Review of Portugal / Lisbon
📋 My opinion on Portugal: Portugal has become in a few years one of the most popular European destinations. Rightly so: charming Lisbon, authentic Porto, sublime Algarve, extraordinary Azores and Madeira. Count 10-14 days for a tour Lisbon+Porto+Algarve. Budget: 70-100 €/day. Mild climate all year round, ideal from April to October. Welcoming population, English widely spoken.
City visited: Lisbon, Sintra, the westernmost point of Europe.
Duration of stay: 3 and a half days, early November
Safety in Lisbon
Lisbon seemed to me to be a city where there was no problem with safety, whether in the evening or during the day. However, you really have to be careful of pickpockets who are present on trams, buses, bars at night, etc. A friend who had her iPhone in her front pocket almost got it stolen in a bar in Bairro Alto in Lisbon.
Budget in Lisbon
🌍 Did you know?
Portugal is the oldest country in Europe with stable borders since 1297 (Treaty of Alcañices). It is also the country that first discovered the sea route to India (Vasco da Gama, 1498), and which had until 1999 the longest colonial presence in the world (Macau, returned to China in 1999).
Lisbon seemed to me to be a city where the budget was much lower than Paris. Price of a restaurant meal around 10 euros. In my hostel, I paid 15 euros for a bed and breakfast included. The price of a drink (cocktail) does not exceed 10 euros in a bar. Transport seemed to be about the same price as Paris.
The accommodation I took
I stayed at the Yes Lisbon hostel in a 6-person room. In this youth hostel, there are organized tours every day and also evening outings, it’s perfect for meeting people. You pay for your meal with soup, dinner and dessert with 3 drinks for 10 euros. You can also participate in a pub crawl for another 10 euros with unlimited drinks for one hour in the first bar. Ideal for people who want to party and have a small budget.
Living conditions in Portugal
Portugal benefits from a fairly mild climate, it was up to 20 degrees when I was there in early November. You could even go out in the evening with a t-shirt and feel a little cold. Portugal has a fairly high standard of living although you can see that it is less chic than Paris.
After talking to some Portuguese people, they have a minimum wage much lower than France and can earn a little more than 500 euros per month so thank you France.
| Region | To see | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Lisbon | Tram 28, Alfama, Belém | 3-4 days |
| Sintra | Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira | 1 day (from Lisbon) |
| Porto | Ribeira, port wine cellars | 2-3 days |
| Algarve | Beaches, Benagil caves | 3-4 days |
| Azores | Volcanoes, lakes, whales | 5-7 days |
| Madeira | Levadas, nature, cliffs | 5-7 days |
| Coimbra | UNESCO University, student traditions | 1-2 days |
My favorite
The welcome from the hotel staff who did everything to make our stay the best possible at a low price. They are warm people who want you to have a good time. I was surprised at first by this kindness that you don’t find in Paris for example or in the colder Nordic countries.
The people I met, as always, are what make one trip stand out from another.
The pastry of Belem, the pastéis de nata which are simply the most delicious thing I ate in Portugal.
🗣️ My experience: Sunrise over the Benagil caves in Algarve: kayaking trip from Marinha beach at 6:30 am, 15 minutes of paddling, and entering the cave from the sea as the sun illuminates the open vault. Magical, and not a tourist in sight. Kayak rental: €25/person. Avoid the €35 boat tours that don’t even enter the cave (motorboats prohibited).
What I didn’t like in Lisbon
I didn’t really dislike anything except I can say: the metro stations blend into the crowd, you have to keep an eye out :D.
Could I live there?
I would say yes why not for an internship, but to live there maybe if I were with a Portuguese woman :D. Otherwise, I don’t see myself living there.
Things to do in Portugal and Lisbon
🍀 Portugal
- Mild climate all year round
- English widely spoken
- Excellent gastronomy (fish, pastéis)
- High safety
🔻 Limitations
- Over-tourism in Lisbon and Porto
- Rising real estate prices (expensive Airbnb)
- Extreme crowds in Algarve June-August
- Quiet evenings outside Lisbon
- Visiting Lisbon by walking around the city, you can walk through the city and get lost but it is a small city
- Go to the Jerónimos Monastery and see the tower at dusk, the entrance seemed a bit expensive for what it was. It seems to me that you can visit the church inside without paying.
- Go to Belem, taste a pastel de Nata, a must-do and take a stroll.
- See the park and the palace in Sintra during a day trip.
- Take the old trams
Another thing to do that I did not do
Listen to fado in Lisbon
⚠️ Classic trap
Visiting Sintra on weekends or in July-August. The Pena Palace becomes unmanageable (queues of 1-2 hours, saturated transport). Go there during the week, from 9:30 am (opening). Or postpone to Cabo da Roca for the sunset over the Atlantic, much less crowded.
Go see a football match
Go to St. George’s Castle.
If you want to find out about activities to do in Lisbon.
For a shorter format, weekend ideas in Europe offers city breaks in Lisbon or Porto. Cheap destinations in Europe reminds that Portugal remains affordable. And the most beautiful cities in Europe compares with Prague, Florence and other capitals.
Conclusion on my stay in Portugal
I did not expect to have such a good time in Lisbon and overall I was very satisfied with my stay. The city itself is also very pretty and the people are very nice. I do not regret having gone to Lisbon before going to Brazil. It helped me better adapt to Brazil.
And you? What did you think of Lisbon?
