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Parque das Nações and the riverside cable car, Lisbon

Solo travel · Lisbon · Portugal

Solo travel in Lisbon

How to enjoy Lisbon at your own pace.

Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team

Photo: Martin de Lusenet from Heemskerk, Netherlands, CC BY 2.0

Quick answer

Lisbon is one of Europe's easiest cities to explore alone: hostels are sociable, eating at a counter is normal, and walking tours, food tours and miradouro sunsets make it easy to meet people. Many solo travellers base themselves in Bairro Alto.

Key facts

Base
Bairro Alto
Getting around
Metro
Emergency number
112 (European emergency number)
Language
Portuguese

Solo travel tips

  • Stay in Baixa, Chiado or Cais do Sodré for central, lively and well-connected bases.
  • Join a free walking tour or a food tour on your first day to get oriented.
  • Sit at the counter in cervejarias and tascas, where dining alone is completely normal.
  • Keep phones and wallets secure on Tram 28 and in crowded Bairro Alto streets.
  • Use ride-hailing apps at night rather than walking long distances through quiet streets.

Where to stay

$$ · Best for nightlife, budget and solo travellers

Bairro Alto

By day Bairro Alto is a quiet residential quarter of tiled façades and small shops; after about 10pm its narrow streets such as Rua da Atalaia and Rua do Diário de Notícias fill with people drinking outside tiny bars. The São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint at its edge looks across to the castle.

Good
The centre of Lisbon nightlife; Good-value bars and tascas; Walk to Chiado and Príncipe Real
Watch out
Very noisy until late at night; Streets littered on weekend mornings
Nearby
Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, Chiado, Glória Funicular

Great on your own

Jerónimos Monastery, Lisbon
Photo: Holger Uwe Schmitt, CC BY-SA 4.0

Religious site · Belém

Jerónimos Monastery

The church itself can be visited free through a separate entrance; save the paid cloister for early morning before tour groups arrive.

Time needed
1.5 hours
Cost
Mid-priced
  • Iconic
  • History
  • Architecture
Belém Tower, Lisbon
Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0

Landmark · Belém

Belém Tower

The exterior and setting are the highlight; walk the riverside path from the Padrão dos Descobrimentos and decide on the interior when you see the queue.

Time needed
45 minutes–1 hour
Cost
Mid-priced
  • Iconic
  • History
  • Views
  • Photo spot
  • Kids

Castle · Alfama

São Jorge Castle

Go late afternoon for the light on the city, and take bus 737 or a taxi up if the climb through Alfama is too steep.

Time needed
1.5–2 hours
Cost
Mid-priced
  • Iconic
  • Views
  • History
  • Kids
  • Couples
Tram 28, Lisbon
Photo: Ajay Suresh from New York, NY, USA, CC BY 2.0

Experience · Graça

Tram 28

Board at the Martim Moniz or Campo de Ourique terminus early in the morning for a seat, and keep valuables zipped away: the route is notorious for pickpockets.

Time needed
40–50 minutes end to end
Cost
Low cost
  • Iconic
  • Kids
  • Views
  • Photo spot

Landmark · Baixa

Praça do Comércio and Rua Augusta Arch

Sit on the Cais das Colunas steps at sunset, then walk west along the Ribeira das Naus riverfront to Cais do Sodré.

Time needed
1 hour
Cost
Free
  • Free
  • Iconic
  • History
  • Views
  • Architecture
Santa Justa Lift, Lisbon
Photo: Dicklyon, CC BY-SA 4.0

Landmark · Baixa

Santa Justa Lift

If the queue is long, walk up to Largo do Carmo through Chiado and reach the top-level walkway from there.

Time needed
30 minutes plus queue
Cost
Low cost
  • Iconic
  • Views
  • Architecture

Meeting people

  • Seafood beer hall feast — Order clams, prawns, crab and percebes by weight at a cervejaria, with cold beer and buttered toast, then finish with a prego steak sandwich in the Lisbon tradition.
  • Prato do dia at a tasca — Small family-run tascas serve a dish of the day at lunchtime, often with soup, a drink and coffee included, at prices far below dinner menus.
  • Bairro Alto — Dozens of small bars with cheap drinks, where most people stand in the streets; busiest from about 11pm.
  • Cais do Sodré — The pink-painted Rua Nova do Carvalho and surrounding streets have late bars and music venues near the river.

Sensible precautions

Lisbon is generally relaxed for visitors, but pickpockets work on Tram 28, in the Baixa and at busy viewpoints. Street sellers offering drugs in the Baixa and Bairro Alto are a known scam. The polished stone pavements are very slippery when wet.

Emergency number
112 (European emergency number)
Staying connected
Free Wi-Fi is common in cafés and hotels; EU roaming applies to European SIMs, and visitors from elsewhere can use local SIMs or eSIM plans.

Questions travellers ask

+Is Lisbon good for solo travellers?

Lisbon is one of Europe's easiest cities to explore alone: hostels are sociable, eating at a counter is normal, and walking tours, food tours and miradouro sunsets make it easy to meet people.

+Where should solo travellers stay in Lisbon?

Bairro Alto: A 16th-century grid of narrow streets that turns into one big street bar at night.