Practical guide of Lisbon (Portugal)

We have just spent a month in Lisbon and we really liked this beautiful sunny city with its crazy charm. I know that there are already a lot of practical guides about Lisbon, but I am writing you a guide to my liking.

Abstract

The city center is quite small and public transportation is numerous, I think that 3 full days will be enough to explore the places without hurrying: 1 day to Lisbon, 1 day to Belém + beach, and 1 day to Sintra
Download the CityMapper application for all your travels in Lisbon.
It’s a city of hills and cobblestone streets, so quickly forget about strollers, pumps and other non-compatible stuff.
For digital nomads, expect to pay a bit more than other European cities (unless you agree to live in suburban areas, or Almada – on the other side of the Tagus)
Budget to be planned: from 253€/person all inclusive for 3 days, 2 nights
- Plane ticket: from 60€ with Ryanair (without hold luggage + 34€ round trip to Beauvais). From 120€ with Transavia (with hold luggage)
- Transport : 6,4€/day
- Accommodation: from 40€/night/double room
- Visits: between 4€ and 14€/ticket
- Restaurant: between 10€ and 20€/meal/person

Where to stay

I found the Airbnb more affordable and spacious than hotels. If you’ve never used Airbnb before and would like a coupon code, you can go through this link which will give you up to 34€ discount: https: //www.airbnb.fr/c/jmoingt?currency=EUR

If you prefer Booking, we have two addresses to recommend, which are downtown, a few minutes from a metro station:

We Love F Tourists: 50€ a double room, shared bathroom(link Booking)
A penthouse for 4 people: 46€/night for the whole house(link Booking)

Our travel diaries in Lisbon and surroundings

#1 Our Airbnb in the Alfama neighborhood#2
Attend a Benfica match at the Stadium of Luz#4
Oceanário – Lisbon Aquarium#5
Walk to Cais do Sobre, Baixa-Chiado & Shopping#6
Attend a Sporting match at Estádio José Alvalade #8 LX
Factory & Village Underground#9
Castle S. Jorge Castle, Carmelite Convent, Resto Ponto Final & Puppet Museum#10
Monastery
of the
Hieronymites

Two articles about Sintra#3
Visit of Sintra, Azenhas do Mar, Cabo da Roca and Boca do Inferno#7
Pena Palace & the Chalet of the Countess of Edla in Sintra

A day in Setubal

Other tips
Electric scooter in Lisbon (with promo code)
SIM card (if you don’t have roaming)

To see in Lisbon

This list is ranked in order of importance (according to my personal criteria)

The Place du Commerce (and all the walk around this area)
Convent of the Carmelites (4€)
The view from the top of theSanta Justa elevator (I explain how to get there for free here)
La Tour de Bélem (6,5€ but I just advise you to look outside for free)
Monastery of the Hieronymites (10€) in Belém
Museu Nacional do Azulejo (5€)
Take the ferry to the Ponto Final Restaurant
Quinta da Regaleira (8€, in Sintra)
Pena Palace & the Countess’s cottage (14€, in Sintra)

Some nice places to visit with the children:

The Lisbon Aquarium
Puppet Museum

The Beach

Praia dos Carcavelos: it is the most accessible beach from the city center (20mn by suburban train from Cais do Sodré)
Costa da Caparica: endless beaches, lots of seafood, terraces, surfers. It is unfortunately a bit far: 1h30 by public transport, or 40 minutes by car/taxi

Some trendy/known places but which are a little overrated for me:

Time Out (expensive restaurants in a noisy canteen atmosphere)
LX Factory (the restaurants aren’t that good, the coworking area is really ugly, and their hostel has, apparently, bed chips. On the other hand, Instagram fans will love it. Preferably go there on sundays for the weekly market)
Castle of S. Jorge: apart from the impressive viewpoint, there isn’thing interesting to visit. The ticket costs 10€, too much when there are other free watchtowers all over Lisbon

Top prize list

Best pasteis de nata: Manteigaria : a 2m wide store where they serve you the best pasteis of Lisbon, warm (very important), either to take away or on the spot (1€/pasteis)
Best restaurant As Ladrashome cooking, home made food, fresh ingredients. Lunch menu at 10€. A la carte in the evening. Closed on Sunday and Monday.
Best paying visit: the initiatory well at the Regaleira Palace in Sintra
Best canned sardines: at Conserveira de Lisboa
Best souvenir store: A Vida Portuguesa
Best viewpoint: Miradouro da Nossa Senhora do Monte
Best facial care Skinlife

Other practical advice

Withdrawal : Locate distributors marked Multibanco, where you can withdraw at no charge. Euronet ATMs charge 2€/withdrawal (even if you withdraw in Euro, the scam!)
Card payment: accepted almost everywhere, but still plan to pay at least 30€/person in cash as some restaurants/bus only pay in cash. Be careful, at the time of payment, you must first press the green key to accept the amount, and then enter the secret code.

Airport => Downtown: Metro is the cheapest option. If you take a cab, demand that the driver puts the meter on, and don’t pay a supposed “flat rate”. In the other direction (city center => airport), if you are 3 or more, choose instead Uber or Kapten, the fare is only 5€
Transportation : the subway and the streetcar are your friends. Opt for the 24h package at 6.4€ (which allows you to take the metro, streetcars, buses and elevators). I put the details on the picture below. Zoom in to see the difference between the 6.4€, 9.5€ and 10.55€ packages. Note: if your hotel isn’t very far from the Baixo-Chiado metro station, the 1st day of visit can be done on foot without any problem.
The bus: when the bus is crowded, it will stop 5m before the bus station to let the passengers get off. Then, it will stop a second time to let other passengers get on. So don’t stress if you see people getting off and the door in advance isn’t yet open.
The train: there are suburban trains (especially to go to Sintra), these trains are only covered by the 24h pass at 10.55€ or if you pay the ticket at part/opt for the Zapping pass (i.e. you charge your card with xx€). Check the timetables on www.cp.pt. Don’t try to cheat, the fines are very high (more than 100€).
The ferry: costs about 2€ one way. The crossing is fast, but you can’t go up to the top to have the panoramic view, it’s rather a transport ferry and not a tourist ferry.
The streetcar: everyone will jostle to take the streetcar 28E (the train seen in “Un Tramway nommé désir” but the streetcar 12E, which shares a part of the trip with the streetcar 28E, will be less crowded and just as nice
Restaurants: no free water carafe as in France, water is paid for. Attention: the “couvert” i.e. bread, olives, and any other small dishes served will be charged as well, it is necessary to think of refusing them, it can go from 1€/person to 3€/person for a very poor quality. You won’t necessarily be asked for your opinion, but you should refuse them if you don’t want them.

A book

I found this guide not too bad: Guide A Great Weekend in Lisbon 2019. The practical tips aren’t complete (e.g. public transport in Sintra isn’t clearly explained – a big part is missing on streetcar 28E) but there are some nice pictures which motivate to visit a lot of things. It is very small in addition.