10 Things to Do in Lisbon at Holy Week

Lisbon is one of the most diverse and interesting cities in all of Europe and has undoubtedly been a favorite tourist destination for Spaniards for decades. At the same time, there is the fact that some of the best things to do in Lisbon take place during Easter.

So my recommendation is that you keep reading this publication that I have prepared for you, because this way you can find out what are those activities that you can do if you decide to spend part of Easter in the Portuguese capital. In addition, thanks to this information you will be able to enjoy a better tourist planning that will greatly facilitate the enjoyment of your trip.

One of the characteristics of Holy Week in Lisbon is that it is not as common to find processions throughout the city as it is in other cities of the Iberian Peninsula. However, that does not mean that there are no religious traditions of importance during this week and one of them is the famous Easter Day mass during the morning of Easter Sunday.

Most of the city's Catholic and Orthodox churches will have their own versions of this religious act, but one of the most important and worth knowing is the one that takes place at the Sé de Lisboa.

The site as such is characterized for being the oldest church in the city as well as for having survived different modifications throughout its history and multiple earthquakes. Its strategic location in the center of the city is another important fact that you should take into account to consider visiting it during Holy Week. You could very well attend the Easter mass and then enjoy the rides of one of the best tour buses in Lisbon.

Which is something recommendable knowing that the traffic during this date is the lowest during the whole week because it is a holiday in which many local families decide to stay at home. You should also know that the location of this cathedral within the Alfama neighborhood is something that can help your Easter Sunday to have a direct connection with the religious past of one of the oldest areas of the city.

On the other hand, there is the fact that Lisbon is a city full of interesting churches and many of them are worth touring regardless of whether you have religious motivations or not. One of these places is the Jerónimos Monastery and basically it is a building that once belonged to the Catholic church and today houses the city's maritime and archaeological museum.

The architectural style of this monastery is Manueline and it is of such significant importance to Portuguese history and Western culture that it has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This site is also known for its proximity to the famous Tower of Bethlehem and the Monument of the Discoveries, which together symbolize the golden age of Portuguese explorations that played a key role in the maritime interconnection of Europe with the rest of the world.

The fact that this building was built for the religious order of St. Jerome and has a strategic location within the Bethlehem neighborhood, are facts that make it a plan that you can not miss at Easter. You also have to know that it is one of the best things to do during Christmas in Lisbon, as this area has all the tourist services for that particular time of the year.

One of the highlights of Holy Week in Lisbon and throughout Portugal is that the party in bars and nightclubs lasts from the middle of Holy Wednesday until the night of Easter Sunday. This has to do with the fact that this week is the first opportunity in the year that many university students, both Spanish and Portuguese, have to enjoy good weather on a long weekend.

So no matter your age or the type of trip you want to have, it is still advisable to go out for a couple of drinks in one of Lisbon's nightlife areas. The Bairro Alto is the area of choice for all kinds of experiences, as you will find everything from elegant restaurants to nightclubs that stay open until after sunrise. The Santa Catalina area and, specifically, the area around its belvedere, is another place you can't miss on the Easter night agenda.

For a night of industrial and alternative style, there is also the Doças de Alcântara, an ideal place for those who are a little further away from the center of Lisbon, probably staying near the 25 de Abril Bridge.

Either way, going out to dinner for a couple of drinks is part of the best things to do in Lisbon at night and Easter is one of the best times of the year to experience the lifestyle that defines this city after sunset.

Since the influx of tourists during Holy Week in Lisbon is so significant, it is logical to understand that the world of art and culture in the city take the opportunity to extend the opening hours of most museums so that a greater number of people can get to know their permanent collections. In fact, it is quite common that several of the art and history museums in the city have prepared temporary exhibitions during Holy Week because a greater number of people will visit these places.

There are many museums that deserve to be known, but among them stand out the Berardo Collection Museum, which has several permanent exhibitions very representative of modern and contemporary Portuguese art. As well as the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, known by its acronym MAAT. The latter is distinguished by the impressive structure of its headquarters that was inaugurated in 2016. It is also iconic for being located right next to the Electricity Museum which is located in a former steam factory within the Belém neighborhood.

So if the duration of your visit in the middle of Easter allows you to enjoy the city's museums, then you can't miss this opportunity. Especially knowing that these cultural institutions are some of the best things to do in downtown Lisbon, as well as in the neighborhoods closer to this part of the city.

Easter Sunday is usually a very quiet date within Lisbon because local families usually take advantage of this holiday to stay at home or to enjoy the public and free spaces in the city. It is also common that many people take the opportunity to visit the places they do not know within this same community and therefore one of the favorite plans during Easter Sunday is usually a visit to the Lisbon Oceanarium.

This site is nothing more and nothing less than the aquarium of the city and is distinguished by being a fairly modern place that is located on the banks of the Tagus River and has oceanic habitats that allows them to take care of sharks, penguins and tropical fish. This aquarium is located in the northern area of Lisbon and, therefore, dedicating this Sunday to it is also an excellent way to get to know the residential neighborhoods of this part of the city.

In fact, this aquarium, which is the second largest in all of Europe, is part of the best things to do in winter in Lisbon. This has to do with the fact that it is an excellent way to escape the rather low temperatures of this time of the year. So it is a good alternative for entertainment if it happens that your Easter is more cloudy than expected.

Fado is a Portuguese musical genre that is characterized as a rather urban folk song that speaks of melancholy, nostalgia and the everyday experience of growing up in humble and industrial neighborhoods. It has a very significant cultural importance for Lisbon because historians believe that it originated in the neighborhoods around its port. Today it is one of the main tourist attractions of the city, as well as an intangible cultural heritage by Unesco.

Specifically, Easter is a time when Fado concerts are very relevant in the traditional bars of the city because of the great tourist influx that these spring days have, just as it happens during the high summer season. So an excellent way to familiarize yourself with the history of this city in such a peculiar and reflective time as Easter is to attend some of the Fado concerts in Lisbon.

My recommendation is that you bet on one of those alternatives in which the service includes dinner. Especially because you will also have the opportunity to get to know typical dishes of Portuguese gastronomy while enjoying music that deals with themes closely related to the frustration or religious appreciation that can be associated with Easter.

Lent and its limitation of meat consumption allowed the creation of recipes characteristic of this time of the year in Lisbon over the centuries that usually captivate the tourists that nowadays come to the city in search of seafood. For your convenience, throughout the week you will enjoy these representative dishes and most of them usually have cod as the protagonist as it is the favorite food in the culinary world of Portugal.

Cataplana is another typical recipe made with fish and seafood that defines Easter and the previous months that are part of Lent. Polvo à Lageiro is another gastronomic treasure that you should know and basically consists of an octopus that is first boiled and then baked with potatoes. This is then seasoned with spices, olive oil and lots of coriander.

You should know that grilled sardines are also part of the typical Easter meals, both in Lisbon and Porto. However, either way, the best gastronomic tours of Lisbon can be an excellent alternative for you to return home knowing most of the characteristic flavors of Easter in the Portuguese capital.

Specifically, at Easter, one of the famous open-air markets of the city has one of the most diverse and interesting editions due to the same demand that is generated by the tourist influx of this week. I'm talking about the Feria da Ladra and basically consists of a market of antiques and second hand clothes that runs along the Campo de Santa Clara between nine in the morning and six in the afternoon.

The event occurs during most Saturdays of the year and specifically on Holy Saturday the supply of products is doubled because it is a time when people are very interested in buying decorative antiques for their homes. As well as being such a tourist date in which the same inhabitants of the city take advantage of the holiday to enjoy these special places that their city offers them.

So take a walk through this part of the capital is something that should not miss on your four-day trip to Lisbon, although it will only be possible if this visit coincides with the last days of Holy Week, as it is a Saturday market. Note that the proximity of this urban market to the National Pantheon and the Santa Apolonia train station is something you should take advantage of if you are interested in touring the most beautiful areas of Lisbon.

The Portuguese capital is full of public parks that offer you a nice break after walking its steep and narrow streets. Tapada das Necessidades is one of these places. It is a park located near the Alcântara docks which is distinguished by the beauty of its landscapes as well as by the excellent view it offers of the Tagus River. Inside this park there is a famous duck pond as well as a cactus garden. This site is even unknown by many local people.

So this place with such a peculiar beauty can be an excellent alternative for entertainment during your visit during Easter in Lisbon. Especially because it is located in a safe area that is close to tourist attractions and allows you to rest from long walks while surrounded by nature.

In fact, a plan like this is one of the best things to do in Lisbon with children. This knowing that it is a space where the little ones of the house can run freely and have fun and then continue with the tourist itinerary to know the museums and historical heritage of one of the most captivating cities in Europe.

If your trip to Lisbon during Holy Week is long enough for you to have a day trip out of the city then you should take the opportunity to take an excursion to either of the two most important places in the history of Portuguese Catholicism.

Braga

Braga is one of the oldest cities in all of Portugal and is located in the north of the country. In an excursion of about 10 hours you would have the opportunity to visit the different churches of this city that is known in Portugal as the religious capital of the country because of the direct history it has with the expansion of Catholicism since several centuries before the medieval times.

Fatima

Fatima is a small city that is usually a pilgrimage destination during Holy Week for the famous Sanctuary of Fatima which is dedicated to this virgin of Portuguese Catholicism. There are different alternatives to know how to get from Lisbon to Fatima although a guided tour is the best option because it will allow you to know the closest towns to this place.