Lisbon, Portugal on your own

[margord]

Is Lisbon doable on your own? How far is the town from where the ship docks? What are the things I want to do in Lisbon?

 

Marilee

[margord]

Hasn't anyone been to Lisbon?

[carlmm]

Hi Marilee, Lisbon is very easy to do on your own. Being a large and old city there are so many sights to see, that it is best to get a guidebook and decide before what you want to see and do. I will give you a few examples:

In the city centre you find old squares and many small shops.

Right next to this there is the Alfama, one of the oldest parts with many narrow, winding alleys. In this neighbourhood you also find the cathedrale, the castle S. Jorge and the city museum.

In the quarter of Belem there are the most famous monastery of St. Jerome / Hironymous, a number of museums, the tower of Belem and the monument of the discoverers.

Museums and most beautiful churches are scattered around the whole city.

A nice way to get just an overview of the city is the tram. You can ride it passing several areas in a traditional car.

 

There are several places where ships can dock. It can be right in front of the city centre, right in front of Belem or somewhere in between. From the most often used terminal you can walk for example to the fine arts museum and the presidential palace. A subway station is located close to the terminal exit. Going south you reach the city centre, going north Belem, both in a few minutes. Of courses taxis are also available.

[margord]

Hi Marilee, Lisbon is very easy to do on your own. Being a large and old city there are so many sights to see, that it is best to get a guidebook and decide before what you want to see and do. I will give you a few examples:

In the city centre you find old squares and many small shops.

Right next to this there is the Alfama, one of the oldest parts with many narrow, winding alleys. In this neighbourhood you also find the cathedrale, the castle S. Jorge and the city museum.

In the quarter of Belem there are the most famous monastery of St. Jerome / Hironymous, a number of museums, the tower of Belem and the monument of the discoverers.

Museums and most beautiful churches are scattered around the whole city.

A nice way to get just an overview of the city is the tram. You can ride it passing several areas in a traditional car.

 

There are several places where ships can dock. It can be right in front of the city centre, right in front of Belem or somewhere in between. From the most often used terminal you can walk for example to the fine arts museum and the presidential palace. A subway station is located close to the terminal exit. Going south you reach the city centre, going north Belem, both in a few minutes. Of courses taxis are also available.

 

Thank you so much for this information. Where do we pick up the tram. This might sound dumb but how will I know it is the tram, does it say it? Is it a hop on-hop off? Any clue on price. Thanks again, this infromation is great.

 

Marilee

[cruisemom42]

See the link below. There is a good picture of one of the trams:

 

http://www.travel-earth.com/portugal/

 

If you dock in Belem, you can catch a tram very close by that will take you to Rossio (the main square in town and a transportation hub). From there you can walk around a nice central area with shops, etc or catch another tram to the Alfama area which is very hilly; it is the oldest part of the town with the castle at the top and well worth exploring.

[carlmm]

Where do we pick up the tram. This might sound dumb but how will I know it is the tram, does it say it? Is it a hop on-hop off? Any clue on price.

 

cruisemom42's link is great with the picture and the numbers of trams. It is not hop on-hop off, you have either to get a day pass or to buy a ticket for each ride. Yet is is very cheap, one Euro or something like that (or it was last time I used it).

[traveling1969]

We were berthed near the bridge. We walked straight out of the port, across a street, to an underground pedestrian walkway, out of the walkway then continued in the straight line away from the berth for one block and came to the tram tracks. We walked to the right about 50 yards to the tram stop. 1.70 euros to center Lisbon (ask at info which tram #). We walked up to the castle and enjoyed the views. We took the elevator to the top of the tin tower and we ate at a nice little sidewalk cafe. All in all, Lisbon was easy to do on our own and we can't wait to go back.

[pabi]

Hasn't anyone been to Lisbon?

Hi:

Well, I was born in Lisbon and have returned at least once a year to visit. Just as the other posts mentioned, it is a city one can do on your own. When I talk about Lisbon I go on and on ( the city is so beautiful and there is so much to see )...I'll try to be brief though.

Depending where you dock....if it's near Belem then do the Monastery of Jeronimos...the tower of Belem and almost adjacent to the Tower of Belem there is the Monument of the Discoveries. These are all within walking distance...actually if you stand outside the Monastery looking towards the River Tagus ( Tejo in Portuguese) you can see the other two. Entrance fee for the Tower of Belem....for the Monastery there is if you want a guided tour which takes you behind the doors.

If you dock near the Terreiro do Paco ( or Praca do Comercio)...that is a square facing the river with the statue of King D. Jose on a horse. Walk through the arch ( you can't miss it) and you are now on Rua Augusta. That is a pedestrian only street with cafes; art vendors etc.. Just keep on walking away from the river and you will end up at the Rossio Square...if you walk on the left side of that square you will come up to the Rossio Train station....Quite a piece of architecture...definetly worth a picture or two. If you are on the left side of that square look up towards your right and on the top of the hill is the Castle of S. Jorge. If you decide to cross to the other side of the square you will end up in another square...go inside that church....it was burnt down due to a fire in the 60's but it was cleaned and left with a few of the statues of saints that survived the fire. That church is called Church of S. Domingos.

Now, that is just a bit of walking tour that will not cost you anything. Ask the locals where the SNI office is....that is the department of Turism which is about 5 minutes walk from the Rossio Square. The office is located in a palace and you will be able to get maps and all kinds of information. The subway system is good ( there is a station right near the SNI ). You can buy a turist day pass....make sure you ask the staff at the SNI about it and where to buy it...they will give you a map of the subway....they have "coloured lines" ...each colour goes a diferent route.

Then, back at Terreiro do Paco ( or Praca do Comercio)....they have the tourims trams....you hop on and off...that is another very good way to see the city. Unfortunately because of traffic, the schedule to get back on the tram/bus is erratic....give yourself extra time to get back to the ship. You will have headsets with info on monuments /history etc. in any language you need.

Hope this helps....there are about 30 museums in the city and countless churches ( just about one in every corner), 1 castle , I forget how many palaces and tons of monuments....etc. etc. etc..

Hope you'll enjoy Lisbon.

[margord]

See the link below. There is a good picture of one of the trams:

 

http://www.travel-earth.com/portugal/

 

If you dock in Belem, you can catch a tram very close by that will take you to Rossio (the main square in town and a transportation hub). From there you can walk around a nice central area with shops, etc or catch another tram to the Alfama area which is very hilly; it is the oldest part of the town with the castle at the top and well worth exploring.

 

Thanks so much, that was very helpful.

[margord]

cruisemom42's link is great with the picture and the numbers of trams. It is not hop on-hop off, you have either to get a day pass or to buy a ticket for each ride. Yet is is very cheap, one Euro or something like that (or it was last time I used it).

 

 

I thought I read somewhere that there was a ho on\hop off for Lisbon. Am I wrong?

[margord]

Hi:

Well, I was born in Lisbon and have returned at least once a year to visit. Just as the other posts mentioned, it is a city one can do on your own. When I talk about Lisbon I go on and on ( the city is so beautiful and there is so much to see )...I'll try to be brief though.

Depending where you dock....if it's near Belem then do the Monastery of Jeronimos...the tower of Belem and almost adjacent to the Tower of Belem there is the Monument of the Discoveries. These are all within walking distance...actually if you stand outside the Monastery looking towards the River Tagus ( Tejo in Portuguese) you can see the other two. Entrance fee for the Tower of Belem....for the Monastery there is if you want a guided tour which takes you behind the doors.

If you dock near the Terreiro do Paco ( or Praca do Comercio)...that is a square facing the river with the statue of King D. Jose on a horse. Walk through the arch ( you can't miss it) and you are now on Rua Augusta. That is a pedestrian only street with cafes; art vendors etc.. Just keep on walking away from the river and you will end up at the Rossio Square...if you walk on the left side of that square you will come up to the Rossio Train station....Quite a piece of architecture...definetly worth a picture or two. If you are on the left side of that square look up towards your right and on the top of the hill is the Castle of S. Jorge. If you decide to cross to the other side of the square you will end up in another square...go inside that church....it was burnt down due to a fire in the 60's but it was cleaned and left with a few of the statues of saints that survived the fire. That church is called Church of S. Domingos.

Now, that is just a bit of walking tour that will not cost you anything. Ask the locals where the SNI office is....that is the department of Turism which is about 5 minutes walk from the Rossio Square. The office is located in a palace and you will be able to get maps and all kinds of information. The subway system is good ( there is a station right near the SNI ). You can buy a turist day pass....make sure you ask the staff at the SNI about it and where to buy it...they will give you a map of the subway....they have "coloured lines" ...each colour goes a diferent route.

Then, back at Terreiro do Paco ( or Praca do Comercio)....they have the tourims trams....you hop on and off...that is another very good way to see the city. Unfortunately because of traffic, the schedule to get back on the tram/bus is erratic....give yourself extra time to get back to the ship. You will have headsets with info on monuments /history etc. in any language you need.

Hope this helps....there are about 30 museums in the city and countless churches ( just about one in every corner), 1 castle , I forget how many palaces and tons of monuments....etc. etc. etc..

Hope you'll enjoy Lisbon.

 

Thanks you so much for this great information.

[carlmm]

I thought I read somewhere that there was a ho on\hop off for Lisbon. Am I wrong?

 

You are right. There is a hop on / hop off bus available. Yet this is another option, i.e. a bus, than the tram (running on rails) discussed earlier and takes a different route.

[cruisemom42]

I thought I read somewhere that there was a ho on\hop off for Lisbon. Am I wrong?

 

Yes, but the tram is more fun. I'm not a huge fan of sightseeing by HOHO bus.

 

The tram to Alfama in particular is really the only way to see this area with its hills and narrow twisting streets. (Besides walking, that is....)

[margord]

Yes, but the tram is more fun. I'm not a huge fan of sightseeing by HOHO bus.

 

The tram to Alfama in particular is really the only way to see this area with its hills and narrow twisting streets. (Besides walking, that is....)

 

I guess the thing I tend to like about hop on/hop off is the commentary.

 

Marilee

[NYC cruiser lady]

Dear Cruisemom and Pabi,

Thank you so much for all the information. I arrive in Lisbon one day before the cruise. I will study the information you have provided and plan the day wisely, thanks to your wonderful suggestions.

Thanks,

[margord]

What I can say is that Lisbon is very safe.

 

Now that is wonderful.

 

Marilee

[Chelly]

Rick Steves has some great info on his website on Lisbon

[margord]

Rick Steves has some great info on his website on Lisbon

 

Great idea. I will check it out. Thanks

 

Marilee

[Colmoi]

We are arriving on QM2 for a day in Lisbon in May and told to take taxi to Sintra & Cascais instead of cruise tour. Do you recommend this approach and what could be the taxi fare for such a private tour? Anything to watch for? Many thks. :)

[dw64]

We have a 6:35 PM flight. is there a place to leave luggage for 3-4 hours to explore Lisbon.? Does anyone know of lockers in Lisbon? What will a taxi charge for a tour?

Thanks for advice?

[MrsFitz]

Hi, we will be visiting Lisbon for the first time this June. The more I researched it, the more excited I was we were stopping there! A great site for info is www.golisbon.com. It has great info and pictures. It also has a page for the HoHo bus and a link to the map of it's route. We are planning on taking it. It runs all the way North up to the Zoo and as far West as Belem. I believe the total drive time (if you were to ride and not get off) is 1 hour and 30 minutes. I had seen a picture of the tram, but until I saw this thread, I didn't know much about it. I agree I would like to have the commentary that the HoHo bus offers since it is our first trip there.

 

For those who have been there or lived there, could you tell me where the nearest HoHo stop is if we are docked just east of the April 25th bridge? Also, is there a link to the route of the tram?

 

Thanks for all the posts and info here!

 

Susan

[MrsFitz]

Oops! One more HoHo question!! Can we pay as we board the HoHo bus at the cruise terminal or do we have to either reserve tickets in advance or buy them from certain bus stops? When we took them in England and Paris, we just bought tickets from the bus driver or from a stand the company had set up by the bus stop.

 

Thanks!

 

Susan

[terry99]

Following on from pabi's excellent post, here is a link to the Carris website (local transport operator). There is a one day network ticket (3.70 Euros) which you can use on city buses and metro. The website gives you all the details including routes.

http://www.carris.pt/en/index.php?area=balcao&subarea=balcao_tarifario_proprios

[chapichapo]

I live hear so if there's anything I can help with... I don't use the public transports much - only the subway from time to time. Taxis are pretty unexpensive and if you are in a group it ends up beeing easier and less expensive. It is a really safe city. My one day tour would be taking a taxi or a tramway to the castle hill, visiting the castle for a view, doing a stroll around Alfama, down the hill to the Rossio - go down rua Augusta to see the Praça do Comércio, maybe have lunch at the Martinho da Arcada, go through Rua do Ouro, take the elevator up in the Rua do Ouro to the Chiado. Stroll the Chiado and up, take a look at Bairro Alto, visit Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara (view). Then maybe take a taxi either to Belém or to the Museum of Ancient Art, depending on your interests/time left, etc.. The Musem of Ancient Art will maybe be less tyring and it's kind of a history of Portugal thing since it gathers lots of pieces from our "traveling times". It's a small but really lovely museum, doable in 2 hours. Belém is more touristic, it's a bit the image of Lisbon with the monastery and the big impressive monuments. It's also a nice place to have lunch, or have the pastéis de Belém (Lisbon's best-known pastry).

Well, you'll see it's a pretty city. :p

[cmpaula]

Thank you so much for the information on Lisbon...I am so excited about visiting! I am looking forward to seeing the ceramics, not only the tiles but also the serving pieces. We are planning on exploring the city on our own with our 2 teenagers. I printed some material from go Lisbon but wondered if there is one ceramic shop that would have both serving pieces and tiles. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!