Lisbon is a sensory overload in the best way. Historic yellow trams glide through the streets, screeching as they ascend the city’s seven iconic hills. Bakery windows glow with rows of golden-brown pastel de nata and garments dance in the wind, hanging from the clotheslines of tiled-clad buildings. Buskers perform a mix of traditional songs and modern pop tunes and neighborhood festivals clang with commotion as revelers celebrate in the streets. Wherever you turn, Europe’s “Sunniest Capital City” charms.

Beyond its signature clamor, Lisbon also offers a host of hidden treasures. It is, after all, one of Europe’s oldest cities. “All of us discover really different things, even those living here forever,” says Joana Sousa Monteiro, director of Museu de Lisboa. “There are lots of stories to tell and to show people.”

To experience the city at its very best, get off the main streets and get lost in its winding, narrow streets. Take in art and architecture dating back centuries. Go beyond the city center and Alfama to explore less-heralded districts where you’ll meet the Portuguese families who have run shops there for generations, as well as the expats laying down roots with new offerings.

Putting aside tourists’ typical stomping grounds, Lisbon is also home to countless more niche attractions like the National Coach Museum or Marionette Museum. For LGBTQ+ travelers, they can club in Bairro Alto, or they can also enjoy a mystical home-cooked meal with a drag queen or an LGBTQ+ historical walking tour starting in Príncipe Real and ending in the up-and-coming queer district of Graça.

With so many worthy options to explore in Lisbon, we’ve narrowed your list down to a few locals-approved experiences to enjoy on your next visit to the Queen of the Sea.

See: The sunset as you sail along the Tagus River. Find a spot at the ship’s bow as you head towards the Atlantic Ocean. Witness the sky transform with different hues and the sun slowly descend behind key monuments like the 25th April Bridge and Belém Tower, before finally setting for the day.

Touch: Azulejos (Portuguese tiles) on buildings in Príncipe Real, Santos, and Graça. Depending on the building, you could experience smooth glazed tiles, rough aged ones with cracks or those with various raised textures. You’ll feel connected to the history of these gorgeous buildings just by touching the ceramics.

Smell: Grilled sardines and roasted chestnuts. Nothing says summer in Lisbon quite like sardines being grilled at a street festival, but don’t stand too close or the smell will stick to you. When the weather cools, the city center is overtaken by the sweet smell of chestnuts roasting.

Hear: The mournful sounds of fado in unexpected places. Experience the powerful and emotional voices of fado performers singing about sorrow, love and heartbreak in unusual places. Real Fado holds regular events in Príncipe Real at a neo-Arab palace and reservoir with stone arches underneath a garden.

Taste: Savor Portugal’s national dish à brás style atLisboa Tu e Eu. Don’t overlook the national dish bacalhau (codfish), specifically bacalhau à brás, which mixes scrambled eggs, shredded salt cod, potato sticks, onions and other garnishes together.

Museu de Lisboa’s mission is to reveal new sides of Lisbon, which isn’t particularly difficult given the endless opportunities the city offers both visitors and locals, according to Sousa Monteiro. “Our core business is infinite…We are constantly discovering something about it that is different from what we thought it was before.” She describes the city as a series of layers, divulging different periods and stories left behind by the various people who have come over the centuries as you explore it.

Lisbon’s history extends beyond its well-known monuments and museums. Its many shops, banks, and restaurants hold histories that all too often go ignored. Some of these histories are contained solely in the personal stories told but locals, while others—like the Roman Galleries underneath Baixa, open twice a year (April and September) for six days—reside beneath the city’s streets.

While the major attractions tell the broader story, these smaller overlooked spots offer a deeper look into the daily lives of the Portuguese.

10 am – Start your day at Panificação Reunida de São Roque aka the “Cathedral of Bread.” Drinking coffee and eating baked goods won’t ever be the same again after visiting one of the oldest bakeries in Lisbon. While its entrance is nothing special compared to the flashy nearby businesses, the interior is an Art Nouveau dream with pinkish columns and decorative tiles.

12 pm – Explore Brotéria and relax in its tranquil courtyard. Named after a magazine founded by Jesuit scholars over a century ago, Brotéria is an art gallery, bookstore, workspace, and cafe housed inside a 16th century palace. Its curved grand staircase leads to rooms with creaky floors that showcase ornate ceilings with frescos, leather walls, and fireplaces mixed with contemporary art and furniture. Its café patio is draped with vines and blocks the noise of the busy Bairro Alto below.

2 pm – Try your best at shopping in Chiado’s historic stores. The stores in this retail district have such stunning interiors that it can distract customers from shopping. One example is United Colors of Benetton on Rua Garrett, which retains elements of the former Ramiro Leão department store like its ceiling paintings by João Vaz, Art Nouveau stained glass with nature motifs, and an elevator that’s said to be the oldest in Europe.

4 pm – See the only known remnants of Lisbon’s medieval wall in a money museum in a church. Officially it’s the Museu do Dinheiro, but it is housed in the former São Julião church which retains its holy exterior and some interior details. Hidden underneath are the remnants of King Dinis’ Wall, a medieval structure built to protect the city. “Archaeologists thought the wall could be a reality because you have the contract signed by King Dinis about the construction near the river,” explained Daniela Viela, the museum’s cultural mediator. “The description in the contract said the wall passes here.” While the facility has multiple identities, the Banco de Portugal gives each an opportunity to shine.

6 pm – See the charred interior of Igreja de São Domingos. The deceiving exterior leads tourists to assume it’s like any Portuguese church with gilded altars or floor-to-ceiling tiled walls. Instead, this church bears the scars of a 1959 fire with grey and black columns and cracked floors. While the fire happened six decades ago, it only reopened in 1994 and with a new vaulted roof.

8 pm – Have dinner at a restaurant built on a love story. Lisboa Tu e Eu is a piece of personal history “where a 40-year old love story remains alive,” according to its menu. It’s the story of a promise and of Maria do Carmo Vieira’s dedication to the art of welcoming. For Maria, living without her husband is hard, but her diners help make the city feel a little less empty. After eating traditional dishes (like bacalhau à brás and pica pau), visitors become part of the restaurant’s history by signing any available surface.

With seven hills, Lisbon has no shortage of epic views to take in. For those making the trek uphill, they’ll be rewarded with a miradouro (viewpoint) providing backdrops with reddish rooftops, white or pastel-hued buildings, and countless monuments. For Luís Gaivão, a tour guide and resident of Graça, the miradouro outside his apartment inspires and prepares him to share the city’s beauty with his customers.

“You can see the most well-known spots like the Castelo de São Jorge just meters from you…you can also see far away like the dome of the Basílica da Estrela,” he says about his viewpoint. Though the upper viewpoints are stunning, exploring the bottom of the hills offers an equally thrilling perspective as monuments peer down at you and buildings appear as though they’re stacked on top of each other.

Strolling through neighborhoods like Santos, Estrela, and Graça, travelers gain a different view – one of local life. Look up to see elderly people leaning out of their windows to talk with neighbors across the way. Peer across a square to observe older men playing cards (usually for money) in the early hours. Pass through the gates of various parks like Jardim do Torel to witness expats and locals mingling over a beer, tanning, or practicing yoga. The more you get out of the city center, the better your chances to catch a glimpse of the daily lives of Lisbon’s residents.

9 am – Experience a local neighborhood wake-up. “In the morning you’ll see shops opening, kids going to school, elderly people going to the hairdresser…People saying ‘good morning!’” says Gaivão about Graça. Begin the day in the working-class neighborhood to watch it come alive with regulars having an espresso and pastry, and yelling “Bom dia!” at passing neighbors. Go towards the Miradouro da Graça and watch Lisbon come to life while identifying the city’s famed monuments.

11 am – Cozy up with a coffee and a panoramic view at Café da Garagem. Designed like a warm living room with plants, carpets, vintage lighting, and comfortable chairs, the café in Teatro Taborda serves coffee, cocktails, sweets and sandwiches with views of the Miradouro da Graça, colorful buildings and murals.

1 pm – Experience a panoramic tile view at Lisbon’s newest museum. Recently reopened after eight years due to extensive renovations, Museu do Design (MUDE) showcases larger than life mosaics and reconstructions of various rooms used by the former National and Overseas Bank. While the 360-degree view of the Pombaline structures and Arco da Rua Augusta on the sixth-floor terrace provides a new vantage point, don’t miss a tiled view in its restaurant. The piece by António Cristino is a reinterpretation of the 16th century illumination of Lisbon.

5 pm – Hold your applause! Enjoy a sunset picnic across the river. On any clear day Almada’s Jardim do Rio is packed with people for what local resident Jenn Quadros describes as “a magical experience.” A 10-minute ferry from Cais do Sodré (3 Euro round trip) takes you across the river for a panoramic view of Lisbon. Quadros describes the atmosphere at Jardim do Rio as electric with picnics laid out, a symphony of languages being spoken, live music and boats sailing by with passengers waving to those ashore. Once the sun descends behind Lisbon, a round of applause erupts.

9 pm – People watch from the Galeria Zé dos Bois (ZDB) rooftop. While Bairro Alto sleeps during the day, the narrow streets come alive at night with promises of free shots and music. In the former Pálacio Baronesa de Almedia is a hidden rooftop part of arts center ZDB, which promises ideal views of the bustling streets below. Tip: Have some Euros on hand as there is a cup deposit.

Lisbon oozes art throughout the city–not simply within the walls of its museums. The city has long served as a blank canvas creating an open-air gallery for all to enjoy. Traditional art forms can be spotted high and low in the form of Calçada Portuguesa (Portuguese Cobblestone) or Azulejos on buildings.

In recent years, graffiti, street, and mural artists have transformed dilapidated buildings, stairwells, trains, and sewer grates into masterpieces. It won’t take much time in the city before you can identify their work. Bordalo II creates animal sculptures made from recycled materials. An unidentified artist leaves tags throughout the city that simply ask “Who The F*ck is Henry?” And Kampus’s smiling cell-like character curves and bends into awkward spots across Lisbon. “It’s always looking for a space to fit in…Maybe it’s like me trying to find a little corner to fit in and be happy at the same time,” Kampus said of his work.

With so much inspiration to take in, you might want to release your inner artist. Luckily there are plenty of opportunities to create something unique to take home with you – talk about a one-of-a-kind souvenir.

9 am – Meet the calceteiros (pavers) who turned Lisbon’s sidewalks into galleries. Calçada Portuguesa arranges black basalt stones and white limestone into mosaics featuring animals, sea motifs, abstract designs, and the stories of Portugal. Observe them by looking at the ground or at a viewpoint to see how far reaching and diverse they are. These designs were handcrafted by calceteiros, who have a statue dedicated to them by Rossio Station.

11 am – Get a crash course in Lisbon’s street art with The Kickstart Street Art Tour. A local tour guide takes groups through historic neighborhoods to view art on the sides of apartment buildings, stairways, parking structures, and more. By the end, you’ll become acquainted with the works and messages of local artists like Vhils and Nomen.

1 pm – Explore abandoned factories turned art havens. Neglected for years, Marvila has seen its former industrial warehouses turned into cultural hotspots. At the José Domingos Barreiro Factory (now MAD) meet and chat with artists who create across five floors of studio space. Across the street in Abel Pereira da Fonseca’s former wine cathedral (now 8Marvila), people browse shops, galleries, markets and eat at restaurants.

A must-visit at 8Marvila is the studio of Luísa Pereira da Fonseca, Abel’s ancestor. “Having a gallery in my great-great-grandfather’s old wine factory is realizing that life works in a very magical way,” she says, noting he’d be amazed by the factory’s new life. “To fill these 22,000 square meters with life again is a continuation of his legacy, his effort and his sense of innovation.”

5:30 pm – Don’t buy your souvenir, make it yourself at Ceramica São Vicente. Your artistic juices should be flowing by now, so good thing you booked a tile painting class. In each session, painters create their own tiles while learning about its history and techniques. Note: The tiles need three days to cook, but if you leave town before then, you can still have them shipped.

9 pm – Make friends surrounded by art in the ruins of a factory. Mīrārī is an arts and culture haven described as a “boundless canvas” where artists create in whatever form they desire (murals, sculptures, light). With a food court and bar, games, a dance floor, DJs on the weekend and shops. It’s a great alternative to LX Factory down the street as it has smaller crowds, a more intimate setting and more locals.

Lisbon is walkable, but its transit network consists of a metro, ferry, urban train network, and surface routes (bus, tram, funicular). Trains and ferries have contactless payment options, while most surface routes only take cash. All are integrated with the reloadable Navegante Card (.50 cents at any station). Ridesharing apps like Bolt or Uber are other options and give access to the scooter system.

Portugal accepts Euros. Most places take credit cards (though AMEX is rare) and digital payments, but carry cash for smaller establishments and flea markets.

Portugal takes two plug types. Type C (two round pins) and type F (two round pins with earth clips on the side).

If you take Tram 28, please be aware that it is a local transit line. While a window seat is perfect for a time-lapse, if you see someone in need of a seat, please give yours up. If you decide to walk, bring comfortable footwear with grip as the cobblestones are uneven and can get slippery.

For 40 years, António de Oliveira Salazar ruled the country under a dictatorship, which ended on April 25, 1974. While landmarks, like the 25th April Bridge, removed his name, it is still used as a nickname for a flat-faced spatula. This utensil is meant to scrape bowls clean leaving nothing behind, which is similar to what Salazar did to the Portuguese. Despite being a nickname, some stores advertise the product as a “Salazar.” So, if you’re in a Portuguese kitchen and are asked to find “Salazar,” look for a spatula, not a person.

Want more Thrillist? Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube.