Hello all: I will head for Lisbon very soon and heard that there will be another heat wave. Other than the beach, where should I go and what can I do? For beaches, where are the nicer ones?
My spouse is afraid of muggy weather. We are from CA and therefore aren't use to humidity.
Thank you in advance.
In the Lisbon region (Cascais), I don’t associate humidity with heat waves - usually. But, especially, in Lisbon, the heat of these heat waves is pretty bad.
The Gulbenkian museum recently reopened after renovations. It’s quite nice. Close to it, if you or your wife are into shopping, is El Corte Ingles. Lisbon’s only department store. It is usually quite pleasant in a heat wave. There may be other museums that interest you. I quite enjoyed the Coach Museum in Belem.
The key of a heat wave, to me, is getting out early when it’s still cool. After lunch, spending several hours in your accommodation, is imperative. It usually cools off enough in the evenings to get back out for dinner, etc.
It does cut into your time. I’m currently in Spain for the eclipse later today. It’s been quite hot, so we have spent from about 2-7 in our hotels and apartments. Not happy about it, but it works.
Good luck and maybe it won’t be too long!
From a previous trip report of mine, the Lisbon Botanical Garden would be a good option.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/lisbon-botanical-garden
I went to Lisbon a few years back and I loved it. So will you and spouse.
I was there late October and there was a lot of rain with some downpours. You might experience some to a lot of rain which might momentarily cool things off and get you wet.
Your spouse might like muggy weather better if she knew that it is supposed to be great for your skin. I have heard that and do not know it for fact. But muggy weather is uncomfortable.
When I was in Lisbon, there were four separate HoHo buses. Each one is a separate route and they are priced separately. If you bought three, you got the fourth thrown in.
I never took one because I could never make up my mind about which route I wanted to take and I regret it. Budget and time did not allow me to buy three. I thought they were a little pricey, like $25 each route.
I do not know if they are air conditioned.
They will take you to the different neighborhoods of Lisbon as well as to different attractions and again each one goes to different neighborhoods and different attractions.
If there is a heatwave, best time to sightsee will be very early morning and evening into nighttime. If you have not yet booked your hotel, maybe you can book one with a pool and other amenities for afternoons at the hotel.
EDIT to add: I did a search on HoHo buses for Lisbon. There are many options, too many for me for right now. When in Lisbon, I stopped at an outdoor vendor who was selling all sorts of things including tickets to the HoHO buses.
But when I go on line, it seems that you can pay one price for a 24 / 48 hour HoHo bus. I do. not know if this is for more than one route. It seems to be similar to other cities.
So maybe things have changed or maybe I misunderstood what the street vendor was telling me or vice versa.
You may enjoy the Lisbon Story Centre museum by Praca do Comercio. It is air conditioned and shows the history of Lisbon. We got the audio guides and really enjoyed it on a hot day. There is a simulation and movie about the 1755 earthquake also.
How about visiting the Lisbon aquarium. I did that on my second trip to Lisbon to kill time before hotel check-in and I really enjoyed the experience. Here is a link for you to peruse. Stay cool……
