Mistakes Tourists Make While Visiting Lisbon

From an expat/immigrant living here 8 years, I think this is a pretty good list.

I would add - avoid rushing from place to place - both in Lisbon and all over Portugal. Take time to have long lunches with beautiful views and savor the slower pace of life that is Portugal.

Thanks for the link to the article. I am headed to Lisbon in March.

I will be in Lisbon in October. Taking a cruise from Southampton which ends in Lisbon and spending four nights in Lisbon before flying home. Definitely not enough time.

I have been doing a a lot of research including watching youtube videos which I find excellent. I have also been watching and reading on R S as well as posting my own questions under Lisbon.

I have a question that was never answered and maybe someone on this discussion could answer this for me.

I have. a very old friend in Lagos Portugal whom I would love to visit. I would have to do it in the same day and it is like four hours each way.

I would take an early train or bus there, visit with her a few hours and take a late bus or train back to Lisbon. Wish I could stay overnight but just can not do it.

Is it recommended that I take the bus or the train? Is the actual journey to Lagos pretty? I watched one or two youtube videos and the journey itself did not look too pretty.

Also, I want to ask about the hotel that I booked. I go through booking.com and my hotel is Be Poet Baixa Hotel
Rua Augusta, 220 , Santa Maria Maior, 1100-056 Lisbon, Portugal.

It is given a 9.0 total by reviewers.

Would appreciate some feedback from anyone who has stayed there or knows someone who has.

Thank you for the article. Some interesting points. I live in Texas and Spanish is spoken equally as often as English. it would have been very easy for me to say Adios and Gracias insulting locals without meaning to.

My only qualm is regarding the tinned sardines. I found them quite special and enjoyed a meal at a place which serve only canned fishes. The trick is to avoid the mass produced variety and pick the artisanal brands (https://lojadasconservas.com/ for example).
Dennis

To bostonphil: we stayed at BePoet Baixa for 2 nights last fall can recommend it. It’s in a great area, clean facility, friendly and helpful staff. Hopefully their standards are the same as when we were there.

bostonphil7

The bus and the train from Lisbon to Lagos take about the same time but it's one bus versus two trains (transfer at Tunes) and the bus is cheaper.
The bus is mostly highway the train goes through some backcountry areas.
My choice is the AP train because of the level of comfort ( in first class), washrooms, snack bar, however the trains have been prone to strikes lately so I would keep an eye on that.

The other option is to rent a car for the day, if you do, get the Via Verde transponder for highway and insurance to avoid issues.

I was expecting this to be a click-baity article, but actually I found it helpful. I'm going to Lisbon in February. Thank you for sharing.

I am one senior citizen who will be in Lisbon by myself in October.

I love food but I am not one for five course meals or upscale eating.

I prefer simplicity.

Are there places where I can purchase delicious and good and authentic food without having to make reservations? Are there food markets? Food stalls or trucks? Grocery stores like Whole Foods with prepared food? Prefer not having to sit down in a restaurant with wait staff.

Here's a quote from the Huffington Post that I have questions about:

“Don’t eat sardines with a fork and knife. And don’t eat pastéis de bacalhau with cooking cream; it’s really horrible.” ― Mari

What do they mean by don't eat sardines with a fork and knife? How else are you to eat it? Only on bread or toast?

A long time ago I was in Macau (a former Portuguese colony that is now returned to China) and I think I recall eating grilled sardines there and was using a fork and knife. Was I not supposed to do that?

(I remember being offered and had eaten bacalhau but have zero recollection of what is tasted like! I only remember my Macau aunties saying have to try it and I'm sure I did but don't recall anything beyond that! Oh well....was that a result of eating sardines with a fork and knife resulting in lost memory? LOL.)

But do tell: why no fork and knife with sardines? How to eat then?

I agree with Muriel in that an explanation about why you shouldn't do or say something helps a lot. I certainly will remember not to use Spanish or expect the Portuguese to understand it. How hard is it to Obrigado(a)? Better to use English. Most people understand Thank You.

A few days with DuoLingo and you will know enough Portuguese to be polite. They know English rather well.

r

Portuguese traditionaly eat sardines by either placing it on a slice of Broa ( corn bread) or using their fingers to pick the fish by the head and tail while biting on the fleshy part.

Sardines are grilled whole with guts still in, biting on the fish to get the meat while avoiding the fish scales, skin, bones and guts is a bit of an art that gets better with practice.

Sardines have a very strong oil with a strong odor that remains on anything that touches it, hands, lips, tongue etc, that requires several washes to get rid of, for that reason sometimes
we eat sardines with knife and fork and there's nothing wrong with it.

Regarding language, keep in mind that the person you're talking to might not be a native speaker of Portuguese.
During my last trip to Portugal we encountered many non native Portuguese speakers at restaurants, cafe's and some shops, mostly from Brasil, Eastern Europe, India and China.
To them Spanish is another foreign language.
Portuguese and English being the languages spoken in the tourist areas we visited.

@aulopone, what an interesting way to eat sardines! I don't mind eating with my fingers, but while touring around, I might prefer to use utensils given that it is hard to get rid of the scent and oil when eating oily fish with bare hands.

How do I eat sardinhas most of the times: with a fork and a knife (a fish knife)

How do I eat Sardinhas sometimes (when there is no fork, and no fish knife, but I have a kind of a blade): I put the sardine on the top of a slice of bread (usually cornbread, but it can be a slice of any type of bread), and with the blade I pull the flesh without the bones and I eat it. Kind of difficult to explain.

How do I eat Sardinhas when I don't have any utensils: hold the sardinha inserting your right index finger between the head and the neck. With your left hand release the back of the neck from the head, approach your mouth and swallow it. If you are used to the technique, all the bones (and head) will stay at your right hand, and you have eaten only the flesh. If you're not...

Washing hands: limon (the real thing, the fruit) and salt into your hands, and then water. Cold Water.

Helena, just to clarify, is the corn bread you mentioned the Portuguese pao de milho not the corn bread typical in the US which is crumbly and sometimes cake like.