Lisbon Travel Tips: What to Know Before You Go

Practical tips for Lisbon

• Viva Viagem card + €6.80 24h daily cap covers metro, tram, bus and elevators.

• Cobbled hills are slippery in rain — trainers beat dress shoes.

• Fado houses request silence during singing; set-menu shows start ~20:30.

Staying safe and comfortable

Local emergency number: 112.

• Pickpockets target Tram 28, Elevador de Santa Justa queue, Alfama miradouros and Rossio at night.

• Cobbled hills are very slippery in rain — trainers over dress shoes.

• Drug touts in Baixa/Chiado offer 'hashish' that is fake — polite refusal ('não, obrigado') is enough.

Visas and entry

Entry policy: mixed, typically up to 90 days. Portugal is in the Schengen Area. Many nationalities enter visa-free for 90 days per 180; ETIAS pre-authorisation applies once launched. Others need a Schengen short-stay visa.

Budgeting your trip

Accommodation is the largest controllable cost in Lisbon. Compare live rates for your dates and neighbourhood shortlist before locking in flights — the difference between areas is often larger than the difference between travel weeks.