The hilly streets of Lisbon are incredibly charming and, as a consequence, are picking up popularity with tourists, especially European tourists. Whether you’re visiting Lisbon as part of a longer Portugal vacation or taking a quick weekend trip to the city from your European home base, this guide to Lisbon will be helpful in planning your trip. We’ve included everything you need to plan your trip to this beautiful sunny capital city. Keep reading our guide to Lisbon and then get planning!
When To Visit Lisbon
The best time to visit Lisbon is late spring and early fall. During these times, weather is pleasant without being too hot and the summer tourists are not there. Summer is the height of tourist season and the Lisbon city streets get sweltering. Winter is much quieter though rain and cool weather are common.
Getting To Lisbon
From the airport, we found it incredibly easy to get to our hotel via the metro. The airport connects directly to the metro underground. Plus this gave us time to purchase our navegante cards and get them loaded for our trip. You can do this at the kiosks near the entrance to the metro and because you’re entering near the airport where us tourists arrive, they had lots of official helpers there to walk us through the process. The metro got us within a few blocks of our hotel (though we later realized these were uphill blocks) for approximately 2€/person. You can also take a taxi or ride share for approximately 15-20€.
If you’re going to use public transportation during your trip, including the trams, get a navegante reloadable card. You can load the cards in 5€ units and “tap” as you ride. Each tap will be a discounted fare compared with paying with a card for each individual ride. Additionally, you can add a day pass to your card that gets you unlimited rides for the day.
Getting Around Lisbon
Lisbon is an extremely walkable city. Most things are really close together. However, it is also very hilly so be prepared for steep incline. Additionally, the cobblestone streets are pretty but can wreak havoc on your feet. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes.
Public transportation in Lisbon is great. We navigated the metro, trams and buses using the Google Map app and it made a great guide to Lisbon. Public Transport is clear and timely, except the old trams like the famous tram 28.
There are several trams running through the tourist area of Lisbon. However, we found that the waits for these were generally very long, especially at the end of the day. However, we were able to utilize these in the mornings and they were time savers, plus a super idllic to ride.
PS: Don’t be that tourist that just rides a tram to ride a tram. They are sweaty and crammed. Tourists using them as an activity with no destination in mind causes the waits to increase. Instead chose a tram route when using public transport to get from one place to another and utilize the tram system as Lisbon intended.
Ride share apps and taxis are great for getting to areas farther outside of central Lisbon. However, streets within Barrio Alto, Baxia, Chiado and Alfama are very slow moving so taking a car in those neighborhoods do not seem to save money or time.
Don’t have a car in Lisbon. If you need one for the rest of your Portugal itinerary, return it before heading into Lisbon. Parking in Lisbon is hard to find and/or expensive. You’ll also end up paying more for accommodations or staying farther from the action if you’re looking for a hotel with parking.
Where To Stay In Lisbon
We recommend staying in a central district like Barrio Alto, Baxia, Chaido or Alfama. For a full breakdown of neighborhoods and a guide to Lisbon neighborhoods and recommendations for each, check out our post here.
Or you can save time and stay at this great budget hostel that we stayed at: *Inn Barrio Alto*
Wherever you stay, we would warn against home rentals. There are lots of home rentals in Lisbon and, like many areas, they are pushing out locals. However, caring for mankind aside, they also aren’t as well managed as hotels. They are income properties with minimal human interaction. In our experience, hotels were cleaner, nicer, and provided a better experiences in Portugal. We stayed in this sweet staffed hostel in a private room and we had a kitchen – best of all the worlds!
How Long To Stay In Lisbon?
We think 2 days is the perfect amount of time to spend in Lisbon for first time visitors. This will allow you to explore all of the tourist districts, including Belém. This guide to Lisbon is perfect for planning your trip but our itinerary below is perfect for timing your actual stay in Lisbon – check it out and see what you can fit in two days.
If you want to explore the hilltop town of Sintra, add one extra day in Lisbon and take a day trip. We loved Sintra and would highly recommend a day trip.
One day in Lisbon is a viable option because the city is so compact you can cram lots into one day. However, one day will not allow you to visit Belém or spend time at many attractions. With one day, you’ll likely only be able to walk town and see the external sights of Lisbon.
Things To Do In Lisbon
Our five favorite things to do in Lisbon were:
- Visiting Jerónimos Monastery
- This Monastery is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the 7 Wonders of Portugal. And it truly is wonderful. It is filled with amazing craftsmanship and intricate detail.
- Trying Pastel de Nata
- The simple custard tarts are famous in Portugal. Said to be the product of the church, who had leftover egg yolks after using the egg whites to starch nun’s habits, the sweet treats are sold all around Lisbon. Our favorite stops were Pastéis de Belém and Manteigaria.
- Touring Castelo de São Jorge
- Touring this castle on the hill was one of the most surprisingly amazing things we did in Lisbon. We learned more about the history of Lisbon during our visit than anywhere else. The first building here was added in the 1st century BC and the hilltop fortification has been added to for centuries before being restored and turned into a museum in the 1900s.
- Seeing a Fado show
- Fado is traditional Portuguese music played with guitars and tending towards the mournful. Lots of restaurants in the tourist areas include fado shows with dinner.
- Visiting Praça do Comércio and the waterfront
- A great place for a walk and some people watching. This square was rebuilt following the 1755 earthquake and it built in a much different fashion than the rest of old Lisbon.
Should You Get The Lisbon Card?
Many a guide to Lisbon will suggest you buy the Lisbon Card. It is a bulk discount card for many attractions in Lisbon. We ran the numbers and we didn’t think this card would save us money when following our Lisbon 2-day itinerary. However, there are some nice discounts that may be of interest to you if you’re staying longer or planning on visiting more family friendly attractions. It’s definitely worth your time to explore their website after you’ve decided what attractions to visit, see if the card will actually save you money.
What To Budget
Expect to spend around $175 USD/day/person for one couple to visit Lisbon on a mid-range budget. Here’s a mini breakdown of costs.
- Hotel: $150/night for a double
- Attractions: $30/day
- Public Transport: $10/day
- Eating Out: $50/day
- Full day tour: $80/person
We spent $1060 USD for two people to visit Lisbon for three days, including a self guided day trip to Sintra.
Lisbon’s currency is the Euro. However, we put everything on on our credit cards so it converted our budget to dollars for us and you 🙂
What To Pack For Lisbon
Besides the items you’ll need for Portugal in general, Lisbon specifically requires good walking shoes. Cobblestones are tiring on the feet! Make sure you have a few pairs of good walking shoes if staying for multiple days to give your feet some variation.
Safety
Lisbon is a relatively safe place. There are scammers and pickpockets targeting tourists, like any large city, but violent crime in Lisbon is low. You may encounter people attempting to sell you drugs – just say no. In fact we were told by a tour guide most “drugs” being sold in tourist areas actually aren’t drugs, more likely weeds or kitchen ingredients, which is very smart of drug dealers as they then can’t get in trouble if they get caught selling those things.
The most common scam you’ll see is with taxis. All taxi fares should be metered. However, there are some cars at the airport that will offer to take you to your hotel for a flat rate. This flat rate will seem normal to most tourists, around 30€. However, it will likely be a much higher price than if you would have taken a metered cab.
Lisbon FAQs
Do I need to know Portuguese?
No, lots of people in Lisbon speak English. Learning a few phrases in Portuguese is helpful and courteous but not needed.
If I can’t speak Portuguese, should I speak Spanish?
Hard NO. The Portuguese are a little touchy on people getting their language mixed up with Spanish. So don’t offend them. If you can’t speak Portuguese, speak English.
I heard Portugal is a cheap travel destination. Is that true?
Yes, to an extent. Prices in some areas were much lower than other European travel destinations. However, as tourists increase, so too do the prices. Don’t expect to get a steal. Expect to get what you pay for, especially in central Lisbon. If you booked discount accommodations, you’ll likely find they are “worth” what you’re paying. Food prices were average – so low for a large city – in our opinion. The best deal – the wine! House wine, which was generally great, was anywhere from $7-15 at most restaurants we ate at. And it was good.
I hope this guide to Lisbon has helped you to plan your own perfect trip. We really enjoyed the city and hope you will too. If you have any questions, please leave them below and we’ll be happy to get back to you. Additionally, check out our Portugal travel page here with all of our Portugal articles or check out our Lisbon articles below.
