The first two days in Lisbon, in priority order: what has to happen, what should, and what can wait. Tick things off as you go.
For Lisbon
How long you are staying
Must do
MEO, Vodafone and NOS all sell prepaid SIMs at the airport and in shopping centres; bring your passport. A local number unlocks MB Way and most app sign-ups.
Pick up a reusable card from any metro machine and load it with Zapping credit for the first days. For the monthly pass (€40 across the metropolitan area, €30 within Lisbon) apply for a personalised card at an Espaço navegante with your ID.
At a Finanças office (book ahead) or through a representative. Without it you cannot sign a lease, open a bank account or take out a phone contract.
Bring your passport, NIF and proof of address. A Portuguese IBAN is what landlords, utilities and employers expect.
Confirm the landlord registers the contract with Finanças and issues a recibo de renda each month. That paperwork is your proof of address for residency, schools and healthcare.
Should do
112 is police, ambulance and fire. 808 24 24 24 is the SNS health line, open around the clock, for advice before you head to an urgência.
The domestic cash machines are everywhere and also pay bills and buy tickets. Small cafés and markets may still prefer cash or MB Way.
Bolt for rides, CP for trains, Glovo or Uber Eats for delivery, and MB Way as soon as your account is open.
On a residence visa, find the date of your AIMA appointment and list its documents now. EU citizens: put the CRUE registration in the calendar for the three-month mark.
Make the trip to work or school at rush hour before committing to a flat. The map hides the hills, and the 28 tram is a tourist queue, not a commute.
Look up which parish council covers your address. It issues the atestado de residência that some residency and school processes ask for.
Nice to do
Ask for um café and you get an espresso, drunk standing at the counter. A pastry alongside is the national breakfast.
Many embassies run a registration or alert service for nationals living abroad. Two minutes now saves a scramble in an emergency.
Campo de Ourique, Arroios and the market halls in most districts sell fish, fruit and bread, and are where the neighbourhood actually shops.
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