Gateway city
Lisbon is the gateway to Ericeira and the traditional start of the Portuguese Way. Choose the neighbourhood by the daily walk and the event calendar, then let the transport chain confirm it.
Humberto Delgado airport sits on the Metro Red line, which also serves Oriente, the station for most trains heading north and for the Parque das Nações venues. Santa Apolónia, by the river below Alfama, is the central terminus for long-distance trains. Metro travel needs a navegante card or a contactless bank card. Read the dated CP timetable for Porto and the north, and check Metro operating hours for late arrivals.
Baixa and Chiado are central, flat at street level and steep on every side. Alfama and Graça have the character and the stairs; luggage and late returns need a plan. Avenida da Liberdade and Marquês de Pombal concentrate hotels beside the Metro. Parque das Nações is flat, modern and on Oriente, which is why it fills first during Web Summit. Belém is calm but far from evening life. Match the neighbourhood to the reason you are in the city.
Carris Metropolitana buses link Lisbon with Ericeira, so the Atlantic town can be a day trip or a base. Whether to sleep in the capital or on the coast depends on surf plans, evening rhythm and the last bus back; the Ericeira guide answers that with the current timetable rather than a generic excursion note.
The Central Way leaves Lisbon Cathedral and reaches Valença in nineteen published stages via Santarém, Tomar, Coimbra and Porto, roughly 520 km, before 118.8 km in Galicia. That is a four-week walk with thinner pilgrim infrastructure than the northern sections. Most walkers with less time start in Porto or at the border; the pilgrim-route page sets out the choice and links the Santiago arrival guide.
The EDP Maratona de Lisboa closes the riverside on 10 and 11 October 2026 and finishes at Praça do Comércio. Web Summit brings tens of thousands to the MEO Arena and Parque das Nações on 9–12 November 2026, when rooms across the city price up. The Marchas Populares descend Avenida da Liberdade on the night of 12 June and Santo António, 13 June, is the municipal holiday. Book against these dates before reading programmes.
Dated events
Each event has its own page with the organiser's date, where to sleep and what still needs confirming.
Plan the EDP Maratona de Lisboa on 10–11 October 2026: kits at FIL on 8–9 October, a Carcavelos start, the Praça do Comércio finish and where to sleep.
Plan the event →Plan Web Summit on 9–12 November 2026 at the MEO Arena: Parque das Nações or the centre, the Red line to Oriente, airport timing and the nights that price up first.
Plan the event →Plan Santo António in Lisbon on 12–13 June 2027: the Marchas Populares on Avenida da Liberdade, the arraiais of Alfama and Graça, the holiday and where to sleep.
Plan the event →Use this quick read to confirm the fit, then open the questions that affect your trip.
Parque das Nações puts the MEO Arena and FIL within walking distance and Oriente station at hand, but it fills first and has less evening character. Avenida da Liberdade or Baixa keep you central with a direct Metro ride on the Red line from Alameda or Saldanha; count the transfer time at peak hours before choosing.
Yes, if you have about four weeks. Turismo de Portugal publishes nineteen stages from Lisbon Cathedral to Valença, then 118.8 km remain in Galicia. Accommodation for pilgrims is sparser south of Porto, so many walkers start in Porto or at the border instead; the pilgrim-route page compares the three starts.
Carris Metropolitana runs buses between Lisbon and Ericeira, so a car-free day trip or a coastal base is possible. Check the dated timetable in both directions, because the last return decides whether an evening in Ericeira works, and read the Ericeira guide on whether to sleep in town or in the capital.
Next decision
These pages stop where another guide's work begins: the valley, the Atlantic town or the arrival in Santiago.
Source desk
Timetables, programmes and border crossings change. This page gives the decision frame; official sources confirm the live fact.
Metropolitano de Lisboa. The official site describes the navegante card requirement and the Red line that serves Aeroporto and Oriente; operating hours and disruptions must be checked there. Checked 2026-09-26; high confidence; medium change risk.
CP – Comboios de Portugal. CP is the official authority for Lisbon–Porto long-distance trains, Porto's Douro Line and the regional services that reach Valença; dated timetables come from this site, not from this guide. Checked 2026-09-26; high confidence; medium change risk.
Carris Metropolitana. The metropolitan bus operator publishes the dated Lisbon–Ericeira services; this guide does not restate departure times. Checked 2026-09-26; high confidence; medium change risk.
Turismo de Portugal. Nineteen published stages from Lisbon to Valença: about 89.5 km to Santarém, 52.5 km to Tomar, 97 km to Coimbra, 152.5 km to Porto and 127 km from Porto to Valença. Checked 2026-09-26; high confidence; low change risk.
Maratona Clube de Portugal. The marathon starts at 08h00 on Saturday 10 October 2026 from the N6-7 in Carcavelos and finishes at Praça do Comércio; the half marathon runs on Sunday 11 October; kits are collected at FIL on 8 and 9 October. Checked 2026-09-26; high confidence; high change risk.
Web Summit. Web Summit returns to Lisbon on 9–12 November 2026 at the MEO Arena; ticket types, schedule and side events are published only by the organiser. Checked 2026-09-26; high confidence; high change risk.
EGEAC – Lisboa Cultura. EGEAC presents the June celebrations of the city, its patron saint, the Santo António weddings and the Marchas Populares; the dated programme for each edition is published in spring. Checked 2026-09-26; high confidence; high change risk.