21 Lisbon Travel Tips Locals Wish Visitors Knew

None of these will make or break a trip on their own. Together they are the difference between visiting Lisbon and understanding it.

Eating and drinking

1. The bread, olives and cheese placed on your table are the couvert and are charged for. Say no thank you and they go back.
2. Order a bica for espresso, a meia de leite for a flat white, and never a cappuccino after breakfast.
3. Prato do dia at lunch is the best value meal in the city, usually €9–€14 with a drink.
4. Avoid any restaurant with photographs on the menu or a person outside inviting you in.
5. Tipping is not obligatory. Rounding up, or 5–10% for good service, is generous.
6. Ginjinha in a chocolate cup near Rossio is a tourist ritual and worth doing exactly once.
7. The best natas are argued about endlessly — try Manteigaria and Pastéis de Belém and decide.

Money and practicalities

1. Use bank ATMs marked Multibanco; standalone currency machines charge brutal rates.
2. Always choose to be charged in euros, not your home currency.
3. Cards are accepted almost everywhere, but small tascas and markets sometimes want cash.
4. Tap water is safe and free — ask for água da torneira.
5. Pharmacies handle minor ailments and can advise without an appointment.
6. Public toilets are scarce; cafés will let you use theirs if you buy a coffee.

Timing and crowds

1. Viewpoints are empty before 10am and beautiful after 7pm. Midday is the worst of both.
2. Museums close on Mondays, markets on Sundays, and many family restaurants for two weeks in August.
3. Sunday mornings are the quietest time in the whole city centre.
4. Book Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira and any Fado house in advance; leave the rest flexible.

Staying comfortable

1. Bring shoes with grip — the polished limestone pavements are genuinely slippery.
2. Carry a light jacket even in summer; the Atlantic wind arrives with the evening.
3. Watch bags on Tram 28 and around Rossio, the two places pickpockets work.
4. Plan descents, not ascents. Take transport up and walk down.