iCity guide
One Lisbon plan for a long weekend or five full days: Alfama on foot before Tram 28 fills up, Belém's monastery with the original pastéis, a real fado house instead of a dinner show, and a 24-hour card that pays for itself on the hills. Days 1–3 are the core trip; days 4 and 5 add Sintra and the Cascais coast.
Couples and first-time visitors staying three to five days who want Portuguese food, tiles, viewpoints and fado without a capital-city price tag.
Get the full Lisbon plan — day by day, official prices, transport tips and red flags — on your phone with no internet or roaming needed.
A mid-range hotel in Baixa, Chiado or Graça — Baixa is flat and central, Chiado is lively and well connected, Graça is cheaper with the best viewpoints — check that the room is not up 100 steps. Budget around €90 per night for two.
Days 1–3 are the core trip. Staying longer? Days 4–5 carry on from the same base, with their own cost breakdown below.
Estimates for 3 days in Lisbon, excluding flights. Always confirm live prices and opening hours before you book.
Five days in Lisbon costs about €940 for two, excluding flights. Sintra and Cascais are cheap by train; the main extra cost is the Pena and Regaleira tickets.
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Plan my Lisbon trip →Before you fly
Nothing here is required — it is simply the order most travellers wish they had booked things in.
Somewhere to stay
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The busiest sights sell out days ahead — book the timed slots first.
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Guided days out and multi-sight passes are cheaper booked before you arrive.
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A driver waiting at arrivals, fixed price, no taxi queue after a long flight.
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Find a drop-off pointSpring (Apr–May)
RecommendedSunny and fresh; perfect hill walking.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
Peak seasonSanto António festivals in June.
Autumn (Sep–Oct)
RecommendedWarm sea and softer crowds.
Winter (Nov–Mar)
Budget-friendlyMild and cheap; occasional rain.
March to June and September to October: 20–26°C, clear light for the viewpoints and no August heat. Winter is mild and the cheapest time to fly, with occasional rain.
A 24-hour Carris/Metro ticket is €6.80 and includes the trams and the lifts. Buy a Viva Viagem card once and top it up; single tram tickets bought on board cost €3.
What travellers consistently praise and warn about, checked against recent reviews.
Insider tip. Book online for the opening slot and visit the church before the cloister.
Book ticketsInsider tip. Arrive at opening and walk down through Alfama afterwards.
Book ticketsInsider tip. Photograph it from the riverside garden and spend the money on Jerónimos instead.
Book ticketsInsider tip. Walk past the queue and sit inside — the dining rooms are large and service is quick.
Find on Google MapsInsider tip. Board mid-route early in the morning, or ride Tram 12 for the same streets.
Book ticketsInsider tip. Take Tram 28 or a taxi up and come at sunset.
Book ticketsAI-generated synthesis of public reviews (Tripadvisor, Google Maps, Booking.com, Reddit); not Wayfare.live's opinion. Last AI analysis update: October 2026 · Review & rating disclaimer
With 5 days add Sintra (€5 by train, go early) and a beach afternoon in Cascais or Costa da Caparica.
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Plan my Lisbon trip →Lisbon is made for slow evenings: the light over the river, fado in a room of twenty people and a tasca table that stays yours all night. The best of it costs almost nothing.
For dinner, Graça, Campo de Ourique or Mouraria. Petiscos, grilled fish and a bottle of Alentejo red run about €40–55 for two, against €90 on Rua Augusta.
Lisbon is seven hills and sun. The trip only feels tiring if you climb at midday, so the plan puts the steep walks early and the indoor sights in the hottest hours.
What two people actually spend across three days and three nights in Lisbon, excluding flights. Mid-range, current prices.
A mid-range double in Baixa, Chiado or Graça at about €90 a night, plus the city tourist tax of €4 per person per night.
Pastelaria breakfasts, a tasca lunch at €10–14 and a proper dinner each evening — about €30 per person per day.
São Jorge Castle, Jerónimos, the Carmo Convent and one fado night with its minimum spend.
Viva Viagem cards and two 24-hour Carris/Metro tickets each, trams and lifts included.
A ginjinha, a taxi up the hill at night, a second pastel de nata.
Total: about €590 for two, or €295 each. Five days with Sintra and Cascais comes to roughly €940. July and August push accommodation up by about a third.
Working to a fixed budget? Read our step-by-step guide to planning a trip on a budget.
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Plan my Lisbon trip →Still torn? Read our Lisbon vs Porto comparison →
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