Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, a country of great navigators and discoverers, enchanting with the beauty of its ancient cities with centuries of history and nature. When going to visit Portugal and staying in its capital, there are a few rules to follow to ensure that your travel experience remains positive.
Instructions
Step 1
Don't just plan your trip for the weekend.
Portugal is a country with a rich history, magnificent architectural monuments, stunning scenic landscapes and its own special culture, which is impossible to get to know in 2 days. Plan a longer trip to Portugal, at least a week, to see the capital and the nearby cities of Sintra, Cascais, Mafra, the Troya Peninsula and Serra da Arrábida at a relaxed pace.
Step 2
Don't try to speak Spanish.
Most tourists coming to Portugal try to speak Spanish, thinking that the Portuguese will understand, not seeing any difference between the two languages. This is actually impolite, and Portuguese is very different from Spanish not only in spelling but also in sound. If you do not know in what language to start a conversation, it would be kindly to first check with the interlocutor, to express yourself in English or Spanish.
Step 3
Do not have dinner before 8:00 pm.
Portuguese rarely dine early, often after 9pm. Before dinner, most Lisbon residents prefer to rest, sleep and cool off. This is due to the fact that the Portuguese like to stay up late in bars and restaurants, linger at the table, slowly dine, listening to melancholic melodies of fado, or just talk with the interlocutor. Bars just start filling up after 11pm and close at 1am, 3am or even 6am.
Step 4
Don't overpay for mediocre food and fado shows.
Fado is a distinct style of traditional Portuguese music, part of Lisbon's history and culture, but in most restaurants, prices for mediocre dinner and fado are unnecessarily inflated for tourists. There are many places in the capital where you can listen to fado for free, for example, on Mondays and Wednesdays, the restaurant “A Tasca do Chico” in the Bairro Alto area provides such an opportunity.
Step 5
Do not travel on tram 28 during rush hour.
This tram is also a landmark of the city. It appeared more than 70 years ago, the design of which has remained practically unchanged since then. The tram is one of the best and most inexpensive ways to get around the city. But from 6 to 8 pm in Lisbon rush hour and the tram is overcrowded, so it is worth finding other means of transportation or abandoning them altogether and taking a walk. From 9 am to 11 am - the ideal time when city trams are empty and you can enjoy a leisurely ride around the capital.
Step 6
Don't be discouraged seeing abandoned buildings.
Among the various ancient architectural monuments, one can often see broken or painted abandoned buildings, which gives the impression of a poor and unkempt country. In fact, since 2009, the city council has specially created an association dedicated to the promotion of graffiti and street art as part of the city's cultural development, where young people paint graffiti on the walls of abandoned buildings and organize competitions for the best drawings. Also, over the past five years, the government has developed a number of programs to rehabilitate broken buildings.
Step 7
Don't drink the same types of wine as at home.
The Portuguese are proud of their wine as it is an important element of Portuguese culture. Despite its tiny 92,000 km2, Portugal has 14 officially recognized major wine regions and a number of smaller ones, and there are already hundreds of local wines that you can taste in various wine bars. Therefore, you should not limit yourself to Cabernet and Merlot when you can taste a wide variety of other varieties.
