Lisbon CITY From students to students - Uniplaces Blog

Lisbon
CITY
From students to students

Rua Augusta

INDEX

Welcome to Lisbon               6
How to move around              10
How paying around works         12
What costs what                 13
10 handy phrases                14
Websites to find cool events    16
Top attractions                 18
Where to
...eat cheap                    34
...grab a coffee                36
...drink                        37
...party                        38
...study                        34
Places for outdoor activities   36
Popular student hangouts        38
Free wifi spots                 40
Most important events           42
How to
...get legal                    54
...open a bank account          56
...get a SIM Card               56
...move around                  58
Best supermarkets               60
Main universities               62

Welcome to Lisbon!

Lisbon is the most charming and charismatic
European capital city. The capital of Portugal
has 550.000 people living in the city centre, and
almost 3 million people living in the suburban
areas. Almost one third of the whole Portuguese
population lives here, and now you are part of it!

Lisbon is Western Europe’s oldest city. It is
both set over hills and close to awesome,
sandy beaches. The Tejo river is also one of the
city’s most charming sights, offering amazing
landscapes, impressive sunset views, and a
bridge that quickly grabs everyone’s attention
— and not just because it’s very similar to San
Francisco’s Golden Gate bridge.

It is the sunniest capital in Europe, where the
sun shines up to 290 days a year, and where the
temperature rarely drops below 15ºC. Sounds
amazing, right?

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Fado houses, green parks, gardens and lots
of viewpoints (or miradouros in Portuguese),
Lisbon offers you a sea of places to discover and
to get lost in. Monuments such as the Castelo
de São Jorge, Sé, Torre de Belém, Mosteiro dos
Jerónimos, Panteão Nacional, Terreiro do Paço
square, and Baixa-Chiado are some of the most
popular points of interest around Lisbon. Every
year, they fascinate thousands of tourists from all
over the world.

From a fantastic university experience to great
hospitality, amazing gastronomy, and wonderful
traditions, Lisbon has everything. It is an
unforgettable destination for every student who
wants to enjoy a unique experience abroad.

Welcome to Lisbon!

                                                  7

How to move around

There are four main means of public transportation
in Lisbon: metro, bus (Carris), train and boat.
We suggest getting a green Lisbon Viva Card (a
monthly pass) when you arrive in the city. You’ll
need to charge it monthly, and you can use on
the metro and the Carris bus. The normal monthly
pass is the Navegante Urbano for €36,20, and
it takes you everywhere around the city centre.
If you’re 23 years old or younger and studying
at university, you can benefit of a 25% discount
(meaning you only have to pay €27,15). To get the
discount, you just need to provide a declaration
proving that you are studying at the time that you
request the card (ask for the declaration
at your university).

The card takes 10 working days to be ready. If you
don’t want to wait that long or need the card to
be ready as soon as possible, you will need to pay
€12 instead of the normal €6 (or pay €6 instead of
the normal €3.50 if you have the 25% discount).

For a single bus or metro ride (€1.45), or even for
a daily ticket, you should ask for a Viva Viagem
paper card (available in every station at the ticket
machines). It costs 0.50€ and it’s valid for one
year. There is also the zapping option, which
requires you to charge your card with at least 3€,
but each trip will cost you €1,31 instead of €1,45.
However, be aware that once you charge with

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zapping, you will no longer be able to charge
your card with a single trip.

You also have a daily ticket (24h) for the bus/
metro for €6.15, a daily ticket (24h) for the bus/
metro/Transtejo boat for €9.15, and a daily ticket
(24h) for the bus/metro/CP train for €10.15.

The metro opens at 6:30am and closes at 1am.
There are a few all-night buses departing from
Bairro Alto and Cais do Sodré. For a safer option,
you can order a car from services like Taxify.

If you really want to visit some places outside the
city limits, such as Sintra and Cascais, the best
option is to catch a CP train in Rossio or Cais do
Sodré, respectively.

If you’re planning some rides and trips around
Portugal, the best options are Rede Expressos
coaches and CP trains. Both of them offer
student discounts.

In case you need to cross the river, Transtejo
offers five different boat routes: Terreiro do
Paço - Barreiro (€2.35), Cacilhas - Cais do Sodré
(€1.25), Seixal - Cais do Sodré (€2.35), Montijo
- Cais do Sodré (€2.75) and Trafaria - Porto
Brandão - Belém (€1.20). You will always need the
Viva Viagem card (€0.50).

                                                     9

How much is the
important stuff?
Espresso coffee
€0.65

Beer (0.2L)
€1 (the cheapest is at Arco do Cego
in Saldanha for €0.65!)

Menu of the day in a normal restaurant
€8

Menu in McDonald’s
€6

Cinema ticket
€5 (with student card)

Cash or card?
Most people in Lisbon use debit cards to pay in
restaurants and shops. While places that don’t
accept debit/credit cards are becoming rare, they
still exist, so it’s a good idea to always have a bit
of a cash on you. Some restaurants and shops
only accept cards if your bill is higher than €5.
Also, don’t worry about ATMs; there are tons of
them around the city.

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Padrão dos Descobrimentos

10 handy phrases/
words to survive
Bom dia.
Good morning.

Como estás?
How are you?

Como é que se diz... em português?
How do you say… in Portuguese?

Como é que se vai para o Bairro Alto?
How can I get to Bairro Alto?

Dás-me o teu número?
Can you give me your phone number?

Quanto custa?
How much is it?

Uma imperial, se faz favor!
One beer, please!

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És de onde?
Where are you from?

Queres partilhar um táxi?
Do you want to share a taxi?

Vou ter tantas saudades
de Lisboa!
I’m going to miss Lisbon so much!

                                    13

Time Out Lisboa
www.timeout.com/lisbon

Câmara Municipal de Lisboa
www.cm-lisboa.pt/en/events-agenda

                                    City center

Top Attractions

1. Castelo de São Jorge
Bus: 737 (Stop: Castelo

Founded in 1910, Castelo de São Jorge is
considered one of the most emblematic
monuments in town and offers a complete and
privileged view over the city. The castle is at the
top of one of the city’s hills, with one of the best
views of the Tejo river and Lisbon. Inside you’ll
also find nice places to eat and drink like the
Castelo coffee and Casa do Leão restaurant. The
castle is located next to Mouraria and Martim
Moniz neighbourhoods.

A normal ticket costs €8.50, but if you’re a
student under 25 years old, you can get in for just
€5. It’s a must-see!

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