This is my second visit to Lisbon, the first was on a 'boys trip' and this time myself and Heather travelled with six friends. I was impressed with Lisbon on the previous visit but was even more impressed this time. What a great capital city Lisbon is.It has much more than just custard tarts and historic trams to offer the weekend visitor, although both of those were of course fabulous!

Flying from Manchester to Lisbon with TAP Air Portugal was a two and three quarter hour jaunt, TAP still offer in flight refreshments although the rather dry ham and cheese roll was hard going. The Portuguese Sagres beer however was much better.

Having arrived at Lisbon as a party of six (myself, Heather, Chris, Gail, Simon and Linda) it was a matter of waiting for a Ryanair arrival from London Stansted bringing John and Rita to the Portuguese capital. Our group of eight, armed with a €6.00 24 hour transport pass, was soon on the way to our hotel using the metro system.

Having enjoyed a Pastel de Nata (Custard Tart) at the airport it was not long after dropping our bags off at the hotel that we were on the famous historic Tram 28. This is a great way to see the city streets as the vintage trams wind their way around the narrow streets with what seems like inches to spare. So, with both custard tarts and trams ticked off before dinner on the first day what else was there to see and do in Lisbon? Well, lots actually!

Lisbon Castle, perched on the hill overlooking, made for a great little visit as we (well, Chris) dashed into the ticket office with just minutes to spare before the final entry time. The view, complete with sunset, provided a fabulous vista over the city. We also had time to wander the old castle walls before it became clear that they were looking to lock the doors. As the sun had set the narrow streets of the old town area surrounding the castle took on a different light but it was really nice to be sat outside in a local cafe, enjoying a drink and snacks, in February . . . . and it certainly beats being at work.

On the Friday night we had made a reservation at Le Petit Cafe which, despite the name, was about as French as Glasgow. That said the restaurant had a nice ambience, a limited but good menu and friendly staff. Sandros, our helpful smiling waiter, made the evening flow well, or maybe that was the wine and beer, either way it was a great night that was good value too.

Saturday morning saw us heading to Sintra, about a 40 minute trip by train from Lisbon's Rossio station. Given Rossio station was about ten minutes walk from our hotel and it housed a Starbucks so certain members of the group were very happy to get their morning fix. Sintra has a number of historical places to visit and we managed to do the National Palace, the Moorish Castle and Pena Palace. The day certainly involved a lot of walking and a lot of steps but the views were well worth the effort.

The National Palace, which was located in the town, had some stunning rooms with spectacular tiled walls and painted ceilings. The Moorish Castle, which was built in the 10th century, afforded spectacular views across the surrounding countryside and what are now the suburbs of Lisbon. The Pena Palace, which is almost theme park-esque in style, was built onto a monastry which suffered severe damage in 1755 due to an earthquake, before being renovated and extended to its current form between 1842 and 1854. The €25 entry fee to all three properties was well worth it as was the €5 we paid for the bus that took us from the town up to the Moorish Castle and Pena Palace and then back to the railway station.

With plenty of time for a coffee and cake in a local café it was nice to have a break and take the weight off the feet before catching the train back to Lisbon. It was a shame that we could not understand the timetable so had an extended wait at the station. b*****!

Our Saturday evening meal at the very highly rated Sommelier restaurant was a bit of a disaster. The reviews on Trip Advisor could not have been better however it really was not a 'top ten' experience for us. Steak and Crisps? Yes, that is pretty much what we got for €25! The wine was excellent but the food and service overall was a real let down and a complete contrast to our Friday night experience - you can't win 'em all.

Sunday morning had us wandering a bit more of the old town area as well as getting the opportunity to travel on the elavadores, or funicular railways, that are a great way to save the walk up or down some of the steep city streets. There was also an opportunity to sample some more Pastel de Nata before visiting the main Commercial Square on the water front and the Cathedral.

With the sun blazing it was time to go back to the hotel, collect the bags and then head to the airport. It would have been great to have an additional day in the Lisbon area as there was loads more to see and do - it may seem like we did quite a lot, but it felt like we just scratched the surface.