A Weekend in Lisbon | Day One | Fashion Me Now

I might be part-bear in the winter (slow movements and tendency to hibernate), but come summer and I’m slowing becoming that person that finds it hard to switch off in my downtime, and after a couple of languid weekends at home and in London catching up on work, life admin and laundry, enough was enough. Jamie and I have been wanting to go to Lisbon for a year or so now and I suddenly realised there is no time like the present. We’re great at planning long-haul adventures but terrible at overlooking little getaways on our doorstep. Our summer was rapidly filling up with weddings, festivals and work trips so we realised now was our time to jump at the chance for a mini break just the two of us.

With a free weekend winking flirtatiously at us, we booked last minute flights and headed to warmer climes for a few days of custard tarts and some serious tile porn… Without realising it, we’d booked to go over a big, national holiday weekend too with decorated streets and pop-up ‘festas’ everywhere which only added to the city’s amazing character and charm.

Our friends at I-Escape hooked us up with a brilliant apartment at the final hour which we were so grateful for. There’s something really nice about staying in an apartment when you’re in a city; you can almost pretend you’re a local for a few days, popping to the shops for extra supplies and eating breakfast in your pyjamas. We loved the decor of our top floor apartment at Baixa House; the main bedroom was at the back so free from street noise and we had a big living room to spread out in with an amazing vaulted ceiling. It was in Baixa which, while a slightly uninspiring area in itself, sits right in the middle of Alfama and Barrio Alto so is easy to explore everywhere from your doorstep. Just make sure to take some seriously comfy trainers… Lisbon ain’t called the city of seven hills for nothing.

Our first afternoon, once settled into our new home, we headed out to grab some food and decided to start by exploring the historical Alfama district. This is the best introduction to Lisbon… Amazing tiled buildings, white churches, cafes tucked away on cobbled streets and strings of washing hanging out to dry from every window. Chuck away the map, turn off your data and just get lost… Keep heading up for amazing views over the city, down to river and keep your eyes peeled for trams and tuktuks full of people.

Make sure you veer away from the main streets occasionally to find some slightly quieter corners. We ventured up to the castle but decided not to go in and just explore the pretty streets in the afternoon sun.

We stopped for Gin & Tonics strewn with pink peppercorns before heading back ‘home’ to shower off the day and get ready for dinner. We went to A Travessa which got lots of recommendations on my instagram and sounded like a nice setting. Maybe we got it on a bad night, but I’m afraid to say we really didn’t enjoy the food. The service was almost too fast too… As soon as we sat down we had starters and our mains came out about five minutes after ordering which always makes me a bit uncomfortable. I mean, at least pretend you’re making it just for me… But the setting was really sweet and the pink gin made up for it.

Lucy Williams

A Weekend in Lisbon | Day One