Don't make these Lisbon Mistakes
Last October we did a city break in Lisbon over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. It was enough time to get a feel for the city and see some of the major sites. While we were there however as tourists do we made some mistakes. The city card we paid for was less useful that expected. The airport lines were longer than expected. Overall it was definitely a learning experience of going with the flow of things. But if you are heading off to Lisbon soon you can learn from us and don't make these Lisbon mistakes.
Don't make these Lisbon Mistakes
Don't get both the Lisboa card and the Hop on Hop off bus for short stays. I got both thinking the Lisboa card gets us entrance to certain attractions and discounts plus it gives us access to public transportation. I did make sure to stagger the days but I just found we used the Hop on Hop off bus so much more. Now this was mostly because we only were there for 5 days. And one of those days we were having a Sintra day tour. We also stayed super central at the Baixa House, which meant that most of the touristy stuff was within walking distance. We didn't even need public transportation most of the time. Also the Lisboa card didn't get us as much access as we were expecting. We were supposed to have jump the line access to Jeronimos Monestary. But we waited in line for hours. Other tour guides I was talking with have complained repeatedly because this is not the level of access you are promised. Paid tours were getting in long before us all the time. Lisboa card access was second tier. Also I don't think we got any discounts when we tried to use it elsewhere. Don't get me wrong it came in handy for a couple of street car rides and the bus to the Lisbon aquarium. We also had easy access to the castle. But otherwise I didn't find it very useful. I think if we had stayed less central it would have paid for itself but not the way we used it. We had much better use of these city cards in Paris and London.
Don't only try one brand of Pasteis de Nata. Pasteis de Belem get all the press because they are the original Pasteis de Nata. But to be honest I think they were my least favourite. Definitely try all the ones that you see because they are so good. I think Manteigaria were more to my liking but I think you should try enough to make your own decision!
Don't wear slippy shoes. Now perhaps this is not a big ask as tourists we are likely to wear sneakers sightseeing as we are pounding the pavement for 20,000 step days. But I think it is important to note because Lisbon sidewalks are not like other cities. They are tiled and even with sneakers the tiles can be steep and slippery. This means you want a shoe with a sticky gummy sole as opposed to a slippy or smooth one. No worn out sneakers with smooth soles, no leather bottomed soles. You are going to want something with grip.
Don't go to the Lisbon airport without enough time. This was a big one as we waiting in lines at the Lisbon airport upon entering the country and exiting. Waiting in lines to enter the country and go through immigration is not uncommon. We see this quite a bit with countries in the Caribbean that have small airports. Lisbon airport is relatively small for the amount of volume they are handling but the lines were next level. Sure everyone expects to wait in a line or two to get through the screening checks and have your passport scanned but the lines at the Lisbon airport, especially when we were leaving felt never ending. And this was before any of the new EES screening. Allocate extra time. Don't assume you can have a quick connection.
Don't assume one trip will be enough. I know at some point we will go back to Lisbon. For an number of reasons really. The city was gorgeous. The food was fantastic. And we didn't see everything. Plus I want to go to Porto, the Algarve and other Portuguese cities. I might wait for the new Lisbon airport to open, but will I be able to wait that long? I don't know.
Have you made any Lisbon travel mistakes? Please share them in the comments.
