I am going to Portugal!! My first time! advice?

[pschauss]

Mark,

I just looked it up. The Tivoli is quite near to a metro stop. You will find plenty of things to do on a weekend in Lisbon.

The local tobaco shops sell a "Sete Colinas" card for the Metro, buses, and street cars. You can load the card with a specified number of rides or a specified number of days (1, 3, and 5 IIRC). You can also buy the cards at the Metro stations.

For a general overview of the old town take the Metro down town, getting off at Baixa-Chiado. Go upstairs and take the number 28 tram in either direction. At the end of the line, get on a Tram going the other way. This will take you through the edge of the Biaro Alto (upper town), down into the Baixa (lower town), and through a part of the Alfama. This line also runs near the Castelo do Sao Jorge. Ask the driver which stop to get off at.

For another day, take the number 15 tram to Belem. There you have the Torre de Belem (its picture is on the cover of all of the guidebooks) and the Jeronimos Monastery.

Pickpockets are a problem in Lisbon. For camera equipment, try to get by with the minimum, one small camera and one lens. If you must carry a bag, try to get one which does not advertise "Expensive Camera".

Enjoy your trip and post some pictures.

 

[tripod]

I would imagine that most people speak Portuguese. 😉

 

[Kevin]

I spent a day just walking through Lissabon with friends so you don't really HAVE to go everywhere by tram if you don't want to.

 

[SergioGuerra]

Hi there!

Friday April 25th is the commemoration of Portuguese revolution and maybe there will be some street political (or not) activities (could be good if you like street photos). This was the "Carnation Revolution" that changed the Portuguese regime from an authoritarian dictatorship to a democracy.
More info in English here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnation_Revolution

In Portugal a lot of people speak English, but I think it is always good to learn some words of the native language 😉

Xpan seems to be a good camera, and 28mm and 21mm too. Wides in general work well in Portugal streets (but hey, I am a wide angle guy, so this could be me).
Sintra is about 30/40km from Lisbon. Has some palaces and nice gardens. There Is a train service between Lisbon and Sintra, I have never used it and some time ago heard of security issues. By bus maybe could be a better alternative, or maybe ask for a quote from a taxi.
I think If you leave early, you can have a very nice visit on Sintra during the day and get back to Lisbon with daylight.
If you can/want really make a longer trip, I recommend you to visit Porto. It is a 300km long trip, but it is quite a bit different from Lisbon (darker, smaller, older) and you can see some images from my gallery (I live in Porto ehe).
I have never been robbed and I live in Portugal for 31 years (ahah since I was born), but try to be discreet and yes, don't carry a bag with large letters.

Hope this helps a little, I dont live in Lisbon so cant help you much more...


Regards,

Sergio

 

[polaski]

The red wine is fine.

 

[haagen_dazs]

ha i guess the tivoli is fully booked
got bumped to Real Palácio Hotel

 

[lemos]

ha i guess the tivoli is fully booked
got bumped to Real Palácio Hotel

that is A VERY nice hotel, and you are really very close to the center of the city! nice 😎