Hermitage Castelo Casa Chafariz

I’m 33 and I’ve never been to Lisbon before now. I can see, immediately, that this has been a big mistake. On arrival, I immediately fall for the city’s charms in the taxi ride from the train station to boutique hideaway Hermitage Castelo Casa Chafariz. (FYI if you’ve ever wanted to do both Porto and Lisbon in one trip, there’s a super easy direct train route between them, a wonderfully relaxed way to travel).

This is a city that feels young, lived-in, and packed with potential. Our trip is heartbreakingly short, but we manage to pack in a lot. This is all aided marvellously by the Hermitage, our new peaceful pad. Not only is the aparthotel’s location handy for sightseeing on foot (or by tram, bus, cab, bike – whatever your transport of choice) but it’s surprisingly quiet at night, allowing for blissed-out slumber between the crispest white sheets imaginable. The apartment is spacious – it feels almost selfish having it for just the two of us – and could easily fit another couple or small family (even if we didn’t get on…) thanks to separate bathrooms and a decent dining room. With its pale wooden beams, white walls and statement artwork, it feels a bit like being on a music-video set – it’s somehow both modern and timeless. The only downside is the very steep staircase up (from the first floor there’s a small lift) which would make access a real challenge for many, but this is probably always a concern for old buildings in busy cities. We don’t make much use of the spotless kitchen, which seems well-fitted (although we appreciate the bottle of red we’re given), instead giving in to holiday laziness and eating at the restaurant next door. Staff at Pratinho Feio are very friendly, and happy to help clueless Brits make menu choices that are as authentically Portuguese as possible: a crisp white wine, crab stew and feta pastries are all recommended and received with joy. Other options include Avocado House, opposite, which is – as you might have guessed – an avo-themed café, featuring tiny avocado plants on every table, and one of the greenest menus around. Being boring, we plump for beetroot burgers in bread buns, but there’s an option to have one inside an avo too.

The strangest nearby attraction has got to be the puppet museum, which is about five minutes away (albeit up a steep incline). It’s…truly weird. We love it, but it definitely ranks highly on places not to get trapped alone at night. We see puppets – shadow, marionette, glove, and more – from around the world, and learn a lot about the way different cultures have used them for storytelling. There’s currently a fantastic Tim Burton exhibition on there too, and we develop a new appreciation for his craftsmanship when seen up close.

Our whole trip is dominated by our enthusiasm for museums, and we also take in the Museu do Aljube – a monument to the Portuguese resistance against dictatorship. It’s a period of history we know embarrassingly little about, so it feels important to understand it better and to appreciate the suffering that locals endured for decades – the building itself is a former prison. We also take in the Fado Museum, wanting to get under the skin of this unique element of Portuguese culture. Fado, for the uninitiated (as we were) is a traditional, mournful type of song, a staple of a particular type of tavern. They’re extraordinarily beautiful and sad, and we love hearing some of them at the museum – although it works much better on displays with subtitles, one can’t help feeling that the meaning of many songs is lost without translation. Another unexpected joy comes with the discovery of an overlooked artist – Sarah Affonso – an exhibition of whose work is currently at the Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea do Chiado. As well as vibrant portraits that are packed with feeling and colour, there are also examples of illustration and craft (I have a weakness for ceramic buttons) from her long and varied career.

As bar enthusiasts we’re spoilt for choice, our favourite is probably Pensao Amor – a former brothel that’s retained it’s slightly seedy vibe (in a good way) with worn velvet chairs, red walls and vintage cocktails – try the Communist if you’re a fan of cherries. We also eat one night at Pharmacia, a strange restaurant and bar built in an old pharmacy. Cocktail menus come via a pill box, water is served from a first-aid canister, and there are test tubes and beakers everywhere you look. Despite this unappetising setting, the tapas is largely delicious.

Lisbon is, for us at least, a city of discovery. There’s something exciting around every corner – whether a niche museum, live music or just a gathering of students. In a couple of nights we barely scratched the surface so it’s definitely on our TBC list. I won’t be waiting another 33 years this time.