SPRAY painting graffiti on a wall was definitely not what I had planned for my first visit to Lisbon.
But there I was paint can in hand and even the appearance of not one, but two, police cars didn’t deter me.
To be honest I reckon they took pity on my miserably bad skills, as they stood, arms folded, watching, as me and my pals created our own masterpiece, under the watchful eye and helping hand of graffiti genius Miguel Brum
He’d taken us on a brilliant tour of the city’s most colourful and beautiful urban street art, including a few stunning creations of his own, before we got to try our hand at it ourselves.
Donning white all-in-one suits, blue booties over our trainers, rubber gloves and face masks, we looked like we’d stepped out of an episode of CSI!
I’ll confess, the design was all Miguel’s, all we had to do was fill in the blank spaces with the coloured spray cans he handed us. Like paint by numbers only on a grand scale, but we’re still chuffed with the final results.
Our adventure with Miguel, one of the city’s leading street artists, had been arranged through they city’s newest, and hippest, hotels, The Andaz Lisbon.
It only opened six months ago but is already one of the most popular in the city, with its roof top bar and the already award-winning Luzzi restaurant, serving up incredible creations from chef Bruno Alves.
Set in a beautifully adorned former bank building, inside the design is funky and trendy, with lots of fabulous pieces from local artists and sculptors.
Moody corridors, lined with eye-catching thick carpets, lead to equally stylish rooms, with all the mod cons, massive walk in shower, and dream-inducing beds.
Andaz has introduced a curated collection of six exclusive, bespoke experiences for guests to book, designed to reveal the capital’s hidden gems and help you get under the skin of the city.
As well as the graffiti tour, my pals and I went on a guided evening tour to discover Lisbon’s seven hills which house all the popular, as well as hidden, neighbourhoods and local treasures.
Starting with a chilled glass for Rose at one the Lisbon’s many traditional kiosks, before a cocktail at a hidden, vintage speakeasy, we ended with a soulful Fado experience where the wine flowed, accompanied by huge slices of custard tarts and glasses of chocolate mousse! Well it was a Friday.
Hopping back into our people carrier, we enjoyed a final night-cap at the hotel lounge, before it was ‘boa noite’ from us all.
The Andaz is set just one street back from the huge Praça do Comércio, Portugal’s most famous square and that’s where we headed next day.
Taking a walk through the main entrance, the Arco da Rua Augusta, we pulled up a seat at one of the bars under its majestic architectural arches, and drank in the view of the Tagus River and the Christ the King statue on the other side on the hills in Almada.
This place is where the palace once stood, before it, along with most of Lisbon, was destroyed in a devastating earthquake and tsunami in 1755.
If you didn’t know about the tragedy, you wouldn’t guess by looking at the city. The locals will point to ancient-looking buildings and say ‘this is the new one’ – but when they say new they mean built after the quake not the 21st century!
One area not to be missed is the waterfront district of Belem, with its colourful tile-clad houses and historic landmarks like the Tower of Belem.
The massive Jerónimos Monastery dominates the area and inside you’ll find the tomb of explorer Vasco de Gama, who charted the first maritime route between Europe and India, around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa.
GO : LISBON
GO: ANDAZ LISBON
GETTING THERE: easyJet.com fly to Lisbon from Glasgow and Edinburgh with fares from £30.99pp. Visit Lisboa have introduced a fixed-price taxi service from the airport, with fares from approx £13.50 for Zone 1 and £16 for Zone 2, for up to four passengers with luggage. Weekend and public holiday fares from £17-£19.50. Get taxi vouchers from the Ask Me Lisboa Tourism Desk at the airport.
STAYING THERE: Rooms at 5* Andaz Lisbon start from around £234 per night on a room-only basis. See hyatt.com.
MORE INFO: Get a Lisboa Card from approx £26 which includes free public transport, free entry to 51 museums and monuments, fast-track access at selected attractions and discounts on a range of other experiences and services. For that and more on visiting the city, see visitlisboa.com.
Swing by the marina to ogle the yachts moored in the harbour and then take a trip up the sail-shaped Padrão dos Descobrimentos (or Monument to the Discoveries) for incredible views.
And here’s a top tip – forget Pastel de Nata. Belem is home to the original Portugese custard tarts and here they’re called Pasteis de Belem, first made at the historic Pastéis de Belém bakery way back in 1837, using a secret recipe passed to them by the monks from Jerónimos Monastery when it closed.
The queues here were insane when we arrived, but you can jump them if you opt to eat in the sit-down dining room or, like us, book a tuk tuk tour of the city which includes a visit to try the flaky little pieces of food heaven.
It was other tasty little bites that drew us back to the Andaz and the Luzzi restaurant, which recently won the Rooftop Category at the 2026 Restaurant & Bar Design Awards, an award very well deserved, in my humble opinion. It’s simply stunning.
We shared moreish plates full of tuna tartare, grilled prawns, chicken dumplings, prawn moqueca( a Brazilian fav of mine) baked seabass and even a cauliflower vindaloo – who knew!
Earlier in the evening we enjoyed a pre-dinner Fado trio in the Andaz Lounge and after dinner we headed through to enjoy some chilled tunes from the DJ at the rooftop bar.
Next day we made a bee-line for Livraria Bertrand, the oldest bookshop in the world, where our pal Rashmi was delighted to find a guide book she’d help write for sale. Amazing!
The bookshop has been in constant operation since 1732 and has various sections dedicated to different themes and languages and if you wander right to the back, you’ll find a lovely courtyard cafe where you can pour over your purchase with a coffee and custard tart, of course.
And typical of Lisbon it features a marvellous mural of Portuguese poet and writer Fernando Pessoa painted by acclaimed street artist Tamara Alves.
Looking at this impressive work, I decided it was time to hang up my spray can and leave the graffiti to the professionals.