UPDATED MAR 2020. Recently I’ve been having some downtime from travel and I’ve been working on updating old posts. It also got me started on looking for areas of my blog where I could offer more information or guides. When I looked through my Portugal posts, I realized that I hadn’t offered a bigger picture guide for solo female travel in Lisbon. So here it is. Today I am sharing just that and I hope it can be helpful for you when you plan your own visit.
Solo Female Travel In Lisbon & How To Spend A Long Weekend There
Disclaimer
There are affiliate links included in this post. This means at no extra cost to you, I earn a commission if you book through the link.
Solo female travel tips
As far as what you need to watch out for as a solo female traveler, it’s fairly standard stuff.
Be aware there will be beggars asking for money, keep your valuables secure from pickpocketers, don’t engage catcallers, don’t get drunk and walk alone at night – all the usual safety precautions that you have in your solo female travel toolkit.
The only really annoying thing I experienced was a lot of catcalling, other than that, it was fairly standard.
Here is my post on practical safety tips for solo female travelers which I recommend reading before your trip.
When is the best time to visit
Summer (June – August) is the peak season for visiting Lisbon.
If you’d like to visit in Summer, I recommend avoiding August because this is when many European countries get holidays so places are at the peak for crowds and costs.
The shoulder season (April-May and September-October) is a great time to visit to avoid the peak of the crowds.
What currency do you need
The currency you’ll use in Lisbon is the Euro.
Prices are fairly cheap in Portugal so it’s a great place to enjoy some nicer meals and treat yourself.
Is the tap water safe to drink?
It’s safe to drink the tap water in Lisbon so you’ll be able to fill up your water bottle, order drinks with ice and things like that.
Do you need to know another language?
The official language is Portuguese, but pretty much everywhere I went, people spoke English. It’s always good to make an effort with the local language so here are a few phrases to get you started.
Thank you = Obrigado
Good morning = Bom dia
Good afternoon = boa tarde
What are the entry requirements?
As always with Visas, it depends on which country you are visiting from, but for most countries, you won’t need a visa for a stay less than 90 days.
You’ll just need your passport with at least 6 months left before it expires. Here is the website to find out if you will need a visa.
What to wear in Lisbon
As far as dress code is concerned, there isn’t a strict dress code that you need to adhere to.
The one thing I will mention is to make sure you pack good walking shoes that you can walk up and down the hills of Lisbon in, and make sure they are as non-slip as possible.
The cobblestone paths can get really slippery and while walking up the hill on the slippery ground is usually easy, walking downhill is another story!
Keep an eye out for where you walk too because when I was roaming the streets I noticed a lot of dog poop on the paths in some areas.
For solo female travel in Lisbon make sure you wear comfortable shoes.
How to get around
It’s very easy to walk around Lisbon, but there are also easy to use public transport options like buses (faster and less crowded) and the iconic yellow trams (more crowded and slower), taxis and Uber.
I spent most of my time walking around which I liked because it’s a good way to counteract all the Pastel de Natas and it’s also a nice way to see more of the city.
While walking, I got to see everything from the shiny tourist areas, to the gritty and dirty non-tourist areas.
How to spend a long weekend in Lisbon
Day One – Walking food tour
I think this is a must-do because the food in Portugal is so delicious – and that’s coming from a non-foodie type!
Seriously, the food is so good and taking this walking food tour really helped me explore the cuisine from the local hole in the wall places that I probably wouldn’t have found on my own.
I also got to try out a range of different foods and learn about them along the way.
For more information, here’s my full review of this amazing walking food tour in Lisbon.
What’s for dinner: You’ll be eating all day, so spend the night with a relaxing pool session at the hotel.
Sampling different foods at one of the stops on the walking food tour in Lisbon
Day Two – Take a trip to Sintra
Sintra is a town of colorful castles and it’s a fun way to spend a day.
It’s very easy to catch the train from Lisbon and then use the buses to get around Sintra to go from castle to castle.
Make sure you get there early to beat the crowds and allow enough time to see as much as possible. Each castle had its own style and they were really fun to explore.
What’s for dinner: When you get back from Sintra, visit Pinóquio Restaurant in Lisbon for a nice seafood dinner in a cozy atmosphere. Stop by Fábrica da Nata for a Pastel de Nata afterward.
For more information, here’s my guide on how to take a day trip to Sintra.
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Dinner at Pinóquio
Day Three – Walking and exploring day
I love to have a walking or exploring day, or at least half a day, in each place I visit. On these days, I just walk around the city without a real plan.
Maybe I have a loose plan of something I want to see, but it’s fairly flexible and allows me to stop along the way and experience the destination in a different way to rigid tours and schedules.
I’d encourage you to, at least for a little of your trip, try to embrace a sense of adventure and just see where the day takes you.
Travel tip: Download areas to Google Maps in offline mode so that you can navigate your way around without using data. Here’s a guide on how to do that.
These kinds of exploring days are really hard to write a guide for, but from memory and what I can piece together by looking at Google Maps, here’s where I went on my exploration day.
Exploring Lisbon on foot
Waterfront and Portugal sign
This one is pretty self-explanatory.
I walked to the waterfront and looked around the area and also checked out the #cantskipportugal sign.
While I was looking around the waterfront, there was a guy spraypainting art on rocks which was pretty cool!
Alfama
I made my way to Alfama, stopped at a small mum & pop coffee shop for a coffee and pastry – I don’t remember what it was called but the couple running it were so lovely & it’s a reminder to give these little places a chance.
You can always get Starbucks at the airport.
Then I walked around the streets there taking snaps of the very colorful and photogenic buildings.
Along the water to Palacio
I walked back along the waterfront to the O Palacio Restaurant which had been recommended to me by someone on the walking food tour.
It was absolutely delicious and I can recommend the garlic prawns! It had a really nice atmosphere and great service too.
Garlic shrimp at Palacio
Through the city to the hotel
This part is hard to write about because I have no idea where I walked, I knew which direction I was heading in to get back to the city center and I headed in that direction through the city as opposed to the waterfront this time.
I stopped A LOT along the way to look down side streets and take photos, so there were many detours.
What’s for dinner: I recommend having a big lunch at O Palacio then stopping for a snack in the city center for dinner.
Where to stay
I stayed at the Heritage Avenida Liberdade Hotel and I think it’s a great option for solo female travelers because of the location and comfort.
For more information, here’s my guide on where to stay in Lisbon as a solo female traveler.
I hope this guide for solo female travel in Lisbon, as well as my other guides for Lisbon, can help you plan your own visit, whether you are traveling solo or otherwise.
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