Things to do in Lisbon in August

Things to do in Lisbon in August

If you are wondering about things to do in Lisbon in August, here’s a list with a few ideas. August is THE summer month in Lisbon. This means that finding a Portuguese person in Lisbon will be like trying to find Waldo. Most of us are on holidays and away, which brings the city to an unusual state of quietness, especially in the business-driven parts of the city. If you’re visiting Lisbon in August, here’s a list of the best things to do in Lisbon during the wonderful, warm and sunny month of August.

Enjoy yourself at Parque Eduardo VII

Our first suggestion of things to do in Lisbon in August is to go for a walk at Parque Eduardo VII. This park is right in the center of the city and oversees downtown (Baixa). Set on a hill, when you go up you can find a part of the park called Linha d’Água which is a great place for you to sit, have a coffee and enjoy yourself. Located in a busy business area of the city, you’ll be able to grasp that unusual August-y quietness in Lisbon.

Go surfing

If you’re in Lisbon in August, you might want to bring your surfboard with you. Some of the beaches around the city are great for surfing and people from all over the world fly in just to get a taste of these Lisbon salty wavy beaches. Furthermore, the surf schools are awesome!

The best beaches for surfing near Lisbon are near Sintra. Guincho is the best one, but you’ll also enjoy yourself in Praia das Maçãs or Praia Grande (in Sintra) or in Carcavelos (in the Cascais train line). North of Lisbon you can also visit Peniche and Nazare, two internationally known surf spots in Portugal.

Nazaré is known to be one of the greatest places on earth for surfers. Every year, surfers from all around the world get together in Nazare to surf the most awesome and the biggest waves. In 2013, Garrett McNamara, a surfer from the United States, made history when surfing a 30 meters tall wave. One year later, in 2014, the french surfer Benjamin Sanchis beat McNamara’s record with a 33 meters tall wave, at the same location, on the coast of Nazaré in Portugal. However, this year of 2018, Hugo Vau, a portuguese surfer has again beat the record when surfing a 35 meters high wave that has been baptized “Big Mama”. So if you’re into surfing, strong emotions and adventures, Nazare is definitely the place to be at.

Eat fresh grilled fish

You can’t come to Lisbon in August and skip the grilled fish experience. Portuguese love grilled fish! Eating like locals is a must if you truly want to experience Lisbon and understand everything about Portuguese lifestyle. Portuguese people are inspiring and have a one-of-a-kind way of looking at life. The way they eat and their traditional dishes are essential to understand their culture. History has shown us that Portuguese are closely connected to the sea, to the sailing life and to new discoveries, so it turned out to be obvious many of their traditional dishes would be based on fish. Luckily for you, we pass through a series of great restaurants in our tours. In the city center, there is this amazing restaurant called Páteo 13, which has the best grilled fish you can find in the city center. This is a hidden gem and it’s where we finish our Alfama tour. Join us to find out more places to have the best grilled fish in town. Thank us later !

Have dinner and a drink at a local place

If you don’t know what to do in Lisbon in August, here’s something you definitely must do: have dinner in one of the amazing restaurants that have popped out in the last few years. Now, you can find amazing, high quality restaurants in Bairro Alto where you can have a great meal with your friends, your family or your partner. Alternatively, you can head to Bairro Alto after dinner for a drink.

Beware: Portuguese people eat late, so we start our nights late! If you go to Bairro Alto before 11 pm, you’re very unlikely to catch it at its peak. For a full experience, go for drinks starting at 11 pm. This is when the Lisbon nightlife begins in Bairro Alto. Come and enjoy the night with us!

Understand the meaning of “Saudade” at Fado Museum

If you are in Lisbon in August, take some time to visit the Fado Museum. Listening to Fado is listening to the Portuguese soul. Born from the hearts of sailors and families who stayed in land. Fado was born out of “Saudade”, a word that only exists in Portuguese language. What is “Saudade”? According to the Oxford Dictionary, it is “a feeling of longing, melancholy, or nostalgia“ and the Portuguese are the only ones who have such a word to express this kind of feeling. We wish we had this term in English language! “Saudade” is charged with meaning and emotion, because it comes right from the heart, right from the the sorrow people feel when they have to bid farewell to their loved ones. And Fado perfectly illustrates this term. Fado was considerate by UNESCO as World’s Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011.

In the Fado Museum, you can discover its story, what it means and you can listen to the greatest singers of Fado singing the most popular Fado songs. At the bottom of the quirky neighborhood of Alfama, the museum is our last stop in our Alfama tour. So you really have no excuses not to visit it!

Listen to some Jazz

The Festival Jazz em Agosto happens once again this year for its 35th edition! From July, 27th until August, 5th, at Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, to attend this festival is totally one of the things to do in Lisbon in August! The line-up is pretty amazing and the project is unique. This year’s festival wants to introduce us to a specific artist, John Zorn. This festival wants to give a whole new perspective on Jazz and its onward evolution! The artists that will perform at the festival are innovative and stand out by not conforming to the Jazz standards. To experience a new kind of Jazz is one of the things to do in Lisbon in August, because it is an awesome initiative and looks very promising, also because it’s happening in one of Europe greatest cities. Jazz and portuguese lifestyle combined are fun guaranteed! You can check the whole agenda here!

My suggestion of things to do in Lisbon in August is now over, I hope you’ve enjoyed it and that it helped you have some ideas!

See you in Lisbon this August!