15 May 2014

We're an international bunch here at Homestay.com, so who better to offer some local travel tips than the guys in our own team. First up is Lisbon local, José.

Name: José Gonçalves

Role at Homestay: Senior Software Engineer

Nationality: Portuguese

Hometown: Lisbon

What do you love most about Lisbon?

Aside from spending time with my friends and family, of course, it's the diversity of the city that's so great. Lisbon sits on lots of hills and has many different quarters and areas so the vibe really changes as you move around. The old parts of the city with the narrow, cobblestone streets are really beautiful but I enjoy spending time in the different districts. The other great thing is that you are always by the sea and the weather is fantastic.

What’s your favourite restaurant in the city?

I have two favourites. For seafood it's Mar a Vista and for a meat feast I head to Tachadas. The owner is a butcher and the place serves the biggest pieces of meat you’ve ever seen! I like going there when I go back to Lisbon to visit friends. There’s a group of us who are big into motorbikes so we like to head there after a day out on the road.

What are your favourite things to do in Lisbon?

As the weather is so good in Portugal, I love being outdoors. When I get the chance, I like to go windsurfing in Guincho or kitesurfing in Costa da Caparica. About 30km from Lisbon is the historic town of Sintra, which is really picturesque. It's surrounded by a UNESCO protected mountain range and dotted with old palaces and castles, so it has a really mystical feel to it.

What are your top tips for visitors to Lisbon?

My top tip is to visit in June, when every year the whole city comes to life during the Festas dos Santos Populares. The festival celebrates a series of saints including, St. Anthony, the patron saint of Lisbon and the streets are filled with people selling small sardines on bread as well as wine and sangria, and there’s just a really great vibe to the event that lasts all night. My other top tip is to grab an ice-cream in Santini’s and to spend an evening (or two) walking around the Alfama district in the Bairro Alto. The area is one of the older parts of the town and is full of interesting bars and speakeasy type places. There’s even a bar there that once used to be a brothel! There’s also great jazz at a bar called Speakeasy.

What and where was your most memorable holiday?

That’s easy. It’s camping on the beach at a place called Sesimbra in Portugal. I’ve been many times as a child and as an adult, and I love it every time.

Where in the world do you most want to visit?

There are too many places! I love diving and would love to go somewhere that has those transparent blue waters you see in pictures. I also want to go snowboarding again in Austria or maybe in the United States. I want to go to see the TT races on the Isle of Man as I'm a big fan of motorbikes. I always want to learn about new and different cultures though so for me Tokyo is a city that I’ve always wanted to visit. And New York too, but Tokyo seems like a place that would be so different from everything I know. I want to experience it.

Keen to try the sardines? Check out our homestays in Lisbon