During my second and third years of university I spent some time interning as a design intern with a swimwear company, Holiday Romance, based in the gorgeous capital city of Portugal: Lisbon. It seems like a lifetime ago now, but it’s a time of my life that I hold incredibly close to my heart. I dream of one day returning to the cobblestone streets of Lisbon (here’s to spending time living abroad in 2025!), but for now I’m just left reminiscing on a perfect summer spent wandering the hills of sunny Lisboa.
I stayed in a lovely little studio apartment near Castle de São Jorge, right in the heart of Lisbon; it was a couple of minute walk from Martim Moniz, ten minutes from the central shopping district and surrounded by endless amounts of culture in the oldest part of the city. Another one of my favourite parts of the studio’s location was its proximity to iconic viewpoints, my top one being Miradouro de Santa Luzia, which offered panoramic views over the city and the Tagus River.
I spent almost every evening eating gelato, from a delicious family-run spot, Insano Gelato, and watching the sunset, perched on the wall at Miradouro de Santa Luzia. As the sun began to go down crowds flocked to the viewpoints to sit around, chat, play music and crack open a bottle of wine. This love of socialising and spending time with loved ones is one of the main reasons I adore Portugal; the world would be a better place if we spent each evening watching the sunset and laughing with our closest friends.
Whilst staying in Lisbon I tried my hardest to get out and see everything that the city had to offer. The city is overflowing with beautiful architecture, hand-painted tiles, countless historic museums and churches, not to mention the wonderful day trips down the coast that are just a train ride away. I am going to dedicate a future blog post to my absolute favourite day trip from Lisbon: the fairy tale town of Sintra, but for now I’ll share all of my other favourite spots.
I spent a day exploring Lisbon’s most popular beach town, Cascais, which was only a short train ride away. With white sandy beaches and bunches of independent shops and restaurants, this made the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of city life; my friend and I treated ourselves to açaí bowls and spent a sunny afternoon lazing about on the beach.
Back in the city my favourite spots were the Botanical Gardens, visiting the Alfama flea markets (that are open each Tuesday and Saturday), and walking around the different neighbourhoods, my favourites had to be Bairro Alto and Sao Bento. With lots of hidden little alleyways, and a colourful street-life full of buskers and food sellers, it’s a city that you can truly let yourself get lost in; I found myself wandering the hilly streets for hours and hours stumbling across new viewpoints, cafes or local shops.
I dream of the day I can return to Lisboa, but until then – adeus!
Love Chloe x
