One day in Lisbon is enough to hit its icons, but only if you skip the rest on purpose — the hilltop miradouros, the tram-hopping detours, and half the museums have to wait for a return trip. This route focuses on Belém in the morning and the historic center in the afternoon and evening, the two areas that define the city.
Start early in Belém, where the riverside Belém Tower and the sprawling Jerónimos Monastery are best seen before the tour buses arrive; grab a pastel de nata nearby and walk over to the Monument to the Discoveries for a view of the 25 de Abril Bridge across the Tagus. By midday, head into central Lisbon and pass through Praça do Comércio, the grand riverside square that opens onto Rua Augusta, Lisbon's pedestrian shopping street. Continue up to Rossio Square for a break, then climb into Alfama, the old Moorish quarter, to visit Castelo de São Jorge and the nearby Lisbon Cathedral. As afternoon turns to evening, wander into Bairro Alto for dinner and a stop at the ornately gilded São Roque Church before the neighborhood's bars and fado houses fill up for the night.