How to Spend Summer in Lisbon
Travelling to Lisbon in summer offers a wide range of places to visit for enjoying good weather and high temperatures. Whether you’re travelling alone, with family or your significant other, here are a few places to make the most of the hottest season in the year.
Lisbon thrives in the sunshine and hot temperatures. The prospect of visiting the Barrio Alto in the afternoon, then going for a meal and a drink in the Alfama after a day of discovering the city, is hard to beat.
Food, monuments, history, bars, restaurants, trams, landscapes, streets… no matter where you look after leaving your accommodation, preferably one of the many Lisbon apartments, you’re bound to see something interesting. However, with the summer months, some activities are especially rewarding when in the Portuguese capital.
Everyone who has debated between the beach and bathing in the sea or staying in a swimming pool may at some point have thought, “wouldn’t it be great to have a swimming pool with sea water!”. Well, in Oeiras, just a few minutes west of the city of Lisbon, the Piscina Oceânica open air swimming pool is filled with sea water and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. This place is ideal to go and escape the crowds of the city, relax in a salt-water pool or sunbathe in one of the many sun beds that surround it.
If you don’t fancy leaving the city, visit Lisbon’s Botanic Garden which contains some of the world’s most endangered species and plants. This garden is an initiative of the University of Lisbon and aims to bring people closer to the flora and wildlife, surrounded by beauty in the shade of big trees and plants, a perfect way to spend an afternoon. You’ll find the garden on Rua da Escola Politécnica 16; Metro: Rato.
For a chance to get out of the city to somewhere quiet, the estuary of the river Taugus is one of the most beautiful in Europe, with wetlands of spectacular migratory birds, including the striking pink flamingos. Visit by car, foot or bicycle; follow one of the many itineraries on location to combine nature with sport and make an amazing day out of it.
To enjoy the view of Lisbon, day or night, there are many miradouros, or viewpoints, around the city. Some overlook the castle, others overlook the river and a few overlook the unique neighbourhood of the Alfama. The Miradouro São Pedro de Alcântara, the Miradouro São Jorge and the Miradouro da Graça are just three examples of viewpoints that overlook different parts of the city.
Avoid the crowds this summer and rent apartments in Lisbon, where you can find many activities to do in the open air inside or outside the city. Whether it’s nature, history, culture, gastronomy or leisure, Lisbon has it.