48 Tips I Wish I Knew Before Visiting Lisbon, Portugal

48 Tips I Wish I Knew Before Visiting Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in the entire world but unfortunately a lot of people don’t end up loving Lisbon and I think there’s a lot of reasons for that I just spent a full month here and I think I’ve identified a lot of those reasons and

I’m here to share with you so we’re going to talk about some of the cultural differences you should be aware of some common tourist traps and money saving tips for your trip as well as where in town you should actually get food to avoid those tourist traps where you

Should base yourself some day trip best practices and I’m going to talk about the biggest mistake that I made when spending time here in Lisbon so we got a lot to cover but the first thing is don’t be scared off by the grittiness I’m not going to lie to you there’s

Going to be a lot of graffiti and in general this is not one of those clean cities in fact it might be the dirtiest City I’ve ever been to in all of Europe but it’s just kind of part of the charm in the culture here you’ve got nothing

To be worried about just learn to embrace it check out the graffiti in the street art cuz it is everywhere and that kind of leads into the second tip which it very much feels like culturally this isn’t artist City there are definitely cities around the world that are focused

On the business culture but this it’s just not one of them it really seems to focus on the artist culture and that’s a beautiful thing to see the art scene is thriving whether it be that street art street performers the museums I mean there’s just going to be art and Beauty

Everywhere you turn so really learn to embrace it because it is magical you just have to allow it to be and be open to seeing it next tip which really shouldn’t have to be said but make sure you recognize that culturally Portugal has a bunch of different cultures within

And Lisbon has a very unique one but is not representative of all of Portugal so perfect example of this is a lot of tourists coming into town and they’re like show me the port wine I’m ready to drink and well yes the port wine is spectacular that is actually more of a

Northern culture thing up in Porto down in Lisbon it’s actually xinga which is actually the main drink here which is kind of like this Cherry Lor thing it’s really spectacular in its own way so it’s not saying that you shouldn’t drink port wine it’s not saying that you

Shouldn’t expect those but just be aware of those cultural differences speaking about those cultural differences definitely recognize the pain point that some of the locals in Lisbon have felt over the last few years and are still feeling if you’ve ever heard of the golden Visa program you’ll know that it

Caused a huge influx of people immigrating into Portugal because life was good and it was really cheap if you’re coming from America or the UK or other parts of Europe but for many locals that meant that prices on everything Rose really really quick but their wages didn’t which meant a lot of

People were pushed out of the city center and it’s just changed culturally and that really is a paino for locals so be aware of that and the next tip is this really seems to be a stroll City the magic here is get lost in the streets take in the charm and just

Wander you don’t always need to have something on the agenda here it really is spectacular to just wander through and appreciate but like we just talked about with the pain points for the locals that wandering through the neighborhood neigh hoods and City can be an issue if you’re one of those

Disrespectful tourists that are drinking being loud and obnoxious throwing garbage everywhere just don’t be one of those people recognize that pain point and when you’re doing that wandering which you absolutely should do just be respectful treat this city just like you would hope that any tourist would treat

Your own home City next tip is Lisbon has a wonderful food scene but you are going to need reservations for dinner so make sure that you book reservations in advance also note that dinner happens a little bit later here somewhere between 7: and 10: p.m. but realistically

Between 8: and 10: p.m. so two extra tips within that one if you see a place that is open between the hours of 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. you know that they’re probably catering to the tourist and it’s not going to be the real deal but also even if you don’t have that

Reservation we had some success showing up right around 7 and when those places opened because most locals aren’t going to show up until about 8: between maybe 90000 p.m. that’s when they’re going to really start filing in so even if you don’t have that reservation give it a

Shot early they might be able to squeeze you in now a mistake that a lot of tourists make especially the American tourists is when you do sit down for dinner they are likely going to bring you olives and bread and cheese a bunch of that fun stuff that in America is

Just free at the beginning well here in Portugal that stuff is not free anything that you touch you are going to pay for now you don’t have to have it if you don’t want it just tell the wait or waitress no thank you please take this

Away and you won’t be charged for it also make sure to check your bill at the end of of the night to make sure that you aren’t being charged for things that you didn’t eat and tipping culture here tipping is not required but is definitely appreciated typically around

10% is the appropriate amount so if you’re going to do that cash is definitely preferred by most of the locals so if you have cash be prepared with that but even if you don’t have cash don’t worry you can still use your card to make a tip they’re just going to

Bring the card reader out to you and you say hey if this bill is 50 can you make it 55 please you’re going to have to ask them to do that because they won’t expect you to be doing that automatically so be prepared for that speaking of cash While most places will

Accept some form of credit card or debit card not everywhere does and it’s typically the local places that will still be cash only so just make sure that before you enter a restaurant you ask do you accept card that way you can run to an ATM if it’s cash only this

Next tip was a mistake that I made so if you’re coming in the winter months don’t expect this to be all warm sunshine in that tropical environment no definitely back some warm clothes and make sure to ask wherever you’re staying that hotel Airbnb whatever it is ask them if they

Have a dehumidifier and a heater because a lot of places don’t have heaters and the humidity is real and in the winter man it just makes it freezing I’ve basically been in long sleeves and jackets the entire month and so are most the locals so definitely be prepared for

That and don’t make that mistake speaking of packing even if you’re coming during the summer when you think you might be in flipflops the entire time think again you definitely need shoes with some real support the hills here are real the sidewalks and the streets are uneven they’re made of these

Tiles and they are beautiful but they do not provide an easy surface to walk on so make sure that you have the right shoes also if it is raining or if those tiles are wet definitely note that those things are slick and I have seen many

People wipe out I’ve wiped out a few times myself and what I found is the white tiles are actually slippier that slippier more slippery yeah they’re more slippery than the black tiles I don’t know if there’s any actual truth to that it might just be my shoes but if you

Have the opportunity try to step on the black tiles not the white ones locals let me know if I’m completely making that up another thing that you should be on the lookout for I know it’s kind of weird but definitely watch out for dog poop there’s more dog poop in this city

Than any other City I’ve ever been to I don’t know why but yeah just be on the lookout for that not fun now a quick money saving tip that I see a lot of tourists making a mistake with is don’t use Uber while Uber is perfectly safe

And it will work here bolt is actually the local ride share app it is far more convenient there’s going to be more drivers it’s going to be like 20 to 30% cheaper so if you’re wanting to save a dollar definitely use bolt now this next tip is something that tourists really

Make a mistake on so if you’ve been doing your research you’ve likely come across tram 28 telling you to yeah you got to hop on this tra and go see all the views in the Alama District right and it’s spectacular it is really beautiful I’m not saying don’t do it

What I am warning you about is one it is really touristy it’s a lot of tourist riding that thing two the lines get really long really quick so if you’re trying to beat the crowds get out as early in the morning as possible so you’re not sitting there waiting but one

Of the biggest mistakes tourists make with this is they see a tram 28 stop they flag it down they hop on and they’re like great I’m just going to take this thing for a loop I’m going going to ride it all the way around well

Guess what it does not Loop it goes from one end to the other so a lot of people people end up getting on at one point paying their €3 and not realizing oh my gosh this thing only goes another two stops and then everybody gets kicked off

So make sure you look at actually where you’re getting on so you get the most bang for your buck one other tip about tram 28 is if you are somebody who has the capability to walk and you can do Hills just fine maybe skip tram 28 and

I’m not saying it’s not great but locals also have to use the tram I imagine for them it is just a pain in the butt seeing the things constantly swarm by tourists tourists are taking the seat cuz they want to sit there and film out the windows and it’s just like come on

Guys locals have to use this too so if you can maybe just walk it cuz you’re going to get the same views by just walking through the district it’s where I’ve stayed all month and it is beautiful and I promise you you can do it on foot now another place that you’re

Probably going to want to go check out as a tourist is the castle and it is beautiful and it provides stunning scenery that’s really what you’re paying for are the views there’s not an interior of the castle that you’re going to see but the tip here is make sure to

Just book your tickets online the line gets really really long and that’s just to buy tickets but it’s the same price if you just do it on your phone so save yourself some time and just buy the tickets online and another moneysaving tip is if you are tied on that cash

Again the castle is really just going to be providing you views and while they are spectacular there are so many other places to get the views for free in Lisbon some of those coming up in some of the places that I’ll tell you about in just a bit but you look out for

Something called amadoru that just means Vantage Point Viewpoint they’re all over the city and they’re completely free so keep that in mind if you’re wanting to save some money and want to avoid all the tourists at the castle now I’ll tell you about some of my favorite places and

Tell you where you should stay and talk about my biggest mistake and just a minute but let’s talk about day tripping so there’s two of the most popular day trips from Lisbon are going to be cash guys and cra cra is a UNESCO world heritage site and it is stunning the

Scenery there is absolutely spectacular you could spend a full week over there and kashka is this wonderful Seaside town it’s a little bit bougie it’s very nice but also just stunning scenery but couple of tips when going to each of those I think a lot of tourists make the

Mistake of being like yeah I’m going to hit both of these in one day and while technically you can I’m going to say you shouldn’t both of these destinations deserve at least a full day at a bare minimum and honestly if you try to squeeze both into one day one you’re

Going to be rushed and two there’s not an easy way to get from one to the other you’re going to have to Uber take a taxi it’s going to be costly and just not that efficient so definitely split them up if you can now it’s really important

To know that for these day trips or any other destinations outside of Lisbon there are a lot of different train stations so make sure you Google and know exactly which train station you’re heading out of cuz chances are a few of them you’re going to need to actually

Uber or bolt out to those destinations cuz they’re not really going to be walkable and if you are going to have to take that bolt out there make sure to dedicate some time for catching that bolt we actually missed one of our trains because the bolt just

Couldn’t get to us in time and the traffic in the city can be really really bad depending on the time of day so just make sure you’re doing that preparation in advance but a couple really important things to know whether you’re going to CRA or kashai so either way you’re going

To be taking more of like the Metro train which you don’t buy tickets in advance you’re going to buy this thing right once you get to the train station so at least plan 5 minutes ahead of time getting to the train station so you can get one of these things also note that

You should hang on to this you’re going to need it to scan into the terminal to be able to get on the train somebody will check this thing on the train and you will have to scan this on your way out once you arrived so make sure to

Keep that thing handy also important to note that for a day trip to either of these places the trains are pretty much going to be running all day but they run at different intervals and some are Express trains and some are slower they cost the same but just make sure you

Know which one you’re getting on cuz it can add or reduce your trip by about 15 minutes each way so just check those timetables so you’re getting on that quicker one no reason to waste time on the train speaking of the train itself if you’re going to cash I highly

Recommend sitting on the left side of the train you’re going to be riding along the sea the whole way and the left side of the train is going to give you those perfect views also once you get to cash you’re definitely going to want to check out the historical town but do

Yourself a favor and walk about 15 20 minutes outside of town to something called boa de Inferno it is a beautiful spot right on the water where Mother Nature it just puts on a show there are going to be a lot of tourists but it is well worth going over there it’s

Completely free and uh yeah you’ll be amazed for sure now let’s talk about cintra one of the common mistakes I see tourists make is they get on the train and all of a sudden they arrive at portella dentra and they get off there that is not the correct place to get off

You’re going to be fine if you do get off that station but that is not where you’re actually going to be able to access the castle and everything else you want to wait all the way until the last stop that is just called CRA that’s where everybody will get off the train

Stop actually ends there so wait the entire time don’t get off on that wrong stop but another mistake that I see a lot of tourists make is right once they get off that train you’re going to be overwhelmed with a lot of people saying hey we’ll take you up to the castle

Here’s a Tuk Tuk ride here’s a golf cart ride and they hop on those and while you can definitely do that and you should do that if you’re somebody who can’t handle Hills well there’s definitely a better option and in my opinion that is just taking one of the most beautiful little

Hikes I have ever been on it is spectacular scenery it takes about 4045 minutes to get up to the castle and to be honest it was our best experience in Centra we enjoy that more than the castle itself so if you’re able to I definitely would not pass up that hike

And definitely get there early in the morning to do that so you have the trail to yourself also note that when you actually get up to the castle you’re going to see people queuing up and buying their tickets and the ticket machines they kind of fool you into

Buying a full-price ticket that includes not just the exterior of the castle but the interior as well but a lot of tourists they don’t want to see the interior and I was in that camp but unfortunately I got fooled and I bought the ticket so I did end up going inside

And I’d say it was cool it was definitely something that you should see if you want to but if you’re somebody like me who doesn’t really care to see the inside a couple tips one don’t be afraid to ask for help if you are buying your tickets up there that way you don’t

Get fooled into buying that full price ticket that includes the interior second is if you’re really looking to save some money you can actually save 15% by just buying them online it does have to be 3 days in advance but I’d highly recommend that once you save the money but two

Because you’re going to get first dibs at actually picking the entrance times all of the tickets are timed entrances and they do fill up rather quick especially during the summer month so definitely do yourself a favor and book online that’s what I’ll be doing the next time now I’ll tell you about that

Biggest mistake that I made and tell you where you should stay in town in just a second but first I want to tell you some of the best places in town to get food so if you’re looking online you’re going to see a lot of people recommend the timeout market and it’s definitely

Something that you can go and check out but to be honest the best food isn’t there but what you definitely should check out around that is in the same building there’s a local Fresh Market that’s open every single morning that’s where you’ll get more of a local experience I definitely check that out

Now I definitely recommend a place called fora it’s up in the Alama District it is a spectacular Place great pastries great coffee wonderful staff and you’ll see the trams going by it’s a really fun local experience another of my go-tos was a place called Koba it

Also has coffee there’s going to be a lot of people working there and that’s cuz they’ve got some of the fastest Wi-Fi in town some really good healthy meals also have pastries the prices are a little bit higher but it’s a pretty fun experience another C miss spot is a

Cafe called Cafe the garim this is the cafe with the views it is spectacular there’s often a line out the door so you might have to wait but don’t worry the views are spectacular really good product as well highly recommend them if you want to try some traditional

Portuguese street food you’ve got to check out a place called buas of Alfonso they serve buonas which is a little sandwich with really thinly sliced pork they are spectacular only a couple bucks and it is a cash only place highly recommend and make sure to put on the

Sweet mustard and the chili oil it’s spectacular and of course no trip to Lisbon is going to be complet without some great Seafood there’s a spot called ultimate Porto which is definitely outside of town you’re going to want to take a bat there it’s on the docks

Everything is going to be caught fresh local that day you’re going to get some great fish there highly recommend them but let’s talk about areas of town before I jump into that top mistake I made so if you’re looking for that old world charm and you’re really wanting to

Get the views the AL District that neighborhood is just spectacular that’s where we’ve been all month and it is super Charming now I do want to warn you it is not the best if you can’t handle Hills this is the part of town that survived the big earthquake back in the

1700s and the infrastructure is really really old old buildings not a lot of accessible roads uneven surfaces and lots and lots of hills but you’re going to get a lot of charm now I see a lot of tourists staying in two areas bisha and chiato to me bisha it’s a total tourist

Trap it’s the place that I wouldn’t recommend for anybody yes it is Central and yes it is flat you’re not going to deal with too many Hills but to be honest everything around there’s a tourist trap I wouldn’t try staying there chato is a little bit different

There are going to be a few Hills you’re still really Central to everything it’s got a little bit more Local Charm but there are definitely going to be some tourist traps in there as well it’s probably not for me but if you’re just wanting convenience chiato would be a

Wonderful spot for you another neighborhood that people really like is bario Alto now I’d really recommend that for two groups of people people who like to party and people who are young at heart and are cool with the party atmosphere a lot of people are going to

Be partying on the streets late at night too so it’s going to be pretty loud I wouldn’t recommend it for families another area that is close by to there is kaas dadre that’s just below bario Alto now it also has a bit of a party scene definitely that young demographic

As well but it’s hugged right up against the river you get really good access to everything else and you don’t have to tackle too many Hills unless you’re going straight up to bario ala or principal real so I really like that area I found myself hanging out there

Quite a bit and the other place is Principe real which is all the way at the top of the hill you’re going to have a more affluent Community up there definitely some rich folks really Chic boho I don’t know it’s a really nice place definitely worth checking out if

You’ve got the money and you want to say hey I want to start at the top of the hill each day and work my way down and then maybe I’ll take a bolt back up might be a great spot for you but probably not where I’d be looking to

Stay my next time now if you want to know where I’m going to base myself the next time that I’m visiting well that’s actually what I was referring to about my biggest mistake while Lisbon is spectacular we ended up loving Porto so much more and if you want to know

Everything that I wish I knew before visiting Porto you can watch this video right here or if you want an unedited unfiltered conversation about my experience living in Portugal for a month you can watch this video right here I hope this was helpful and we’ll catch you guys next time

These 48 tips to know before visiting Lisbon are what I wish I knew before my trip to Lisbon, Portugal.

Hopefully these travel tips will help you from making some of my mistakes when traveling through Lisbon!

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