We are going to meet my daughter who is currently studying abroad in London…the plan is to go visit a city/area that we haven’t been to yet and follow that up with a few days in Paris.
On the table right now is Lisbon and Madrid. Can I get some feedback on spending 4 days in either city?
Edited to add that I’m not seeing a ton of stuff to do in Lisbon. Seems like a lot of the stuff is day trips outside of Lisbon.
We spent time in both last summer as part of the same vacation. Both are marvelous cities. Lisbon is much smaller, of course, and in my view a touch more charming and unique. It feels very much like a Portuguese version of San Francisco. It’s all hills and trams and waterfront–even has its own Golden Gate-like bridge. Madrid, by contrast, feels a touch like Paris without the Eiffel Tower. Big, cosmopolitan, polished, exciting, but a bit more of a “big European capital” feel. Museums in Madrid are as great as it gets anywhere. Food and culture excellent in both, although on balance I’d rather eat in Madrid.
I don’t think you’d lack for stuff to do in Lisbon at all. Tons of interesting neighborhoods/museums/sights/etc., and then Belem has lots of stuff too (and it’s so close it’s not really a day trip).
Where would I go? There’s no right answer; just depends on what you’re looking for.
We spent 3 weeks in Madrid last summer and still felt there was more to do. If you’re into art museums, Madrid is the clear choice. World class museums - prado, reina sofia, thyssen - and plenty of other museums and historic homes that would be destinations if they weren’t overshadowed by the “bigs”. If you’re looking for a more relaxed, beachier feel, Lisbon would be the clear choice. Lisbon has plenty of activities for 4 days: walking tours of different neighborhoods, Portologia is great for tasting ports unavailable outside of Europe, churches, Belem, as Ryan mentioned, is like a suburb of Lisbon, and for a day trip, there’s nothing quite like Sintra.
I would also recommend Lisbon. My wife and I went there a few years ago not knowing what to expect, and we were blown away. It is a seafood mecca and the food and wine are very reasonably priced; at some restaurants, a glass of Alvarinho was cheaper than a glass of water. The highlight of our trip was a traditional Fado performance/dinner. You could also make the short train ride to Porto and visit any of one of the legendary Port producers (our favorite was Sandeman).
DL
The Porto point is a good one. On our trip, we visited Lisbon, Porto, Madrid, Sevilla, and Barcelona. Porto was the highlight of the entire trip.
I haven’t been to Lisbon, but I will absolutely say that you will have a great 4 days in Madrid. The food, architecture, and museums can easily take up a month alone!
Lisbon without a doubt. Smaller city. It is a port city. Easy day trip to Sintra and Cascais. Fun drive down into the Algarve region. A 3 hour drive up to Oporto. What’s not to like?
Lisbon felt touristy and overfished, and Sintra was even worse, though the Palacio da Pena in Sintra is fantastic. Maybe I just caught them at a bad time (mid-December). I’ve not been to Madrid, but it is high on my list for the museums and proximity to Rioja.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to taste a bunch of Port, I agree with the others that Porto could be a nice day trip (or fly into Lisbon and out of Porto), but you can also find Port tastings in Lisbon.
Here’s a good Lisbon / Porto thread.
Been to Madrid twice, Lisbon once, albeit the Lisbon visit was much shorter and an odd time of year. Some good characterizations here- Madrid is bigger, busier, etc. I prefer Madrid, love the art, architecture, food. Some good day trips out i.e. Toledo. but would like to go back to Lisbon to spend a bit more time.
I agree with both Ryan and Astrid - gives you a very good idea of what to expect from the two destinations and both are lovely destinations.
Time of the year might also play in as Madrid gets very warm and stuffy (not much breeze) in the summer, while Lisbon by the coast has some breeze and ocean cooling, and you can also make it a day excursion going to the beach (back in town for dinner).
Lisbon is also more fado (not in a bad sense!), while Madrid is a pulse of fun. Just got back from Madrid and the driver on the way to the airport asked if I went out to party properly, mind you I was there with my seven year old son (
). The energy and pulse of the city was what he loved the most.