Lisboa, Portugal
Lisbon is probably one of the trendiest cities right now in Europe and is a unique city unlike any other around it. Although it is a fun loving, exciting, busy city, the people live a relaxed slow paced life. And while Lisbon can be quite modern, it is boasting with its beautiful traditions. The sun, great food and years of stories and architecture are just some of the reasons to visit this amazing city.
General Tips:
- Lisbon can get very steep so walking might get tiring; comfortable shoes is highly recommended.
- Be sure to carry a lot of water as the steep streets and sun can make you very tired and dehydrated.
- It is much safer than people make it out to be. People in Lisbon are very friendly and helpful.
- Compared to other European capitals, Lisbon is fairly cheap.
- Local Taxi’s tend to try and overcharge.
1. Best time to visit
Lisbon is a great time to go from March through to October with beautiful sunny weather. However, during the months of July and August it can get very hot and easily reach to about 35°c. Due to it also being the summer holiday months, it is also a time where travel and accommodation is higher than other months.
So, personally I think the best months for visiting with the best combination of weather and cost would be either June or September.
June is probably the best time to visit ; it is the official month of Lisbon street festivals. This is a time where there are many open air street festivals, concerts and outdoor neighbourhood parties pretty much everyday. The main festival is the Santo Antonio festival where each neighbourhood plays a part and compete to become the most amusing neighbourhood. of Lisbon .
2. Where to go
Torre de Belem (Belem tower)
Belem Tower is a fortifies tower, UNESCO world heritage and one of the main tourist attraction located by the coast of Lisbon .
Alfama
Alfama is a beautiful neighbourhood in Lisbon, a maze of steep cobblestone street and is the most traditional part of the city. This is a good place to get your comfy shoes and walk around, experience the streets and explore new random places. Even though Lisbon is becoming a increasingly touristy, it is still far form being discovered and a lot of it’s hidden gems lie here.
Castelo Sao Jorge, Alfama
As if roaming around Alfama wasn’t rewarding enough, the millennium old Castelo Sao Jorge is located on the steep hills with amazing views, it would be worth trying to time your visit to view the sunset aswell. Entrance is very low, around 5 Euros and is definitely worth it.
Rossio
Rossio is at the very heart of Lisbon with its popular wave of cobblestone floor design. It is also the place to take public transport including the famous Tram 28. The route is : Martim Moniz – Graca – Portas de Sol – Se Cathedral – Rua Conceição (southern Baixa) – Chiado – Sao Bento – Estrela - Campo Ourique and then goes back on the same route. This is a route that takes you along many of the attractions that you may want to see and the ticket lasts for a whole day so you can get off and on wherever you want and as many times as you want.
Bairro Alto
Bairro Alto is a very exciting, colour little neighbourhood with quite a nice nightlife. The most famous attraction is the Ascensor da Gloria, where many tourist take a photo. It is located at Calçada da Glória 6, 1250-144 Lisboa, Portugal
Praça do Comércio
Located by the Tagus river in the neighbourhood of Baixa, Praca do commercio is the largest plazas of Lisbon.
3. How many days in Lisbon?
Usually 3 to 4 days should be enough but if you wanted to visit other areas such as a well worth day trip to Sintra, then 6 days is more than enough.
DAY 1
- Belem district
- Largo de Camoes
- Viewpoints
DAY 2
- Parque Eduardo VII
- Avenida da Liberdade
- Rossio
- Carmo
- Praca do commercio
DAY 3
- Parques das Nacoes
- Baixa
- Alfama district
- Castelo de Sao Jorge
DAY 4
- Day trip to Sintra
DAY 5
- Feira da Ladra
- Panteao Nacional
- Igreja Sao Vicente de Fora
- LX Factory
DAY 6
- Beach day trip to Comporta/ Arrabida
4. Transport
Public transport is good in Lisbon, not excellent but will do.To use the metro, trains, trams or busses you’d need a VivaViagem card. This paper card can be topped up and used on one mode of transport . For this reason topping up the VivaViagem card with money (Zapping version) is a better option for using one ticket for many modes of transport.
There is also a 24hour day multi transport pass.
Another way of getting around is by using apps like Uber and Cabify. Try and refrain from using their taxis because they will try and rip you off.
The best and easiest way to arrive at Lisbon from the airport is to take a n Uber which will cost around 15 Euros.
5. Nightlife
Lisbon’s nightlife is fairly unique and down to earth. A night out could be just grabbing a drink from a bar and drinking of the street which can be really fun. There are fancy cocktail places you could visit but that can be done anywhere in the world. Experiencing the Lisbon way would be my advice.
Cais do Sodre and Bairro Alto are the 2 best places to go out at night with many bars and nightclubs to look forward to. People gather around Rua Nova do Carvalho in Cais do Sodre also known as Rua Corde Rosa (pink street). Wander around Bairro Alto if you’re not sure where to go. The streets of Rua da Barroca and Rua da Atalaia are filled with little bars and clubs that serve cheap drinks.
The people here are also very friendly which makes your visit the whole lot better!