Where/how to pass the time with jet lag in Lisbon

November 1, 2024 5:18 PM

I'm flying into Lisbon next week with my partner and arriving at 10am. The ultimate destination is a small rural town 1.5 hour drive away, where we won't be able to check into our lodging until 3pm. What should we do for 3-4 hours near the Lisbon airport as people whose bodies think it's 3am?

We have friends sharing our lodging that can pick us up in Lisbon at the airport but not until 2pm. We'll probably be very exhausted/hungry from flying for 10 hours (I don't sleep well on planes) and need some ideas for how to pass the time. I don't want to wait inside the airport because I'll be masking indoors and I'll just want to be in some fresh air where I can remove the mask. I don't think I can be trusted to rent a car and drive it safely in these conditions. We may want to put our luggage in one of the airport lockers and explore a more peaceful part of the city. What should we do?

posted by oxisos to Travel & Transportation around Lisbon, Portugal (2 answers total)

In a similar situation (in a different city) my family did one of those hop on/hop off bus tours. It was a low effort way to see the city and decide what we might want to come back to when we had more energy. And some of us were able to doze on the bus!
posted by Empidonax at 6:38 PM on November 1

Take the train into the central (touristy) part of town. Wander around, eat pasteles de nata (egg custard tarts), drink coffee, admire the tile work on the buildings, take the trolley. Wear comfortable shoes.
posted by mai at 7:28 PM on November 1 [1 favorite]