I want to go to one of these cities with my girlfriend for a week in February but I'm having trouble choosing. We're on a rather tight budget and we'd stick to sleeping in a cheap hostel or airbnb room and mainly eating cheap stuff from supermarkets. We plan on eating out somewhere not too expensive a few times and getting coffee at cafes.
Barcelona
>have been to before, favorite city that I've ever been to
>moderately expensive (100 euro flight both way)
>lots of stuff to do, hard to get bored + a lot of this stuff is free or cheap (ie renting out a bike or chilling on the beach with a book)
Lisbon
>have never been to Portugal before
>price-wise approximately the same as Barcelona (flight+accommodation+everything on-site)
>we're worried that we might get bored though there's the possible option of exploring other parts of Portugal though it might not be possible for us if it's not cheap
Athens
>have never been to Greece before
>flight is 50 euro 2-way, accommodation is cheaper, cafes/food/stuff to do is definitely cheaper, with all of this taken into account we could enjoy ourselves a lot more while we're there
>not really sure what to expect, worried it might not be as "nice" as Spain or Portugal
Bonus question: Is Athens actually much cheaper than Spain/Portugal or is it comparable? I haven't actually checked the prices in Greece I just assume with the crisis and stuff it's a cheaper country.
>>1069133
I am actually heading to Lisbon in february with my girlfriend.
I chose that city, because it is well known that Lisbon is a beautiful city.
A few years ago we have been in the south of Portugal and we did not regret it! Really nice coast!
But I think tourist spots are always expensive.. in the west.
>>1070169
Too late, i booked already.
I will stay for 3 nights.
Waht do you recommend to do in Lisbon?
>>1070468
If the weather is nice I definitely recommend heading to Belém for the sights. Terreiro do paço also has a nice riverside scenery. If you don't mind a 30 min train ride, Sintra and Cascais are good sights as well.
Bairro Alto is a place with amazing nightlife and my favorite bars there "Páginas Tantas"and "Alface Hall". Just near Bairro Alto there is a place called "O Purista" which is a bar and a barber shop serving some fine beer (also a fine place to stop during the day), but the music is a bit of a hit or miss.
Obviously, it wouldn't be a visit to Portugal without some amazing food. Mercado da Ribeira is the go-to place to eat in Lisbon, with a big selection of small restaurants. However, it is a bit crowded and, just behind it there's a restaurant called "Sala de Corte" which serves amazing meat and has excellent service. Right next to both of those you can find Café Taiti, which I don't like very much as a restaurant, but love as a Café to order some coffee, some ginja and chill for a bit. By the way, ginja is a local cherry liquor which you must absolutely try.
Some other stuff:
- Park bar, a bar on the top of a parking lot, is a great place to watch the sunset
- Go to Santini for amazing ice-cream
- Pizzaria do Bairro is a good pizzeria that's open until really late, pretty cheap and pretty good
- Vestigius is a pretty comfy bar, but they've cut down on the live music lately so meh
- Fumeiro de Santa Catarina is a great tapas restaurant, and a really obsucre one as well
- Don't bother going to the parque das nações area unless you're really bored and the weather's really nice, since there's basically nothing there other than some decent sights
- Go to Choupana for the brunch of your life
- The gulbenkian gardens are pretty cool and a great way to feel like you're not in the middle of the city
- Café da garagem is another good place to chill with a great view, but be aware that it's quite the walk