I stayed at João’s place for 9 nights which gave me
ample time to appreciate the apartment and the area. Both met my expectations. The apartment is located just 3 mins from the Castelo Sao Jorge in a quaint and quiet street. The apartment is great for 1 or 2 persons of normal corpulence, otherwise the bathroom might be a bit small…. But the shower is a super torrent!! There was everything I needed in the kitchen and the bed was very comfortable. It was a bit dark inside because of the small window, but the advantage is that the place stays quite cool even when it’s very hot outside. Grocery stores do not abound in the area, and are mostly just corner shops unless you go further afield. But I was able to get what I needed without trouble.
Lisbon is like San Francisco- lots of hills so lots of walking and climbing all the time. As the apartment is located on a hill, I usually walked down to the centre and took bus 737 from Praca Figueira back up in the evening when I was tired. It stops close to the Castelo, about 5 mins from the apartment.
I used Citymapper for getting around with public transport, but Google maps is much better for directions when walking.
There was a small problem with the TV in the apartment when I arrived but Silvia and João intervened immediately and solved the problem.
This was my first time in Lisbon and I’m happy to say that it was a very positive experience.
Thank you to João and Silvia for looking after me!