One thing strikes every first-time visitor to Lisbon: It’s way too calm for a capital. People are in no rush, streets smell like vanilla pastries because of all the bakeries (no calorie-counting there!), and women’s tans last at least half a year. (Sunbathing in March? Of course.)
Start off your day with breakfast at Tartine, a chic little bakery in the Chiado neighborhood, and order sweet bread (always freshly made), with butter and jam. Make sure you ask for “café Americano,” since a cup of coffee in Portugal translates into a single (very strong) shot of espresso.
Legend has it that Lisbon was originally built on seven hills so it is only appropriate that you head to the highest one, São Jorge, where a centuries-old castle with the same name still sits overlooking the entire historic downtown and the Tagus River. Hop on one of the legendary old yellow trolleys lurching their way up the narrow streets of the hill.
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