Directory A–Z
Addresses
Addresses are written in the form “Rua do Crucifixo 50–4°”, meaning the fourth storey of no. 50, Rua do Crucifixo. The addition of e, d or r/c at the end means the entrance is on the left (esquerda), right (direita) or on the ground floor (rés-do-chão).
Bike hire
Most of Lisbon is very hilly, but the riverfront is flat and good for bike hire. There are bike hire outlets at Belém and Doca de Santo Amaro (Armazém 7 
218 250 266; daily 10am–7pm). Expect to pay around €5 an hour.
Children
Portugal is very child-friendly, and kids are welcome in most restaurants and cafés. While dedicated children’s menus are rare, most restaurants will serve a half-portion (meia dose) of dishes from the menu. Beware that many of the streets are narrow, cobbled and steep, so can be awkward for pushchairs.
Cinemas
Mainstream films are shown at various multiplexes around the city, usually with Portuguese subtitles. Listings can be found on 
agendalx.pt. The Instituto da Cinemateca Portuguesa (Rua Barata Salgueiro 39 
Avenida 213 596 200, cinemateca.pt), the national film theatre, has twice-daily shows and contains its own cinema museum.
Crime
Violent crime is very rare but pickpocketing is common, especially on public transport.
Disabilities
Lisbon airport offers a service for wheelchair-users if advance notice is given to your airline (details on 218 413 500), while the Orange Badge symbol is recognized for disabled car parking. The main public transport company, Carris, offers an inexpensive dial-a-ride minibus service, O Serviço Mobilidade Reduzida especial, (€1.80 per trip; Mon–Fri 6.30am–9.30pm, Sat & Sun 8am–noon & 2–6pm; 213 613 141, carris.pt), though two days’ advance notice and a medical certificate are required.
Electricity
Portugal uses two-pin plugs (220/240v). UK appliances will work with a continental adaptor.
Embassies and consulates
Australia, Avenida da Liberdade 2002 Avenida; 213 101 500; Canada, Avenida da Liberdade 198–200-3° Avenida; 213 164 600; Ireland, Avenida da Liberdade 200-4° Avenida; 213 308 200; South Africa, Avda Luís Bivar 10 Picoas; 213 192 200; UK, Rua de São Bernardo 33 www.gov.uk/world/portugal; US, Avenida das Forças Armadas, Jardim Zoológico; 213 924 000, 217 273 300, pt.usembassy.gov.
Event listings
The best listings magazine is the free monthly Agenda Cultural (www.agendalx.pt) produced by the town hall (in Portuguese). Follow me Lisboa is an English-language version produced by the local tourist office. Both are available from the tourist offices and larger hotels.
Health
Pharmacies, the first point of call if you are ill, are open Mon–Fri 9am–1pm & 3–7pm, Sat 9am–1pm. Details of 24hr pharmacies are posted on every pharmacy door, or call 118. The most central hospital is Hospital de Santa Maria (Avenida Prof. Egas Moniz 217 805 000, chln.pt; Entre Campos). There are various other public hospitals around the city; EU citizens will need form E112.
Emergencies
For police, fire and ambulance services, dial 112
Internet
Most hotels offer free wi-fi and often have computers for public use in reception. Most large cafés, bars and restaurants also offer free wi-fi.
Left luggage
There are 24hr lockers at the airport, main train and bus station, charging around €8 per day; for alternative venues around the city, check bagbnb.com/luggage-storage/lisbon.
LGBTQ travellers
The Centro Comunitário Gay e Lésbico de Lisboa at Rua dos Fanqueieros 40 (218 873 918; Wed– Sat 7–11pm; Martim Moniz) is the main gay and lesbian community centre, run by ILGA, whose website www.ilga-portugal.pt) is in Portuguese.
Lost property
Report any loss to the tourist police station in the Foz Cultura building in Palácio Foz, Praça dos Restauradores (daily 24hr 213 421 634). For items left on public transport, contact Carris 218 535 403.
Money
Portugal uses the euro (€). Banks open Monday to Friday 8.30am–3pm. Most central branches have automatic exchange machines for various currencies. You can withdraw up to €300 per day from ATMs (“Multibanco”) with a maximum €200 per transaction – check fees with your home bank.
Opening hours
Most shops open Monday to Saturday 9am–7pm; smaller shops close for lunch (around 1–3pm) and on Saturday afternoons; shopping centres are open daily until 10pm or later. Most museums and monuments open Tuesday to Sunday from around 10am–6pm; details are given in the Guide.
Opera
Lisbon’s main opera house is the Rococo Teatro Nacional São Carlos (Rua Serpa Pinto 9 213 253 045, tnsc.pt).
Phones
Most European-subscribed mobile phones will work in Lisbon, and those with mobiles from EU countries will pay no additional roaming charges.
Post
Post offices (correios) are usually open Monday to Friday 8.30am–6.30pm. The main Lisbon office at Praça dos Restauradores 58 is open until 10pm, and 9am–6pm on Sat (213 238 971). Stamps (selos) are sold at post offices and anywhere that has the sign “Correio de Portugal – Selos” displayed.
Smoking
In common with most other EU countries, smoking is prohibited in most restaurants and cafés.
Sports
Lisbon boasts two of Europe’s top football teams, Benfica (slbenfica.pt) and Sporting (sporting.pt). Fixtures and news on ligaportugal.pt. The area also contains some of Europe’s best golf courses, especially around Cascais and Estoril (info at www.portugalgolf.pt). The Atlantic beaches at Caparica and Guincho are ideal for surfing and windsurfing, and international competitions are frequently held there (details on surfingportugal.com). Horseriding is superb in the Sintra hills, and skilled horsemanship can also be seen at Portuguese bullfights (see Praça de Touros). The Estoril Open in April/May draws tennis fans to the city (millenniumestorilopen.com), and thousands of runners hit the streets for the Lisbon Marathon (maratonclubedeportugal.com), held in September/October.
Tickets
You can buy tickets for Lisbon’s theatres and many concerts from the ticket desk in FNAC (bilheteira.fnac.pt) in the Armazéns do Chiado shopping centre, as well as from the main venues themselves. Online tickets can be purchased from ticketline.sapo.pt or blueticket.pt.
Time
Portuguese time is the same as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Clocks go forward an hour in late March and back to GMT in late October.
Tipping
Service charges are included in hotel and restaurant bills. A ten-percent tip is usual for restaurant bills, and hotel porters and toilet attendants expect at least €0.50.
Toilets
There are very few public toilets in the streets, although they can be found in nearly all main tourist sights (signed variously as casa de banho, retrete, banheiro, lavabos or “WC”), or sneak into a café or restaurant if need be. Gents are usually marked “H” (homens) or “C” (cabalheiros), and ladies “M” (mulheres) or “S” (senhoras).
Tourist information
Lisbon’s main tourist office is the Lisbon Welcome Centre at Praça do Comércio (see MAP; daily 9am–8pm; 210 312 810, visitlisboa.com), which can supply accommodation lists, bus timetables and maps. The main Portugal tourist office at Palácio Foz, Praça dos Restauradores (daily 9am-8pm; 213 463 314), is also helpful.
Tourist offices at the airport and at Santa Apolónia station (Tues–Sat 7.30am–9.30pm; 910 517 982) can help you find accommodation, as can a few smaller “Ask Me” kiosks dotted around town, like the one opposite Belém’s Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (daily 9am–6pm). There is also the Y Lisboa tourist office at Rua Jardim do Regedor 50 (daily 10am–8pm; 213 472 134), with information geared to young and student travellers.
There are also tourist offices in all the main day-trip destinations: Sintra Turismo (see MAP; daily 9.30am–6pm, until 7pm in August; 219 231 157, cm-sintra.pt/turismo); Cascais Turismo (Praça 5 de Outubro; daily 9am–6pm; open til 8pm in summer; 912 034 214, visitcascais.com); and Caparica Turismo (Frente Urbana de Praias; Mon–Sat 9.30am–1pm & 2–5.30pm, closed Sat from Oct–March; 212 900 071, www.m-almada.pt).
Travel agents
The well-informed Top Atlântico, Rua do Ouro 109 (213 403 220, topatlantico.pt), Baixa, also acts as an American Express agent.
Water
Lisbon’s water is technically safe to drink, though you may prefer bottled water. Inexpensive bottled water is sold in any supermarket, though tourist shops and restaurants charge considerably more.