I lived in Lisbon for two months in July and August 2025. Here’s a bunch of things I learned and recommend:
Lisbon is both an international city and a popular tourist destination. This means English is perfectly fine for getting around. Menus, signs, and communication can basically happen in English. An occasional “bom dia” (good morning) and “obrigado/a” (thank you, ends in “o” for men, “a” for women) helps.
Uber and Bolt are shockingly cheap. A 30 minute drive to/from the airport can cost €5 (it helps the airport is literally in the city). It is often cheaper to take an Uber than it is to metro (which costs €2.5 per trip) especially with multiple people.
Beer is equally shockingly cheap, but a meal at a restaurant costs about the same as any major city.
Near the coast, Lisbon is very touristy. Baixa de Lisboa and Baixa Chiado are particularly bad.
Yes, Lisbon is hilly. The worse bits are Alfama and the huge hill between Cais do Sodre and Baixa Chiado. There are lots of flat bits too, where we stayed (Avenidas Novas) was a huge, relatively flat area.
If you like to walk, the best one probably starts at LxFactory (visit Ler Devagar), head towards the river, walk by MAAT, go to Pastéis de Belém, see Jerónimos Monastery, then Monument to the Discoveries, and then finally Belém Tower.
My favorite spot to visit in Lisbon was Cascais, basically a (rich) beach tour an hour train away from Lisbon. It was just nice to walk around the town, marina, and park. Next time, I’ll bring a swim suit and spend some time at their beaches.
There is not a single best pastel de nata, I think it depends a lot on how fresh they are. Here’s Luisa’s ranking, which I agree with. They are all good, it is worth getting one whenever possible (when you are on holiday).
My favorite activity we did was a Benefica game (a Sporting game works too). You can often find tickets on their sites, but only the worse seats will be available and you have to click the exact seats you want (it can be annoying to find available seats). Go early and enjoy the vibes outside the stadium before the game, just follow the crowd.
Miradouro da Graça is the nicest viewpoint, worth the hike up at least once. Garden of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is the nicest park, with a beautiful museum in the middle. Jardim Fialho de Almeida was a place I wish I explored more, was popping on a Friday night.
If you want to go to Sintra, make sure to plan in advance, book tickets in advance, and get there early. The train from Lisbon is fine, but the rest doesn’t run well. We had to buy a round trip bus pass even though we wanted to buy one way. Beyond Pena Palace, we enjoyed Moorish Castle, and wish we went to Quinta da Regaleira, but the rest are skippable.
I did not use the trams or funicular and would probably recommend not using it either. One derailed in September 2025, killing 16. Besides, they are always insanely busy.
Unfortunately, a lot of these aren’t in the touristy areas.
Antù Alfama: Modern Portuguese.
Volta Coffee: Brunch.
TOSTA SANDWICH KITCHEN: Sandwiches.
Stack Smash Burgers - Anjos: Burgers.
Clube Caffeine: Coffee (and records).
Mazuma Pizzeria Bar: Pizza.
LENA Specialty Coffee: My go-to coffee shop, perfect café working setup.
The Layers: Brunch.
Camada Lisboa Saldanha: Great place to try francesinha.
Padaria 110: Bakery.
Geladaria Chantilly: Gelato.
Pingo Doce: Look for one with a cafeteria and go for lunch. You can get a huge, authentic 3 course Portuguese meal with a drink and coffee for €7.