Go Backpacking

  • About
  • Travel Tips
    • Accommodations
    • Budgeting & Money
    • Adventure Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Gear & Gadgets
    • Packing Tips
    • Travel Blogging
    • Travel Insurance
    • Trip Planning
    • UNESCO Sites
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Morocco
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
      • United States
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • French Polynesia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Advertise
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Travel Tips
    • Accommodations
    • Budgeting & Money
    • Adventure Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Gear & Gadgets
    • Packing Tips
    • Travel Blogging
    • Travel Insurance
    • Trip Planning
    • UNESCO Sites
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Morocco
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
      • United States
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • French Polynesia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Advertise
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Travel Tips
    • Accommodations
    • Budgeting & Money
    • Adventure Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Gear & Gadgets
    • Packing Tips
    • Travel Blogging
    • Travel Insurance
    • Trip Planning
    • UNESCO Sites
  • Destinations
    • Africa
      • Botswana
      • Egypt
      • Ethiopia
      • Morocco
      • Rwanda
      • South Africa
      • Tanzania
    • Asia
      • Cambodia
      • China
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Japan
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • Europe
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Greece
      • Iceland
      • Ireland
      • Italy
      • Portugal
      • Spain
      • Switzerland
      • Turkey
    • North America
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Cuba
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • Nicaragua
      • Panama
      • United States
    • Oceania
      • Australia
      • French Polynesia
      • New Zealand
    • South America
      • Argentina
      • Bolivia
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Colombia
      • Ecuador
      • Peru
  • Advertise
×
Home » Destinations » Europe » Portugal

Lisbon on a Budget: A Travel Guide to Portugal's Capital

Modified: May 22, 2025 · Published: Oct 20, 2017 by James Cave |

Lisbon has exploded in popularity over the past few years, and it's not surprising why: the weather is excellent, the food is great, and it's incredibly cheap. Unfortunately, that last bit is starting to change. However, it's still the most affordable Western European capital city to visit.

Lisbon
Bridge in Lisbon

Still, the number of visitors coming to Lisbon has increased accommodation costs and restaurant prices. The bargains are still there, but you must look harder to find them. Here are some tips for experiencing Lisbon on a budget.

Table of Contents

  • Lisbon for Less
    • How to eat on a budget
    • How to drink on a budget
    • How to see a fado show on a budget
    • How to learn Portuguese on a budget
    • How to sleep on a budget
    • How to visit the sights on a budget
    • How to enjoy a day's cycling on a budget

Lisbon for Less

How to eat on a budget

Although a decent main meal in Lisbon costs around €10 ($12), eating out for even less is possible. The general advice applies here: avoid the touristy areas, such as Baixa, Belém, and Chiado. In these parts of town, lunch and dinner typically cost more than €10 ($12), and the quality is much lower.

The best advice for finding a cheap place to eat is to avoid restaurants and go to a pastelaria instead. A pastelaria is what you or I might call a café, but most tourists don't know that they usually serve a main meal (prato do dia).

If you see the menu written on a paper tablecloth and sellotaped to the window, then bingo! You've found a local joint, and prices will be much more reasonable. You might get three courses and a drink for less than €10 ($12).

You can almost get all your meals in pastelarias and cafés: cake or pastel de nata and coffee in the morning, your main meal at lunchtime, and a bifana to soak up those late-night drinks in the evening.

A bica and a pastel de nata
Breakfast of champions: a bica and a pastel de nata

If you're trying to keep to a budget, consider going to one of the low-cost restaurants. This Portuguese cafeteria-style chain is popular with office workers and serves reasonably good food for incredibly low prices: around €4 ($5) for lunch.

The menu changes, but there are a few constants, like the francesinha, Porto's version of a Croque Madame. This monstrous sandwich, with ham, sliced sausage, steak, melted cheese, a fried egg, and a tomato and beer sauce, will keep you full for a few hours.

How to drink on a budget

If you want to drink on a budget, head to the Bairro Alto after around 9 p.m. You'll find countless bars here, most of which will serve cheap wine, beer, and caipirinhas. The deeper you go, the cheaper the drinks tend to be.

It's possible to get a caipirinha for as little as €1-2 ($1-2), but be warned: you get what you pay for, and the same goes for the wine.

The cheaper caipirinhas tend to use very low-quality cachaça and lots and lots of sugar. If you're going to drink one, move up into the €3-4 ($3-4) bracket. Your liver will thank you.

A beer typically costs around €1 ($1) here, and if you're drinking cheap, it's much more reliable.

How to see a fado show on a budget

Fado is a traditional style of Portuguese music. It's soulful and incredibly moving, and I highly recommend you see it when you visit Lisbon.

Unfortunately, fado shows can be expensive as they usually include dinner: €25-50 ($29-59) per person. It wouldn't be so bad if the dinner were good, but you can get a better dinner elsewhere.

Clube de Fado is one of Lisbon's most popular fado spots with locals and tourists. It's one of the few fado houses that lets you turn up after dinner and pay for drinks. Alternatively, A Tasca do Chico in the Bairro Alto has free shows on Monday and Wednesday nights.

How to learn Portuguese on a budget

Part of the fun of visiting a new city is learning a bit of the language. European Portuguese is probably not a language you have encountered before, and many travelers are unfamiliar with it.

A quick Portuguese lesson will teach you some basics and help you avoid typical faux pas, like pronouncing Portuguese words in Spanish. Spain is Portugal's old enemy, and they don't like to be reminded of their sword-wielding neighbors.

There are many free resources online and paid Portuguese courses, but perhaps the easiest option is to attend a language class. Oasis Hostel in Lisbon runs a free Portuguese class on Tuesdays at 6 p.m.

If you've studied the free resources and are looking for something more in-depth, the English-Portuguese meetup group has weekly meetups. Participants speak 45 minutes in English and 45 minutes in Portuguese.

How to sleep on a budget

Although Lisbon's accommodation prices have increased in the past few years, some excellent budget options are still available.

A dorm room in one of the following hostels will cost €12 ($14) or less per night:

  • Urban Garden Hostel
  • Brickoven Palaca
  • Hub New Lisbon Hostel

If you want a little more privacy, the following rooms on Airbnb all cost between €15 ($17) and €22 ($26) per night:

  • Fado Room Graca
  • Portuguese tiles room
  • In front of Pasteis de Belem

How to visit the sights on a budget

Touring a city's attractions can be costly, even if you buy a City Pass.

Thankfully, many of Lisbon's attractions are free on the first Sunday of the month, including:

  • Mosteiro dos Jerónimos
  • Torre de Belém
  • Museu Nacional do Azulejo
Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon, Portugal
Jerónimos Monastery

If you're not in Lisbon on the first Sunday of the month, you can still visit the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian for free any other Sunday and the Museu Coleccao Berardo on any day of the week.

How to enjoy a day's cycling on a budget

Although there's plenty to see and do in Lisbon, it's also nice to get out of the city. And, after all those budget francesinhas and caipirinhas, you'll probably be in the mood to exercise.

The municipal council in Cascais, located 45 minutes from Lisbon, offers free bike hire (all you need to do is show your ID). You can follow the 10 km purpose-built bike path from Cascais to Praia de Guincho.

Although there are beaches closer to Lisbon, like Estoril and Cascais, this takes you a little further out of the city and away from the crowds of tourists.

So there you go -- €12 ($14) or so for a place to crash, less than €5 ($6) for lunch, €1 ($1) for a beer, free Portuguese lessons, free museum entry, a free cycling day trip, and a free fado show. Your bank balance will be pleased when you leave Lisbon!

Related Stories

  • Beautiful Porto (photo: Evan Verni).
    Dreaming of a Holiday Home in Portugal? Here’s What You Need to Know
  • Pena Palace (photo: Mark Lawson).
    9 Best Cities in Portugal To Add to Your Itinerary 
  • Hiker in Serra da Estrela (photo: Francisco T Santos).
    Best Hiking in Portugal: The 10 Most Spectacular Trails
  • Door in Alveiro, Portugal (photo: Leandro Barreto)
    10 Best Cities In Portugal To Visit This Summer
111 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet

About James Cave

James writes for Portugalist, a blog dedicated to Portugal and all things Portuguese. He has spent time living in Lisbon, the Algarve, and the North of Portugal and, when he's not in Portugal, he's usually tracking down the best Portuguese restaurants, bar, and experiences in other cities.

Dave at Ahu Ko Te Riku on Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile.

Hi, I'm Dave

Editor in Chief

I've been writing about adventure travel on Go Backpacking since 2007. I've visited 68 countries.

Read more about Dave.

Footer

back to top

About

  • About
  • Archive
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Follow Us

Contact

  • Contact
  • Work With Us
  • Submissions

Copyright © 2025 Go Backpacking

111 shares
  • 92
  • 16