Calling at Lisbon

[Blue Shirt]

Has anyone stopped off at Lisbon ?  My cruise will be stopping there for an overnight stay so I'll have plenty of time to explore the city. I believe you can walk off the ship straight into the city from one of the two cruise ports, so hopefully I will be at Santa Apolónia. Is it really worth getting a hop on hop off bus or is it better to mix walking with public transport ? The places I think I need to visit are Baxia, Belem, St Georges castle for the views, narrow streets of Alfama, Rossio square & the Santa Justa Lift. Anyone got any other suggestions ?

[RoadTravelled]

On 10/30/2022 at 6:11 PM, Blue Shirt said:

Has anyone stopped off at Lisbon ?  My cruise will be stopping there for an overnight stay so I'll have plenty of time to explore the city. I believe you can walk off the ship straight into the city from one of the two cruise ports, so hopefully I will be at Santa Apolónia. Is it really worth getting a hop on hop off bus or is it better to mix walking with public transport ? The places I think I need to visit are Baxia, Belem, St Georges castle for the views, narrow streets of Alfama, Rossio square & the Santa Justa Lift. Anyone got any other suggestions ?

Lisbon is a wonderful city, full of incredible history, architecture, lively street life, great food, the famous azulejos Portuguese tiles, and picturesque views.  It sounds like you've got the primary areas all covered.  I will tell you from experience though, that if you try to do all of the points of interest you've outlined, you won't have time in an overnight stay.  Lisbon covers a very large area, and the public transport (the famous trams) are crowded and a haven for pick-pockets.  And, the queues are long in the most popular spots.  For example the Jeronimos Monastery in Belem, we waited in line for almost 2 hours, but it is definitely a must see.

As to the Santa Justa Lift, we skipped this going up the hill as again the line was way too long.  You can walk up a switch-back road that is fairly easy to do, and get to the top of the hill much quicker.  Then take the lift back down as almost no one does that and you can just walk on.  The big highlight for me (in that same area) is the Igreja de São Roque which is the most over-the-top, stunning church you will ever see (and we've seen a lot of them).  Not to be missed.

Have a great time.

[Blue Shirt]

7 hours ago, RoadTravelled said:

The big highlight for me (in that same area) is the Igreja de São Roque which is the most over-the-top, stunning church you will ever see (and we've seen a lot of them).  Not to be missed.

 

Thank you for such good clear information and I have put the church on a short list of "must go there" places. Have taken note about pickpockets on trams & elsewhere. What I am also interested in is .... "what to do in the evening" . Of course there will be some great restaurants to dine in the city, so has anyone got any suggestions for a evening in Lisbon if I decide to stay off the ship ?

[CruiseCaptain]

Hey @Blue Shirt, I stopped at Lisbon many years ago during a Carnival cruise. It was such a nice city. I didn't do any tours that day, just spent my time walking around and exploring the downtown area.

[Mark Morel]

Check out the App  Get Your Guide, check out whats avalable in Lisbon, very affordable, and always do the skip the line, you get served first. Note, we stayed one night in Lisbon, and took a taxi from the cruise port.  There will be hundreds of people trying to get taxis, so plan on waiting a whle, we finally got one after about 45 minutes.

[Emrys]

Great advise @Mark Morel, thanks for posting!

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@RoadTravelled This is all great advice. Thank's for providing such detailed feedback. I don't think I will be traveling via public transport in Lisbon knowing its a haven for pick-pockets! 

[jryka]

I booked a TA cruise that leaves from Lisbon. I originally was going to fly in a day ahead of time, but realize how silly that was and changed it so I arrive 4 days ahead. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@jryka I think arriving 4 days ahead of your cruise is a brilliant idea. That will give you ample time to explore the area! Have you been to this area before? The luxury cruise vessel Scenic Eclipse II departed from Lisbon for its inaugural, 12-day itinerary this month. Scenic Eclipse II has its very own private submarine! Which cruise ship will you be cruising on? 

[jryka]

I'm on the Silver Seas' new ship Nova and haven't been to Portugal (or Spain) before. 

[Kendall James-Vargas]

@jryka This is going to be such a great experience for you! Silver Nova has an amazing crew-to-guest ratio, 1:1.3, while also providing butler service for every one of its suites! The ship is now the flagship for Silversea Cruises, as the first-ever Nova-class ship in its fleet. Next year a second Nova-class ship will enter service, Silver Ray. The Royal Caribbean-owned brand is doing pretty well for itself, and I definitely forsee growth and success with these two new Nova-class ships. 

[jryka]

When you first arrive in Lisbon and take a taxi to your hotel, can you pay the driver in USD? Or maybe they take a credit card? Thanks

[jryka]

Though my bank online (BOA), I was able to order euros sent to my house. They charged about 5% more than what google showed for the exchange rate at, and I got free shipping. Easy!

[Cruising Caribbean]

@jryka This is a great tip! I had no idea BOA offered this service, but I will definitely be using this in the future. It's so incredibly convenient and practical. I'm surprised at the charge. That's really not bad at all considering how convenient the service is. Do the common US-based car services like Uber and Lyft operate in Lisbon? If so, transportation would be very convenient!

I recently used Uber in San Juan, and it was a breeze. There are no problems with payment or extra currency fees this way.

[RoadTravelled]

On 8/19/2023 at 10:00 AM, jryka said:

When you first arrive in Lisbon and take a taxi to your hotel, can you pay the driver in USD? Or maybe they take a credit card? Thanks

@jryka After traveling all over Europe over the years, my constant advice is that you should always pay with your credit card whenever possible.  And, you should select to pay in the local currency (euro's in this case).  That way you get the best rates.  Do check though with your credit card holder to see what foreign exchange fees they charge.  Some charge nothing and others a small fee.  Taxi's in Lisbon I'm pretty sure will accept credit cards.  That's pretty standard I would think in a modern, touristy place like Lisbon.  @Cruising Caribbean  Here's some more info about taxi's and ride-sharing as well.

Then, if you do need a bit of cash, the best route is to use an ATM at a big international bank.  I've had great luck with Deutsche bank ATM's that give great exchange rates and very small transaction fees.  Just check the back of your ATM card and match the system icons with those on the ATM machine to see if they are accepted there.  Of course, be sure to advise your bank that you are traveling out of the country so they can not block the transaction.  The ATM's have an option to show everything in English, so watch for that as well.  And, feel free to cancel the transaction if it doesn't tell you up-front what the exchange rate is.