Portugal - Kookospalmun alla

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Lisbon in spring is something magical. This charming city comes alive with blooming flowers and sunshine, and we decided to return to this old hometown of mine together, again. Last time we experienced autumn together, now it was spring’s turn. This time the trip was also special because my mother was there. I got to act as her guide in Lisbon, which is one of my favorite destinations and where I spent the absolute best moments of my life while living there. My mother never got to visit me when I lived in Lisbon, because just as she started planning the trip, I suddenly moved to Cape Verde, Africa. Whoops.

WHY CHOOSE SPRING IN LISBON?

When spring arrives in Lisbon, the whole city is covered in a wonderful shade of purple as the jacaranda trees burst into flower. These large, breathtaking trees decorate the streets and parks, and the brilliance of color they bring complements the city’s already beautiful architecture. We walked a lot around the city, and at every turn there seemed to be a new corner with even more enchanting jacarandas.

This year spring was sunny and warm – perfect weather to enjoy the city. We toured the old town of Alfama, as well as the streets and shops of the city center. I showed off my favorite places, and I couldn’t help but take my mother to admire the narrow alleys of Bairro Alto during the day. Of course, we stopped to soak up the sun at Praça do Comércio, which has a great view across the square to the Tagus River. Following the pulse of the bustling city, the sun on your face and visiting familiar favorite places made these moments perfect.

TRY ACCOMMODATION WITH HOME EXCHANGE

We stayed for the second time in the Campo de Ourique area through Home Exchange in a wonderful apartment. The area was just right for our travel style – quiet, but still a short distance from the heart of Lisbon. We already fell in love with this area on our last trip and immediately jumped at the opportunity when we found the perfect accommodation for the three of us here. The apartment was a two-story, beautifully decorated, spacious penthouse. Everything worked flawlessly, and even the lack of an elevator in the old building didn’t bother me too much, because I was already used to stepping on similar stairs every day when I lived in the city. Accommodations and hotels in Lisbon are currently so sky-high in terms of price that Home Exchange was (also this time) a perfect salvation for our travel budget.

Home Exchange is a great way to travel for free and experience local life deeper than just from the surface, because you get to stay in a real local home. If you are interested, find out more and join the happy group of us home exchangers from this link.

SPRING IN LISBON – BEST TIPS!

Spring in Lisbon is full of beauty and wonderful experiences. Here are my Top 5 Best Tips to Lisbon in spring:

Admire the city’s jacarandas! Look for jacarandas in the city’s parks and streets and enjoy the beauty of these magnificent purple trees. One of the best places is Avenida da Liberdade.
Breakfast at Campo de Ourique. If you are staying here or just exploring the area, visit the local markets or cafes to enjoy fresh delicacies for breakfast. The area is full of authentic local life and is rapidly growing as a residential area. I recommend trying the sweet Amélia Café!
Enjoy the sunset at Miradouro de Santa Catarina. This viewpoint offers a wonderful view of the river and the city, and at sunset the landscape is especially beautiful. After that, you can stay in Bairro Alto and enjoy the atmosphere of the early evening, for example with a tasty cocktail.
Tram 28 ride in Alfama. Tram 28 is a classic way to see the city. Wander the narrow alleys of the old districts and let the tram take you back in time. Tram 28 travels through Lisbon from the Estrela area to the old town of Alfama and is the city’s most popular tram route.
Enjoy the river views at Praca do Comerció. This square offers iconic views and is one of the city’s most famous attractions. You can also catch an atmospheric river cruise!
Evening and dinner in Bairro Alto. This lively area comes truly alive in the evening. Jump into the vibe and enjoy a dinner in a cozy restaurant with good music playing in the background.

ALWAYS MY HOMETOWN

Lisbon is always a big part of me and more my hometown than my actual hometown in Finland. Life has taken me elsewhere, at least for now, but maybe someday I’ll come back for a longer time again.

This trip would not have been complete without the fun times with our friends. I’ve been living in different parts of the world as a hermit for a long time now and I’m used to communicating with my best friend from a distance, but it’s not the same as spending time together face to face. I have missed our moments together a lot, and I could never have imagined when I moved to Lisbon that I would meet the most important friend of my life here. If there’s one thing I miss the most, it’s her and our crazy trips and excursions around Portugal!

Spring in Lisbon is a real experience for all the senses. This trip was full of beautiful moments, sunshine and love – and I hope you get to experience it too someday. Lisbon is a place that enchants, and spring is the best time to enjoy its blooming beauty!

CHECK OUT THE BEST TOURS AND ACTIVITIES IN LISBON!

HAVE YOU ALREADY EXPERIENCED THE SPRING TIME IN LISBON? SHARE YOUR ADVENTURES AND THOUGHTS BELOW! 🙂

<3: Tiina Johanna

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Home exchange in Lisbon last September was a long-waited return to Portugal for me. For a long time, we had thought about leaving Cape Verde for Europe for a while, so that my husband could get to know my background more and my friends and family. Island life in Cape Verde is relaxed and sunny, but change is always good and my longing to return to Portugal kept on growing.

In September 2023 we put our dogs in the care of our relatives, packed our bags, jumped on a plane and finally traveled from Cape Verde to Lisbon. The feeling of happiness when we saw the already familiar orange-roofed houses of Lisbon approaching from the window of the plane!

As accommodation we had a Home exchange home in the Campo de Ourique area. We carried all six of our overstuffed suitcases to the cozy first floor home, where we were greeted by a friend of the owner of the apartment. He introduced us to the place and gave us the keys. We settled into this traditionally cozy Lisbon holiday base well. Here we would spend the next 10 days.

ALWAYS CHARMING LISBON

Lisbon offered us everything we hoped for. It was wonderful to return to my old home city, where I loved to live. For my husband, this was the first time in Portugal and in all Europe, so I could act as a tour guide and at the same time enjoy his happy and surprised expressions while visiting amazing places.

We toured the center of Lisbon, admired the views of the Tejo River in the sunshine at Praca do Comercio square, got to know the old town of Alfama and the colorful Bairro Alto, where I have spent several fun evenings while living in the city. We spent time with our friends who live in Lisbon and went for a walk in my old neighborhood in Saldanha. We also went to spend a day in Sintra, because my husband had to see the famous Palacio da Pena during his first visit to Portugal. My husband is a big football fan and Benfica in particular is one of his favorites, so I had to take him to see the Benfica Stadium.

Lisbon is a great destination for a long or a short city break and offers culture, history, sights and lots of different things to do. There are also wonderful beaches near Lisbon, so the city is an excellent choice for combining a beach holiday with an urban adventure.

CHECK OUT THE BEST TOURS AND ACTIVITIES IN LISBON:

HOME EXCHANGE – FREE ACCOMMODATION FOR YOUR TRIP

Home exchange is a great way to get free accommodation for your trip, but above all it’s a great way to travel differently and experience life from a local perspective. At the same time, you get the chance to meet new people from all over the world, and sometimes with good luck, these acquaintances even grow into proper friendships. Homes are ordinary people’s homes, so you shouldn’t expect any hotel experiences, and homes often show their residents in one way or another in the form of goods, interior design and personality. Those who are fond of home swapping know that these aspects are the reason why home exchange is the so amazing.

Home Exchange in Lisbon is not our first home exchange. We have experiences already from many places and home exchange has enabled amazing travel experiences in different parts of the world, such as in San Francisco, Valencia and the Canary Islands.

If you are interested in HomeExchange and the free accommodation it enables when traveling, check out this link to the HomeExchange website and explore wonderful homes around the world! When you join, you will also receive a gift of 250 Guest Points, which you can use in your future home changes.

HomeExchange.com is a popular and very reliable site, which is also familiar to many from the movie The Holiday. In the movie, Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet swap homes with each other and get to know each other’s lives and homes in different parts of the world using this website, which we also use to swap homes.

Home exchange can be done by swapping houses at the same time with another person/family, where you travel to someone’s house to stay and they come to yours. This is the most traditional form and the essence of home exchange. It is also possible to make an exchange at different times, where, for example, you travel to someone else’s home and he goes somewhere else, but comes to your home for a home exchange some other time, and then you go somewhere else.

The third option is exchanging with using Home exchange points, the principle of which is pretty much the same as, for example, renting an apartment, but instead of money, renting is done with home exchange points, i.e. Guest Points. Staying with points also means that no one will come to your home, but you will give your points as compensation. We ourselves have tried each of these forms, always depending a little on the situation and needs of the trip. Each of these has worked admirably and I can recommend each of them very warmly as a form of Home exchange. 🙂 Grab 250 home exchange points here and join!