Tips for studying abroad in Lisbon - Study abroad in Lisbon

1. Tips for studying abroad in Lisbon - Study abroad in Lisbon
2. How to get to Lisbon - Getting to Lisbon by plane, train, bus or car
3. Public transport in Lisbon - Getting around Lisbon
4. Cost of Living in Lisbon
5. Accommodation for students in Lisbon - Top tips and advice
6. Save money in Lisbon - Tips for living on a student budget in Lisbon
7. Lisbon neighborhoods - The most important districts of Lisbon
8. Nightlife in Lisbon - A guide to nightclubs and going out in Lisbon
9. Portuguese cuisine - The gastronomy of Portugal and traditional dishes
10. Where to eat in Lisbon - Gastronomy in Lisbon
11. What to see in Lisbon - Top 10 Places to see in Lisbon
12. What to do in Lisbon - The best things to do in Lisbon
13. Festivals in Lisbon - Festivals and events in Lisbon
14. Day trips from Lisbon - Places to visit and excursions around Lisbon

Lisbon in 3 days - What to see in Lisbon in 3 days

Lisbon (Lisboa, in portuguese) is the capital of Portugal, a city known for its beauty and simplicity. Crossing the city you will find the Tagus River and the West part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the biggest city of the country, with almost three millions of people (Lisbon Metropolitan Area), being the11th most populated urban area in the European Union. Lisbon is one of the oldest cities in the world, and the oldest in Western Europe. Founded in 1147 after the Reconquista of the Iberian Peninsula, Lisbon has been the major political, economic and cultural centre of Portugal.

What to prepare before coming to Lisbon?

Required Documents

If your country is part of the 25 European Countries that belong to the Schengen Area (plus Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) you don’t have to worry about any documents, besides your identification card. For short stays (up to 90 days) students/interns from the following countries can enter Portugal with only a passport: Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canadá, Chile, Costa Rica, Croacia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, etc. Other citizens from countries not mentioned above need a VISA to enter Portugal, be careful because this list may change, so you should confirm with your local Embassy or Consulate.

What should I bring? Bring at least 2 or 3 passport photos; bring your European Health Insurance Card; Learning Agreement and of course any university documents as well.

If you come from the UK, you should check the foreign travel advice section on the UK Government website.

Weather

Portugal is known for being the country where the sun rises almost 300 days per year. Summers are dry and warm, and the winters are cold, windy and rainy. The hottest months are between May and September and the temperatures may vary between 20ºC and 36ºC. The coldest months are December, January and February, and the lowest temperature can go until -1ºC.

Usually, Lisbon is a city not that warm during the summer and during the winter is windy and rainy.

Clothing

Usually people think that Portugal is a warm country, and it’s true, but they forget that during the wintertime it can be really windy and cold, so better to bring warm clothes!

In both semesters you will need warm clothes, but don’t forget to bring your shorts and swimsuit. Even during the first semester you can get some hot days in September and sometimes even in October.

Money

As a European Country, the current currency in Portugal is euros. If you don’t have euros, don’t worry, when you arrive in Portugal there are a lot of places where you can get some currency converted, or you can just withdraw money from an ATM, but don’t forget that they will always charge you something.

With 1 euro you can buy a lot of things, 1 euro is the price for a hamburger (McDonalds), one beer, many groceries cost less than 1 euro. Comparing to other countries and cities in Europe, Portugal, and even Lisbon, are cheap.

Language

Most of the people find it quite easy to learn portuguese, but of course, everything depends from which country you come from. The biggest problem you can find is the pronunciation, but don’t worry, most of the people in Portugal speaks English, so you will not find any problem.

As a Romance language, Portuguese is the third most spoken European language in the world, because it’s spoken in Portugal, Angola, Cape Verde Islands, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Sao Tomé and Príncipe and Brazil. But usually mostly everyone can speak English, or even Spanish, French or even sometimes German.

Portuguese language is known for being really similar to Spanish, but when you list it for the first time, people say that sounds like a Slavic ou Romanic language. For the foreigners Portuguese pronunciation sounds really weird and hard to pronounce. However if you try to say something in Portuguese, we will appreciate it a lot.

To learn Portuguese you can attend Portuguese Classes in the University, this is the best and easiest way to learn the language. Different Faculties have courses for foreigner students available, if you’re an Erasmus Student, before you come to Portugal, you can contact your University and ask them which courses they have available, and which one the best for you is. Check these links of two different Universities in Lisbon: Universidade de Lisboa and Universidade Nova. Or if you prefer a private school you can check this Websites of different schools that exist in LIsbon, and they are really good for you to start learning portuguese: Portuguese Language School; Instituto Camões; Cambridge School.

Here you have some basic words for you to start learning Portuguese.

English	Portuguese (informal)
Hello, Hi	Olá
How are you?	Tudo bem? Como estás?
Good morning / Good afternoon / Good evening-night	Bom dia / Boa tarde / Boa noite
Goodbye / See you later	Adeus / Até logo
Please / Thank you	Por favor / Obrigado (men) or Obrigada (women)
I’m so sorry / Excuse me	Peço desculpa / Com licença
What’s your name?	Como te chamas?
How can I go to....?	Como é que posso ir para …?

What do you need to know if you are going to Lisbon?

Services

• Shops: The smallest shops in Portugal are open from Monday to Friday, from 9 am. or 10 am. until 7pm. It’s really common seeing shops closed from 1 pm. to 3 pm., because it’s lunch time, and for Portuguese this is a really important time of the day. Also, you can find some shops open on Saturday morning, and sometimes, depending oh the city, also on Sundays. These smallest shops are usually in the city center.

• Banks: Banks in Portugal are open from Monday to Friday, from 8.30 h am. until 3pm. But don’t worry because you will find cash machines in every corner, and they are available during 24 hours per day. Also, most of the places in Portugal accept payment by credit card.

• Post Offices: You can use the official Post Office site in Portugal, to check which one in Lisbon is closer to you. Usually, post offices are open at weekdays from 9 am. until 6pm. But you also have a lot of places in the city where you can leave your letters, but don’t forget to buy a stamp.

• Pharmacies: As the other services mentioned, pharmacies open from Monday to Friday, from 9 am. until 7pm. and also on Saturdays from 9 am. until 1 pm. The good thing is that you have also some pharmacies that work during 24 hours, check this to see what pharmacy is the closest to you and which one opens during non working hours.

Important numbers if you are moving to Lisbon

• Emergencies: 112

• Intoxication: 808 250 143

• Health 24 hours: 808 24 24 24

• Firefighters: 117

• SOS Students: 915 246 060, 969 554 545 or 239 484 020

National Holidays in Portugal

• 1st January - New Year’s;

• 25th April - Freedom Day;

• 1st May - Worker’s Day;

• 10th June - Portugal’s Day;

• 13th June - Lisbon’s Santo António (Lisbon’s Day);

• 15th August - Feast of the Assumption;

• 5th October - Implantation of the Republic;

• 1st November - All Saints;

• 1st December - Restoration of Independence;

• 8th December - Immaculate Conception;

• 25th December - Christmas Day.

• Movable public holidays: Carnival (February); Good Friday (March/April), Corpus Christi (June).

Time Schedule in Lisbon

(GMT/UTC GMT/UTC +1)

• Return to Lisbon City Guide 2021: the ultimate guide
• Continue to How to get to Lisbon – Getting to Lisbon by plane, train, bus or car

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