I am totally addicted to Airbnb. I’ve used it for years to travel and also to rent out my own apartment, when I had one, to be able to afford trips abroad and not worry about rent while I was gone. Now I use it regularly in my life as a nomad. So it was a natural fit to partner with them for my Lisbon stay. To be honest, I am a bit addicted to trying on other people’s lives for a bit. Staying in a lived in space full of quirks, tchotchkes, and charm is the ultimate way to experience a culture from the inside out, as opposed to staying at a hotel. And luckily, it’s the most affordable lodging too.
While in Lisbon, I stayed at this bare-bones, bohemian flat, that was sufficient enough for what I needed and oozing with charm. I couldn’t believe when I stepped off the train, climbed the stairs, and found the sweetest alleyway in Lisbon’s oldest neighborhood, Alfama. Lined with tropical plants, and filled with granny neighbors tending to their geranium gardens and hanging their laundry, this lively neighborhood turned out to be just what I needed after months in the countryside.
The kitchen is tiny but oh so sweet with Mediterranean tile floors, a chiseled soapstone sink, and vintage pots and pans.
The living room and bedroom are cozy with an old farm table, a sofa and chair covered in textiles, and the most gorgeous Lisbon light, streaming through the windows. There’s a view of the Pantheon and the Tagus River. The apartment is just steps away from Lisbon’s oldest train station, Santa Apolonia, washed in aqua paint, and a gorgeous sight on a sunny day!
I loved sleeping under this gorgeous oil painting and I regularly went to Market Ribeira to buy flowers for my bed side. My favorite was a tall vase of lilies I had on the floor next to the bed. Waking up under Casablanca lily boughs, with pollen on my pillow was super dreamy!
If you’d like to rent this little apartment for yourself, you can see the listing right here on Airbnb.
Photos by Chelsea Fuss. Airbnb covered the cost of lodging for my stay.
This apartment is adorable! And super affordable, too! Just lovely.
Love Alfama! Thanks for sharing. Looks impossible to be sad in a space like that.
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I stayed in an Airbnb in Alfama this summer, close to Uncle George Café. The neighborhood was amazing & charming & inspiring, and I went down every morning for coffee and a chat with Uncle George, a beautiful, happy man who followed his dreams to open his coffeeshop many years ago. He was just one of the many incredible people I met in Lisbon! Along with the people, I found so much beauty in the architecture, the wind by the water, the gorgeous handmade tiles, the old world decay, the street musicians, the hot sun, the late night fado music, the colorful street cars, and the overall unexplainable feel of a city. Your photos are bringing many great feelings back from my time there…Thanks for sharing.
Btw, I just found on your blog today, and can’t stop reading…You have great style. So happy you get to spend your days slow traveling 🙂