Lisbon travel guide

Splitting Lisbon into a Belém day and an Alfama day takes the strain out of its hills.

The Jerónimos Monastery cloister opens Tuesday to Sunday 9:30 to 17:30, general admission is 18 euros, and it's closed on Mondays. From the airport, the metro Red Line runs into the city towards São Sebastião. The Navegante card costs 0.50 euros and a single metro and bus ticket 1.90 euros.

The monastery is closed on Mondays, so fix your Belém day first and the rest of the plan gets much easier. Note the last entry time too.

Visa and entry requirements for Portugal

Whether you need a visa, how long you can stay and which pre-arrival forms apply all depend on your nationality and the purpose of your trip. Check the official source below, and your own government's travel advice, before you book.

• Vistos (official visa portal of Portugal) (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal)
• ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) (European Union)
• EES (Entry/Exit System) (European Union)

The Jerónimos Monastery is a World Heritage site in Belém. The cloister opens Tuesday to Sunday 9:30 to 17:30, with last entry at 17:00. General admission is 18 euros, and it's closed on Mondays; if you're in Lisbon on a Monday, move Belém to another day.

The church keeps different hours from the cloister, so check it separately. It's closed on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, 13 June and 25 December. The Belém Tower is on the Tagus riverside in the same district, so you can walk on to it the same morning.

Based on Museus e Monumentos de Portugal's official information. Prices and hours may change.

With 2 nights: see the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower in Belém on day one, and walk Alfama and Baixa on day two. Alfama is an old quarter of narrow lanes and viewpoints, so wear comfortable shoes. Tram 28 climbs between Alfama and the centre and works as transport.

With 4 nights: walk Baixa and Praça do Comércio on day three, and add a day trip on day four. Praça do Comércio is a large square open to the river, lovely at dusk. The monastery is closed on Mondays, so fix Belém first and fit the rest around it.

From Lisbon Airport (LIS), the metro Red Line runs to São Sebastião without changing. The Navegante card costs 0.50 euros, and a single metro and bus ticket costs 1.90 euros, valid for 60 minutes on the Carris bus and metro network; you can't enter the metro twice in a row on it.

You can also ride the metro with a contactless bank card, at a stated single fare of 1.92 euros. Buy a card at the airport station and load a single ticket to go straight into the city. On hilly stretches, mix trams and the metro.

Split meals in Lisbon between pastel de nata, bacalhau, grilled sardines and Portuguese coffee. Pastel de nata is a small egg-custard tart, good with coffee for breakfast or a snack; bacalhau is salt cod, cooked many ways; sardines come charcoal-grilled; a small espresso suits a break between walks. We don't pick shops or prices here.

The Jerónimos Monastery is closed on Mondays, so fix your Belém day first. Portugal is in the Schengen Area; check entry requirements for your nationality. The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) records non-EU visitors, and ETIAS (EUR 20) is not yet in operation. The local emergency number is 112. If you lose belongings, you can report it at the tourist police station at the Lisbon Cruise Terminal, open 8:00 to 23:30; reports must be made within six months of the incident.