Lisbon

Lisbon at a glance

Time zone

Western European Time, UTC+0; summer time, UTC+1, from late March to late October

Currency

Euro (€). Cards and phone payments are widely accepted; carry a little cash for kiosks and small tascas

Language

Portuguese. English is widely spoken in central restaurants, shops and hotels; start with “Bom dia” or “Boa tarde”

Airports

Lisbon Airport (LIS): the Metro red line from Aeroporto, changing at Alameda for the green line, reaches Baixa-Chiado in about 31 min and Cais do Sodré in about 35 min

Best months

May, June and September

Power

European two-pin plugs (types C and F), 230 V

Tipping

Optional. Leaving 5–10% for good table service is common when the bill has no service charge; round up in taxis

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Where to spend your time

• Chiado and Bairro Alto Start at Largo do Chiado for the bookshops and cafés on rua Garrett, then climb into Bairro Alto’s lanes for a drink after dark.
• Príncipe Real Browse the concept stores around the Praça do Príncipe Real and sit under the cedar in its garden, then walk down rua da Escola Politécnica.
• Alfama Walk up from the Sé to the Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol lookouts in the morning, explore the lanes below, and book fado for the evening.
• Baixa Walk rua Augusta to the Praça do Comércio and the river. The grid rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake is one of the few flat parts of the city.
• Santos Walk west from Cais do Sodré along the river, then climb the lanes to the galleries and cafés around Santos and São Bento.
• Marvila Head east in the late afternoon for brewery taprooms and galleries in old warehouses along rua Capitão Leitão; take a taxi, as the streets are spread out.
• Belém Go early for pastéis at the bakery and the Jerónimos Monastery, then walk the river to the Belém Tower and the MAAT.

Where we’d send a friend

• Hello, Kristof Santos. A small specialty coffee shop with 16 seats and a wall of magazines; laptops stay closed here. Rua do Poço dos Negros 103. Order: A flat white and the brioche French toast. No reservations. Open 8:45 AM to 3:45 PM; espresso about €1.70. Website
• Manteigaria Chiado. A counter that makes only pastéis de nata, in the Art Nouveau shop of an old butter cooperative from 1900. Rua do Loreto 2. Order: A pastel de nata, warm. Open every day, 8 AM to midnight. Eat at the counter or take a box away. Website
• Pastéis de Belém Belém. Baking its custard tarts to the monastery’s secret recipe since 1837, a short walk from the Jerónimos. Rua de Belém 84–92. Order: Two pastéis de Belém and a bica. Open every day, 8 AM to 9 PM; until 10 PM from July to September, 7 PM on Dec 24, 25 and 31 and Jan 1. Website
• Prado Sé. Seasonal Portuguese produce, from land and sea, and organic and natural wines, in a former cannery hung with plants. Travessa das Pedras Negras 2. Order: Barrosã beef tartare with grilled cabbage, then Alentejo pork. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Dinner Tuesday to Saturday from 7 PM; lunch Thursday to Saturday from noon. Book online. Small plates about €9–25; dinner menu about €80. Website
• Belcanto Chiado. José Avillez’s restaurant with two Michelin stars, cooking from the long history of Portuguese food. Rua Serpa Pinto 10A. Order: The Belcanto tasting menu. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Lunch 12:30 to 3 PM, dinner 7 to 10 PM, Tuesday to Saturday. Book online; changes are free up to 48 hours ahead. Tasting menu about €295; smart casual. Website
• Café de São Bento São Bento. A steak house since 1982 behind a red awning; ring the bell to go in. Rua de São Bento 212. Order: Bife à São Bento with a fried egg and the house chips. Open every day, noon to 3 PM and 6:30 PM to 1 AM; until 2 AM on Fridays and Saturdays. Book online or by WhatsApp. Steak about €30 for 200 g. Website
• SÁLA de João Sá Baixa. Chef João Sá’s seasonal tasting menus, a street back from the river. Rua dos Bacalhoeiros 103. Order: The Horizonte à Vista menu. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Dinner Tuesday to Saturday, 6:30 to 9:30 PM; lunch on Saturdays. Book online. Menus from about €155. Website
• Cervejaria Ramiro Intendente. A loud, bright seafood hall: shellfish by weight, cold beer, and a steak sandwich to finish. Avenida Almirante Reis 1-H. Order: Clams, tiger prawns, then a prego. Closed Mondays. Open Tuesday to Saturday, noon to midnight; Sundays until 11 PM. Queues build in the evening; its site links to online booking. Website
• Tasca da Esquina Campo de Ourique. Chef Vítor Sobral’s modern take on the Portuguese tasca, with traditional recipes reworked, on a corner in Campo de Ourique. Rua Domingos Sequeira 41C. Open every day, 12:30 to 3 PM and 7 to 10:30 PM. Book through its site or by phone; a table for 4 or more is held with a card, charged €40 a person only if you don’t come. Website
• Clube de Fado Alfama. Founded in 1995 by Mário Pacheco, Amália Rodrigues’s guitarist, in a stone-vaulted house more than 300 years old. Rua de São João da Praça 94. Order: The set dinner, with bacalhau à Clube de Fado. Open every day, 7:30 PM to 1 AM; fado from 8:30 PM. Dinner with the show about €78; book ahead. From 10:30 PM the late fado has no set price: a glass, petiscos or a late dinner, à la carte. Website
• Foxtrot Príncipe Real. A bar since 1978 with four Art Deco rooms, a pool table and a patio, on the city’s list of historic shops. Travessa de Santa Teresa 28. Order: A signature cocktail, or a classic. Closed Sundays. Opens at 6 PM; closes at 2 AM, or 3 AM on Fridays and Saturdays by its FAQ (its contact page says 2 AM), so check before you go. No reservations: entry depends on space. Website
• Dois Corvos Marvila. The first brewery in Marvila’s old industrial quarter, with 17 taps, a full kitchen and music nights. Rua Capitão Leitão 94. Order: A flight from the 17 taps. Closed Mondays. Open 3 to 11 PM; until 1 AM on Fridays and Saturdays. Website
• Musa Marvila. A brewery with its taps, amplifiers and ovens on, for beer, food and live music. Rua do Açúcar 83. Order: A Born in the IPA, or a Twist & Stout. Closed Mondays. Open Tuesday to Thursday 5 PM to midnight, Friday 5 PM to 3 AM, Saturday 1 PM to 3 AM, Sunday 1 PM to midnight. Website
• Livraria Bertrand Chiado. Listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest bookshop still trading; on rua Garrett since 1773, in seven rooms with a café. Rua Garrett 73–75. Order: A book in English from the front tables, then a coffee in the café. Open every day, 9 AM to 10 PM. The café closes at 8 PM on weekdays and 1 PM at weekends. Website
• A Vida Portuguesa Chiado. Soaps, stationery, textiles, tableware and a grocery of products made in Portugal, over two floors of the former Livraria Férin. Rua Nova do Almada 72. Open every day: 10 AM to 7:30 PM, Sundays from 11 AM. Website
• Embaixada Príncipe Real. Portuguese design, crafts, fashion and food brands in the Palácio Ribeiro da Cunha, a 19th-century neo-Moorish palace. Praça do Príncipe Real 26. Open every day: noon to 8 PM, Sundays 11 AM to 7 PM. Each shop inside may keep its own hours. Website
• Castelo de São Jorge Alfama. The castle on the hill above Alfama: walls and towers to walk, a square shaded by pines, and the city and the river below. Rua de Santa Cruz do Castelo. Open every day, 9 AM to 6 PM from November to February (last entry 5:30 PM), and until 9 PM from March to October. Shut on Jan 1, May 1 and Dec 24, 25 and 31. Tickets about €17, online or at the gate. Website
• Gulbenkian Museum Avenidas Novas. Calouste Gulbenkian’s collection, from Lalique jewellery to Islamic art, renovated in 2026; the CAM, rebuilt by Kengo Kuma, is across the garden. Avenida de Berna 45A. São Sebastião. Closed Tuesdays. Open 10 AM to 6 PM, Saturdays until 9 PM; last entry 30 minutes before closing. Tickets online or at the desk. Website
• MAAT Belém. The Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, opened in 2016 in a curved building on the river. Avenida de Brasília. Closed Tuesdays. Open 10 AM to 7 PM, Wednesday to Monday; when it’s busy, the ticket office may close early. Website
• Underdogs Gallery Marvila. A gallery and public-art programme in a Marvila warehouse since 2013, with artist editions for sale. Rua Fernando Palha, Armazém 56. Free entry. Open Tuesday to Friday, 2 to 7 PM; its site also lists Saturdays, so check before you go. Website
• Oficina Impossível Santos. An open gallery with artists’ studios in Santos, founded in 2018. Calçada Marquês de Abrantes 100–102. Open Wednesday to Saturday, 3 to 7 PM, only while an exhibition is on; check its site first. Website

A first week in Lisbon

1. Day 1: Land and walk Chiado. Drop your bags, then walk from Largo do Chiado down rua Garrett to the river. Eat nearby, and finish at a miradouro at sunset.
2. Day 2: Alfama and the castle. Start at the castle when it opens, then the Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol lookouts; walk down through Alfama’s lanes to the Sé, and book fado for the evening.
3. Day 3: Belém. Go early: pastéis at the bakery, the Jerónimos Monastery, then the river walk to the Belém Tower and the MAAT.
4. Day 4: Príncipe Real and São Bento. Shop around the Praça do Príncipe Real in the morning, walk down to São Bento for lunch, and end with a drink at Foxtrot.
5. Day 5: Out of town. Choose one: Sintra for the palaces, booked ahead, or Cascais for the coast and the beach. Both trains take about 40 minutes.
6. Day 6: The Gulbenkian and Santos. Spend the morning at the Gulbenkian museum and its garden, then come back down to Santos for a gallery and dinner nearby.
7. Day 7: Marvila. Go east in the afternoon for the Underdogs gallery, then stay for the taprooms and dinner in Marvila.

Where people meet

• Miradouros The lookouts’ kiosks serve coffee by day and wine at sunset; sharing a bench is normal.
• Taprooms Marvila’s brewery taprooms have long shared tables and music on weekend nights.
• Web Summit week In early November the summit runs at FIL and the MEO Arena in Parque das Nações, by Oriente on the Metro red line; side events spread across the city that week.
• Fado At the late sets in some fado houses you can come for a glass after 10:30 PM, without a dinner booking.

Eating in Lisbon

• Book ahead Tasting-menu restaurants and the busiest fado houses take bookings online; book a few weeks ahead, more for Web Summit week.
• Lunch and dinner Lunch runs from about noon to 3 PM; many locals eat dinner from 8 PM. Many restaurants close on Sundays or Mondays; each place here lists its closed days.
• The couvert Bread, olives or butter brought to the table are charged if you eat them. Send them back if you don’t want them.
• Pastéis and coffee Order a bica (an espresso) at the counter and a pastel de nata warm; it’s how most mornings start.

Getting around

• Tap through Tap a contactless bank card or phone at the Metro gates, about €1.92 a ride, one card per person. Or load a navegante card (€0.50) at a station; a 24-hour Carris and Metro ticket costs about €7.25.
• Trams and hills Tram 28E runs from Martim Moniz through Graça and Alfama to Prazeres and is often full; ride it early. Tickets bought on board cost more: about €3.30 a tram ride, €4.30 for a funicular.
• After midnight The Metro runs from 6:30 AM to 1 AM every day. After that, use a taxi or a ride-hail app such as Uber or Bolt.

Good to know

• Say bom dia Greet staff with “Bom dia” before noon and “Boa tarde” after; “obrigado” or “obrigada” for thank you.
• Ask for the bill Waiters bring the bill when you ask for it: “A conta, por favor.”
• Stand on the right On Metro escalators, stand on the right and walk on the left.
• Keep it down late Alfama and Bairro Alto are residential; keep voices low in the lanes after midnight.

When to go

May, June and September are usually the most comfortable for walking the hills. July and August are hot and dry. Most rain falls from October to January, and Web Summit fills hotels in early November, so book early that week.

March to April

Mild, with some rain. The jacarandas haven’t flowered yet; the parks are green.

May to June

Warm, long days; the jacarandas flower from late May. In June the Santo António festivities fill the old quarters, with the big night on June 12–13.

July to August

Hot and dry, often above 30 °C. Beaches at Cascais and Comporta are busy at weekends.

September

Still warm and mostly dry, and the city is busy again after August.

October to November

Cooler, with the wettest month in November. Web Summit fills hotels in early November.

December

Mild and wet. Dec 1, 8 and 25 are public holidays; check opening hours on those days.

January to February

The coolest months, about 15–16 °C by day, with rain on about one day in three in January.

Day trips and next stops

• Sintra Take the train from Rossio, about every 30 minutes, then a bus or the climb to the Pena Palace. Book timed palace tickets ahead. About 40 min.
• Cascais Take the train from Cais do Sodré along the river and the coast; the town beach is a short walk from the station. About 40 min.
• Comporta Drive south over the 25 de Abril Bridge for rice fields, long beaches and the stilt pier at Carrasqueira. Stay a night if you can; buses are few. About 1 h 15 min.
• Évora Take the Intercidades from Sete Rios or Oriente for the Roman temple, the cathedral and the Chapel of Bones. About 1 h 35 min.

Questions people ask

Is Lisbon a good city for meeting people?

Try the miradouro kiosks at sunset, Marvila’s taprooms and the late fado sets. If you’re an O member, you can also see people who choose to share overlapping travel dates.

Where should I stay?

Chiado and Príncipe Real put you within walking distance of most of this guide. For Web Summit, Parque das Nações is next to the venue and on the Metro red line, which also runs to the airport.

How do I get in from the airport?

The Metro red line leaves from arrivals; change at Alameda for the green line to Baixa-Chiado, about 31 minutes in all. Taxis from the official voucher desk in arrivals charge a fixed fare to the centre, about €19 by day.

Do I need cash?

Rarely. Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; keep a little cash for kiosks and small tascas.

Are the trams worth it?

Ride tram 28E once, early in the morning, then walk: the funiculars and the Santa Justa lift save a climb, but cost more than the Metro.