Frequently Asked Questions About Lisbon

With VIVA VIAGEM. This card costs 50 cents and is reusable. It serves all types of transportation including trams and elevators.
To load it you have 3 options:

1. Multiple journeys (Bus, Tram and Metro): €1.80 X number of journeys you want. Trains and ferries are not included.

2. Zapping: any amount with a minimum of €3 and multiples of €5 up to a balance limit of €40. With the Zapping option, the cost of each individual journey is:

   • Bus, Tram and Funiculars: €1.65
   • Metro: €1.80
   • Train to Estoril/Cascais/Sintra: €1.90
   • Ferry to Cacilhas: €1.50 | Trafaria/Porto Brandão: €1.19 | Seixal/Barreiro: €2.40 | Montijo: €2.76

3. Day ticket: travel as much as you like for 24 hours. One day tickets become activated on the first journey.

   • Metro, Bus, Tram and Funiculars: €6.40 (only for Lisbon)
   • Metro, Bus, Tram and Funiculars + Ferryboat to Cacilhas (Almada City): €9.50
   • Metro, Bus, Tram and Funiculars + Ferryboat to Cacilhas (Almada City) + Train to Sintra and Cascais: €10.55

Metro, ferry and suburban train stations from any automatic ticket machine or ticket office. Ticket machines have an English version.

Lisbon is a city with over 30 centuries of history and hundreds of points of interest. It has many different neighborhoods and steep hills. Many tourists say that to know the whole city you need about 10 days. But even if you only have one day, you can get to know a good part of the city through a smart selection of places. If you follow our plan you will get to know the main points of historical interest of the city, take a good set of photos to show to friends and remember later and relax (we think it's not worth seeing too many things in a stressed way — after all you're on vacation)
● Morning: Portas do Sol > Santa Luzia > Sé-Catedral > Alfama (2 hours)
● After Lunch: Rossio > Rua Augusta > Praça do Comércio (1.5 hour)
● Afternoon: Jerónimos Church and Monastery > Belém Tower > Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries) > MAAT > Pasteis de Belém (3 hours)
● Evening or Night: Elevador da Bica > Praça de Camões > Chiado > Elevador de Santa Justa (1.5 hour)

"Ponte 25 de Abril" by Vitor Oliveira / CC BY 2.0

Within the city of Lisbon, according to UNdata 2017, there are 505.000 people, but if we consider the metropolitan area of Lisbon there are 2.800.000 people.

It's difficult to understand european portuguese because in the daily use we stress so much the vowels that "excelente" sounds "shlente"; "estamos" sounds "shtamos"; "piscina " like "pshina". This is so natural for us that we don't notice we are doing that. The spanish says all the vowels so it's easier to understand. But if we speak slowely saying all the vowels it's easier to understand us. In fact if you read Portuguese you will notice that almost 80% of the words are the same or very similar to Spanish. The pronunciation is what makes it sound so different. In Brasilian Portuguese we say all the vowels so it's easier to understand. As far as I know Portuguese is the only Romance language to have the nasal diphthongs [õj], [ɐ̃w] and [ɐ̃j], spelled õe, ão and ãe. That is probably its most striking feature.

• Hello, Hi : Olá

• Thanks : Obrigado

• You are welcome : De nada

• Good morning! ; Good day! : Bom dia!

• Good night! : Boa noite!

• Please! : Por favor! / Se faz favor!

• Excuse me! : Desculpe!

• Yes : Sim

• No : Não

• Street : Rua

• Square (usually a large square) : Praça

• Square (usually a small square) : Largo

• Viewpoint : Miradouro

• Tram; Streetcar : Elétrico

• Can refer to the coffe, to an expresso or to a cafe : Café

• The famous portuguese custard tart : Pastel de Nata

• Codfish : Bacalhau

The Portuguese gastronomy is very rich and diverse. Here are some suggestions:

• Bacalhau à Brás: is made from shreds of salted cod (bacalhau), onions and thinly chopped (matchstick-sized) fried potatoes, all bound with scrambled eggs; it is usually garnished with black olives and sprinkled with fresh parsley.
  
  

  Bacalhau à Brás

• Bacalhau à Gomes Sá: a casserole of bacalhau, potatoes, eggs, olives, olive oil and onion.

• Bacalhau á Minhota: a typical Portuguese dish, cod seasoned with pepper and salt, served with fried potatoes, drizzled with a sauce of olive oil, onion and garlic.

• Pastéis de Bacalhau: cod fritters.

• Cozido à Portuguesa: portuguese stew. prepared with a multitude of vegetables (beans, potatoes, carrots, turnips, cabbages, rice), meat (chicken, pork ribs, bacon, pork ear and trotters, various parts of beef), and smoked sausages (chouriço, farinheira, morcela, and blood sausage), among others.

• Sardinhas assadas: grilled sardines.

• Coelho à caçador: stewed rabbit.

• Caldeirada: fisherman's stew.

• Caldo Verde: green soup.

• Frango de Churrasco: roasted chicken.

• Caracóis: snails.

• Arroz doce: sweet, spiced rice pudding.

Restaurante Príncipe do Calhariz (closed on Saturdays). Typical restaurant where the locals go to eat every day. Portuguese food with a lot of choice. Meat, fish, seafood, salads, omelets, cheese and wine. See on google maps.

Must taste the tarts of Belém and the tarts of Manteigaria. Although the oldest and most famous are those of Belém, those of Manteigaria have earned the reputation of being the best in the world. You should always eat them with cinnamon and, if possible, still warm. Manteigaria has three stores in Lisbon.

Custard Tart | Pastel de Nata

Take the tram 15 in Praça da Figueira, Praça do Comércio or Cais do Sodré.

• From the river: from Praça do Comércio walk east to Campo das Cebolas or to the Fado Museum. Enter one of the small streets and you are in Alfama.
• From the top of the hill: go to the Miradouro Portas do Sol or to the Miradouro de Santa Luzia. You can walk or take the elétrico 12 or elétrico 28. Go down to Alfama.
• From the Sé-Catedral: Alfama is behind the church.

• By train: Take the train at Rossio Station. Sintra is the last station. It is about 40 minutes. The first train leaves at 06:01 AM and the last one returns from Sintra at 00:20 AM. The ticket costs 4.50 € round trip. ● check the time here.
• By car: Sintra is a short drive from Lisbon. The town can be reached from Lisbon in just half an hour on the IC19 motorway.

1. Palace and Park of Pena (half day)> search on the Internet or perhaps it's better to ask at the train station in Sintra from where to take the bus to the Palace. Down you can walk through the Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors).
2. Palácio da Vila (the Village Palace)
3. Quinta da Regaleira
4. Don't forget to taste a TRAVESSEIRO at Café Piriquita (light puff, rolled and folded seven times, and filled with delicious almond-and-egg-yolk cream and lightly dusted with sugar)
   (2,3 and 4 is everything in the village, 15 minutes walk from the station)
5. If you want to eat in Sintra, the best is the APEADEIRO Restaurant, which is next to the station. Frequented by both locals and tourists.

• CCB > Belém (Contemporary Art)
• Museu dos Coches > Belém (Coach Museum)
• MAAT >Belém (Art, Architectute and Technology)
• Calouste Gulbenkian > Metro São Sebastião (Decorative and Modern Art)
• Museu de Arte Antiga > Rua das Janelas Verdes (Ancient Art)

• Sé-Catedral > The oldest church in the city is the see of the Archdiocese of Lisbon. Since the beginning of the construction of the cathedral, in the year 1147, the building has been modified several times and survived many earthquakes. It is nowadays a mix of different architectural styles.
  #Romanesque, Gothic, Baroque
• Jerónimos Monastery > Former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome near the Tagus river in the parish of Belém. One of the most prominent examples of the Portuguese Late Gothic Manueline style of architecture in Lisbon. It was classified a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the nearby Tower of Belém.
  # Late Gothic Manueline
• Igreja de São Roque > One of the few buildings in Lisbon to survive the earthquake relatively unscathed. When built in the 16th century it was the first Jesuit church designed in the “auditorium-church” style specifically for preaching. It contains a number of chapels, most in the Baroque style of the early 17th century. The chapel of Saint John , the Baptist, it was reportedly the most expensive chapel in Europe at the time.
  # Baroque
• Igreja de São Domingos > The church was dedicated in 1241 and was, at one time, the largest church in Lisbon. It is also important in the history of the inquisition; It was the site of the Lisbon Massacre of 1506, and now there is a monument in front to remember the event. Prior to the establishment of the modern Portuguese republic in 1910, the church typically hosted royal weddings. In 1959 the church was devastated when a fire broke out in the building.The restoration left many signs of the fire in place.
  # Baroque
• Basílica da Estrela > It was built by order of Queen Maria I of Portugal, as a fulfilled promise for giving birth to a son. Construction started in 1779 and the basilica was finished in 1790. The Estrela Basilica was the first church in the world dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
  # Baroque and Neoclassical

• Take a ferry at Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas which is in the town of Almada. It's just 10 minutes crossing the river and you will see the city from the other side.

• Visit Campo de Ourique District. It is one of the few residential neighborhoods in Lisbon that has everything to live. It is a small town within the city.

In the center there are several parks.

• Estacionamento Restauradores

• Estacionamento Martim Moniz

• Parque da Praça da Figueira

The 28 goes through a good part of the historic city. Because of its popularity it is almost always crowded (like canned sardines).Instead of taking the tram in the Plaza del Martim Moniz, where you may have to wait more than an hour in the queues, take it at Praça São João Bosco in the neighborhood of Campo de Ourique and make the journey that ends in the Martim Moniz. The tram stop is in front of the gates of the famous Cemitério dos Prazeres. As the neighborhood of Campo de Ourique has no metro station and is a bit far from the center you can take a taxi or an Uber for there. But when the tour ends you will be in the center. google maps

Praça São João Bosco

Yes, there are more routes and they are also worth the ride. Try the 12, the 15, the 24 or the 25.

• By train (3 hours): take the train at Santa Apolónia or Oriente (metro stations with the same name).
  Tickets and timetables: www.cp.pt

• By bus (3 hours): take the bus at Sete Rios (metro Jardim Zoológico - blue line) or Oriente (metro Oriente - red line).
  Tickets and timetables: www.rede-expressos.pt

• By car (3 hours): Porto is 300km / 186mi north of Lisbon but road and rail connections make it very easy to get to. The journey from Lisbon to Porto takes about three hours on the A1 highway. Tolls from Lisbon to Porto can be quite expensive. Expect to pay around €25 just in toll fares.

• By train: There are two types of trains that go from Lisbon to the Algarve. The fast train, called the Alfa Pendular (AP), connects Lisbon and Faro twice a day, stopping at Albufeira and Loulé, and the journey takes three hours. The Intercidades makes the same route three times a day, and takes 3 hours and 30 minutes.
  If you want to go to Lagos, Tavira or Vila Real de Santo António, you’ll need to get off at Tunes and change to the Regional train to Lagos / Vila Real de Santo António. With that in mind, unless you’re going to Albufeira, Loulé or Faro, the bus is perhaps more convenient than the train even if it takes a bit longer.
  In Lisbon, trains leave from Gare do Oriente in Parque das Nações. Tickets start at €22 one way, and all trips can be booked on CP’s website up to 60 days in advance. Tickets and timetables: www.cp.pt

• By bus: There are regular buses throughout the day between Lisbon and several resort towns in the Algarve, namely Albufeira, Alvor, Armação de Pêra, Faro, Lagos and Tavira. Depending on your destination, the trip will take between three and four hours.
  The service is carried out by Rede Expressos / Renex. In Lisbon, you can take the the bus either at Sete Rios Bus Terminal (metro’s blue line) or at Gare do Oriente in Parque das Nações (metro’s red line). Tickets cost around €16 one way, and all trips can be booked on Rede Expressos’ website up to 30 days in advance.
  Tickets and timetables: www.rede-expressos.pt

• By car: Driving is the most flexible option to explore the Algarve, or to make stops along the way. The journey from Lisbon to the Algarve takes about two hours and 40 minutes on the A2 motorway, connecting to the A22 that crosses the Algarve.
  Note that tolls from Lisbon to the Algarve can be on the expensive side. Expect to pay around €21 just in toll fares on the A2 from Lisbon to the Algarve. Once there, the A22 is also a toll road (but unlike the A2 it’s totally electronic, i.e. there are no toll booths), which can push your travel costs even further up.

In Portugal you receive 14 salaries.
The average salary is 1500€ (2023.)
The minimum wage is 820 (Jan 2024).

Lisbon is one of the cities with the mildest climate in Europe. Its latitude to the south gives it a climate similar to that of the Mediterranean countries, while the moderating effect of the Atlantic Ocean prevents it from being too hot in the summer nor too cold in the winter. It is also very sunny, with about 260 days of sunshine a year.
● The average minimum temperature in spring is 10ºC (50ºF) and the maximum temperature almost 20ºC (68ºF), with very sunny although with some showers.
● In May the maximum temperature is around an average above 20ºC (68ºF) and in June it rises to 25ºC (75ºF), and there is little rain these months. July and August are quite sunny, hot and dry, with a maximum average temperature of 28ºC (82ºF). September is a warm month, not too hot (average maximum of 26ºC) and with little rain, it is also a very good time to visit, with October being quite a mild month.
● Winters can get plenty of rain, wind and cold, with a minimum average of 8ºC (46ºF) and a maximum of 15ºC (59ºF). But even in winter it is possible to have beautiful, sunny days and temperatures that reach 25ºC (75ºF).

Some locals may be bothered by so much tourism but they are a minority. In fact many houses in the historic center were abandoned and tourism has been an opportunity to recover and give life to the city.

Although tipping is not mandatory in Portugal, it will be greatly appreciated. You can give a tip (gorgeta) if you really enjoyed the service. You can give between 5% to 20%. You can also round up: if the bill comes to € 27 or € 28, someone might leave € 30. If it comes to € 22 or € 23, they would leave € 25.

You've probably heard about the great Lisbon earthquake of 1755. With a magnitude estimated at 8.5 to 9, is the largest known historic earthquake to impact Europe and northern Africa. But there's no reason to worry. Every day, all over the place, the earth moves without us realizing it. Earthquakes with a magnitude less than 3 are generally not felt by humans. Today, both constructions and human resources are much better prepared. Furthermore, as it is beyond our complete control, we shouldn't worry too much. Better to enjoy your stay without unjustified worries.

That said, here's an explanation for the curious ones. Several large historical earthquakes, including the 1356 (M8), the 1531 (M7), the 1909 (M6.3) and the the 1969 (M8) occurred in Lisbon causing significant damage in the Lisbon area. This is due to the proximity to The Africa-Eurasia plate boundary extends from the mid-Atlantic ocean ridge triple junction near the Azores eastward to the Strait of Gibraltar. Here the Africa plate rotates counterclockwise relative to the Eurasia plate at a rate of about 4 mm/yr. That's relatively slow compared to other active plate boundaries. However Lisbon is on top of one of the many onshore crustal faults seismically active at the Iberia and Africa continent margins.

Studies suggest the return period of magnitude 6 to 7 earthquakes near Lisbon could be as short as 150 to 200 years, making Lisbon the highest risk area in Portugal.