20 Photos To Inspire You to Visit Lisbon, Portugal

It’s almost impossible to pick up a magazine or scroll through Instagram and NOT see Portugal.

Lisbon in particular has been on the top of “must visit” round-ups and bucket lists for months and months. The country and its capital have been flooding our Instagram feeds (if you follow as many travel accounts as I do) with painted tiles, iron balconies, colorful trams and delicate pastries. 

So naturally, I was persuaded to visit. 

I’m a sucker for European cities… for fresh croissants at breakfast and local wines at dinner; for old architecture and aerial views; for world heritage sites, traditional menus, thick accents and friendly streets.

Lisbon is all of that, and so much more. I went to Portugal with little knowledge of the country or the culture. Basically, I only knew what to expect based on what I’d seen on Instagram.

The beauty of going to a destination with little expectations or agenda allows you to really discover the location, to learn its flavors and scents, and to fumble around without a plan and see where the day takes you.

Like accidently taking the bus to a monastery, getting recommendations from a local on how to score the best pastry (without waiting on long lines) and to taste the local delicacies you didn’t expect: sardines and vinho verde.

Visiting Lisbon, Portugal is like putting on an old pair of jeans. Once you slip them on, you feel comfortable and right at home.

So, here are 20 photos from my trip that hopefully inspire you to visit Lisbon!