Time zone in Portugal follows a single standard time of UTC+00:00, which is 0 hours of Greenwich Mean Time.
Currency: Euro (€). Credit and debit cards are usually widely accepted. Please also remember to check whether you might need to activate your credit card before departure.
Portuguese is the official language. Common keyboard layouts: Portuguese QWERTY.
Lisbon has four main public transportations: Bus (includes trams, funiculars and the Santa Justa Elevator), Metro, Train and Ferries across the river.
There is an extensive network of buses, trams and funiculars in Lisbon, managed by Carris company. They are all worth a ride on, especially the vintage trams, and the funiculars. The bus network covers the entire city including the airport and also serves certain areas outside the city.
Here is the official and up-to-date map on the Carris website. Note that there are separate maps for daytime and night-time bus networks.
Carris has four types of services:
Here is a very good unofficial map of the five tram routes.
Flat fare on the buses is €1,85 - cash paid on board. Flat fare on the trams (streetcars) is now 2,90 Euros. Please check the website for updated fares.
Lisbon's Metro has four lines. All lines operate from 06:30am to 1am every day. The metro is the least expensive and for many the quickest way between the airport and city centre. More information about the network can be found on the Metropolitano de Lisboa website. Metro ticket fare is €1,45. Please check the website for updated fares.
Notice: If you are on the metro, you can transfer freely from one line to another. On the bus, however, tickets are valid for travel on a single route. If you transfer from one route to another, you have to zap your card again or pay another cash fare. Ticket cards are reusable, don't throw them away.
Lisbon has several train stations and a network that serves national, regional, suburban and urban areas. Check CP official site for more information and to purchase tickets. Also for the trains that cross the river to the southern suburbs see Fertagus.
Because of its location along the Tagus river, Lisbon has three fluvial stations (also serving the Bus and Metro networks) connecting the city to other places located in the southern margin of the river, like Cacilhas, Seixal and Montijo among others. The Cacilheiro is another symbolical mean of transportation of Lisbon's Metropolitan area.
You can check out schedules, ticket prices on the Transtejo-Soflusa official website. There's still no English version but all that information is under Horário (Schedule) and Tarifário (Ticket fare) options.
There are a variety of travel tickets available which reduce those costs considerably. Details are available in English on the Carris website as above. One of the best deal for a visitor may be to buy the 24 hour pass for as many days as required. The cost is €6,15 for the first day, and €6,00 for each additional day. The ticket is issued on a rechargeable card that has be recharged each day - don't throw it away.
Another choice is Lisboa Card. The Lisboa Card is a Lisboa City Pass and a wonderful option for tourists to Lisbon, Portugal thinking of visiting the major museums and attractions. Check here for more information.
Lisbon Internet is available almost everywhere!
Almost all Hotels are also equipped with Internet access that you can use. Also in Shopping Centers you can find Internet Stations where you can browse or use your e-mail to send news to your folks.
Through the city, there are more than 500 Wi-Fi hotspots available to you. Some are free (like, for example, at the Airport) but in most cases you have to pay to have access. In some cases, you can buy some navigation time directly through the Wi-Fi access using your Web Bank account.
A printed Lisbon map should be offered in the airport. You can also find the Lisbon Map and Lisbon Attraction Maps here.
The electricity is 220-240 Volts. You may buy a portable plug adaptor at your home country or here in Portugal.
The Portugal country code/prefix +351 will allow you to call Portugal from another country. The emergency number is 112. Please check here for more information.
Lisbon is the capital and the largest city of Portugal, with a population of 552,700 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km². Lisbon is recognised as a global city because of its importance in finance, commerce, media, entertainment, arts, international trade, education and tourism. It is one of the major economic centres on the continent, with a growing financial sector and one of the largest container ports on Europe's Atlantic coast.
For tourist information on Portugal, check the webpage of Portugal Tourism - Visit Portugal.
For tourist information specifically on Lisbon, check the webpages of Lisbon Tourism Office - Visit Lisboa and Lisbon City Hall.
You can obtain the weather forecast from these (and several others) weather sites:
