken the transportation up to the palace as we had.
What to Do Once You Get to Pena Palace: Once we arrived at the foot of Pena Palace, we were free to roam around as we pleased! There are so many areas of the palace you can explore. I felt like a true princess. The outside of the palace is the best part, given its fiery colors and rustic exterior. You get to walk through gates and around the outside of the palace, even inside the turrets. I was honestly so surprised by how many areas of the castle we could explore. In America, many of these areas would have been closed off to prevent tourists from getting close to the edge. But I could peer over the edge as far as I wanted to, with caution of course. The inside was also cool to explore, as it was set up with furniture, similar to when I visited the Palace of Versailles in Paris. You can tell from my rambling how much I loved this palace. Enough words – look at my photos for proof!
After your day of exploring, take the train ride back to Lisbon. Perhaps you will want to treat yourself to more peri peri chicken as we did. We went to bed early that day as we were traveling to Lagos the following morning! While I was sad to say goodbye to Lisbon, I was excited to say hello to the beautiful coast and seaside cliffs found in Lagos. If you are planning on traveling to Portugal any time soon, I highly recommend not only visiting Lisbon but also taking some time to stay in Lagos, Portugal! A detailed travel guide for Lagos in March can be found here.
There you have it! I hope this guide has been useful in helping you plan your visit to Lisbon in March, or any month, for that matter.
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