Friday Evening — Arrive & Hit the Ground Running
Don't waste your first evening settling in. Drop your bags and walk up to Miradouro da Senhora do Monte in Graça — the highest viewpoint in the city, and the one most tourists skip because it's a genuine uphill walk. The panorama over the terracotta rooftops to the castle and the Tagus is the best introduction Lisbon can give you, and it's especially good at dusk.
Head down into Alfama for dinner. Pick a small tasca on a side street rather than anywhere with a laminated menu, and if you hear fado drifting out of a doorway, follow it — many of the neighbourhood's fado houses require no reservation for a late seating. Afterwards, walk to Bairro Alto. The narrow streets wake up after 10pm and stay loud until the early hours — small bars spill onto the cobbles, drinks are cheap, and it's unlike nightlife anywhere else in Southern Europe.
Saturday — The Big Hits
Morning: Start in Alfama while it's still quiet. Climb to São Jorge Castle for the ramparts and the views — go right when it opens (09:00) to beat the tour groups. Wander back down through the maze of Alfama's stairways at your own pace; getting lost here is the point.
Late morning: Ride Tram 28 for a few stops (before 09:00 or after 6pm to avoid the crush) or, better, take the less crowded Tram 12 for a similar route through Alfama and Graça.
Lunch: Time Out Market at Cais do Sodré — stalls curated from some of the city's best kitchens under one roof. Go at 3pm to dodge the peak crowd.
Afternoon: Take the tram or bus out to Belém. Visit Jerónimos Monastery (the Manueline cloisters are extraordinary — book a timed slot online) and walk along the river to Belém Tower. Stop at Pastéis de Belém, the original custard tart bakery since 1837, and eat one warm with cinnamon and powdered sugar.
Evening: Back in the centre for dinner in Chiado, then return to Bairro Alto or try Pink Street near Cais do Sodré for a second round of nightlife.
Sunday — Food, Markets & Departure
Morning: Feira da Ladra, Lisbon's flea market, runs Tuesdays and Saturdays in Campo de Santa Clara near the National Pantheon — if your Sunday lands outside those days, swap in a slow walk through Mouraria instead, the multicultural neighbourhood next to Alfama and the true birthplace of fado.
Brunch: Príncipe Real has the city's best brunch spots and a Saturday/Sunday market in the garden — a good, unhurried way to spend a late morning.
If you have time before your flight: ride the ferry from Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas (€1.35, ten minutes) for the best skyline view in Lisbon, better than any paid miradouro, then ferry straight back.
Head to the airport with one last pastel de nata and a shot of ginjinha from A Ginjinha near Rossio.