Lisbon is a popular city trip destination in Europe. The hilly and colourful capital of Portugal is known for its viewpoints, the yummy Pastei de Nata, and Tram 28. But where should you stay in Lisbon, when exploring the city?
During our 5 day trip in November 2016 we stayed at Largo da Sé Guest House in Lisbon. Keep reading to find out if this would be a good fit for you too.
Location of Largo da Sé Guest House in Lisbon
Largo Da Sé Guest House is a rather small, but nice guest house in the centre of Lisbon. From our room we could see the beautiful Igreja de Santo António, or Church of Saint Anthony, blocking the view of the famous Lisbon Cathedral, or Sé Catedral de Lisboa, that’s right behind it. The iconic Tram 28 passes just a couple of meters from the door of Largo da Sé Guest House. As you can see, Lisbon is right on your doorstep, ready to be discovered.
It’s an easy trip from the airport to Largo da Sé Guest House, using public transport. Allow for 45 to 55 minutes from walking out of the airport to arriving at Largo da Sé Guest House. At the metro station just outside the airport, you can buy a reusable Viva Viagem Card that’s valid on all public transport in Lisbon. A 40 to 45 minute trip on the metro plus a 7 minute walk later, you’ve reached Largo da Sé Guest House.
The friendly lady from Largo da Sé Guest House explained us there are 2 metro stations within a 7 minute walk from the guest house. The first one is Terreiro do Paco Metro Station, the one we got off when arriving in Lisbon. It’s not that far a walk, but the last part before getting to the guest house is pretty steep. So this metro station is the best one to leave from, giving you a head start with the downhill part. The second one is Baixa-Chiado Metro Station. The route between here and the guest house is flat, so it’s the best one to get off when heading back to the guest house.
The rooms at Largo da Sé Guest House
Largo da Sé Guest House, located inside a historical building, has 11 bedrooms. Most of them share 3 bathrooms, but they have one or more rooms with a private bathroom as well. We stayed in a double room with shared bathroom. The room was small, but nice. Actually you don’t need a lot of space in your room, right? Because you’ll be out exploring Lisbon all day.
We found soap and towels on the bed, to be used in the shared bathrooms. On our pillow we found a delicious welcome candy made of chocolate. Our room looked out on the Church of Saint Anthony, other rooms are supposed to have a view on the Lisbon Cathedral. The room was nice and clean, no remarks at all. We were very pleased with our stay in Lisbon at Largo da Sé Guest House.
Services and facilities at Largo da Sé Guest House
Upon arrival at Largo da Sé Guest House we were welcomed by a very friendly lady. She gave us a tour of the guest house (bathrooms, breakfast room, our room), and offered us a glass of water and fresh Portuguese pastries. Yum, they were delicious! We sat down in the sofa and she gave us some tips and information on what to see and do in Lisbon, marking everything on a map of the city.
Having a private bathroom is handy, maybe even preferable, I admit. On the other hand, giving this up is a good way to save some money on your accommodation while travelling. Each of the 3 shared bathrooms had a toilet, a sink, and a shower, basically everything you need. The only real disadvantage of a shared bathroom is you’ll have to cover up when getting from the shower to your bed. We never had to wait for one to be available.
A delicious breakfast and pretty fast WiFi are included in the price of the room. Breakfast is served in the breakfast room from 8:00 to 10:00. It’s a buffet with bread, pastries, fruit, yoghurt, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and orange juice. The espresso machine and tea cart are available for free the entire day.
I have a real sweet tooth, so the pastries at breakfast were right up my alley! I asked the friendly guy from Largo da Sé Guest House about them and he gladly explained their names. Turns out my favourite pastry is called Delicia Folhada, which Google translates to puffy delight. It’s almost like a Travesseira de Sintra, if you ask me. There was another pastry that we mistook for Pastei de Nata (it’s all just so delicious!), a Tigelada. According to Google it means tigress and I can see why. Between you and me though, a Pastel de Nata is way better than a Tigelada.
How much will it cost you?
We booked our stay in Lisbon at Largo da Sé Guest House through Booking.com. It cost us €236.90 for a stay of 5 nights in a double room with shared bathroom. That comes down to €47.38 per night for the room, including a delicious breakfast, pretty fast WiFi, and towels. Upon arrival you have to pay a tourist tax as well, which is €1 per day per person, adding up to €10 in total for the both of us.
We really enjoyed our stay in Lisbon and would recommend Largo da Sé Guest House to anyone visiting the city. It’s a nice guest house with very friendly and helpful staff, in a good location to explore Lisbon. The part I liked most about this cute little guest house: the cart with pastries that’s in the lounge all day. #busted
Where did you stay in Lisbon? Or is Portugal and its capital still on your bucket list? We’d love to read about your experience in the comments!
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