A digital nomad’s guide to Lisbon

Lisbon has fast become Europe’s digital nomad and freelancer hub, and for good reason too. It’s got it all: a warm climate year-round, beautiful hotels and architecture, gorgeous food… and it’s more affordable than other European capitals like Paris, London and Amsterdam.

In this blog post, brace yourself - I’ll probably end up twisting your arm to book a trip; I loved my longer stay in this amazing city and I’m sure you would too.

Why Lisbon?

The capital city of Portugal and one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Lisbon is definitely having a moment right now - not just with the expat or digital nomad community, but with the city break crowd too.

It was built upon seven hills which soar across the city, so brace yourself - it is hilly. Because of that, if you have accessibility needs I wouldn’t put this one on your list (especially when you partner cobbles with a steep incline!) and each day I averaged a minimum 12,000 steps - even when I was working, so it’s definitely an “active” place too.

Accommodation

Lisbon has a lot of solid options, from luxury hotels to more budget friendly choices, to long-stay apartments and the hybrid option: apartment hotels (which is what I opted for).

Heads up: there is a housing crisis in Lisbon at the moment; the popularity of the city has increased so much with expats over the last few years that locals are being priced out of their neighbourhoods (so personally I didn’t want to stay in an AirBnb apartment)

I’d seen a little while back that the apartment hotel chain, Locke were opening a hotel in Lisbon - Locke de Santa Joana and when they opened up their rooms, I immediately planned out my stay.

As a solo traveller, I appreciate the comfort and the safety of staying in an apartment which has facilities - a pool, a bar, a gym, a reception team. Locke goes beyond that though and it is stacked - it has Portugal’s first Spiritland bar, a co-working space and a handful of restaurants and cafes you can sample during your stay. This made my morning walk to get a pastel de nata and espresso especially easy and Castros was one of the best natas I had across my long stay in Lisbon.

My studio apartment had everything I wanted and needed: a full kitchen, washing machine and dryer, dishwasher, and then a dining and sitting area.

Other things you should know about Locke?

Locke de Santa de Joana is based at the end of Avenida da Liberdade, which is one of the nicest shopping districts in Lisbon. It’s more commercial than Lisbon’s older neighbourhoods, but it’s a three minute walk away from the Marques de Pombal metro stop which makes it so easy to get into the very centre of the city (four minute ride).

It’s a 35 minute trip door to door from the hotel to the airport with just one change on the metro - so it was really simple, and there’s a decently sized Continente supermarket a two minute walk away from the hotel where I stocked up on all my supplies for the kitchen.

Where did you work from?

As I was staying at the hotel when it was still really new, the co-working space wasn’t quite ready. If it had been I would’ve practically living been in there haha, but the wifi was the best I’ve ever experienced in a hotel - each room had it’s own passcode and it was so fast, so I took most of my consultancy calls from my apartment.

If you’re a content creator like me, then this city provides the perfect backdrop. I carried my gimbal everywhere as I knew I’d stumble across some gems and if anything, I actually came back with too much content!

Budgeting and food

As somebody who lives in London, most things in Lisbon are cheaper than in the UK. If budget is something you look closely at for your longer stays - you can grab an espresso at most places for 1 euro, a good pastry for 2 euros and you can go out for dinner and easily spend under 15 euros for a main meal and glass of wine, as an example.

I did a mix of eating out and eating in - as the kitchen in my apartment was so well stocked, but there are SO many great choices in Lisbon and you’ll never be short of options.

I loved Honest Greens - a healthy, chilled restaurant chain. The most similar thing I could compare it to in the UK is Nandos from a “you order at the till and they bring it to you” side of things (but with a more upmarket feel? My favourite one in Lisbon was in Principe Real - it has it’s own rooftop and the views are insane). I loved the Chimmichuri Steak Salad and the Latin Lover salad burrito bowl - and as they do takeaway and the meals are packed with healthy vegetables and salads, it was perfect for me.

One of my favourite snacks came from the Potato Project, a dutch-like fries shop where you could mix and match your chunky chips with sauces (and of course, I went for the ‘Amsterdam’ with curry fries, mayo and little onions. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it - it’s a dutch classic!)

Groceries and Public Transport

On average, I’d say the groceries are a similar price to the UK (with some things being a fair bit cheaper and some being a bit more expensive) but alcohol was considerably cheaper and to head out to a rooftop bar and order a cocktail, you’re talking 8-14 euros rather than the £13-20 you’d easily pay in London.

The public transport was brilliant too - I preloaded a Navegante travel card with 20 euros and I didn’t end up spending it all. Each journey costs 1.80 euros on the metro, bus or tram (and that includes an hour’s worth of travel after that too) and it was so easy to get around. Ubers are also really affordable in Portugal, so you have lots of options!

So, what else did you love about Lisbon?

Lisbon is a city made up of so many beautiful neighbourhoods, so you could wander for hours and see so much of what this wonderful city has to offer.

Personally, I love Principe Real. It’s a beautiful neighbourhood - the streets are lined with houses that burst with colour, there are storybook-like courtyards, the shopping is great and there are stunning views (head to Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara for one of the best views in Lisbon). This neighbourhood is what the city is all about, so don’t miss it!

Alfama - one of the oldest corners of Lisbon, is worth paying a visit too but I war you, it gets very busy. It’s beautiful, chaotic and there’s a buzz which fills the air within this quarter - imagining the 8th century Moors building such a stunning network of a community is wonderful, but I’d go earlier or later in the day.

And last but certainly not least, pastel de natas are one of my favourite sweet treats of all time, so I made it my mission to try as many as I could. Whilst I enjoyed Manteigaria’s version - which is where the recipe was created and perhaps the most famous in Lisbon, I JUST preferred Fabrica de Nata and Castros pastel de natas.

Overall thoughts

I loved Lisbon for a longer work stay - it really did tick every box and I could definitely see myself returning for a 1 month+ in the future, but (perhaps controversially?) it isn’t one of my favourite city breaks in Europe for a weekend trip. That crown would go to Amsterdam, Paris or Seville.

If you’re a digital nomad though, I couldn’t recommend Lisbon enough - you’ll have a fabulous time!

If you want to check out my other digital nomad guides, you can just here.