A Guide to Lisbon: A Slow, Sunny Escape
There are some destinations that make sense for a girls’ trip immediately. Lisbon is one of them. I first experienced Lisbon on a girls’ trip last summer, which meant our days naturally fell somewhere between let’s see everything and let’s sit here for another hour because the wine is good. It was the perfect balance.
We wandered through Lisbon during the Santo António Festival, ate grilled sardines from the street, spent an afternoon on the beach, escaped to Cascais for gelato and shopping, toured Sintra, and ended one evening on the water watching the sunset over the Atlantic. In other words: a very good girls’ trip.
What I loved most was that Lisbon gave us plenty to do without making us feel like we needed to do everything. There was sightseeing, but there was also lingering. There were plans, but there was room to wander. And for a bachelorette especially, I think that’s the sweet spot.
So, if you’re planning a girls’ getaway to Lisbon—or simply want to borrow our itinerary for your next trip—here’s how I’d spend a few days in Portugal’s famously colorful capital:
A little sightseeing, a little sunshine, and absolutely no interest in knowing what time it is…as seen from By Seacle, an AirBnb absolutely made for your next girl’s trip.
Stay Somewhere That Feels Like Home
For our trip, we stayed at By Seacle Airbnb, which gave us the space and flexibility that makes so much sense when traveling with a group of girls. There’s something to be said for having somewhere to come back to after dinner where everyone can gather, get ready together, debrief the day, and inevitably ask: “Wait, what are we doing tomorrow?”
For a girls’ trip, I love a hotel—but I also love an apartment or Airbnb for exactly this reason. It becomes part of the experience; Morning coffee together, getting ready with music playing, someone borrowing someone else’s hair tool, a little pre-dinner glass of wine, handcrafted cheese board, the inevitable group-photo session before leaving. Those are the moments you remember most.
Start With a Long Dinner at Palácio Chiado
For a first-night dinner, Palácio Chiado is the kind of place that makes you immediately feel like you’ve arrived. Housed inside a beautiful historic palace, it has that slightly glamorous, slightly romantic feeling that feels particularly fitting for a girls’ trip.
And especially for a bachelorette, give yourself permission to make dinner an event. Order the good things, stay for dessert, take photos (alll of them), wear the outfit you brought specifically for this dinner.
There’s no prize for rushing through a meal in Lisbon. In fact, I’d argue that one of the best ways to experience Portugal is to get very comfortable with the idea of a long dinner.
Leave room in the itinerary for the plans you couldn’t have made.
Wander Lisbon During Santo António
We happened to be in Lisbon during the Santo António Festival, which made exploring the city feel even more festive. The streets were filled with music, people, and food, and the entire city seemed to be outside celebrating love together.
And this is where I would make one important travel recommendation: Don’t overplan a festival day. Walk, see where the crowds are going and stop when you smell something good. And eat the street food. One of our favorites was grilled sardines, which we ate right on the street as we wandered through the celebrations.
It wasn’t fancy. It wasn’t something we had reserved three months in advance. It was just delicious and memorable and somehow that made it better.
The Perfect Girls’ Trip Afternoon: Cascais
If Lisbon is energetic and colorful, Cascais feels like her effortlessly chic coastal friend. It’s an easy escape from the city and absolutely worth adding to a Lisbon girls’ trip.
Spend some time wandering through downtown Cascais, where you’ll find plenty of shops, cafés, and little places to grab snacks for the walk.
My preferred travel style is generally: shop a little → snack a little → wander a little → repeat. No rigid itinerary required.
Stop at Praia da Ribeira
Eventually, make your way to Praia da Ribeira de Cascais, right in the heart of town. It’s the perfect place to slow down after wandering and sit by the water, watch the boats, take a few photos for the scrapbook and let everyone collectively decide that the afternoon schedule is now simply beach.
Because the best girls’ trips always have at least one afternoon where nobody knows what time it is.
Don’t Skip Santini
A girls’ trip without gelato is simply a missed opportunity. While you’re in Cascais, stop at Santini. Get the gelato when it’s too late for lunch but too early for dinner. Walk and yap and share tastes and whatever you do, photograph the cones before someone inevitably starts eating theirs.
It’s a tiny thing, but these are the moments that make a trip feel like a trip rather than a checklist of attractions.
The best souvenirs are the memories you make so take pictures of everything.
Carcavelos Beach: The Day You Don’t Need To Plan
For another beach escape, head to Carcavelos Beach. This was one of my favorite reminders that a vacation itinerary doesn’t need to be packed from morning until midnight. Sometimes you need a few hours or a whole beach day and that’s it.
Bring your swimsuit, sunscreen, something to read, find a spot in the sun, get something cold to drink and don’t feel guilty about not sightseeing.
A girls’ trip should have at least one day (or a few hours) that requires almost no decision-making.
Take the Girls Out on the Water
One of the highlights of our trip was a sunset catamaran cruise departing from the Port of Lisbon. If you’re planning a bachelorette, I especially love this as an activity because it feels celebratory without requiring everyone to be “on” the entire time.
You can dress up a little, bring drinks, listen to music, take photos and give everyone a main-character kind of moment while basking in golden hour.
Eat the sardines, get the gelato, take the boat. Everything else can wait.
Make a Day Trip to Sintra
A Lisbon girls’ trip deserves at least one adventurous day. For us, that was Sintra. Our tour included Pena Palace and Colares, giving us a completely different view of Portugal beyond Lisbon.
Pena Palace is every bit as whimsical as the photos suggest—bright, ornate, and perched above the surrounding landscape.,,one of those places where you’ll inevitably take approximately 700 photos. (Worth it.) The tour also took us through Colares, where the scenery shifts again and you get a taste of Portugal’s beautiful coastal countryside.
For a group trip, I especially liked having the logistics handled for us. No stress over who is navigating, figuring out transportation or, “Wait, where are we supposed to meet?”
Everyone can simply get in the car and enjoy the day. That is a vacation luxury I will happily pay for.
The Ideal Lisbon Girl’s Trip
If you’re planning your own trip, I’d loosely follow this formula:
One day for Lisbon: Eat, wander, shop, explore, and stay out a little too late.
One day for Sintra: Palaces, countryside, beautiful views, and plenty of photos.
One day for Cascais: Shopping, snacks, gelato, and the beach.
One beach day: Carcavelos. No complicated itinerary required.
One sunset on the water: Because every good girls’ trip deserves one slightly cinematic moment.
And if you’re there for a bachelorette, add a great dinner and a reason to get dressed up.
That’s really all you need.
The best trips are the ones you remember in moments, not itineraries.
The Ideal Lisbon Girl’s Trip
If I were packing for this trip again, I’d focus on pieces that can go from wandering to dinner without requiring a complete outfit change; comfortable walking shoes, a pair of pretty sandals, linen dresses…
Curious what else would be in my bag?
