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Destinations

Belém on Bikes

June 11, 2015

Lisbon is filled with lots of tiny districts and neighborhoods to explore. While many are filled with winding roads or tiled alleys and steep hills, Belém is relatively flat, making it the perfect part of town to explore on bike. After our free walking tour of Bairro Alto and Chiado, we took a quick lunch break before reconvening with our guide, Flecha, for a guided bike tour of Belém (the famous Pasteis de Belém were included of course).

Summer and I were a bit nervous at first, after seeing the steep hills of Bairro Alto earlier in the day and the busy traffic of Lisbon. We quickly found that Belém really was flat though and fully equipped with big bike lanes to keep us free from checking for cars and traffic.

 

 

While there were a few other groups of tourists milling about, we mostly had each of the monuments to ourselves. We stopped first to get a view of the 25 de Abril bridge and headed on to see Padrão dos Descobrimentos. While the sculpture was larger than life, I was more enamored with the swirling tiles on the ground.

In the distance beyond the bridge we caught a glimpse of the Cristo Rei overlooking all of Lisbon. It was built after World War II because the war never reached the city. Today it is said to watch over the city and keep it safe.

I was pleased to find the Portuguese discoverers love maps as much as I do.

We continued down our bike path to Torre de Belém. This watch tower made it silly for anyone to ever try to attack Lisbon because they could see foreign ships approaching from days out.

 

 

We crossed the street using a tunnel fully equipped with bike tracks so you can roll your bike down the stairs (this neighborhood really is bike friendly) and resurfaced in front of the fountain of the Jeronimos Monastery housing Vasca da Gama’s tomb.

 

 

For our last stop we took a break to sample a few Pasteis de Belém. They are an absolute must if you find yourself in Lisbon. Similar pastries are sold throughout the rest of Portugal but they must be called pasteis de nata instead because only one bakery has the secret recipe. Stories claim it was sold to the bakery from a monastery over 200 years ago.

While you must try the original, preferably with a cafe or even a glass of port wine as we later learned, it is also fun to try the other pasteis de nata around town for comparison. The great debate over which bakery makes the best pastry is a big debate around town. Each one is slightly different, but they are all best served fresh from the oven and still warm.

 

 

After our tour, Summer, Ivan and I walked back towards Praça Luís de Camões (our meeting point) and stopped along the way to catch a sight of Pink Street. It is lively at night with many bars, the patrons of which spill out into the street creating one big party.

 

Instead we opted for dinner in Bairro Alto at Artis and ordered a spread of fresh seafood and endless glasses of vinho verde. Our favorite turned out to be a bottle of Alvarino. I tried octopus, bacalhau (salted cod) and queijo de serra. The cheese was absolutely delicious and I was surprised to find I liked both the octopus and cod. I could only do a bit of the octopus though, because while the flavor was good the texture wasn’t my thing. The cod may seem a bit dry but it is served exactly as is intended… how it has been served for hundred of years, since fish had to be salted to keep on the Portuguese ships sailing around the world.Just before leaving we spotted a table of local gents watching us. Summer stopped by to ask them where we should head for a late night drink and as it turned out they were headed back to meet some friends at their bar. We settled in behind the bar and made new friends while just beyond the “closed” sign the parties raged on in the streets of Bairro Alto. We spent the rest of the night sampling local drinks while they laughed at our best efforts to learn Portuguese. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend my first 24 hours in Portugal.

—-

Planning your own trip to Portugal and looking for suggestions? Check out my itinerary for one week in Portugal plus my tips for mapping out your vacation.

Wondering why I’m in Portugal? Read this post here.  And you can follow my adventures as they unfold on instagram.

 

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Trackbacks

  1. Bloggers Spotlight: “Here’s a Place for Us” and “The Together Traveler” | DESTINATION HOSTELS says:
    December 29, 2015 at 3:18 pm

    […] made a series of posts about the city, about the tours provided by Lisbon Destination Tours and about two of our […]

  2. Quick Facts for Your Trip to Portugal - The Together Traveler says:
    June 2, 2016 at 8:42 pm

    […] We also used quite a few taxis to get to and from train stations or at the end of the day when we were too hangry to walk. We never had an issue with unfair prices, drivers trying to negotiate off the meter or exorbitant rates. The drivers were actually all very friendly and helpful. And in the Algarve we relied on the rickety bikes at our rental to get around. They were old but they got the job done. Bikes were also my favorite way to get around Belem. […]

  3. How to Budget: A Guide for a Week in Portugal - The Together Traveler says:
    July 12, 2017 at 3:03 am

    […] way to see and experience a lot of the destination in a short period of time. I really loved our biking tour in Belem, eating dinner with a local in Entrecampos and learning to surf in the Algarve. Take advantage of […]

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About The Together Traveler

I'm Tiffany, a together traveler with an insatiable desire for adventure and a habit of saying yes to every destination. My travel guides will show you exactly how I put my plans together. I hope you'll join me on this journey and even find a little inspiration to discover new places for yourself.

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