Here is how I used the hassle-free Lisboa Card to explore Lisbon on my own. The Lisboa Card is a 3-in-1 transport card, museum pass and discount card. It offers free admission to 26 attractions and museum, discount on tours and participating stores, and free unlimited public transport including free travel by train to Sintra and Caicais!

Belem is a district in western Lisbon which is located at the mouth of River Tagus. Belem houses two famous landmarks of Lisbon: Jeronimos Monastery and Belem Tower (both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites). You can easily spent half day in Belem since it is a bit far from downtown Lisbon. 

Sintra is a town nestled in the scenic Sintra mountains which is located about 28 km away northwest of Lisbon. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Sintra has many attractions that are worth visiting including Pena Palace and Park, Moorish Castle, Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra (National) Palace, Monserrate Palace and etc. It is possible to make a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon along with a stopover at Cabo da Roca (the westernmost point of continental Europe) and Cascais (a coastal resort town in Lisbon).

Quinta da Regaleira is an extravagant mansion in Sintra but the real gem is the garden with secret passages, mythological symbols and a Knights of Templar initiation well. Along with other palaces in Sintra, it is one of the most popular attractions in Sintra. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Moorish Castle is a medieval fortification founded in the 10th century during the Moorish occupation in the Iberian peninsular. Winding across two ridges on the Sintra Mountain, the high vintage point provided the Moors a strategic view along the Atlantic Coast and surrounding lands.

Pena Palaca is the jewel of Sintra, standing proudly on the top of the Sintra hills. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site as well as one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. This Romanticist castle with bold colours of red, yellow and blue captivates one's imagination as if walking into a fairy tale.   

Porto, the second largest city of Portugal, is my first stop in Portugal. Its historic centre was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996. This beautiful city was built on the hills overlooking Duoro River.