I am planning to be in Lisbon for a week but will be living on the outskirts (in Seixal). Do you recommend renting a car or using public transportation?
Posted by
Ottawa, Canada
4555 posts
Public transit, without a doubt. In Seixal, you're already in the metropolitan area.....you wouldn't want to drive!
Posted by
San Francisco, CA, USA
21 posts
We just got back from Portugal. Having driven almost 4000 km (Barcelona west to A Coruna, then south through Porto to Lisbon, with lots of side trips), I was happy to turn the car in and use the metro, trams, trolleys, trains, funiculars, taxis and buses. We went all over the metropolitan area, out to Cascais, out/up to Sintra. Yes, we had to get out and walk some - perfectly do-able, since I was not wearing 4" spike heels like I saw many women wearing (yikes!) - but it wasn't a big deal. I think it would have been very stressful trying to do that with a car. There are so many one-way streets, two-way streets that look one car wide, streets that are only for residents or taxis, and finding a gas station to fill the rental before we turned it in was difficult. Use public transportation!
Posted by
Eloy, AZ, United States
5 posts
Was in Lisbon and Porto last week. A car is worthless when within 20 km. of downtown of either city. Lisbon is really tough. I did drive thru and around the towns a bit, but parking is terrible and transit is good. Get the Lisboa Pass if traveling much -- nice to be able to jump on a bus/subway for 1/4 mile rather than walking to save a buck (err, a Euro).