Lisbon Itinerary 3 Days

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Three days is enough for Lisbon’s big sights if each day gets one neighborhood. Alfama and the castle are day 1, Belém is day 2, and Sintra is day 3. Book the Sintra palace date ahead, check the closing days before you fix the order, and leave the rest loose. Every price below comes from the official page for that sight, checked on October 2, 2026.

We have travelled all over Europe, and I would plan Lisbon like any steep old port city. Book the few things that sell out, leave the rest loose, and wear shoes you have already broken in. The polished stone pavements are slick when wet and harder on feet than they look. We have done big-city days with nieces and nephews along. The pattern that works is one booked anchor in the morning, a long lunch, and a loose afternoon.

Is 3 days in Lisbon enough?

Yes, if you accept that you are skimming. Three days covers the castle, the old quarters, Belém and one day trip. It leaves no room for a second museum. I would keep the pace slow instead of cramming in a fourth stop.

Lay the days against the calendar before you book. Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower are closed on Mondays. MAAT is closed on Tuesdays. Day 2 therefore belongs on a Wednesday to Sunday. Days 1 and 3 can fall on any day.

Day	Stop	Booking needed	Cost
1	São Jorge Castle	Online, on the castle’s own ticket platform	€17
1	Alfama streets and miradouros (viewpoints)	No	Free
2	Jerónimos Monastery	Online ticket office or at the door	€18
2	Belém Tower	Online ticket office or at the door	€15
2	Pastéis de Belém	No, expect a queue	Pay at the counter
2	MAAT	No, closed Tuesdays	€16
3	Pena Palace	Date reservation when buying ahead online	€20 essential visit, €45 full tour
3	Moorish Castle	Date reservation when buying ahead online	€12
3	Train from Rossio and bus 434	No	Pay per ride

Do every paid stop in the table with the cheaper Pena ticket and the entries total €86 per adult, before transport and food. Add the Moorish Castle and it is €98.

Lisbon castle tickets

Start with the castle, because day 1 is built around the hill. The castle’s ticket page lists a full adult price of €17. Children up to 12 get in free, and ages 13 to 25 and seniors pay less. It names BOL as the only authorized online ticket platform, so buy there or at the gate.

Hours change with the season. From March 1 to October 31 the castle is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with last admission at 8:30 p.m. From November 1 to the end of February it closes at 6 p.m., with last admission at 5:30 p.m. It is shut on January 1, May 1, and December 24, 25 and 31.

In summer I would go for the last hours the castle is open. The heat has eased and the light over the river is better. In winter, go at midday and be down the hill before the 6 p.m. close.

Lisbon miradouros

Walk down through Alfama instead of taking a cab. Stop at the miradouros, the viewpoint terraces the city is known for. Santa Luzia has a tiled wall and a pergola over the rooftops and the river, and it costs nothing. The Sé, Lisbon’s cathedral, sits at the bottom of the hill, a natural last stop before the flat streets of the Baixa.

Fado, Lisbon’s sung tradition of longing, is the evening plan for day 1. Alfama and Bairro Alto both have small fado houses, and many serve dinner during the music. The rooms are small, so I would reserve instead of walking in. I would read the price on the venue’s own page first.

Belém Tower tickets

Day 2 is Belém, the riverside district west of the center. It is the day with the most fixed closing days. Take the Cascais-line train from Cais do Sodré or tram 15, and aim to arrive at opening.

Belém Tower costs €15 for an adult on the national monuments agency’s page. It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and closed on Mondays, January 1, Easter Sunday, May 1, June 13 and December 25.

The tower is small inside, so the ticket buys a short climb and a view. From the riverbank the stonework outside is the main event.

Jerónimos Monastery tickets

Jerónimos Monastery is €18 for an adult. The cloister is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with last entry at 5 p.m., and the church keeps its own hours: 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, and 2 to 5 p.m. on Sundays and religious holidays.

The monastery shares the tower’s closing days, Mondays included, so check the page for the date you plan to go. I would visit at opening, before the tour groups fill the cloister.

Pastéis de Belém

The custard tarts called pastéis de Belém come from a bakery at Rua de Belém 84 to 92. It lists itself as open every day. Expect a queue. The queue is part of the stop, so slot it between the monastery and the tower, not at the end of a hot afternoon.

Lisbon MAAT

MAAT, the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, is on Avenida Brasília in Belém, a riverside walk from the monastery. It is open Wednesday to Monday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and closed on Tuesdays, January 1, May 1 and December 25. Its ticket page lists €16 for visitors who live outside Portugal.

It is the stop to drop first if day 2 runs long. The monastery and the tower are the two sights you cannot see anywhere else in the city.

Sintra day trip from Lisbon

Sintra is a day trip by train from Rossio station in the center, and the ride takes roughly 40 minutes. The line ends at Sintra station, where the hill road and the bus 434 loop begin. Pena Palace is closed to private cars. You walk the trails or ride bus 434, which Parques de Sintra says Scotturb runs to both Pena and the Moorish Castle.

If you would rather stay by the water, take the train to Cascais instead. It is a beach town at the end of the Cascais line. Day 3 there is a slow walk, a long lunch and a swim in season, with no tickets to book.

Pena Palace tickets

Parques de Sintra’s price page lists several Pena formats. Adults pay €45 for the “full tour” or €20 for the “essential visit”. Park-only entry is €12, and the Moorish Castle has its own €12 ticket. Read what each format includes on the booking page before you choose, because the names do not explain themselves.

Buying ahead online requires a date reservation, which can be rescheduled within a year. The palace opens at 9:30 a.m. and closes at 6:30 p.m., and the park opens at 9 a.m. I would ride bus 434 to Pena first and go on to the Moorish Castle second.

Tram 28 Lisbon

Tram 28 is the yellow tram between Martim Moniz and Campo de Ourique, through Graça, Alfama and the Baixa. Carris’s 2026 price table lists a single tram ticket bought onboard at €3.30, against €2.30 on a bus. The same table lists the 24-hour Carris/Metro ticket at €7.25.

Treat it as a ride and not a shortcut. The trams are small, the queues at the busiest stops are long, and it is slow. I would ride it early in the morning or skip it for a walk.

Lisbon pickpockets

Tram 28 is where the warnings are aimed. The State Department’s Portugal advisory, a Level 1 “exercise normal precautions” notice issued December 23, 2025, calls crimes of opportunity common. It says pickpockets work crowds getting on and off public transport. It suggests staying away from the doors.

Keep a bag zipped and in front of you. Keep the phone out of a back pocket and off the cafe table. That covers most of the risk.

Lisbon hills

Lisbon is built on hills, and Alfama, Graça and Bairro Alto are steep enough to count as exercise. The funiculars and the Santa Justa elevator exist because of the slope. Wear shoes with grip, because the pavements are slick in the rain.

I would leave the dressy second pair of shoes at home. Every extra pound feels like ten on the third hill. Our Europe packing list and carry-on-only packing list cover the rest.

Lisbon airport to city center

Humberto Delgado Airport sits inside the city, and the metro’s red line stops there. A one-bag trip needs no taxi. Metro Lisboa lists a single metro ticket at €1.72 and says you can tap a bank card at the fare gates. The Viva Viagem card is the reloadable transit card sold from machines in the stations.

Price the €7.25 24-hour Carris/Metro ticket against single rides. Two tram singles at €3.30 plus two metro singles at €1.72 come to €10.04. That is more than the day ticket. On a day with Tram 28 and a few metro hops, the day ticket wins.

Is the Lisbon Card worth it?

Not by itself. People search it as the Lisbon Card, but the name on the card is Lisboa Card. Adults pay €31 for 24 hours, €51 for 48 hours and €62 for 72 hours, per the card site’s price page for April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027. It covers buses, metro, trams and elevators. It also covers the CP trains to Sintra and Cascais and free entry to the castle, Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower and the cathedral.

Run this plan through it. The castle, the monastery and the tower cost €17, €18 and €15. That is €50 in entries against €62 for the 72-hour card. Add three 24-hour Carris/Metro tickets at €7.25 and singles reach €71.75. The card then wins by under €10, before you count the Sintra train fare.

That is a small saving for a card that runs on a clock. Belém Tower and the monastery still need a timed reservation after you exchange the voucher. I would buy it only if you plan to ride a lot. The card site also sells a combined Pena ticket from €58, so price it against the €20 and €45 Pena formats first.

Lisbon tourist tax

Hotels and rentals in Lisbon charge a tourist tax per person per night. The city’s 2024 flyer lists €4 a night, capped at €28 for seven nights, for guests aged 13 and over, and the rate can change. Ask your hotel whether it is already in the quoted rate or added at checkout.

Best time to visit Lisbon

Spring and early autumn are the easy months. They are warm enough for the miradouros and the Belém waterfront, without midsummer heat on the hills. July and August are the hottest and busiest. Do the climbs in the morning and use the castle’s long summer hours for the evening. Winter is mild but wet, and the stone pavements are slick.

IPMA, Portugal’s national weather service, publishes monthly climate normals for Lisbon on ipma.pt, so check them against your dates. Sintra is often cooler and mistier than the city, which is another reason to book Pena for the morning. Lisbon on a longer trip? Our Rome itinerary, Barcelona itinerary and London itinerary use the same approach.

Lisbon FAQ

Do I need a visa to visit Lisbon?

No, not for most US visitors on a short trip. The State Department’s country page says US citizens need no visa for stays under 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area. It also says your passport must be valid for three months beyond your departure date. Entry rules for Europe change, so check again before you fly.

Do you need to book Pena Palace in advance?

Yes, for a summer day I would. Parques de Sintra sells tickets online with a mandatory date reservation. It also sells them at ticket offices and automatic machines on site.

How do you get from Lisbon to Sintra?

Take the CP train from Rossio station to Sintra. It takes roughly 40 minutes. Then ride bus 434 up to the Moorish Castle and Pena Palace. The Lisboa Card covers the train.

Is Belém Tower open on Mondays?

No. Belém Tower and Jerónimos Monastery are both closed on Mondays. Put day 2 on a Wednesday to Sunday if you also want MAAT.

Prices are approximate, current as of publication, and change frequently — confirm the latest price with the retailer before buying.

Published October 17, 2026.