Cash, cards and the ATM trap
Portugal uses the euro and Lisbon is close to fully card-friendly: metro machines, buses, museums, restaurants and even most market stalls take contactless. Still carry €30-50 in small notes. The oldest tascas, some fado houses, the Feira da Ladra flea market and the ginjinha windows on Largo de São Domingos are cash-only or cash-preferred, and a €50 note for a €1.50 drink will not be welcome. Coins matter more here than in most cities because so many small purchases sit under €3.
The important local rule concerns ATMs. Look for machines marked Multibanco, the national network, found inside and outside banks such as Millennium BCP, Caixa Geral de Depósitos and Novo Banco; they do not charge their own fee and give a fair rate. Avoid the free-standing Euronet machines in tourist streets, recognisable by their blue and yellow branding, which levy fees of €3-6 and push dynamic currency conversion. Whenever a screen offers to charge you in your home currency, decline: always choose to be billed in €.
How tipping actually works
Portugal is a low-tipping country and no one will chase you down the street. Service is not automatically included, but Portuguese customers typically round up or leave 5 to 10 percent for a proper sit-down meal. At a €40 dinner for two, leaving €3-4 in coins is normal and appreciated; leaving 20 percent marks you out. In cafes and pastelarias, rounding a €3.20 bill to €3.50 is plenty, and at a counter espresso the change from a euro is often simply left on the saucer.
For other services: taxi and Bolt drivers get the fare rounded up, roughly €1 on a €9 ride. Hotel porters take €1-2 a bag, housekeeping €1-2 a night if you feel like it. Fado houses often add a music charge to the bill rather than expecting tips, so read the menu before ordering. Bar staff serving imperials do not expect tips at all. Card terminals in Lisbon rarely prompt for a tip percentage, which is one of the quiet pleasures of eating here.
The couvert, and other small print
Sit down at a Portuguese restaurant and bread, olives, cheese, sardine pate or presunto will appear unrequested. This is the couvert. It is not free, it is not a scam, and you are entitled to send it back untouched at no charge. Typical cost is €1.50-3 per person in a neighbourhood tasca and €4-8 in tourist-facing places near Rua Augusta or the Time Out Market. If you want it, eat it; if you do not, say nao obrigado and it goes away. Check the price on the menu, which restaurants are legally required to list.
Two more things to watch. Seafood in cervejarias such as Ramiro on Avenida Almirante Reis is priced by weight, and the per-kilo figure for percebes or amêijoas can turn into a surprising bill; ask the waiter to weigh and quote before ordering. And bottled water is charged separately at €1.50-3, while tap water, agua da torneira, is drinkable throughout Lisbon and free if you ask for it, though some restaurants will look mildly disappointed.
What things cost, honestly
Standing at a counter: espresso, a bica, €0.80-1.10; galão in a glass €1.50-2; pastel de nata €1.30-1.60; imperial draught beer €1.50-2.50; a glass of house red €2-3.50. Sit outside in Chiado, Príncipe Real or the Time Out Market and every one of those roughly doubles. A prato do dia lunch in a working tasca runs €8-11 including soup and a drink; a mid-range dinner for two with wine is €45-70; a tasting menu at Belcanto is around €225 a head. Grocery shopping at Pingo Doce or Continente is cheap by western European standards.
Sightseeing adds up faster. Jerónimos Monastery €12, Belém Tower €8, São Jorge Castle €15, the Gulbenkian €14, the tile museum €8, a fado show with dinner €45-65. Transport is the bargain: about €1.65 a ride or €6.80 for 24 hours. A realistic daily budget excluding accommodation is €45-55 for a careful traveller eating at tascas, €80-110 for someone eating well and paying for two sights, and €180 upwards if you want tasting menus and rooftop cocktails.
Accommodation costs and the fees around them
Central doubles run €140-200 in high season and €100-140 in winter, with the €4 per person per night municipal tourist tax added at check-in, capped at seven nights. That tax is the single most commonly overlooked line in a Lisbon budget: two people for five nights is €40 that never appeared in your booking total. Hotel breakfast is usually an extra €12-18 per person and is almost never worth it in a city where the pastelaria on the corner does coffee and two pastries for under €4.
Apartment rentals carry cleaning fees of €30-60 regardless of stay length, which makes them poor value for two or three nights and good value for a week. Hostels charge €25-45 for dorms and often add €2-3 for towels or lockers. Watch for the difference between prepaid non-refundable rates and flexible ones: in low season the flexible rate is often only €10-15 more and Lisbon weather can rearrange a plan. Always confirm whether the quoted rate is per room or per person.
Tax refunds, exchange and small habits
VAT in Portugal is 23 percent on most goods, and non-EU residents can claim it back on purchases over €50 from a single shop on the same day. Ask for a tax-free form, keep the receipt, and use the eTaxFree kiosks in the airport departures area before check-in if bags contain the goods. Expect to recover 12-15 percent after the operator commission, not the full 23. It is worth the queue for a €300 leather purchase from a shop on Rua Garrett; it is not worth it for tinned sardines.
Skip the exchange bureaux on Rua Augusta entirely; their rates are poor and their commissions worse. If you carry a fee-free debit card, one €200-300 Multibanco withdrawal on arrival covers most cash needs for a week. Keep small coins for the ginjinha windows, the funiculars if you pay on board, and the tip saucer. And when a waiter brings the card machine, glance at the screen before tapping: if it offers your home currency, press the option that keeps the charge in €.
Good to know
Questions, answered
Do you tip in Lisbon restaurants?
Yes, but lightly. Rounding up or leaving 5 to 10 percent for a full sit-down meal is standard, so €3-4 on a €40 dinner. Service is not automatically included in Portugal, but nobody expects North American percentages, and card machines rarely prompt for a tip. At a counter coffee, leaving the small change is enough.
Is the bread they bring free in Portugal?
No. The bread, olives and small plates delivered unasked are the couvert, typically €1.50-3 per person in a neighbourhood restaurant and €4-8 in tourist areas. It is entirely legitimate, and you can decline it untouched at no charge. The price must be listed on the menu, so check before you start eating.
Which ATMs should I use in Lisbon?
Use machines marked Multibanco, the Portuguese bank network, attached to branches of Millennium BCP, Caixa Geral de Depósitos or Novo Banco. They charge no local fee and give the interbank rate. Avoid the blue-and-yellow Euronet machines dotted around Baixa and Alfama, which add €3-6 and push unfavourable conversion offers.
How much money do I need per day in Lisbon?
Excluding accommodation, €45-55 covers a careful day of counter coffees, a tasca lunch, a modest dinner and a transport pass. Around €80-110 buys good sit-down meals, a couple of paid museums and a few drinks. Above €180 you are into tasting menus and rooftop bars. Transport is the cheapest line at €6.80 for 24 hours.
Is Lisbon expensive compared with the rest of western Europe?
Eating and drinking are noticeably cheaper: a counter espresso at €0.90 and a tasca lunch at €9 undercut Madrid, let alone Paris. Accommodation is not. Central Lisbon hotel rates have risen sharply and now sit close to Barcelona levels, at €140-200 for a good double in season, plus the €4 per person nightly tourist tax.
Can I pay by card everywhere in Lisbon?
Almost. Contactless works on metro machines, in supermarkets, museums and the vast majority of restaurants. Carry €30-50 in small notes and coins for the Feira da Ladra flea market, the ginjinha counters near Rossio, a handful of old tascas, and small tips. Some places set a €5 or €10 card minimum.
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