Even for a short stay in the off-season, Lisbon and the surrounding area is always a pleasant destination to return to.

A look back at the ten days I spent in Lisbon and Sesimbra.

You’ll find all the articles about this trip to Portugal at the bottom of the page.

The destination

I had decided to base myself in Lisbon for two weekends, which was logical since my flight was arriving there, and to spend the week in between in the surrounding area.

Having already done the same thing the previous year when I went to Cascais, I wanted to discover something new, so I set my sights on Sesimbra.

What can I say about Lisbon? This city needs no introduction and is one of my favorites in Europe, certainly the most pleasant.

Whether you like strolling the streets, discovering the authenticity of a city, immersing yourself in the local culture or prefer monuments and museums, you’ll find what you’re looking for. If you’re a lover of good food, whether simple or gourmet too.

There are cities where you have nothing left to do once you’ve visited the major sites. Lisbon is a city you’ll be happy to return to even if you’ve already visited it, just for the pleasure of being there. Perhaps that’s when you appreciate it most, when you can just stroll its streets, breathe in the atmosphere, take your time like a local.

What’s more, the sun shines almost all year round, as shown by this photo taken in the middle of March.

And the beauty of Lisbon is that it’s so easy to get out… Sintra, Cascais, Sesimbra… Knowing the first two, it was in the third that I spent a few days in the middle of my stay.

The aim was also to find a relaxing spot to work remotely for a few days, and what better place to do that than in an off-season seaside resort?

Compared with Cascais the previous year, Sesimbra was much less busy, but the reason is simple: apart from the beach, there’s little or nothing to visit, so it’s empty, very empty, out of season. Exactly what I wanted. Quiet during the day, plenty of room for a stroll and a breath of fresh air at the end of the day.

On the other hand, I’m not sure I’d return in the middle of summer, for exactly the same reasons. I was told that the town was overflowing with summer visitors at the time, and even difficult to reach by car. Just the opposite of what I’m looking for.

In March, you can enjoy the peace and quiet and the sunshine, and I’ve even seen people at the beach, but of course, swimming is out of the question. If it’s essential to you…

Time of year

I said that the weather in Portugal was fine all year round, so I wasn’t taking any great risks by going there in March.

Bright sunshine, blue skies, minimum 20°, neither too cold nor too hot…perfect for walking and sightseeing. This makes Portugal a perfect off-season destination.

Don’t get me wrong, though: by this time, Lisbon was already crowded with tourists, especially at weekends (and a lot of French ones too). A word of advice: book your restaurants in advance.

Hotels

Nothing very special this year, especially as prices had reached levels I considered unjustified in Lisbon.

So I took refuge at the Sheraton Lisbon: a little off-center, good service but definitely a little sad and old-fashioned. But there was no question of paying four times as much for a slightly nicer hotel.

That said, the spa and pool are great (and you can see that you can swim in Lisbon in March).

On the other hand, the Four Points Sesimbra was an excellent surprise. At 65 euros a night, a well-renovated hotel that looks like new, a large room with an unobstructed view of the pool, what more could you ask for?

So, overall, I got what I expected, no disappointment and even an excellent surprise with the Four Points.

Restaurants

In Portugal, you can eat well, even very well, whether you’re looking for simple traditional cuisine or more gourmet restaurants.

My only major disappointment was Solar Dos Bicos in Lisbon. And yet it was the simplest of all those I tried, the one on which error was impossible. And yet: ordinary cuisine, lamentable service.

Half a disappointment for Espadarte in Sesimbra: not really bad, but not thrilling either. A very bland experience.

In the series of local restaurants I highly recommend: O Frade in Lisbon and O Batel in Sesimbra. It’s very good, simple and convivial.

A modern, bistronomic and creative surprise in Lisbon: Zunzum Gastrobar. The flavors may lack balance, but at this price you can’t be more royalist than the king.

Finally, two excellent Michelin-starred restaurants in Lisbon. First, Cura: just the right amount of creativity, excellent dishes and very good service. Then there’s 100 Maneiras, a concept in itself, an indescribable adventure unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.

Oh, I almost forgot Nomada Lisbon! Of course, I hadn’t planned to go there until I was forced to spend an extra night in the Portuguese capital. A nice change of scene from the local cuisine, but a bit pricey for what it is.

My overall assessment is good, even very good.

Flights

It’s hard to avoid TAP to go to Lisbon, despite the fact that I did everything I could to avoid them after a previous disappointment. But in direct flights, the service is the best and the price the cheapest, and no connecting flight was convenient in terms of schedules.

What to say?

TAP did TAP-like service: great in-flight service and total lack of customer service on the ground. Simply put: well-intentioned people following the instructions of people who despise the customer.

In the space of a year, between the two of us, that’s three open incidents that have either not been resolved or not been resolved satisfactorily with them. This speaks for itself.

I’ll remember the positive aspects and this return flight in an A330Neo…

Still, it’s a shame: the overall experience is good, the food very good, but there’s always an operational problem to spoil the trip.

Bottom line

All in all, an excellent trip to get away from the dullness of Paris and treat myself for my birthday. But in any case, Portugal, whatever the reason for the trip, the location or the time of year, will always be a destination of choice.

Articles about this trip to Portugal

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Spring getaway in Lisbon and Sesimbra Restaurant Elevador in Lisbon: nice but bland O Frade in Lisbon: a very good Portuguese restaurant Restaurant Espadarte in Sesimbra: bland and ordinary Restaurant Cura in Lisbon: a very good and creative gastronomic restaurant Restaurant 100 Maneiras in Lisbon: a surprising gastronomic journey