Holidays in Lisbon (Portugal) - 2021: my review

The year was opened in the capital of Portugal - Lisbon - with a bottle of wine verde. I managed to like the winter city so much that I already envy everyone who visits it in spring and summer!

Portugal is the warmest European country in January-February. Yes, yes, there is also the south of France and the Canary Islands, but there is an order of magnitude more expensive. "More expensive" this winter was not about us, so the path lay to the very west: to the ocean, the sun and away from the Muscovy grayness. Charge children with vitamin D, and yourself with new landscapes, port wine from Porto and other joys of the southern country.

I am telling you how it was and how much it cost to stay in Lisbon - one of the most democratic, in terms of prices, destinations in Europe.

How to get to Lisbon?

To travel to Portugal, citizens of the Russian Federation need a Schengen visa.
I had an open Schengen area, but I still had to plunge into the topic: to make a visa for my daughter. The set of documents and requirements are not much different from any other Schengen - there is a separate section about this below.

The undoubted advantage of the direction for us was a short flight, about 5.5 hours. True, there are direct flights only between the capitals: Moscow (Russia) - Lisbon (Portugal). They are operated by two airlines: Aeroflot and TAP Air Portugal. The prices are not to say that they are low. But if you consider the "student" option with a long transfer and one backpack, then you can see the sights of Lisbon very budget.

• A direct round-trip ticket from Moscow - from 20,000 rubles (only with hand luggage, luggage will cost an additional 5,000-6,000 rubles) practically regardless of the season.
• Flights with transfers during the season can be caught for 13,000-15,000 rubles per person round trip, in the off-season - for 5,000-6,000 rubles.
• The coolest prices are if you fly from Europe. So, from Germany / France / Spain flights to Lisbon cost 2000-4000 rubles round trip!
• Where to find flights from both Russia and Europe: Aviasales website or Skyscanner.

We flew to the city of Lisbon on December 31 with a transfer to Helsinki for 9600 rubles from the nose, one way (there was luggage, of course!). We took a direct return from TAP Air Portugal - they usually have two to three thousand rubles cheaper than Aeroflot - at the end of February for 12,600 rubles per person.

Weather in Lisbon - when is the best time to go?

Lisbon lacks a pronounced “off-season”.
We were in the coldest time of the year - in January, but in comparison with Moscow and St. Petersburg it was very good. In winter the bright sun is shining, during the day it is about + 15 ° C, it gets colder in the evening. They dressed in "September" Moscow clothes: T-shirt, sweatshirt, windbreaker, to undress / dress as needed. A pretty fresh breeze is blowing from the water, so hats are a must have! And also glasses and sunscreen :)

People in the know say Lisbon is the nicest in the spring or in the fall... It is warm in the off-season, but not hot. In late March-early April in the afternoon about + 22 ° C, cooler in the evening, up to + 15 ° C. You will have to take both summer dresses and a jacket with you.

Summer it is better to come in June or August. Even locals notice that it is almost impossible to be in Lisbon in July. The temperature is usually over + 40 ° C, how can you taste port here! You can only cool down in the ocean, which, especially in contrast to the air, will seem icy (no more than + 19 ° C).

However, if you are driving for surfing, then July is the most suitable month, since spending a day in the ocean will be the most comfortable: the heat outside is not so noticeable, and in the water, especially in a wetsuit, it is not cold, but a pleasant "coolness".

Accommodation in Lisbon - city districts

Lisbon, like the rest of Portugal, is diverse. There are narrow cobbled streets, modern architecture of the building, and old port premises, turned into cozy bars, and wrought-iron balconies with clothes hung on them.

Central districts of Lisbon:
(the names do not give much, so there will be a map below)

There are quite a few regions, they are closely intertwined with each other, and it is difficult for an uninitiated tourist to understand where the borders lie.

To be honest, I did not notice the thin boundaries between them.
In my perception, the districts merge into a single historical city center near the river. Hilly, narrow streets paved with stones and tiles, stairs, houses in typical Portuguese style (finished with ceramic tiles). And, here Baisha can be identified - compared to other areas, it is flat, the streets are wide, you can drive by car.

You can get around all the districts in a day or two! One evening we crossed the border of four, while looking for a suitable restaurant :) Distances are for children (literally: our children also walked, well, a little on the hands. The whole center is very touristy. Everything that is supposed to be in places where tourists are gathered is : restaurants, shops, street musicians, bars, clubs.

From detached areas for visitors, it is important to know about:

• Belem, which in ancient times was a completely separate settlement for itself, and now it is mentioned in all guidebooks. There are many, many places of worship: museums, monuments, squares, etc.
• Expo - was built for the International Exhibition held in Lisbon in 1998. There is a fairly large shopping center (if you need shopping), a small park, a cable car, an oceanarium, a science center for children, many fountains and a very beautiful Oriente station, from where, by the way, trains from Lisbon to Porto leave.

What is the best area to stay in?

Where to book accommodation in Lisbon?

— Hotels and hostels on RoomGuru (finds more options and sometimes is cheaper than Booking)

— Apartments for daily or long term rent Airbnb

Prices for apartments in any of the tourist areas are about the same (see below the plate). Conditions, by and large, too. Everywhere is noisy, crowded, you need to climb hills. Even if the apartments are not above the bar, the bar is nestled somewhere nearby, and music will sound in the evenings. It gets relatively quiet a little after midnight.
For those looking for complete silence, it is better to settle in the newer districts of Lisbon. For example, Avenidash Novash or Alcantara. However, it will take a long time to get to the sights (30 minutes by transport).

We lived in Alfama, the noise did not interfere, although we went to bed early. I didn't want to spend an hour and a half on the road while on vacation. I would definitely recommend the city center for short trips!

The best areas of Lisbon for tourist purposes: Alfama, Baixa, Chiado, Castelo, Bica, Barrio Alto, Estrela, Lapa.

What to see in Lisbon in 3 days?

Where to book excursions in Russian in Lisbon?

— Tripster

— Sputnik8

Our vacation in Lisbon fell on a week of New Year's holidays, the emphasis was on attractions. Museums passed us by, with 2 and 3 year olds, we did not dare to visit cultural institutions, fearing unintelligent behavior of children. But the many interesting places in Lisbon are quite suitable for all ages. Unfortunately, the environs of Lisbon were not covered: from the top places we did not go to Sintra, to Cape Roca, we did not go to Cascais.

What to see in Lisbon in 3 days on your own?
(I will give an example of our route)

Day 1.

We began our acquaintance with the city from the most authentic, in my opinion, part of it (which I recommend to everyone) - the historical center. What is there to admire:

• Tagus river embankment, go down to the beach (a strip of sand 2 by 3 meters, clearly unsuitable for swimming)
• Drink coffee (or port) overlooking bridge April 25, a la San Francisco, and statue of Christ, a la Rio de Janeiro
• Walk along the embankment through Commerce area to the port Jardim do tabaco quaywhere giant cruise ships stop
• Climb from the river up to Funicular Elevador da Bica (fare € 3.50)
• Stop at one of the many observation decks overlooking the entire city of Lisbon (for example, here - Miradouro de Santa Catarina - and you can drink coffee)
• Have dinner in one of the restaurants where fado is performed in the evening. We weren't, but many tourists recommend it. One of the places with a good rating is the O Forcado restaurant

Notes on the first day: if you are with children, if possible, do not take strollers with you. Comfortable shoes are required. This area of ​​Lisbon is full of stairs, steep climbs and narrow uncomfortable sidewalks. Coffee with a beautiful view is usually expensive: black € 1.5, with milk € 3, cappuccino € 4.5! The funicular runs during the day (from 7.00 to 21.00) at intervals of 15 minutes, sometimes there is a queue.

And for visits to Lisbon for 1 day, sightseeing excursions are perfect - so that it is capacious, interesting and without wasting time on the wrong side streets. And with a Russian-speaking guide, of course. See what assortment of walking tours in the city:

Day 2.

Our whole company has gone very much trip to the statue of Christ... It takes about half a day and includes several amenities at once:

• Transfer by ferry on the Tagus River (ticket price € 1.40 one way per person + € 0.05 per card that credits travel / money)
• The statue itself, as an attraction (you can take the elevator "to the head" for € 6 per person)
• Olive grove at the foot of the statue (children's delight - lying on the grass)
• Stunning views of the 25 April bridge and Lisbon

Bus number 101 runs from the pier to the statue itself, the fare is € 1.40 or it takes 20-30 minutes to walk (the rise is quite impressive).

In the second part of the day, you can choose to explore some of the attractions in the port area:

• Destroyed Carmelite monastery and Carmo church (which is actually an archaeological museum). Entrance € 5, in the evening there is a light show about the history of Portugal, ticket € 15
• Santa Justa Elevator with an observation deck, entrance € 5, only an observation deck - € 1.5 (by the way, this elevator, like the tower in Paris, was built by the architect Eiffel)
• Lisbon cathedral (Lisbon Cathedral) - valid, admission is free
• National Pantheon of Portugal - ticket € 4
• Castle of Saint George (CAUTION: peacocks are walking around the territory, from whose endless screams their ears wither). Entrance fee € 10

Note on the second day: as an alternative to historical and architectural monuments, you can take tram no. 28E and go to Estrela Park. Opposite the entrance is the Basilica da Estrela. The park itself is very nice, huge trees, ponds with water birds and a good playground (which was important for us :)).

Day 3.

We devoted the third day to a trip to Belem, a district of Lisbon, in which a large number of attractions are concentrated. Be sure to bypass at least outside:

• Jeronimos Monasteryincluded in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The entrance ticket to the monastery itself is € 10. The adjoining temple is free to enter.
  To be honest, we regretted € 10 and did not go to the monastery. Moreover, the reviews of tourists on the Internet are unanimous in that it is not worth it: for pretty decent money, you can only see the courtyard and a couple of halls.
• Belem Tower - also included in UNESCO. Entrance € 6, the queue is impressive! From the outside, the tower looks quite interesting, they did not go inside
• Monument to the Discoverers
• We were impressed by the architecture MAAT Electricity Museum - fits very aesthetically into the landscape. There is an observation deck on the roof. Usually a ticket inside costs € 9 (temporary and permanent exhibitions, only one - € 5)

Note on the third day: there is another decent playground near the IAAT building. In Lisbon, they can't say what is at every corner, so we examined the sights near them especially carefully :) And along the embankment and on the adjacent streets there are quite a few food outlets, and at lunchtime it is busy everywhere.

A life hack for those who travel to Lisbon on their own for 3 days, but one of them wants to devote a trip to Cape Roca (and it's worth it, the Atlantic Ocean is power!). Choosing accommodation in Lisbon, you can choose Alfama as the location where to stay. And then all the sights of the area will be viewed on the way home / from home. Airbnb has a lot of good apartments in this part of town. We rented a two-bedroom apartment for 2750 rubles per night. With a suitcase, there may be a blockage on the stairs, but everything is real! We climbed the mountain every day with a stroller and a baby at the ready! But all the de nato pastel eaten was not deposited.

Lisbon cafes and restaurants

Lisbon cafes on every corner.
They work from morning till night, fortunately, the siesta has bypassed this country. But the food hardly impressed us, frankly. Once we set out to eat super tasty, found a restaurant that had excellent reviews ... We had a good dinner, but somehow not enchanting. The best thing was the huge shrimps at € 9 per kg, which we bought at the LIDL supermarket for a promotion and fried at home :)

I really liked the format of the local markets (a la market-food court), and in Portugal there is an incredibly tasty pastry. My favorite is pastel de nato (a puff basket with unpleasant cream) !!! The cost is from € 1.5 to € 2 and about the same for coffee with milk.

Where to go to eat:

• Time out market - a large food court market. Located right by the river and the train station, very popular. It is not cheap, about € 20 per dish, but it is definitely worth shelling out once. Interestingly, next to each court presented on the market, Time Out wrote a small "annotation": what kind of cafe or restaurant it is, what is special and outstanding, and why it "deserves the right" to be represented on their market.
• Campo de ourique market - also a market, we only drank drinks here (green wine is a local specialty), but the dishes at the neighboring tables looked oh-oh-very appetizing. Wine from € 2 per glass, burger - about € 10.
• Flor do Mundo - a typical Portuguese cafe, the freshest pastries and coffee in the range of € 3, breakfast € 5-7.
• Noobai - a cafe, which is included in the reviews about Lisbon more for gorgeous views than for cuisine. But this is also important. The price for the dish is € 15-17.

But to feel the wine, our friends went on an excursion about the first acquaintance with Portuguese wines (25 euros per person, everything is in the price). We somehow missed this event with a petty one, confined ourselves to drinking at home 🙁

Transport

The capital of Portugal boasts several types of public transport: metro, trams, buses, trains, ferries, and funiculars.

Lisbon metro covers the entire city with its stations, including the airport. It is very convenient and economical. But Uber inexpensive in Portugal - € 1.5— € 2 per 1 km.

• The fare for public transport is € 1.5 when buying trips on a special viva viagem card, for which you need to pay € 0.5 once.

According to information "from the Internet" the card is the same for the whole of Lisbon, in practice it is not. When trying to use a white transport card to buy ferry rides across the river, we were told that it did not fit and sold a green card for € 0.05. The trips themselves are 10 cents cheaper - € 1.4. The same card (green) was valid for travel by bus on the other side and by train to Belem. At the same time, white did not work! We checked =)

Rent a Car

In Lisbon itself, a car will definitely give the average tourist more headaches than convenience: narrow streets, lack of parking. Public transport is more convenient and interesting. Traveling by tram is generally a favorite pastime of visitors.

But on long journeys by car, of course, it is more comfortable. Although, from my own experience, there are no problems how to get to different regions of Portugal. Intercity trains and buses are cheaper than renting a car, and they are not pressed by questions about how to return the car if you plan to stay somewhere near Lisbon (or not very close :)). A bus ticket to the Algarve cost us € 20 per person.

We rented a car once to go to Seville - in Spain - for a day round trip.
You can book through RentalCars, prices start from € 10 per day. Although we booked through the local Sixt office, it didn't come out any cheaper. In winter (!) They took almost the last one, so in the season it is better to do it in advance online, there may be no cars left.

• In addition to the price, there is insurance, about € 10.
• Very expensive child seats - one piece € 12!
• The cost of gasoline is € 1.6 per liter.

Lisbon beaches

The beaches in Lisbon are fantastic. They are not in the city. On a beach vacation in Lisbon, people go not to the city itself, but to its suburbs:

- Cascais
- Estoril
- Sintra
- Costa da Caparica
- Carcavelos

The coast of Portugal is different from the usual tourist landscapes.
It is more severe: rocks, washed up by water, wide sandy spits, pine trees. And the ever-stirring ocean. The impression is indelible. But the water is quite cold, in summer around + 20 ° C. There are more than enough beautiful beaches, you can just get to any point on the ocean shore - you won't go wrong.

Some popular places near Lisbon:

• Magoito - spit beach near Sintra
• Adraga - Europe included it in the twenty of its most beautiful beaches, located in the Sintra National Park
• Conceição - the main beach of Cascais
• Guincho - located on the open ocean, big waves, popular with surfers

The beaches around Lisbon are accessible without a car. The Tripster website (excursions in Russian) offers many excursions to the most beautiful places in Portugal - see how many reviews:

My advice

• It is very convenient to get from / to Lisbon airport by metro, even with heavy suitcases. All stations have an elevator (and it works almost everywhere).
• All in all, every mode of transport in Lisbon is an adventure! It is worth taking advantage of the inexpensive opportunity to immerse yourself in the atmosphere. You can drive at home on Uber.
• And there is also a "scooter-sharing" here! True, it is more convenient to use them in the non-historical part of the city, in the center recently they began to struggle with spontaneous parking (vehicles were abandoned in the most inconvenient places, this began to cause inconvenience to other road users). Some companies have excluded tourist areas from the rental area.
  Cost: € 1 for unlocking, € 0.15 per minute.
• In the off-season, the city is very good, especially in contrast to most Russian cities.
• Be sure to get out of the city to the full-fledged ocean, without it Portugal is not Portugal at all.
• Golf is very popular in Portugal! I have never seen so many fields for the game in any other country! You can try your hand at this sport. The cost of such entertainment on the Beloura-Sintra field close to Lisbon: from € 55 + equipment rental.
• Well, and not Lisbon alone. There are many super cool places in the country, I advise you to visit if possible! The cities of Porto (in Roman times, Porto Calais, a port-producing harbor of Porto), Nazaré with waves where surfers from all over the world set records in November, Lagos with rocky beaches.

Visa to Portugal

Of the features of obtaining the Portuguese Schengen:

- Airplane ticket reservations are not suitable - you need paid air tickets.
- Accommodation must be booked 100% of the travel time.
- Medical insurance is compulsory, covering all Schengen countries, not just Portugal. We buy one for 400 rubles per week on Cherehapa.
- With Airbnb, you need to print not just a booking, but a receipt of payment (in the upper left corner it says “Your receipt from Airbnb”).
- There is no georeferencing for filing documents - hurray! Hooray! In any visa center, any citizen of the Russian Federation can apply for a visa, and no one will look at the page with registration.

Cities with a Portugal Visa Application Center:

And, yes, for how long did they get a visa? :) As a result, my daughter was given a Schengen visa (+2 weeks "in reserve"). Friends, the whole family, including a 2-year-old son, received one-year Portuguese Schengen.