Is Lisbon Safe for Solo Female Travellers?!

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Lisbon is Portugal’s capital city and is quickly becoming a hot tourist destination in Europe. With it’s rising popularity, and lot of people wonder is Lisbon safe? And is Lisbon safe for solo female travellers?

I’ve been to Lisbon as a solo female traveller and have first-hand experience on what it’s like to travel Lisbon alone.

I’m very happy to report that Lisbon is a very safe city. All of Portugal is very safe.

Even though Lisbon is the capital city, it doesn’t have the same feeling as other capital cities. It feels a bit like a cozy town where you know your neighbours and go about your daily life without any worries.

That being said, there are a few safety things you should know before visiting Lisbon. We’ll get to those later on in the article.

For now, all you need to know is that the answer to the question is Lisbon safe is 100% yes. It’s a great city for new solo travellers to feel comfortable and gain confidence.

Is Lisbon Safe?

Just in case you skimmed the first part of this article (I don’t blame you), I want to reiterate that Lisbon is safe. Lisbon is safe for solo travellers, female travellers, and for members of the LBTQIA+ community.

So, if Lisbon is on your bucket list, you can book a trip there without worrying about your safety!

Lisbon Safety Tips

Lisbon is safe, but there are a few minor safety tips you should know before visiting Lisbon. Most of these are generic things you should know about before you travel anywhere in the world.

There are some places where you need to be aware of certain scams before going (like Istanbul for example), but that isn’t the case with Lisbon. There isn’t any location-specific safety tips you need.

Just common sense and being aware of your surroundings.

Pick Pockets are Your Biggest Worry

Just like every other major city in the world, you have to be aware of pick pockets in Lisbon. Be careful when in the popular tourist areas and even more careful if you decide to ride Tram 28. It’s crowded and easy pickings for pick pockets.

Luckily, it’s pretty easy to discourage pick pockets from targeting you.

The best thing you can do is not store anything in your pockets. Keep your belongs in your bag if you’re carrying one. Then keep your bag on your side angled forward or in front of your body.

This makes it extremely difficult for pick pockets to get inside your bag and most won’t even try to.

You also need to be aware of your surroundings and look confident. Pick pockets want to target people who are distracted and not paying attention. If you have your head on a swivel and are visibly paying attention to where you are, pick pockets should leave you alone.

There are Lots of Hills and Steps

This may sound like a weird thing to include in an article answering the question is Lisbon safe, but hear me out.

I think most people who are thinking of going to Lisbon know that it’s hilly and there are lots of stairs. Almost every TikTok you watch about Lisbon includes this information.

But, even the internet doesn’t prepare you for just how many hills and stairs there are. This is a major problem for people with mobility issues.

It can also be dangerous for people without mobility issues. It’s so easy to accidentally twist an ankle when walking around Lisbon, and you’ll be walking a lot.

Wear supportive footwear like runners rather than flats or wedges. I know it’s not as stylish, but you don’t want to twist an ankle on the first day and not be able to walk the rest of your trip just because you were wearing the wrong shoes.

There is also lots of cobblestone streets in Lisbon. They’re absolutely beautiful, but they can also be a bit dangerous. They’re not even, so you have to watch where you step. One wrong step could end with a twisted ankle.

Just be sure to watch where you’re walking when you’re out and about in Lisbon. If you have mobility issues, you may want to rely more on public transportation than you might otherwise.

I took my older parents to Lisbon, and we used the Yellow Bus hop on hop off bus tour. It took us everywhere we need to go, was affordable, and cut down on most of the walking required. It’s a great option to look into when in Lisbon.

If you want a more unique way to see Lisbon, consider taking a tuk tuk tour!

Internet Safety is Key

One of the most overlooked travel safety concerns is not taking internet safety seriously. You rely on public wifi when you travel. Even if you have an esim on your phone, which I highly recommend, you still rely on public wifi at your hotel at a minimum.

Using public wifi puts you at high risk. There is a higher chance of someone stealing your personal online information because tons of people are using the same public wifi as you. Even if there is a password on the public wifi, you’re still at risk. Anyone with that password can steal your online information if they want to.

Trust me when I tell you that you don’t want to be dealing with cancelling bank cards while abroad because someone stole your banking information because you weren’t being internet safe. It’s a headache at the best of times and a nightmare when travelling abroad.

The only way you can keep your online data safe while using public wifi is by installing a VPN on your devices.

It essentially puts a virtual forcefield around your devices that prevent prying eyes from being able to access your personal information.

A VPN makes using public wifi as safe as using your home wifi where you’re the only person who knows the password.

Installing a VPN on your devices is one of the easiest safety precautions you can take. It takes five minutes to install, and you can sleep soundly knowing that your personal information is safe.

I personally use NordVPN and love it. It’s the fastest VPN on the market, and you don’t feel like your internet is slower when your VPN is turned on. That’s not the case with most VPNs. Most VPNs slow down your internet speed significantly and are frustrating to use.

A two-year NordVPN subscription costs less per month than a single Starbuck’s latte. It’s a small price to pay for all the peace of mind and security that comes with it.

I always say that if you can afford to travel, you can afford to protect yourself with a VPN.

Know Local Scams

Most cities in the world have scams that target tourists, and Lisbon is no exception. But does that change the answer to the question is Lisbon safe?

No really.

Just because there are a few scams in Lisbon that target tourists, that doesn’t mean that Lisbon isn’t safe.

In fact, when you compare it to a lot of other popular tourist destinations in Europe (like Italy or France), there aren’t really that many scams tourists need to be aware of.

You can read a complete article about the top tourist scams in Lisbon here, but below is a quick rundown of the most common scams you need to be aware of.

• Appetizers being brought to your table automatically without telling you there is a charge for them. If something you didn’t ask for is brought to your table, be sure to ask if it is free or not.

• Someone coming up and asking if you want to sign a petition. There are a couple different ways this scam operates, but all you need to know is that you politely say no thank you and walk away.

• The picture scam. Someone will offer to take your picture for a couple of Euro, take a bunch of pictures, and then charge you per picture taken. It ends up costing you a lot of money.

A basic rule of thumb is what if someone comes up to you and offers to do you a favour or help you in exchange for a small amount of money, it’s likely a scam. You’ll end up paying far more than you originally thought, and once the scam has started, it’s hard to get out of it.

Just be aware of your surroundings and trust your gut. If something seems a little bit off, trust your instinct and walk away.

Make Sure You Have Health Insurance

We already had a brief discussion on how the answer to the question is Lisbon safe can be no if you’re walking around carelessly, but we need to talk about the importance of having travel health insurance when travelling to Lisbon.

Lisbon has a great medical system, but they don’t offer free medical treatment to travellers. You’re required to pay for all your medical treatment if you end up getting hurt. Whether it’s to get an x-ray on a sprained ankle, hospital treatment, or anywhere in between, it’s your responsibility to pay for this.

That’s pretty standard in most places in the world. Even if a country has free healthcare for citizens and residents, tourists are on their own.

You may have travel medical insurance through your health insurance at work. Most work policies (at least in Canada and the United States) provide travel coverage for up to 30 days.

If you don’t have travel insurance through your work, you’ll have to purchase it on your own. I purchase my travel insurance through Safety Wing. It’s a company that specializes in travel insurance and has the best long-term travel coverage on the market.

You also look at purchasing your travel insurance through your bank, car insurance company, or company like AAA, AMA, CAA. They all offer affordable travel insurance but often make it difficult and time consuming to make a claim.

So there is definitely trade of between a dedicated travel insurance company and getting your travel insurance through a large company that doesn’t specialize in travel insurance.

I don’t really care where you get your travel insurance as long as you get travel insurance and protect yourself!

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped answer the question is Lisbon safe. More importantly, I hope it helped you better understand that Lisbon is a very safe city. There isn’t really any danger or risk in going to Lisbon.

You just need to use some common sense, and you’ll be alright.

Lisbon is a pretty laid back and relaxed city. Most people are just going about their everyday business and don’t bother tourists.

Lisbon is a beautiful city, and Portugal as a country is quickly becoming a more popular tourist destination. Be sure to get there quickly before it really blows up into a hugely popular tourist spot.