# A Weekend in Lisbon, Two and a Half Hours from Badajoz

You leave Badajoz on Friday after lunch and by mid-afternoon you are in Alfama. Two nights for the viewpoints, Belém, tram 28 and a boat across the Tagus.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/portugal/lisbon-region/lisbon/itineraries/weekend-from-badajoz · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Lisbon

Lisbon is the European capital closest to Badajoz: two and a half hours of motorway from the Caia border, almost all of it on the A6, between cork oaks and plain. That makes it a Friday-to-Sunday getaway that needs neither a plane nor an early start. This plan spreads two nights across the hilly districts of the centre, the Belém of the Manueline monuments and the river, which in Lisbon is so wide it looks like the sea. You sleep in Alfama or near Belém, leave the car parked and do not touch it again until Sunday.

## How do you get there from Badajoz?

By car, along the A6 to Marateca and from there along the A2 and the 25 de Abril Bridge, or along the A12 and the Vasco da Gama Bridge. Portuguese motorways have tolls and the two bridges only charge on entering Lisbon: you do not pay on the way back. When you cross the border, the clock goes back an hour. If you leave Badajoz at 16:00, you reach Lisbon around 17:30, Portuguese time.

The most convenient thing is to sleep where you can leave the car. The Pestana Palace, between Alcântara and Belém, has paid parking for guests; Monsanto campsite has pitches and a bus to the centre. Do not drive in Alfama: the streets are single-lane and there is almost no room. If you choose a hotel in the centre, look for a public car park before you arrive and continue on foot, by tram or by metro.

## Where to sleep?

AccommodationAreaWho it suits

Memmo AlfamaAlfama, next to the cathedralCouple, on foot, with a terrace over the rooftops

Pestana PalaceBetween Alcântara and BelémCar and pool, 19th-century palace

Home Lisbon HostelBaixaSmall budget, with home-cooked dinner

Lisboa Camping & BungalowsMonsanto, 8 km awayMotorhome, tent or bungalow

## What if I have an extra day?

Sintra is about 30 km from Lisbon: romantic palaces in the hills, the Pena and Quinta da Regaleira. It needs a whole day and timed tickets; see the Sintra page. On the other side of the Tagus, the Arrábida hills combine still-water beaches and boats to see the Sado dolphins, and lie on the way if you return to Badajoz along the A2.

## With children

The Oceanário in the Parque das Nações is the best card to play in the rain: more than 500 species around a big central tank, open daily, from €25.50 for adults. The tram and the boat to Cacilhas also work for them, short and with views. The viewpoints on the way down are not tiring, but with a pushchair they are a bad idea: steps and cobbles.

## El plan

### Friday · 17:30 · Arrival and Alfama viewpoints at sunset
Drop your bags and take the tram up to Graça. From Senhora do Monte, walk down past the Graça viewpoint to Portas do Sol and Santa Luzia: about two kilometres downhill, free, with the sun setting behind the city.

### Friday · 20:30 · Seafood at Cervejaria Ramiro
Garlic prawns, clams à Bulhão Pato and shellfish by weight at the 1956 seafood restaurant on Avenida Almirante Reis. Book on TheFork; without a reservation, expect a queue at dinnertime. Closed on Mondays.

### Saturday · 09:30 · Jerónimos and the Belém waterfront
The monastery's Manueline cloister, with a timed entry from €18, and then the Belém Tower beside the Tagus, from €15. Under-13s do not pay. Allow three hours.

### Saturday · 12:30 · Pastéis de Belém
The 1837 pastry shop, a few steps from the monastery. The queue at the door is for takeaway; inside there is usually a table.

### Saturday · 16:00 · Tram 28 to Campo de Ourique
Seven kilometres from Martim Moniz to Campo de Ourique via Graça, Alfama, the Baixa and the Chiado. Board at the terminus to get a seat; the on-board ticket costs €3.30.

### Saturday · 18:00 · São Jorge Castle
Eleven towers and a wall that you can walk all the way round above Alfama. Open daily; admission costs €15 and is free up to age 12. In the late afternoon the light falls on the river.

### Sunday · 10:00 · Boat from Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas
Ten minutes across the Tagus, with Lisbon ahead of you, for €2 each way. It sails every 15 or 20 minutes. On the other side, a stroll along the waterfront and back on the next boat.

### Sunday · 15:00 · Back to Badajoz
You set off after lunch and arrive around 18:30 Lisbon time, which in Badajoz is 19:30.

## Un consejo más

Jerónimos is closed on Mondays and fills up at weekends: buy the timed ticket before leaving Badajoz and choose the first slot of the morning.

## Cuándo no ir

Driving through the centre. Alfama, Graça and the Chiado are single-lane hills with trams: park as soon as you arrive and get around on foot, by tram, metro and boat.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Badajoz to Lisbon?
About two and a half hours by car from Badajoz, almost all on the A6. When you cross the border you lose an hour on the clock: in Portugal it is an hour earlier.

### Are there tolls?
Yes. The A6 and the A2 or A12 are toll roads, and the 25 de Abril and Vasco da Gama bridges charge on entering Lisbon, not on leaving.

### Where do I leave the car?
In your hotel's car park if it has one, like the Pestana Palace's, or in a public car park before entering the old districts. In Alfama there is no room.

### What do I do if it rains?
Oceanário, Jerónimos and Pastéis de Belém, all under cover. The cobbles on the hills are slippery when wet: take the tram up and leave Alfama for a dry spell.

### Is it worth it with two nights?
Yes, for the centre and Belém. If you want Sintra or the Arrábida, add a day: each one needs a whole day.

## Dónde dormir without a car
- **Memmo Alfama**: Sleeping inside Alfama
Memmo Alfama is on Travessa das Merceeiras, a narrow street between the cathedral (the Sé) and São Jorge Castle, in Lisbon's oldest district. It is a small design hotel, white and understated, tucked among old houses, and what sets it apart is its terrace with a wine bar, hanging above the rooftops with the Tagus in front. From the door you walk down to the Baixa in ten minutes and up to the castle in another ten.
The rooms
It has seven room types: the attic ones (Mansard and Mansard Superior), the Alfama Standard, Comfort and Superior, the Premium and the Terrace Room, with a private terrace. The attic rooms have a sloping ceiling beneath the roof. If you book on its website, the hotel includes a daily guided walk around the district and yoga classes on Wednesdays and Fridays, and organises tile workshops and fado dinners.
Getting there and getting around
By car, better not: Alfama's streets are narrow with restricted access, so use a taxi or public transport from the airport. Tram 28 stops at the Sé, a few steps away, and the nearest metro station is Baixa-Chiado or Terreiro do Paço, downhill. The Alfama viewpoints and the castle are on foot.
- **Home Lisbon Hostel**: A hostel with family dinner
Home Lisbon Hostel is in a building on Rua de São Nicolau, in the Baixa, beside Rua Augusta and five minutes from Praça do Comércio. It is run by a family and it shows: the cook is Mamma, the owner's mother, who prepares dinner for the guests who sign up. Among her dishes are salt cod with cream, duck rice, lemon chicken and her soups, always with dessert. It is the simplest way to meet people if you travel alone.
Rooms and common areas
There are shared dormitories with bunk beds and double private rooms, each painted a different colour. It has a reading and relaxing room, a bar and its own café, the Nicolau Café, on the same street. Breakfast is served from 8:00. They organise outings and activities around the city; the calendar is on its website.
Getting there and getting around
From the airport, the metro takes you to Baixa-Chiado with one change; the stop is about five minutes' walk away. From here you walk to almost everything: Alfama, the Chiado, the river. The train to Sintra leaves from Rossio, ten minutes away, and the boat to Cacilhas from Cais do Sodré.

## Dónde dormir if you're backpacking
- **Home Lisbon Hostel**: A hostel with family dinner
Home Lisbon Hostel is in a building on Rua de São Nicolau, in the Baixa, beside Rua Augusta and five minutes from Praça do Comércio. It is run by a family and it shows: the cook is Mamma, the owner's mother, who prepares dinner for the guests who sign up. Among her dishes are salt cod with cream, duck rice, lemon chicken and her soups, always with dessert. It is the simplest way to meet people if you travel alone.
Rooms and common areas
There are shared dormitories with bunk beds and double private rooms, each painted a different colour. It has a reading and relaxing room, a bar and its own café, the Nicolau Café, on the same street. Breakfast is served from 8:00. They organise outings and activities around the city; the calendar is on its website.
Getting there and getting around
From the airport, the metro takes you to Baixa-Chiado with one change; the stop is about five minutes' walk away. From here you walk to almost everything: Alfama, the Chiado, the river. The train to Sintra leaves from Rossio, ten minutes away, and the boat to Cacilhas from Cais do Sodré.
- **Lisboa Camping & Bungalows**: Camping inside Lisbon
Lisboa Camping & Bungalows is the city's campsite, inside the Monsanto forest park, the great pine wood in the west of Lisbon, about 8 km from the centre. It is the choice for anyone travelling by motorhome or with a tent who wants to sleep in Lisbon without fighting for parking in the centre: you leave the vehicle on the pitch and go down by bus.
Pitches, bungalows and glamping
There are concrete pitches for caravans and motorhomes, almost all shaded and with electricity, water, drainage and a wooden table; a wooded area for tents; 70 bungalows for four to six people, mobile homes, glamping and bunks in dormitories. It has a service area for filling water and emptying grey water and the chemical toilet, a self-service laundry, a minimarket and the Villas Monsanto restaurant. The pool, supervised and with small pools for children, normally opens from 1 June to 30 September. The 2026 and 2027 prices are published by season on its website; the peak season runs from 20 July to 16 August.
Getting there and going down to the centre
You enter by Estrada da Circunvalação, on the northern edge of Monsanto. From the gate, bus 714 goes down to the city centre and the 750 goes to Oriente station. Reception is open from 8:00 to 23:30. For Belém and the river, a taxi takes about fifteen minutes.

## Dónde dormir in style
- **Memmo Alfama**: Sleeping inside Alfama
Memmo Alfama is on Travessa das Merceeiras, a narrow street between the cathedral (the Sé) and São Jorge Castle, in Lisbon's oldest district. It is a small design hotel, white and understated, tucked among old houses, and what sets it apart is its terrace with a wine bar, hanging above the rooftops with the Tagus in front. From the door you walk down to the Baixa in ten minutes and up to the castle in another ten.
The rooms
It has seven room types: the attic ones (Mansard and Mansard Superior), the Alfama Standard, Comfort and Superior, the Premium and the Terrace Room, with a private terrace. The attic rooms have a sloping ceiling beneath the roof. If you book on its website, the hotel includes a daily guided walk around the district and yoga classes on Wednesdays and Fridays, and organises tile workshops and fado dinners.
Getting there and getting around
By car, better not: Alfama's streets are narrow with restricted access, so use a taxi or public transport from the airport. Tram 28 stops at the Sé, a few steps away, and the nearest metro station is Baixa-Chiado or Terreiro do Paço, downhill. The Alfama viewpoints and the castle are on foot.
- **Pestana Palace Lisboa**: A palace with a garden in Lisbon
The Pestana Palace occupies the Palácio Valle Flôr, which the marquis of that name had built from 1890 as a family residence. The Pestana group bought it in 1991 and, after ten years of works, opened it as a hotel in 2001. The palace is classified as a national monument, and so are its French-style gardens, which are the reason to sleep here: lawns, trees and two pools ten minutes by taxi from the centre.
Rooms, pools and spa
There are 194 rooms and suites. There is an outdoor pool among the gardens and a heated indoor pool, open from 8:00 to 20:00. The spa has a dry sauna, steam bath and massages; the gym opens from 6:00 to 23:00 (closed for works from 25 October to 30 November 2026). You eat at Valle Flôr, in the former ballrooms, with a breakfast buffet from 7:00 to 11:00; in summer the Casa do Lago opens, beside the pool, and the Allegro bar serves from 11:00 to midnight. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00.
Getting there and parking
It is on Rua Jau, on the slope of Alcântara, between the centre and Belém. There is paid parking for guests, so it is a good option if you arrive in Lisbon by car. The Jerónimos are about ten minutes away by taxi and tram 15 runs along the avenue below.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Pestana Palace Lisboa**: A palace with a garden in Lisbon
The Pestana Palace occupies the Palácio Valle Flôr, which the marquis of that name had built from 1890 as a family residence. The Pestana group bought it in 1991 and, after ten years of works, opened it as a hotel in 2001. The palace is classified as a national monument, and so are its French-style gardens, which are the reason to sleep here: lawns, trees and two pools ten minutes by taxi from the centre.
Rooms, pools and spa
There are 194 rooms and suites. There is an outdoor pool among the gardens and a heated indoor pool, open from 8:00 to 20:00. The spa has a dry sauna, steam bath and massages; the gym opens from 6:00 to 23:00 (closed for works from 25 October to 30 November 2026). You eat at Valle Flôr, in the former ballrooms, with a breakfast buffet from 7:00 to 11:00; in summer the Casa do Lago opens, beside the pool, and the Allegro bar serves from 11:00 to midnight. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00.
Getting there and parking
It is on Rua Jau, on the slope of Alcântara, between the centre and Belém. There is paid parking for guests, so it is a good option if you arrive in Lisbon by car. The Jerónimos are about ten minutes away by taxi and tram 15 runs along the avenue below.
- **Lisboa Camping & Bungalows**: Camping inside Lisbon
Lisboa Camping & Bungalows is the city's campsite, inside the Monsanto forest park, the great pine wood in the west of Lisbon, about 8 km from the centre. It is the choice for anyone travelling by motorhome or with a tent who wants to sleep in Lisbon without fighting for parking in the centre: you leave the vehicle on the pitch and go down by bus.
Pitches, bungalows and glamping
There are concrete pitches for caravans and motorhomes, almost all shaded and with electricity, water, drainage and a wooden table; a wooded area for tents; 70 bungalows for four to six people, mobile homes, glamping and bunks in dormitories. It has a service area for filling water and emptying grey water and the chemical toilet, a self-service laundry, a minimarket and the Villas Monsanto restaurant. The pool, supervised and with small pools for children, normally opens from 1 June to 30 September. The 2026 and 2027 prices are published by season on its website; the peak season runs from 20 July to 16 August.
Getting there and going down to the centre
You enter by Estrada da Circunvalação, on the northern edge of Monsanto. From the gate, bus 714 goes down to the city centre and the 750 goes to Oriente station. Reception is open from 8:00 to 23:30. For Belém and the river, a taxi takes about fifteen minutes.

## Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Memmo Alfama**: Sleeping inside Alfama
Memmo Alfama is on Travessa das Merceeiras, a narrow street between the cathedral (the Sé) and São Jorge Castle, in Lisbon's oldest district. It is a small design hotel, white and understated, tucked among old houses, and what sets it apart is its terrace with a wine bar, hanging above the rooftops with the Tagus in front. From the door you walk down to the Baixa in ten minutes and up to the castle in another ten.
The rooms
It has seven room types: the attic ones (Mansard and Mansard Superior), the Alfama Standard, Comfort and Superior, the Premium and the Terrace Room, with a private terrace. The attic rooms have a sloping ceiling beneath the roof. If you book on its website, the hotel includes a daily guided walk around the district and yoga classes on Wednesdays and Fridays, and organises tile workshops and fado dinners.
Getting there and getting around
By car, better not: Alfama's streets are narrow with restricted access, so use a taxi or public transport from the airport. Tram 28 stops at the Sé, a few steps away, and the nearest metro station is Baixa-Chiado or Terreiro do Paço, downhill. The Alfama viewpoints and the castle are on foot.
- **Pestana Palace Lisboa**: A palace with a garden in Lisbon
The Pestana Palace occupies the Palácio Valle Flôr, which the marquis of that name had built from 1890 as a family residence. The Pestana group bought it in 1991 and, after ten years of works, opened it as a hotel in 2001. The palace is classified as a national monument, and so are its French-style gardens, which are the reason to sleep here: lawns, trees and two pools ten minutes by taxi from the centre.
Rooms, pools and spa
There are 194 rooms and suites. There is an outdoor pool among the gardens and a heated indoor pool, open from 8:00 to 20:00. The spa has a dry sauna, steam bath and massages; the gym opens from 6:00 to 23:00 (closed for works from 25 October to 30 November 2026). You eat at Valle Flôr, in the former ballrooms, with a breakfast buffet from 7:00 to 11:00; in summer the Casa do Lago opens, beside the pool, and the Allegro bar serves from 11:00 to midnight. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out until 12:00.
Getting there and parking
It is on Rua Jau, on the slope of Alcântara, between the centre and Belém. There is paid parking for guests, so it is a good option if you arrive in Lisbon by car. The Jerónimos are about ten minutes away by taxi and tram 15 runs along the avenue below.
- **Home Lisbon Hostel**: A hostel with family dinner
Home Lisbon Hostel is in a building on Rua de São Nicolau, in the Baixa, beside Rua Augusta and five minutes from Praça do Comércio. It is run by a family and it shows: the cook is Mamma, the owner's mother, who prepares dinner for the guests who sign up. Among her dishes are salt cod with cream, duck rice, lemon chicken and her soups, always with dessert. It is the simplest way to meet people if you travel alone.
Rooms and common areas
There are shared dormitories with bunk beds and double private rooms, each painted a different colour. It has a reading and relaxing room, a bar and its own café, the Nicolau Café, on the same street. Breakfast is served from 8:00. They organise outings and activities around the city; the calendar is on its website.
Getting there and getting around
From the airport, the metro takes you to Baixa-Chiado with one change; the stop is about five minutes' walk away. From here you walk to almost everything: Alfama, the Chiado, the river. The train to Sintra leaves from Rossio, ten minutes away, and the boat to Cacilhas from Cais do Sodré.