Post quarantine travel to Lisbon

Tips to make the most out of your stay

Quarantine is over in almost every country and we are all resuming our lives, attempting to go back to normal. But nowadays, “normal” is not the same as it was 3 months ago. Things have changed, and we believe that each one of us is trying to learn how to deal with this new life.

And as we all know, travelling was one of the most affected activities. If before the pandemic travelling had become easy and simple, now things got a little bit more complicated: starting from the part where you chose your destination, until the moment you arrive. It got harder to make plans, but at the same time requires you to think in advance in a lot of variables that you didn’t need before. I guess that most of can relate with that, right?

For this reason, we wanted to share with you a bit of our experience on what has been happening in Lisbon, in the last few weeks, with travelers, restaurants, businesses, and the life in the city in general.

Planning your Lisbon trip

To start, if you are planning to visit Lisbon (and I believe this is similar with all the destinations) the best thing to do is check the status of the borders. Check if you are allowed to travel with no restrictions, if you need to do a COVID-19 test, or need to quarantine. For the European Union you can check the https://reopen.europa.eu. In Portugal you can visit www.sef.pt our Foreign and border services and www.dgs.pt to get an update on the epidemiological situation. Also, check your airline or travel agency the conditions for changes or updates in your flight, so you will not lose your money in case of last-minute cancellations.

Your flight to Lisbon

If you are all set and good to go, now we can tell you what the feedback is we are having from travelers about the trip itself:

• The use of the mask is mandatory throughout the entire trip
• Some companies have empty spaces between passengers, but most of the times the planes are flying at the full capacity
• Social distancing is required at the airports
• You will be required to fill a form from the Portuguese Health Authorities to be traced if they have been exposed to a case of COVID-19 on board. At arrival, you will have your temperature measured, but we noticed that most people don’t even notice it.

Your stay in Lisbon

• Carry a mask with you, all the time. Event though it is not mandatory to wear it outside, If you go inside public spaces like supermarkets, stores, banks, restaurants and others or planning to use the public transportation, the mask will be required.
• Public transportation can have limitation on the number of people, so social distancing can be respected. When using the bus or tram try to buy your tickets in advance to avoid unnecessary queuing and contact with the driver. You can follow this link for more information https://www.metrolisboa.pt/en/
• If you are looking for specific activities or places to go (that don’t require reservation), check the information and schedules before, it might have been some temporary changes
• Restaurants: they can be open until 11 pm, but from our personal experience, some restaurants are still closed, or if open, they might close earlier because the influx of customers has been exceptionally low. We also noticed that some restaurants have not updated their information on Google, with this you can find information that is not correct. So, in our opinion, is best if you call in advance to see if they are open and maybe make a reservation if you feel more comfortable.
• Supermarkets & Shops: might be working under a more restricted schedule than usual, usually until 9/10 pm and 8 pm respectively.
• Nightlife: bars are still closed at night. You can find some bars opening during the day, but the offer will be reduced.
• Drinking alcohol on the streets can be prohibited. Usually it’s legal, but with the additional restrictions, our advice is to avoid it.

Besides all this, Lisbon is full of possibilities and you can enjoy it even with the restrictions. The city is still not that busy, so it might be a good time to visit places that usually would be crowded, or just walk around the city. Maybe you will be lucky enough to find plenty of seats in the iconic 28 tram! You can also enjoy all the viewpoints in Lisbon and the big variety of parks, if you prefer outdoor activities.

And of course, you cannot miss the best experience in Lisbon: our free walking tours!!! Our local guides will show you our beautiful city, always giving you our proud perspective! You will be able to enjoy the small groups, the less busy streets. At the same time, learn about our history, culture, way of living… After our tour, you will be able to explore the city by yourself and experience it like a local!

People that have joined our tours so far, gave us a positive feedback about felling safe here in Lisbon, in our tours and about their overall experience in the city.

We are accepting reservations (book here) for our free tours every day at 10 am and 4:30 pm. If you prefer, you can book a private tour.

Check more information about our tours and activities here and the  temporary safety measures we have implemented in our tours for the safety of our participants, guides and community. Contact us if you have any question!

Até já!

The Lisbon Chill Out Team

Important notes:

• This information is based on data we’ve collected from the national authorities and also from our experience in the day-to-day life in Lisbon in the last weeks. It can be altered at any time by the responsible entities. For that reason, we advise you to double check all the information. If you have any question, you can contact us and we will try to help you to plan your trip.

• Maybe you have heard in your countries in the news that Lisbon is on lockdown again. Well, that´s not what is happening. Due to some isolated outbreaks in some parishes in the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon, the government decided to add some restrictions in these areas.