Lisbon

After surfing in Ericia for a week I went to Lisbon Saturday – Tuesday before flying home.

I had free transport to and from the surf house so got taken back to the airport, where I then took a tube into Lisbon. I stayed at Home Lisbon Hostel, which was about 5 minute walk from the tube station.

The hostel had really good reviews and was recommended by a number of people on a Facebook site I’m a member of. It’s in a tall building over a number of floors, there is a lift which was helpful as my bag was heavy – over packer!
The first floor is the reception / bar, there’s a small common room / lounge. There is also a kitchen and laundry, I didn’t use the laundry so am unsure what was there.
The bar area is also where the legendary Mamas Dinners are eaten.
I stayed in a 6 bed female dorm, the beds were big wooden bunk beds and under the bottom bunk there were large drawers which are lockable with your own lock, I believe one can be rented from reception.
Each bed had it’s own light and plug socket.
The bathrooms were opposite my dorm, they were clean and tidy, with hair dryers.
I found the hostel really comfortable and was in a good area, apart from the first night when the fire alarm on my floor went off all night and the night staff didn’t know how to turn it off. To be fair the guy who was working, was on the phone to the manager and trying to contact the alarm company, I know because I was in the bar at 4am in my pyjamas!
The hostel runs daily free walking tours, there are 2 tours showing different parts of the city, they also run a pub tour and a tour to Sintra.
If you stay at Home Hostel you have to have Mamas dinner, every night (I think she has one night off a week) Mama cooks a 3 course dinner. The dinner cost about £10, it is 3 courses and includes wine or beer. I have dietary needs and these were catered for, there was also a vegetarian option. Every night I was there Mamas dinner was fully booked.
All the staff were really friendly and helpful and able to give recommendations for things to do and see.

Things I did in Lisbon:

Walking tour with the hostel, I love a free walking tour! Wandering around and exploring is also always fun but I like to know about a city and it’s history and find walking tours a good way to do this and get tips on places to go.
After our tour the guide recommended a local restaurant and most of the group ate here which was nice as we got to learn about where we everyone was from and talk about travelling.
Four of us decided to go to LX Factory, we walked as we thought it would be a good way to see more of the city. However, the walk is along a main road and there isn’t much to look at so I would suggest saving your time and getting a train or an uber.
I loved LX factory, it’s an old factory that has been converted into shops, cafes and restaurants. It has a really cool hipster vibe with some great artwork. One of my favourite places was the bookstore that had random things hanging from the ceiling (see pictures below).

I went on a food tour whilst in Lisbon, walking tours and food tours are 2 of my favourite activities! I went on a tour with Culinary Backstreets, I first went on a tour with them in Istanbul and it was amazing (I have actually just sent some friends on the same tour in Istanbul and they loved it). The tour I did in Lisbon was Lisbon Awakens: A Culinary Crossroads Reborn.
We ate a lot of pork on this tour! Not normally my food of choice but as I was asking for gluten free food I didn’t want to be too fussy. All the food we had was really good, we had a really nice guide, we had shocking weather and it rained! I even found my favourite Irish cider! It also allowed me to see a part of Lisbon that I wouldn’t have seen on my own travels.

On my last morning before getting the bus to the airport (bus stop is closer tot he hostel then the tube!). I went to one of the lookout points and obsessively took photos! When I got there it was really cloudy and I was able to photograph the bridge as it came into sight.
I then went for a wander around the castle which was cool and had some beautiful views.

I really liked Lisbon, I didn’t love it, I think Barcelona stays as my favourite European city. But it was fun for a few days and it has a pretty good nightlife as well. Head to Pink Street!