Welcome to what is possibly my longest travel work challenge to date. Over the next 12 months I am on a personal and professional mission to understand and uncover Lisbon; not just the city but the wider Lisbon Metropolitan Area too. The big picture, end goal so to speak, is a deeply researched travel guide for Lisbon, but there’s a lot more to it than that.
I moved to Portugal in 2016 and after 4 years in Algarve, I moved to Cascais in the Lisbon Metropolitan area where I am still based today. Despite the city of Lisbon being on my doorstep for 6 years, it is the area of Portugal that I feel the most disconnected from.
Planning a trip to Portugal? You’re in the right place! Welcome to Travel Planning and Itinerary design by Candy. Olá! I’m an independent travel advisor living in Portugal (since 2016). I help people plan their dream trip to Portugal, Spain and Italy. You’re currently reading a post from my collection of travel guides. I also offer personal travel consultation and a bespoke itinerary service.
In January 2026 I set out on a year-long mission to explore the Lisbon Metropolitan Area more “deeply”. As an independent travel planner for Portugal my job is to learn about and experience this region fully so I can continue to offer knowledgeable, fresh and exciting itineraries. More importantly, as an immigrant and long-term resident, it is my duty (and my pleasure) to understand and share the true culture of Portugal.
Culture, history, sites, experiences, restaurants and people. I want to get into the fabric of it all, the little details, the character (and characters) of the city. From the quieter “uglier” barrios to the long-lost stories, the treasured tascas and the local traditions. The overarching theme is ‘finding the forgotten’ but I also want to celebrate the pockets of creativity in what is now very much a cosmopolitan city. I crave to know Lisbon and this part of the country I am lucky to be able to call home for so many years.
The result of this work will be a weekly series of Lisbon-themed posts touching every corner and feeling of the city of Lisbon and its neighbouring municipalities. I don’t know exactly what I will discover and that is a big part of the attraction. It will be a journey of learning and I’m really excited to see what I find. By the end of the year I’ll share everything in my Lisbon Edited travel guide. My hope is that it encourages tourists, visitors (and maybe some locals too) to step away from the usual suspects and dedicate time to being curious again.
If you’re planning a trip to Portugal, stick around and see what I find.
Weekly Posts
- Week 1 – Tascas, Tiles and Queirós
- Week 2 – Coming soon
Lisbon Metropolitan Area
Lisbon Metropolitan area encompasses 18 municipalities: Alcochete, Almada, Amadora, Barreiro, Cascais, Lisboa, Loures, Mafra, Moita, Montijo, Odivelas, Oeiras, Palmela, Seixal, Sesimbra, Setúbal, Sintra and Vila Franca de Xira.
One of which has been home for the last 6 years – the beach town of Cascais. I have been through a real journey getting to know this municipality, and through the ups, downs, health scares, hospital visits, misadventures, and celebrations I’ve fallen totally in love with Cascais. It’s the most at home I have felt anywhere and although it was my own work that got me here, I still feel very lucky to call it home.
CASCAIS TRAVEL GUIDE | CASCAIS EATS GUIDE
However, sometimes I neglect the rest of the Lisbon Metropolitan area (also known as the AML) and it feels like time to pay it the attention it deserves. How can I do this? By doing the same thing I have been doing for years. By dedicating real time to getting to know the places I visit, by sharing my experiences honestly and by supporting genuine businesses and local people.
Finding the forgotten on my doorstep
The majority of the weeks will be spent in the city of Lisbon itself but I plan to see the whole of the AML. Some weeks will be spent in Sintra, Setúbal and even diving deeper into my home town Cascais. Most visits will be done using only public transport and my own two feet, with the odd opportunity to explore by car. Inevitably, through this challenge I’ll also uncover the planning and logistics pieces such as transport and cost, which will be helpful for anyone planning a trip to Portugal. Where possible I will always aim to share and promote native locals and Portuguese businesses, not brokers or international companies.
Tourism in Portugal
Visitors to Portugal are expected to top 33M by the end of 2025. Tourism is now a major cornerstone in the national economy, expected to reach more than 21% of the country’s GDP by the end of 2025 (not only from direct impact, but how the value is spread along the “chain”). This translates to 1.4M jobs in the sector. This is a huge number, and a positive outcome we shouldn’t take for granted.
WTTC: Portugal’s tourism sector enters a golden era
Tourism in Lisbon
As the capital of Portugal and the country’s busiest transport hub Lisbon attracts the most visitors in Portugal each year. Lisbon has grown and changed exponentially since I moved here 10 years ago, but especially in the last 3 years. With a huge tourism boom comes rapid changes and developments. There is always something new opening and happening – which is exciting, but can feel overwhelming to keep up with sometimes.
In addition to tourism, Lisbon has welcomed immigrants from all corners, become a digital nomad hub and a popular place for international retirement. It is estimated that 16% of Lisbon’s residents are foreigners, about 1.7M people.
The ‘Loss of Lisbon’
The steep increase in tourism and foreign arrivals also means that some of Lisbon’s most historically and culturally important sites and experiences are getting forgotten; some in danger of being lost to modernisation and globalisation completely. Lisbon is a cosmopolitan city and there are great benefits that can (and do) bloom from that, but we should never forget the roots the city has grown from.
In my opinion not enough is done to protect the native people and culture of Lisbon but this conversation causes a lot of division and of course the real situation is not that simple. . Like other major European cities Lisbon is drowning in Airbnbs, property rent and costs are skyrocketing and fewer locals want or are able to live in the city anymore.
While the government can be somewhat to blame for ‘selling out’ via various tax break schemes, international companies and foreign investment have a part to play in this ‘cultural destruction’ too. And it shouldn’t be forgotten that there are also many native Portuguese who have piggybacked on the increase in tourism and foreign arrivals – can you blame them? This influx of foreign desire has meant some native locals have been able to sell or rent their family properties as Airbnbs to foreigners for huge profits and then move elsewhere.
This is a complex issue and I can’t pretend to grasp the full spectrum of effects, but as an immigrant myself it’s impossible to ignore the tension completely. I mostly feel very welcome in Portugal but I would be lying if I said I haven’t noticed the pressure building these last few years.
What I do know is tourism, and I have seen the positive effects working with local businesses has had while also protecting the culture and assets Portugal has to offer.
Tourism has the ability to hinder or to help.
My goal is to always make it help.
Sustainable Tourism in Lisbon
I truly believe that sustainable cultural tourism is a possibility in Portugal (and Europe). I believe as travelers we should be making an effort to not overcrowd heritage sites, look past the usual tourist traps, protect sites of cultural importance, and split our time and money between different areas. There should be a focus on protecting culture and on supporting local businesses.
Travel is Human – Rebel against AI
Another reason I want to do this is to hold on to the human experience that is curiosity. We have the world at our fingertips and we have become lazy. Whatever we want to know we can type it in and get an answer immediately; the journey of curiosity is becoming lost. At a time when you can get ChatGPT to spit out an “itinerary” in 3 seconds, I’m going to take one whole year revelling in the beauty of slow travel again.
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