The biggest palace I have visited. This palace is build in rectangular shape with wide length that…read morecreates the long corridor to walk from one corner to the other. The first level is convent with all the living quarters. The cathedral also located on center of the palace. The second level is the living space for the royal. This dual use palace is the first I have visited. The visit will take minimum 1.5 hours to complete if you walk fast. The first floor cathedral has a lot of relic that to be use for the festival on the street. The cathedral is actually the Basilica of Our Lady and St. Anthony of Mafra. I like marble construction. It connected to the convent and living quarters of the nun. You can see the each quarter has the fire metal bowl. At very interesting is the first time I see the hospital in the convent for the sick people. The second floor is huge. The royal quarter, painted ceiling, games room, throne room, trophies room, royal prince room, music room, and more. The most spectacular is the library. The collection is by section. This library is very similar to the University of Coimbra library. The collection includes monster, magic, science and more for the books. Love it.

I enjoyed my visit here. I drove from Lisbon planning only to see the library, which is…read morehistorically important, if you're a big fan of libraries like me. But, I ended up pleasantly surprised by the added parts which included a museum and a "birds of prey" exhibit. The bird exhibit (and photo op) alone was 5 stars--I'm easily impressed by birds, I guess. The library, which I came for, was visually impressive. Yet, I was SUPER DISAPPOINTED that visitors couldn't actually go into the library. You can only take photos from one end and only about 3 meters into the space. So. Disappointed. Even so, it was a gorgeous space and seeing the rest of the palace sort of helped assuage my disappointment. If you're in the area (or an old library fan girl, I'd recommend it.

Lisbon is a city on seven hills and they have viewpoints. This one, the Miradouro da Graça, is in…read morefront of the Church of Our Lady of Grace (Igrejal Paroquial da Graça) is not the best view. The best one is probably Miradouro da Senhora do Monte but I wouldn't have known that until I got here. On the plus side, this one has a small terrace cafe with snacks and drinks and coffee and even hot food. I got a beer and at €2.40, was overcharged. The view toward the harbor is blocked but the view of the city is great. It was overcast today, so no beautiful sunset. The city is building an escalator to the summit. While the climb through the graffiti alley is a good workout, I'll look forward to the completion of that before I return here.

We did a free walking tour throughout Lisbon and it brought us to this beautiful lookout. Located…read morein an area between homes and shops (we probably wouldn't have discovered it on our own), we were happy to stop by and soak in the view of the city from above. There isn't much space up at the lookout, so anticipate just stopping by for a few minutes if you're in the area. I'd highly recommend their city's free walking tour as this was just one of many awesome stops. Enjoy!

Sintra is where the royals went to rough it in their vacation castle. The Sintra Palace, complete…read morewith those two giant inverted ice cream cones on top, is basically a royal Airbnb with views to die for and tiles for days. Their of the medieval town is adorable. This is a popular day trip from Lisbon. There are several castles and palaces to explore. Views for days.

This is such an underrated spot in Sintra. Folks come here for the bigger castles, and honestly, we…read morewould've skipped this too if it weren't for the big storm that had come through a few days earlier and closed the larger castles down. Palacio Nacional de Sintra is full of rich history. It was so fun to see the way people used to do things hundreds of years ago -- where they slept, how they entertained, etc. The grounds were beautiful and each room had a distinct theme and vibe, but for me the coolest part were the giant chimneys in the kitchen. Back in the day, it would signal that the king and his court were home when they were really going. If you have time, I would stop in and see the sights. There are guided tour options, but there were plenty of written notes throughout to explain what you were seeing so that you really didn't need it. A cool experience for sure.

Avenida da Liberdade is a tree-lined boulevard that was built in the late 1800s and is modeled…read moreafter Paris's Champs-Elysees. It is famous for its luxury hotels, designer stores, upscale restaurants, fountains, and statues. When my husband and I were on vacation, we passed through these blocks. I enjoyed looking at the tree-filled park and cobblestone pavement. We saw stores such as Burberry, Cartier, Furla, and Gucci. In addition, I read that some countries' embassies are located here.

The Avenida da Liberdade where Lisbon pretends she's Paris and mostly pulls it off. Think wide…read moreboulevards, designer stores no one's actually buying from, overpriced cafés with excellent people-watching potential, and tourists loudly mispronouncing bacalhau or miradouro. Come here to stroll like you have generational wealth, grab a €6 espresso, and silently judge other Americans for wearing flip flops or 5 inch heels.

This had to be one of the highlights of our visit to Portugal. Ironically, this was not on our…read moreoriginal itinerary. We planned to see a castle farther north, but there were wildfires that had the roads closed to get there. The Palace is extraordinary and so well kept up. The grounds were extraordinary. The gardens were lovely. But the interior was magnificent. The palace was built in the 17th century and was spared from the earthquake that destroyed much of this area of the county. So much is still original, and what needed to be has been restored. I particularly liked the ballroom and the various bedrooms. The ceilings were very nice in some of the palace. Overall, it was an awesome experience.

Ever felt catfish by online photos? I felt that. I really enjoyed the outdoors but felt like the…read moretime spent here could have gone to another site. I would skip it and would have spent more time inside Quinta

Probably our favor palace tour we have been in. I mean, they have a room for the dogs so clearly…read morethey were an amazing royal family lol! We enjoyed the history, the stories and used our Lisbon Pass for the discount. This is right next to where the crowned jewels are kept which is also worth going to. This is a must stop when in Lisbon. The gifts on display from other countries were amazing, the portraits, the tapestries, it is all worth seeing and spending maybe an hour hour and a half here. It was very quit inside, not many people at all, felt like we had the palace to ourselves. Don't miss all the sculptures outside. They are fascinating, beautiful and unique.

This is my favorite museum in Lisbon and I found it's so under rated. It's probably because of its…read morelocation which is so far from the center of the city and can only be accessed by bus or the tram after a long ride. Actually, you can just extend your trip to the Belem area and this museum is only a fifteen minute walk away from the Monsteiro dos Jeronimos. This museum is the formal residence for the Portuguese royal family in the 19th century and has amazing displays of furniture, decorations and paintings. The most impressive places are the banquet hall and coronation palace. Staff there are also super nice and helpful. Too bad not many people visited this museum - I spent around two hours there on a Monday and we were one of the only two groups of people. The rest of the building is shared as office space by Portugal's departure of culture and on the other side of the court yard is the treasure museum where you can also find the most valuable treasures in Portugal. Most importantly, don't visit this museum on Thursday as it's closed!

Ponte 25 de Abril is a suspension bridge that opened in 1966 and crosses the Tagus River to connect…read moreLisbon with Almada. It received its current name after a military coup that occurred on April 25, 1974. The bridge is about 2,300 meters long and about 190 meters tall with a clearance of about 70 meters. Its design resembles the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, because it was built but the same company, American Bridge Company. The bridge is for use by vehicles and trains. It may also be viewed by cruise ships and container ships that pass under the bridge. I saw this bridge up close when I was on a cruise ship that sailed under the bridge. I took a video in which I could see the individual vehicles driving across the bridge. Apparently two of the lanes are made from see-through metal grating rather than asphalt to help the wind to pass through.

The 2,300m long suspension bridge is an iconic sight that can be spotted in the distance at several…read morelocations within Lisbon. At one end you can also spot "Christ the King" monument, which is inspired by Brazil's "Christ the Redeemer". The red color is the same as the Golden Gate Bridge- International Orange. The design is similar to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge because both were built by the same company- American Bridge Company. There's six car lanes on the upper deck with two train tracks added later on the lower deck.

1 of 2 Yelp reviews…read more Cut and pasted from the internet: "The monument celebrates the Portuguese Age of Discovery (or "Age of Exploration") during the 15th and 16th centuries." Quality/Quantity - A must visit, but we have been here so often and only stopped by because we had an all day train pass; see other reviews. So much history, just "Google" it and read. Kid friendly, so many field trips. Ambiance - Beautiful monument. Beautiful surroundings. Other tourist sites to visit. An easy train ride and a short walk. Service - Self service. Price - Free. Owner Comment - Congrats on all your success since 1939.

What can you do with a group of 33 people who are stuck together? If you were on the Titanic, you…read morecould put them in the last lifeboat and hope the floating door will fit you and Rose. Or if you're architect José Ângelo Cottinelli Telmo and sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida, you bring them together in a monument dedicated to Portugal's pivotal role in the Age of Discovery. It looks a bit like a conga line on an incline. Regardless, that's what they did in 1960 to celebrate the 500th anniversary of Henry the Navigator's death. It's an awesome work of art designed to resemble a ship's prow. At 170 feet, the monument features 33 prominent historical figures with Henry the Navigator leading the way as they at the Tagus River. On the eastern profile are the seafaring explorers including Magellan and Vasco de Gama. On the western profile are the key royalty, scientists, and missionaries who supported the explorers. It's free to walk around it like we did, and there's an option to pay 8,5€ to enter the museum and observation deck inside. You should also know you can get a free panoramic view from the curved rooftop of the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology just a short stroll up the riverfront. RELATED - Exploring Lisbon? Here's a collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://yelp.to/SVKOeoChtd