Portugal · airport pick-up
Airport car rental in Lisbon
Pick up a rental car at Lisbon's airport terminals. Expedia Cars covers every major counter on arrivals — collect your key minutes after baggage claim, drop off at the same gate, no shuttle hassle.
- ✓On-airport counters at every Lisbon terminal
- ✓No off-site shuttles for the major brands
- ✓Flexible fare options shown per flight
- ✓One-way drop-off available · Powered by Expedia Cars
What first-timers get wrong in Lisbon
Paying the driver on tram 28 costs 3.30 euro; the same ride is 1.72 with zapping credit on a 0.50 euro Navegante card. Restaurants set bread, olives and cheese on the table as couvert and bill for it, so wave it away if you do not want it. Free-Sunday museum entry is a residents' benefit, not a visitor one. Tipping is minimal here: rounding the bill up is normal.
What things cost in Lisbon
A Navegante card costs 0.50 euro; a single Carris or Metro fare is 1.90, zapping validations 1.72, and the 24-hour Carris and Metro pass 7.25. Add the ferry to Cacilhas and it is 10.35; add suburban trains and it is 11.40. The Santa Justa Lift is 6 euro as a tourist ticket against 1.80 with a transport card. A pastel de nata sits near a euro and a half.
Lisbon with kids, realistically
The Oceanario in Parque das Nacoes builds everything around one enormous central tank and holds attention from roughly age three; the cable car and the hands-on Pavilhao do Conhecimento sit beside it. Understand before you commit that Lisbon's hills plus calcada cobbles defeat strollers almost completely, so bring a carrier. Newer metro stations have lifts. The flat riverfront from Praca do Comercio is the one easy pushchair stretch.
What to eat in Lisbon
Pasteis de nata split loyalties between Pasteis de Belem, working an 1837 convent recipe behind a numbered ticket queue, and Manteigaria, which bakes in the window. The bifana, a thin pork cutlet in a soft roll with mustard, is the cheap standing lunch. Cervejaria Ramiro does garlic prawns and goose barnacles. Time Out Market is convenient and pricey; Mercado de Campo de Ourique is the quieter version.
Lisbon after dark
Bairro Alto works on a two-stage timetable: bars are matchbox-sized so everyone drinks standing in the lanes from about ten, then the crowd walks downhill to Cais do Sodre and Pink Street around two, where Pensao Amor and Musicbox run until dawn. LX Factory fills a converted textile complex under the bridge. Fado houses in Alfama impose a minimum spend and expect silence during the singing.
When to go to Lisbon
| Best months for airport-cars | Avg daily high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| August | 28°C / 82°F | 0 days |
| July | 29°C / 84°F | 0 days |
| May | 23°C / 73°F | 4 days |
The month to avoid is January — around 15°C (59°F) with roughly 7 rain days. Prices and crowds track the weather here: August is the sweet spot, January the month most people skip.
Pack for peak season: Summer clothes, plus one light layer for air-con and evenings, High-SPF sunscreen, sunglasses, and a refillable water bottle, Comfortable walking shoes — every guide on this site assumes you'll use them.
Where to base yourself in Lisbon
- Alfama — Old town, fado tradition, miradouro viewpoints.
- Bairro Alto — Nightlife — quiet by day, crowded after 10pm.
- Belém — Monuments, museums, the pastry of pastries.
- Príncipe Real — Boutiques, design shops, dining.