5 Tips for Experiencing Lisbon Without the Crowds

Instead of joining the lineups at every major sight, we made it our mission to find the less touristy side of Lisbon.
💵 Take a look at our travel budget bit.ly/2NcrKDZ
WATCH NEXT:
○ Was it a Mistake to Stay in Lisbon’s Most Famous Neighbourhood? bit.ly/3RfucYH
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ABOUT US
Imagine finally ticking off all those experiences on your bucket list. Every Sunday, we share the inspiration and practical tips you need for enjoying your own freedom years. We're Stephanie and Gillian, a couple who said goodbye to our corporate careers after years of saving and investing. We've been traveling the world full time ever since.
MUSIC FROM KZbin LIBRARY
Copycat by R.LUM.R
00:00 Intro
01:18 City tour
06:37 LX Factory
08:24 Caldas da Rainha
10:40 Obidos
12:04 Dining out
15:45 Airbnb
17:55 Costs

[@Julie-ys2tk]

I know it’s a ton of work to produce these videos, but so happy you do!! This is another fabulous one!

[@OurFreedomYears]

Thank you so much! We have a lot of fun making these. 😊

[@smit5590]

You ladies make me feel proud of the LGBT community. I identify myself as a proud bisexual boy.🏳️‍🌈♥️ Btw, it's my birthday.🎂😊

[@OurFreedomYears]

Thank you so much and wishing you a very, very happy birthday 🥳🥳🥳

[@Faben202]

Very nice video showcasing that great city. I’ve been twice and can’t wait to go back again. There’s something about Lisbon and its people that is very special. Thanks for bringing us along!

[@OurFreedomYears]

Happy to have shared our experience! Lisbon is a really beautiful city and we only scratched the surface of what there is to do. 😊

[@jessiquilla1]

I love following your adventures, and always learn so much!! Your videos are hands down the best of any travel vloggers I've seen - from the way you structure the flow to the audio/visual quality to the fun jokes and useful info. My husband and I always look forward to the next one :) Thank you for putting the time and effort into documenting your adventures. 30 years down the line, imagine how fun it'll be to watch them together and reminisce! PS: I expected you to come in at $4-5k for a month in Lisbon, since I keep hearing about inflation and it's popularity, I'm impressed (and relieved lol) to see you come in way under, kudos! Greetings from Jessica, Justin, and Milo in San Diego

[@OurFreedomYears]

Aw, thanks so much! It's always nice to hear our videos have been helpful. We agree they will be a pretty awesome memory album for us down the line. We were equally surprised how things landed with our Lisbon budget... just goes to show how far a good deal on airbnb can go towards reducing monthly costs! p.s. we need to get Huxley some of those awesome sunglasses like Milo has 😎

[@photographlisbon]

Glad that you liked that restaurant O Cartaxeiro because it's one of the two that I usually recommend in that square (the other one being Cana Verde). Two typically plain options and that's why I recommend them. Would love to see you again in Lisbon!

[@OurFreedomYears]

It's always great to hear from a local that we picked a good restaurant! 😊 We had a few good meals there.

[@gtagide]

Such a beautiful couple visiting my city, and the tip to go to the restaurants that have only menus in portuguese is a good tip.

[@OurFreedomYears]

Thanks! We do a lot of research to find the local gems. 😊

[@dashinthrulife]

thank you so much for this! I'm pllaning my honemoon and you both really gave an awesome look into how Portugal is. And the cost breakdown is so helpful!

[@OurFreedomYears]

Wonderful to hear - glad it was helpful! Enjoy your honeymoon. 😊

[@tendegreeswarmer]

Another great video. We are in the Algarve now but will head to Lisbon in January. Can't wait to check it out!

[@OurFreedomYears]

It's a beautiful city with so much to see and do. Enjoy!

[@PedroLamyLaranjeira]

In Portugal do not loose your time ordering a "late" for coffee.Please, order a "Galao directo" and you will have the best experience of coffee. If by any chance you would prefer a small one, then ask for a "meia de leite". Ask for it "directo" and they will pour the coffee from the machine directely on top of hot milk.

[@OurFreedomYears]

We finally learned the local way to order coffee and it was amazing!

[@adventurefreaksss]

Thank you! I love Lisbon and hope to return one day soon!

[@OurFreedomYears]

Glad that you enjoyed the video! Hopefully you'll get back there soon. 😊

[@jamesdellaneve9005]

Thanks girls! I used Rick’s tour information for my 2 week trip to Florence. I look forward to a visit to Lisbon! Great video!

[@OurFreedomYears]

Gotta love Rick! He gives a great walking tour. 😊

[@leapintothewild]

Hey, that’s a great spend for such a popular city, and a beautiful apt in a great location! And you found such wonderful things to do!

[@OurFreedomYears]

Between the relatively low amount for the Airbnb and very affordable groceries, the final amount wasn't bad at all

[@Jetmab04]

Oh, beautiful Lisbon 🌹 I've been through there twice this year - on my way to and from the Azores but, still need to see much more of Lisbon.. Thanks so much for sharing your tour there... Love the apartment you stayed in 🤗

[@OurFreedomYears]

We loved that apartment too! And the neighbourhood turned out to be very pleasant, not overly touristy. We would certainly recommend it for a short stay.

[@JohnAndTeriJustGo]

Hey girls... Are ya'll done traveling?? Really like your vlogs, hope all is good!

[@marthap.5178]

I love your videos!!! ❤

[@OurFreedomYears]

Thanks so much - wonderful to hear! 😊

[@victoriaguerin2851]

Wow - I haven't been to Lisbon in years but even in July, there weren't as many tourists as I see in your videos! The Jardim da Estrela is my favorite park in Lisbon.

[@OurFreedomYears]

We were pretty blown away by the crowds. I think we're still seeing the effects of pent up demand in the post-COVID era.

[@4nshale]

Did. you ever think of getting a little stroller for your dogs or do they prefer to walk? You can get a double umbrella type strolled that folds up compactly. Great tour. The art district looks really fun. The market had great looking produce. I agree that the green space, lake and preserved architecture of Obidos were fabulous.

[@OurFreedomYears]

Jasper always prefers to walk as he's full of energy. Huxley prefers to be carried in crowded places but happy to walk otherwise. We always have to keep them trained and ready for the next multi-day hike 😂

[@vw4627]

Great video. Black Swans are native to Australia, and any that you see in other countries are descendants of swans imported from Australia. There are lots of them in my part of Tasmania.

[@OurFreedomYears]

In fact, we saw those lovely black swans when we visited you the other year!

[@tammyvig8253]

Thanks for another great video and we love the RS audio walks too! You said this was early am.........how early?

[@OurFreedomYears]

We headed out about 7:30am...by 8:30am the city was quickly filling in with locals heading to work. After that, loads of tourists.

[@ronbatt756]

What a beautiful and historic place. The food looked delicious too. No wonder Lisbon is so popular.

[@OurFreedomYears]

It really is a gorgeous city...we wanted to take photos every few minutes 😂

[@jamesdellaneve9005]

That house vino verde glass was a 2-fer.

[@OurFreedomYears]

We are loving the pours here in Portugal...always very generous

[@voyagingthroughtoretirment6950]

Fun to see your video because we were just there in April and loved it :), and also surprising to see that even in November it's so crowded. Did you try the jinjina in Obidos? It was actually better than in Lisbon and it's where it's originated.

[@OurFreedomYears]

We didn't try the ginjinha in Obidos...but only because we had recently polished off a bottle at home 😂

[@BB-yi6qn]

Asia is a favorite place for full-time travelers. Such as Thailand. Malaysia. Singapore. Philippines. Indonesia. China Japan. South Korea and Taiwan

[@OurFreedomYears]

Absolutely! We loved living in Singapore for so many years and visiting all the countries in the region.

[@nabilel-ghoroury]

Lisbon is truly amazing. I think it’s crowded all the time! When I went to Obidos it was totally packed with tourists. I hope you’re going to Porto!

[@OurFreedomYears]

In fact, we went to Porto for our very first week in Portugal. We didn't make a video but we did share the highlights in our Instagram Stories instagram.com/stories/highlights/18020351710870092/

[@evaroberts3639]

How do you two always get such amazing deals on your air bnbs? I try to follow your example and send messages about how responsible and caring we are, and negotiate due to our long stays, but it hasn't worked for me yet. I'd love to know your best tips and tricks. BTW- Love all you do and all of your videos. Thank you so much!!!

[@OurFreedomYears]

Great question! Perhaps some of our luck with rates has to do with booking six to eight months in advance. However, there are plenty of times when we end up paying way more than we prefer, eg in Budapest. In those cases, we try to at least get a free mid-stay cleaning, although we're not always successful! Thanks so much for watching and commenting. 😊

[@nicolebaker1814]

Hi! Planning to travel to Portugal this spring and I was wondering if you felt safe staying in Alfama? Both in the day and night? Thank you!

[@OurFreedomYears]

We felt very safe in Alfama. We were there for a month in November and found that it had a very neighbourly feeling, especially when you patronise the local shops. That said, you might need to be more mindful at night during peak summer season as there would be more partying tourists around.

[@pamwelty]

Would you consider Caldas da Rainha as your Airbnb location and train into Alfama for visits as opposed to the crowds in Alfama all the time?

[@tamaramadelin4831]

I wouldn't! I prefer Torres Vedras municipalities!

[@OurFreedomYears]

I'm glad we spent the month in Lisbon and wouldn't have planned it any other way for our first time here. However, for a return trip to Portugal, I would certainly look for small centres as a base.

[@christinecline-leung9520]

Are you willing to link your Airbnb? I knoe you said you were able to negotiate but it looks like such a nice place for a long term stay.

[@OurFreedomYears]

Here it is... www.airbnb.com/rooms/22419451

[@fartaroundfestival]

How are the public restroom facilities?

[@OurFreedomYears]

I think we paid a small amount to use the occasional restroom and always found them to be well maintained.