Senior Citizen

Mary, what a great adventure to took forward to with your family.

Knees: Walking/Hiking Poles. Using these can take as much as 30% of the pressure off your knees. They will also give you added stability. Note: Need to be put in checked bags. There is also a right way to use them that many people seem to ignore. Watch a few videos about the correct way to use hiking poles (hint: alternate poles, legs. Use left pole and right leg, then use left leg and right pole)
Shoes: Any shoe that you would wear at home for walking on streets or trail.
Medical Care: Medicare A and B doesn't cover overseas, but many people have supplemental plans or Medicare Advantage that do cover overseas travel. You will want to explore exactly what yours covers.
Travel Insurance: This can cover a variety of situations. Delayed flights, trip interruption, lost luggage, medical costs and even medical evacuation. You might want to explore what your options would be and think about what coverage you would want. Insuremytrip.com is a good place to start.

911 = 112. Surely you will not need this number. But, just in case...

Before I went to Lisbon last month, I had assumed all reports of how slippery Lisbon is were exaggerated.
I was wrong, once again. Lisbon is a lot of hillsides and a lot of limestone - a slippery combination.
We got a bit of rain there and I was pretty nervous about that limestone hillside.

My tips: Stay in nice and flat Baixa. I put a nonslip toe and heel grip on my shoes that I got from Amazon. I walked with my stick (used for another issue but a nice added feature in Lisbon). Be really careful if you get rain.

One other thing - use Uber to avoid walks that might be slippery. Most of our trips were only a few Euros - well worth it!

The hillside areas are lovely - we just made sure to do them when it was not rainy. Enjoy Lisbon - it’s beautiful!

Absolutely agree with the slippery nature of the limestone streets. That particular stone is dangerous when wet.

Hi
Most sidewalks in Portugal are made of small rocks (calçada) which become smooth and slippery with wear.
When there is any kind of moisture such as early morning dew, fog or rain they become extremely slippery, add the hills and is like trying to walk on butter.
Wear shoes that have a rubber sole that grips, think nonslip sailing shoes (light and stylish) or mechanics nonslip shoes( heavy).
There is a type of rubber sole in Portugal called
Çeilão that is almost pure rubber and makes for a very grippy sole however Çeilão soled shoes can be hard to find as they go out of fashion. Note - Çeilão as it applies to shoes is a industry term that may not be familiar to all Portuguese (it is also the name of a country).
Use the good shoes and public transit as much as possible, that's my suggestion.

Portugal has both private and public medical care, depending where you are (availability) you may choose which one you want.
In private medical care you are expected to pay 100% unless the facility and your insurance have provisions to pay for it upfront.
In public medical care you will pay an upfront copay and be billed the rest, which you may be able to submit to your insurance afterwards ( the public hospital would not deal with insurance) at least that's the way I dealt with it a while back, it may have changed by now.

Happy travels

Since you are over 70, you are on Medicare which other countries do not accept.. just keep all receipts as you will pay in full for healthcare in other countries. Buy TRAVEL INSURANCE and it will reimburse when you get home. Keep all receipts!
We always buy MEDICAL EVACUATION INSURANCE as part of our travel insurance. We have had medical care in several countries in Europe, Middle East, and Asia, not Portugal rather UK, France, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Japan ( two people, over many trips).. You usually have to pay in full when and where you received the medical care, sometimes you have to pay in cash( they let you go to an ATM) and get reimbursed by your travel insurance company when you get back to US. We have done this many times including care at hospitals. They give you a receipt which you send with your claim. if you have a choice, ask to go to a private hospital. If you need an ER, you go to a public hospital. We have always received good care, some better than others.
Wear a tie shoe to be safe and walking poles if you think you will need them, probably a good idea in Lisbon. Enjoy Portugal, a special place with the kindest people you will ever meet.

I pretty much agree with the other posters. However, I’ve lived here since I was 66 (72 now) and have learned a few things about navigating the hills.

I agree that Baixa is a good area to stay in Lisbon as it’s very flat. There are elevators and escalators to go from Baixa to Chiado and to Alfama but they don’t eliminate all the hills. As someone pointed out, Uber, Bolt and taxis are very reasonable and I use them more these days. If you want to see the Alfama and Graca áreas, a Tuk-Tuk will take you up the hills with some history thrown in. It’s worth the money IMO to save those knees.

Definitely take out travel insurance. Insure My Trip will show you different options and comparisons with coverage and costs. If you need to seek medical attention, there are CUF hospitals throughout the country. They are quite good and the service is quicker than at the public hospitals. But, if you call 112, they will take you to the public hospital. I know it’s a bit complicated, but you can search for the number for the Bombeiros in the cities (firefighters). They will take you to the private hospital.

The best advice I can give it to watch where you walk! Stop when you want to look at something - don’t try to walk and gawk at the same time. The times I have fallen, I’ve always been looking up from the cobblestones and hit an uneven patch. Also, the black cobblestones are less slippery. A number of the hills have some black interspersed with the while cobblestones - making it less slippery.

FYI - the Algarve and Evora are much flatter.

Try not to worry too much. If you coming in the summer, the chances of rain will be slim. If you do have rain, it’s usually only for a short time and the cobblestones dry amazingly quickly.

Mary,

I am 73 and fit and flying into Lisboa in June.
If you have traditional Medicare and a Medicare supplement (aka Medigap). you are likely to have emergency coverage while traveling. It covers TRAVELING (mine has a 60 day max) so expats are out of luck.
Look at your policy or contact your Medigap provider.

Dennis

I am so grateful for all of your responses! I am also amazed with the kind and expert advise everyone gave me. Everyone was so helpful.
Thank you , each and everyone.
Kind regards,
Mary

Hello ,

This is Mary again. You were all so helpful with my questions and I thank you.

I am now wondering if anyone has traveled to Portugal recently. At some point I read that a negative PCR test is required for entrance to Portugal and I am wondering if that is still the case .

I don't leave for about another 5 weeks and realize testing requirements are always in a state of flux. Thanks in advance .

Best regards,
Mary

Wow, thanks Gail! That's great news. Do they want proof of Vax?

Re walking around, though we experienced no rain in May, slippery isn’t the only issue. The cobbles can be very uneven. Eyes down! Watch where you’re walking. On our first day walking tour, someone pointed out an interesting building down the street and one of the walkers, who’d looked up, immediately tripped and fell. By the way, we found Uber easy to use and quite reasonable if that’s an option for you.

Thank you !

Hi all,
This is Mary again.
Any thoughts on recent heat wave and wild fires in Portugal. I am going there on August 11. I guess I am just hoping all will be well by then actually ASAP for everyone there! Anyone have words of encouragement or discouragement for that matter. I did get trip insurance.
Thank you in advance.
Mary