The Ultimate Erasmus Guide to Lisbon

So, you’re moving to the city of seven hills, endless sunshine, and dangerously addictive pastries? Congratulations!

You’ve just secured a ticket to one of the best years of your life.

But let’s be real. Moving to a new country is terrifying. Between figuring out where to live, how not to go broke, and passing your classes, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

That’s exactly why I put together this ultimate Erasmus guide to Lisbon. I spent a year navigating the steep cobblestone streets, surviving on espresso, and figuring out how everything works so you don’t have to.

Ready to dive into the best year ever? Let’s get started.

But before you start imagining yourself sipping wine by the river, you need a roof over your head. And trust me, the Lisbon housing market is a wild ride…

🏡 Where to Live: The Best Student Neighborhoods Lisbon Has to Offer

Finding accommodation in Lisbon can feel like the Hunger Games.

Rent prices have gone up, but there are still amazing spots if you know where to look. You want to be close to a metro station, near other students, but far enough from the hardcore party streets so you can actually sleep.

Here are the absolute best student neighborhoods Lisbon offers:

Alameda & Arroios

The holy grail for students. It’s right on the Green and Red metro lines, packed with cheap grocery stores, and walking distance to Instituto Superior Técnico (IST).

Anjos

A little grittier, a lot cooler. It’s the hipster hub of Lisbon, full of vintage shops, indie cafes, and affordable rooms.

Saldanha

A bit more modern and residential. Great if you study at NOVA FCSH and want a slightly quieter, upscale vibe without leaving the city center.

Avoid Rental Scams: Never wire money via Western Union before seeing an apartment or having a verified video tour. Stick to trusted platforms like Uniplaces, Spotahome, or verified Facebook groups (but still, vet the admins!).

Erasmus Hack: Don’t rent in Bairro Alto! It sounds fun to live above the bars, but you will literally never sleep due to the street noise. Stick to the Green Line for the best balance of peace and connectivity.

Okay, so you have an apartment. But how much is this all going to cost? Let’s talk money, because you’re going to need a budget for all those late-night snacks…

Cost of Living Lisbon: Your Monthly Survival Budget

Good news! Portugal is generally one of the most affordable countries in Western Europe, and Coimbra is notably cheaper than Lisbon or Porto.

You can live incredibly well here without emptying your savings account.

Here is a realistic, estimated monthly breakdown:

Expense Category	Estimated Cost (€)
Rent (Private room in a shared flat)	450 – 650 (Utilities are sometimes included, but always ask!)
Groceries	150 – 250
Public Transport	0 – 30 (Free for under-23s, otherwise around €30/month)
A Pint of Beer (Imperial)	1.50 – 2.00
An Espresso (Bica)	0.80 – 1.20

Total Estimated Budget: €800 – €1,100 per month (depending on your rent and partying habits).

Local Secret: Do your drinking at small, tiled, hole-in-the-wall tascas instead of rooftop bars. The beer is colder, the locals are friendlier, and the prices are half of what you’ll pay elsewhere!

Now that your wallet is sorted, what about the actual “study” part of studying abroad? It’s not all beach days and parties…

Studying in Lisbon: University & Academic Life

Let’s be honest. You’re here for the experience, but you still need those ECTS credits.

Studying in Lisbon can be a slight culture shock depending on where you are from.

The teaching style is a mix of massive, impersonal lectures (where you can usually get away with skipping) and smaller, highly interactive practical seminars.

Grading: Portugal uses a 20-point scale. Anything above a 10 is a pass. Getting a 20 is basically impossible, so don’t stress if you see a 14 on your transcript—that’s actually a solid grade!
Attendance: Lectures (Aulas Teóricas) usually don’t take attendance. Practical classes (Aulas Práticas) almost always do. Miss more than 3 or 4, and you might fail the class automatically.

Erasmus Hack: Make friends with the local Portuguese students immediately. They have the old exams, the best notes, and usually know exactly what the professor wants to hear.

You’re going to need to get to those 8:00 AM classes somehow. Prepare to conquer the Lisbon hills…

🚌 Public Transport: Navigating the Seven Hills

Walking in Lisbon is basically a continuous leg day workout. You will need public transport.

Thankfully, the transport network is fantastic. You have the Metro, buses, trams, and ferries.

Here is what you need to do on day one:

Get a Navegante Card: This is your golden ticket.
The Best Part: If you are under 23 (or under 24 in some medical/architecture degrees), the monthly pass is completely free! You just need to get the “Navegante Estudante” profile set up at a metro station with your university enrollment document.
Must-Have Apps: Download Citymapper (infinitely better than Google Maps for Lisbon transport) and Bolt or Uber (rideshares are incredibly cheap here, especially when splitting with flatmates after a night out).

Local Secret: Never take the famous Tram 28 to commute. It’s always packed with tourists. If you want the scenic tram experience without the crowds, ride Tram 24 or Tram 12 instead!

All that commuting will make you hungry. Time to discover why Portuguese food is the most underrated cuisine in Europe…

🛒 Food & Groceries: Eating Like a Local

You cannot experience student life in Lisbon without stuffing your face with incredible food.

For everyday groceries, skip the tiny corner stores (they are overpriced) and head to Pingo Doce, Continente, or Auchan. Pingo Doce has a fantastic takeaway section where you can get a hot, home-style Portuguese meal for like €4.

When you do eat out, you must try these:

Pastel de Nata: The famous custard tart.
Bacalhau à Brás: Shredded codfish mixed with crispy matchstick potatoes, onions, and scrambled eggs. Pure comfort food.
Bifana: The ultimate late-night drunken snack. It’s a marinated pork sandwich smothered in mustard and piri-piri sauce.

Erasmus Hack: Go to the local markets (mercados) for fresh fruit and veg. But for cheap, massive dinners with unlimited Sangria, look for places advertising “Jantares de Grupo” (Group Dinners).

Speaking of unlimited Sangria, what happens when the sun goes down? Buckle up…

🍻 Nightlife & Social Scene: Where Erasmus Thrives

Lisbon’s nightlife is legendary. It doesn’t start until midnight, and it doesn’t end until the sun is up.

Your social life will basically revolve around three distinct areas:

Bairro Alto: The pre-drink capital. It’s a maze of narrow streets packed with hundreds of tiny bars. Everyone buys their cheap drinks in plastic cups and hangs out in the streets. You’ll definitely be spending your weekends at Erasmus Corner.
Pink Street (Cais do Sodré): When Bairro Alto closes at 2 AM, the zombie horde moves down the hill to Pink Street for the clubs.
The Mega Clubs: Places like Lux Frágil (hardcore techno, very strict door policy), Urban Beach (commercial, very young crowd), and K Urban Beach.

ESN (Erasmus Student Network): Sign up for an ESN card immediately! They host legendary pub crawls, surf camps, and massive welcome parties at clubs like Lust in Rio.

Local Secret: Don’t buy drinks inside the clubs at Cais do Sodré. Stop by a convenience store, grab a €1.50 Super Bock, and drink it by the river at Ribeira das Naus before heading inside to dance.

You’ll eventually need a break from the clubbing. Luckily, some of Europe’s best weekend escapes are just a train ride away…

🚆 Day Trips & Weekend Getaways

One of the best parts of this Erasmus guide to Lisbon is showing you what’s outside the city.

Portugal is small, cheap to travel across, and incredibly diverse. When you need a break from studying, grab your friends and hit these spots:

Sintra: Only 40 minutes away by train. It’s a misty, mountainous microclimate filled with colorful, real-life Disney castles (Pena Palace) and secret initiation wells (Quinta da Regaleira).
Cascais: A 30-minute train ride along the coast. Perfect for beach days, eating gelato, and pretending you are wealthy.
Nazaré: About 1.5 hours by bus. Famous for having the biggest surfable waves in the world during the winter. It is mind-blowing to see in person.
Évora: A 1.5-hour bus ride inland to the Alentejo region. A beautiful medieval town featuring a Roman temple and a chapel built entirely out of human bones (Capela dos Ossos). Spooky and amazing.

Erasmus Hack: Get a CP (Comboios de Portugal) Youth Card. If you are under 25, it gives you 25% off all intercity and regional trains. Perfect for those longer trips to Porto or the Algarve!

🎒 Conclusion & Final Advice

There you have it—the ultimate Erasmus guide to Lisbon.

From navigating the chaotic housing market and budgeting your euros, to surviving the hills and dancing until sunrise in Cais do Sodré, you are now officially prepared to crush your semester abroad.

Lisbon has a magic to it that is hard to explain until you’re sitting at a miradouro (viewpoint) at sunset, listening to distant Fado music, with a Super Bock in your hand. Embrace the chaos, say yes to the ESN trips, eat too many pastéis de nata, and don’t take the tram 28!