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| Tram 25 |
Lisbon is one
of the easiest European capitals to enjoy. It is compact, sunny and noticeably
cheaper than Paris or Rome, and much of the best of it is free: viewpoints,
tiled streets, a slow coffee at a counter. The hills, the slippery pavements
and a few local quirks are what catch first-timers out. Here is what you need
to plan well.
When to go
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| Ponte 25 de Abril |
Spring (April
to June) and autumn (September to October) are the sweet spot: warm, bright and
calmer than midsummer. July and August are hot, and the stone streets hold the
heat, so save museums and long lunches for the afternoons. Winter is mild but
wet, and hotel prices drop sharply.
Mid-June is
festival season. The Santo António celebrations fill the streets with grilled
sardines and music, and 13 June is a city holiday when many monuments close.
Book ahead if your dates overlap.
From the airport to your hotel
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| Elevador da Bica |
The airport is
inside the city, about 7 km from the centre. The metro is the simplest option:
the station is right outside Terminal 1, and the Red Line reaches the centre in
20 to 30 minutes for €1.90 (change at Alameda for the Green Line to
Baixa-Chiado). The metro runs from about 6:30 am to 1 am.
With heavy bags, a late arrival or a hotel in Alfama, take an Uber or Bolt. Expect €8 to €15, with the price fixed in the app. Metered taxis cost roughly €12 to €20, plus a 20% surcharge at night and on weekends.
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Getting around
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| Praça do Comércio |
The centre is
walkable, but the hills are real. A good rule is to ride up and walk down.
Buy a reusable
Navegante card (€0.50) at any metro station and load it. A single Carris/Metro
ride costs €1.90 and lasts an hour on buses and trams, though the metro does
not allow two consecutive entries on one ticket. Metro gates also accept
contactless bank cards. Paying on board is more expensive: €2.30 on a bus,
around €3 on a tram.
If you plan
several rides a day, the 24-hour ticket at €7.25 covers the metro, buses and
trams. The €11.40 version adds the suburban trains to Belém, Cascais and
Sintra, and the €10.35 version adds the Cacilhas ferry across the Tagus.
The Lisboa Card
(€31 for 24 hours, €51 for 48, €62 for 72) bundles transport, the Sintra and
Cascais trains and free entry to more than 50 sights, including Jerónimos
Monastery and São Jorge Castle. It only pays off if you visit several paid
attractions a day. It does not cover the tourist buses in Sintra.
Good to know: Lisbon's historic lifts and funiculars have been out of service since the fatal Glória accident in September 2025. The Glória, Bica and Lavra lifts and the Santa Justa lift are closed with no confirmed reopening dates (the Glória is not expected back before about 2029). Only the Graça funicular has reopened, running daily from 9 am to 5 pm. Don't build your plans around any of them.
Where to stay
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| Alfama |
Your
neighbourhood shapes the trip more than your hotel does.
Baixa and Chiado are the safest choice for a first visit. They are flat, central,
well connected by metro and within walking distance of most sights. The
trade-off is crowds and the occasional pushy street seller.
Alfama and
Graça are the most atmospheric, with narrow lanes, viewpoints and fado at
night. They are also steep, noisy on busy evenings and awkward with luggage,
since taxis cannot reach every door.
Bairro Alto
and Cais do Sodré are for nightlife. Bars stay busy late, so light sleepers
should look elsewhere. Cais do Sodré is a handy transport hub for the Cascais
trains and the Cacilhas ferry, but its main bar street feels rough late at
night.
Príncipe Real and Estrela are calmer and more elegant, with gardens, boutiques and
good restaurants, a short ride from the centre.
Avenida da Liberdade and Marquês de Pombal offer easy metro access and more space for
the money, with a little less charm.
Belém is
quiet and next to the big monuments, but 20 to 30 minutes from downtown. Parque
das Nações is modern, flat and good for families, next to the Oceanário,
but far from the old town.
Expect to pay €15 to €40 for a hostel bed, €80 to €150 for a comfortable central hotel and €200 or more for luxury. Lisbon also charges a tourist tax of €4 per person per night (ages 13 and over, first seven nights only), usually collected at the property. Check for a lift before you book, because many older buildings do not have one.
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What it costs
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| Belem tower |
Excluding
flights, plan on roughly €40 to €70 a day on a tight budget and €80 to €150 for
a comfortable trip. Food is the easiest place to save: a counter coffee is
about €1 to €1.50, a pastel de nata about €1.50, and the lunchtime "prato
do dia" at a neighbourhood restaurant usually costs €8 to €11. Tipping is
not expected. Rounding up or leaving 5 to 10% for good service is plenty.
Eating out
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| Rua Augusta |
Restaurants
generally serve lunch from about noon to 3 pm and dinner from around 7:30 pm,
and many close in between. When you sit down, bread, butter, olives or cheese
often appear on the table. This is the couvert, and you are charged only for
what you eat. You can politely send it back. Tourist-heavy streets such as Rua
Augusta offer the poorest value, so walk a few blocks in any direction for
better prices.
Staying safe
Lisbon is a
safe city for visitors, and violent crime against tourists is rare. The real
issue is pickpocketing, which concentrates around Tram 28, Baixa, the Alfama
viewpoints, Bairro Alto at night and any long queue in Belém. Wear your bag in
front, keep your phone out of back pockets and be wary of anyone who bumps into
you or crowds you on a tram.
Two other
things catch people out. The first is the street sellers on Rua Augusta and
around Cais do Sodré who murmur offers of hashish or cocaine. What they sell is
often fake, some act as bait for robberies, and this summer a tourist was hit
by a stray bullet in Baixa during a dispute between dealers. Say no once and
keep walking. The second is the calçada, the polished limestone pavement, which
becomes very slippery when wet. Shoes with grip matter more than you would
expect. In an emergency, call 112.
Practical details
The currency is the euro, and cards are accepted almost everywhere, though small tascas sometimes prefer cash. English is widely spoken in the centre. Power sockets are Type F (230 V), and tap water is safe to drink. Many museums close on Mondays, including Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower, so plan Belém for another day.
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Day trips worth the time
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| Palácio da Pena, Sintra |
Sintra is the
classic: fairytale palaces and misty forests, 40 minutes by train from Rossio
station. Go early, especially in summer. Cascais, about 40 minutes from Cais do
Sodré, offers beaches and a seafront promenade. Both are covered by the €11.40
24-hour ticket.
Thank you for your time 😊
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