3 Months in Lisbon Area

Hi there, I lived in Lisbon for half a year so hopefully I can provide some answers. Cascais is very lovely, very crowded during summer though as it is quite small. (the beaches will be particularly full). Eating out is about the same as the rest of Europe, maybe a bit cheaper but not a big difference. Public transport is available, there are buses but mostly there is a train going straight to Lisbon center and passing in other great places like Belem. Portugal and Lisbon as whole is very safe, people are outdoors until late, sitting at cafés or bars. If you want a particularly safe place in Lisbon, I would recommend the old town. It might have a lot of older houses, but it has so much charm and it really is safe. I envy you as Lisbon is one of my favourite cities! It's a really great place.

Hi Lolly, Lisbon's an easy city to get around without a car- there are trains to get you from central Lisbon to Cascais in about 35 minutes. The cost of dining out and nightlife is less expensive than most Western European countries- although Cascais will be a bit higher than the central Lisbon neighborhoods of ALFAMA or BAIRRO ALTO, where you might want to base yourself initially. 3. Yes- it's easy to meet people in Lisbon. Cascais is even easier on Anglophones as it's something of a British ex-pat neighborhood with lots of English-style pubs. 4. Yes, It's safe to walk at night. Lisbon is among the many tourist cities where petty theft such as purse-snatching and pick-pocketing on Tram 28 and busy train stations is the concern. ( Being forewarned is being forearmed- it's the same problem in Rome, Paris and Prague, so no need to be overly-concerned.).
5. What is the most convenient and safe place to stay? As Lisbon is quite safe, you could stay in the BAIRRO ALTO/CHIADO neighborhood- historic and lots of nightlife.
The BAIXA neighborhood just downhill from BAIRRO ALTO, is convenient, if noisy.
The ALFAMA neighborhood is Lisbon's oldest, and has great seafood cafes and Fado performances at night. BELEM, about 20 minutes by tram 15 from central Lisbon, is also a waterfront neighborhood you might consider.

shikuwasa and kenko left nothing for me nothing to say! they are experts =)

Thank you all for your expert advice & pointing me in the right direction. it is nice to know the relative safety of Lisbon, something which is by far the most important thing for me, as I am traveling solo.
Thanks again!

It would be helpful to know more about your interests, but based on what you have said, Cascais would be an excellent choice. It is an easy place for those who do not speak Portuguese, it is safe, and the commuter train into central lisbon runs every 15 to 20 minutes until 1:00 am. A previous post gave the time on that train run as 35 minutes, but it is closer to 45 minutes. I suggest that you consider an apartment rental in Cascais in preference to Estoril. There is a very nice residential area to the immediate west of central Cascais, and you will find many apartments in that area for rent.
The public transportation systems in this part of Portugal are excellent, and you will be able to get by just fine without a car. Note that compared to most of Western Europe, cabs in the Lisbon area are quite affordable.
Note that Cascais/Estoril and Central Lisbon are relatively expensive compared to rural Portugal, but less expensive than most comparable areas in Western Europe.

We were on vacation in Lisbon and surroundings last month and thought it was great. I was working on Portugese as I thought I would need it. I was surprised how many people spoke English, so I don't think language will be much of an issue, although personally I think it is fun to learn and use as much of the language in a country as you can. Public transportation was great and cheap. Coming from the U.S. meals were a wonderful bargain of great food. Even expensive meals were cheap compared to U.S. prices. Cascais is an easy train ride of maybe 35 minutes to Lisbon and looked like a great place to stay longer to me. As far as safety I had read some negative things which we did not find to be true at all. My wife and I had zero problems and walked around in Lisbon both day and night. We really like Portugal and are planning another trip already.

Go for it.

Plenty of information above should help as would a copy of the Rough Guide to Lisbon.

Good public transport from the airport onwards with a choice of buses, trams, trains plus tuk tuks in the city area. We've paid three visits to Lisbon and thoroughly enjoyed them - used public transport and feet to get around at most times of day.

Would second comments about food and costs of a meal out - certainly much cheaper than eating out in the UK!

Principle Real is noisy on a night - lots of bars and clubs in the area. Rato quieter, but further out. Only spent a few hours in Cascais, but would go back to explore here and Estoril.

Only comment I would make re: safety is to be aware of the general problem with pickpocketing in crowded places or on trams and buses, but this happens in so many places now, even in genteel towns such as Skipton here in the UK - worked in a shop there for five years and did hear the warnings over the Shopwatch radio!

Go. Doi and enjoy!

Noisy Areas:
In Cascais I don't think you gonna have that problem. The city is crowded in the summer but the night life is not that intense, so no problem.

In Lisbon, since you are just passing through you might want to be in the centre of all action. Anyway I'll point all the noisy areas by night.
1.BAIRRO ALTO - noisy until 3 am. The bars now have to close at 2am, but you know people take time. This is the core of Lisbon night life.
2. PRAÇA DO PRÍNCIPE REAL - facing North the BAIRRO ALTO, is also agitated by night. Although there are some streets near by quite calm and quiet.
3.CAIS DO SODRÉ - another night life spot.

Now the charm and calm neighbourhoods by night:

1. BELÉM, AJUDA, ALCÂNTARA, PRAZERES.
2. LAPA, MADRAGOA, SÃO BENTO, SANTA CATARINA.
3. ALFAMA, MORARIA, STA APOLÓNIA.

When you choose some places, to stay in Lisbon, just post the neighbourhoods, and streets. Then it would be much easier to say something more accurate.

About security:
Lisbon and Cascais are both very safe to walk alone by night.

travelling alone its the best way to get to know the city, it's people and specially yourself! =)

great adventure.

I lived in Estoril for several years and couldn't recommend it more. You can't go wrong, the only issue with real estate there is price. I wouldn't get stuck on differences between Estoril and Cascais, once on the ground you will see that both are basically the same town. If you see a good place, rent it.

Not everything is walking distance though. If you rent someplace like close to the GB store, its actually quite a walk to the train station, enough to want to take additional bus. Input the address of the place and check how far the closest station is.

The promenade goes from Cascais to Sao Joao do Estoril.
By foot, the most accessible shops are Jumbo and Cascais Villa, but there are smaller shops where you can do a lot of shopping.
The Cascais central area may initially look nice with all the restaurants, but after a while you may find it touristy.