Three days in Lisbon, for first-timers

Day one · Alfama

Get lost on purpose

Start in Alfama, the oldest quarter, where the streets were never meant for maps. Don't fight it — climb until you run out of breath and you'll usually find a viewpoint waiting.

Miradouro de Santa Luzia — tiled terrace, rooftops tumbling to the river. Best before the crowds.
Sé Cathedral — squat, fortress-like, 800 years old and unbothered by it.
A tram 28 ride — yellow, rattling, gloriously steep. Hold on.

Eat: a grilled-sardine lunch at a tiny tasca, then your first pastel de nata — warm, with a dusting of cinnamon.

Day two · Belém

Monuments and the original tart

Head west to Belém, where Portugal launched its ships of discovery. The architecture here is show-off Gothic, and the custard tarts are the recipe everyone else is copying.

Jerónimos Monastery — go early; the stone cloister is worth the queue.
Belém Tower — a little limestone chess piece on the water.
Pastéis de Belém — the 1837 original. Order three. You'll wish you'd ordered five.

Detour: the LX Factory on the way back — an old industrial yard turned into bookshops, cafés and street art.

Day three · Bairro Alto & the river

Slow down and watch the light

Spend your last day high up and then by the water. Lisbon saves its best trick for the end of the day, when the whole city turns the colour of the tarts.

Time Out Market — every good kitchen in the city under one roof. Graze.
Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara — a garden balcony over the rooftops.
Sunset at Cais das Colunas — sit on the marble steps where the river meets the square.

If you have an evening: find a small room with a fado singer. It's mournful, beautiful, and very Lisbon.

Three days is enough to fall for it — and short enough to leave a reason to come back.