Just returned from Lisbon

Jeronimos Monastery: The sign outside the entrance line says last entry at 5:30pm. But they actually close it at 5pm. Last ticket sale at 4:30pm across the street. If you were planning to see it toward to the end of the day to avoid crowds, just beware of the conflicting information and build yourself some extra buffer. And bring hats or umbrellas for shade.

Sintra: We loved Pena park, Moorish Castle, and Quinta da Regaleira. But poor signage is an issue here too. For example, at the Moorish Castle you have to walk a solid 20 minutes between the ticket office and the entrance. There were very little signage along the way. Finally, near the entrance we saw a map, and we were in dire need of a cafe and WC by that point, so took the time to study it. The map indicated that the only cafe was located some midpoint between the ticket office and the entrance, away from the main path. So we trudged down some steep path, only to find that it's locked up and appeared in disuse for some time. When you've already been climbing up and down the hills of Sintra for the good part of the day, any wrong path down a steep hill meant extra steps back up and made it that much more frustrating. For the record, there is a relatively new looking cafe (and WCs) within steps of where they check your ticket. Disregard the map!

Thanks gor the info, we are headed there in october. At the monastery did you prepurchase your tickets or have the Lisboa Card?

@Barbara, do not wait until you get to the monastery to buy a ticket. There is typically a long line to get in and another line to buy a ticket. We found (we were there in Spring of 2023) that the time on the ticket is not honored. Everyone gets in the same line. We got in line before opening. I heard that sometimes lines are shorter in the afternoon, but not always.

Will do, thank you for the info.

Very useful info, thank you! We’ll be going in September, and nobody has mentioned possibilities of strikes, so that’s good to keep in mind.

Did you do Peña Palace, or just the grounds, and if the latter, do you get to go to the terraces?

We bought Pena Park only tickets that allowed access to most of the terraces. The day we went, June 27, perhaps due to the train strikes, Pena Palace was not as crowded as I'd expected. People were milling about on the terraces, and there is a specific spot for ppl to line up to go inside the palace. That line was significantly shorter than any I've seen on any Youtube videos during my research. Still, I'm glad we didn't bother with the timed entry inside the palace. There were unexpected delays due to construction just outside Sintra. There is a bathroom just inside the Park entrance. I'd imagine most ppl would want to make a pit stop here before tackling the uphill trek and more strenuous sightseeing (I did). Be warned the line to the women's room can be very long. So you have to build in some wiggle room. Many itineraries I've seen tend to have a military precision to how they time their Sintra trip, and the one thing I've learned on this trip is that you have to be flexible.

Good info in your post, thanks. How long did it take you to get through immigration in the Lisbon airport?

Immigration did not take particularly long. Our flight arrived mid morning, and the e-passport readers were not working so we all had to line up for the agents. The line moved pretty fast.

Hello! Thank you for the recent information direct from the ground. I’m going to be there in a few days so this is quite timely. If anyone has the time, any tips you can provide on below would be outstanding. Also did you get a chance to make it to one of the beaches within an hour range?

Favorite coffeehouse:
Favorite place for a beer lookout:
Favorite pastel de nata:
Favorite bifana:
Favorite upscale seafood restaurant:
Favorite day trip beach:

Thanks,
Adam

Adam21, I see you are from Chicago. I recently flew from Chicago to Lisbon. You may want to read about my experience at Lisbon airport:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-lisbon-portugal-my-trip-report

Thank you Carrie for the detailed report some good practical information is within.

My experience with TAP was better from ORD than you reported. I flew in two weeks ago on TAPs extended layover ticket. The layover is on the way back to Chicago as I’m currently in Czech Rep. There was only a five minute delay from the plane to bus to terminal. Passport control in terminal 1 allowing entry into the EU Schengen area from international, only took 10 minutes. And there was not any automated scans we just waited in line and an individual reviewed our passports and then stamped them. This is interesting that my experience was completely different than yours. Maybe it’s due to the time of arrival, we arrived at 08:00 AM Lisbon time.

Adam,
You are correct that the experience is tied to arrival time
Having flown into Lisbon 4 times I can assert that 9am is when the crush begins. Before that, you can zoom right through. After that, there is no assurance as to the time it will take. The number of arriving planes rises dramatically.
Dennis

Went to Jeronimos today (September 7, a Saturday). Ticket kiosk is across the street in the garden, not in the archaeological museum as listed in the guidebook. Got tickets right away, then waited in line approximately 35 minutes to get in. Time on ticket is irrelevant. Was unable to get tickets online which has been the norm for us in Portugal.

Took a taxi from the airport to our hotel in Rossio. About $25.

Have been using taxis to get around. No trip has been more than $10-12 and saves a lot of time over the public transit. With two or more people, becomes relatively economical. Compare travel times on google maps to help decide.

Amex card only works half the time. Make sure to bring a VISA with tap payment capability.
,

I had put 10 euros on each of our navegante cards, but strugg ...
line: be flexible and have backup plans, and don't put too much money
on your card!

We were there in June and just used our debit cards (VISA), like we do in London