Learning Portuguese in the capital of Portugal

This year, I decided to take up a new language—Portuguese—and go on my next language adventure to Lisbon, Portugal. I found an amazing school called Portuguese Connection right in the heart of the city and booked a week-long course at the beginning of August. The weather was perfect! It was sunny and warm—about 25°C every day.

Just like in Spain and Costa Rica, I stayed with a local host family that the school found for me. It was a very nice 59-year-old Portuguese woman named Joana, who worked as a coordinator for an international program, and her 18-year-old son, Zen, who was finishing his last year of high school. They both spoke very good English, which was a pro and a con at the same time. Joana and her boyfriend gave me great recommendations for Lisbon and helped me practice my Portuguese. I had my own comfortable room with a private bathroom. There was no AC, but it never got too hot at night, so I just kept the window open. I also paid for breakfasts, so Joana bought me some milk, cereal, and fruit, and I ate at home every morning.

The school offered courses for different language levels, from beginner to advanced. I took the beginner course because I’m a complete novice in Portuguese, although I already speak Spanish fluently, which helped me a lot. My classes were Monday through Friday, from 9am to 1pm., with a 20–25-minute break in the middle. During the break, we could enjoy tea or coffee with complimentary cookies provided by the school.

There were three other students in my class, from Germany, India, and the Netherlands. One of them had moved to Lisbon a year earlier and wanted to improve their Portuguese so they could communicate with the locals. Another had a Brazilian boyfriend and wanted to be able to communicate with his family. The third was traveling around Portugal, like me, and wanted to learn enough Portuguese to get around.

Everyone had different goals but shared the same passion for Portuguese culture.

The school provided us with a textbook, workbook, writing supplies, and additional study materials. Our teacher, Ana, who is a local, taught us the basics of Portuguese grammar and vocabulary and explained many of the nuances of the language. I really liked how open, helpful, and welcoming she was! At the end of the week, each of us received an A1.1 certificate to show our progress in the language.

Right across the street from the school, there is a beautiful park with a restaurant that offers live music, where I had lunch. Another place with good food near the school was Honest Greens, a chain of restaurants in Portugal and Spain. There is also a market in Barrio Alto where you can try traditional Portuguese food and enjoy stunning views of Lisbon from Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara.

The main downside I found with the school was that it didn’t offer any extracurricular activities during the week I was there. They used to have a weekly cultural activity, but due to the low number of students, they did not offer one at that time. They also used to run a two-week summer program that included both language classes and daily activities, such as tours around Lisbon and other cities, dolphin-watching tours, and azulejo painting workshops. They may bring the program back in the future.

Nevertheless, I still did most of those activities on my own. Just like in Spain, I did a free walking tour around the city. (It’s actually not entirely free—you’re expected to leave a donation at the end, depending on how much you enjoyed the tour.) The tour was in English and lasted almost four hours. Our guide, Daniela, whom I genuinely recommend, showed us different neighborhoods of Lisbon and shared so much about Portuguese history and culture. She also sent us a long list of recommendations for things to see and places to eat in Lisbon and bought us all Pastel de Nata (a famous Portuguese dessert) 🍮 

One of her recommendations was to go to a fado show, a traditional Portuguese music performance, at Porta D’Alfama restaurant. My classmates and I reserved a table, ordered some food, and got to enjoy wonderful live music performed by several talented fado artists. One of them, to our surprise, was actually our waiter! He was serving us some appetizers when, all of a sudden, he started singing. We truly enjoyed the show!

I also had a great time going to Costa de Caparica Beach. However, it took me almost two hours to get there because I took a ferry to Almada first. I was hoping to see some gorgeous views and take beautiful pictures from the ferry, but unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to stand on the deck. When I got to Almada, I waited for the bus for about 20 minutes, but it didn’t come, so I had to call an uber. I would recommend just taking an Uber to the beach directly from your place—it shouldn’t be too expensive and will save you a lot of time.

A closer but smaller and more crowded option is Carcavelos Beach. It takes about an hour to get there from the school by public transportation. You can buy a yellow card that you can use on different types of public transportation, which can save you some money on commuting.

The ocean water is quite cold, so it’s not particularly pleasant to swim. However, many people take surfing lessons, which are offered by numerous surf schools on both beaches. I was planning to do this too, but in the end, I decided to explore the city instead. So, I went to São Jorge Castle and explored Belém. I didn’t get to visit the monastery or the tower because there was a huge line and they were both closing at 5 pm, but it was still nice to walk around. I really enjoyed the atmosphere at LX Factory, an art space with plenty of bars, shops, and restaurants, as well as Time Out Market, which offers food from various parts of the world.

However, there were some touristy things that I found overrated. I paid €10 to go up to the Statue of Christ to see the view of the city, but ended up spending two hours in line just to look at a view that was partially obstructed by a grid. The view was still gorgeous, but you can see essentially the same view from the observation point downstairs for free, without having to go up. It might have been so crowded because it was Friday evening, right before sunset, though.

Another thing that I was a little disappointed about was taking the legendary Tram 28. Before coming to Lisbon, I had heard that it was a must for all tourists. So, on my last day in the city, I went to Praça Martim Moniz, where the tram starts its route, and ended up spending an hour in line. So, if you decide to take the tram, I would recommend just getting on at another stop, which is usually almost empty. However, the tram does get pretty crowded, which makes the experience less pleasant. At the same time, it’s quite cool to ride it through the narrow streets of Lisbon. Sometimes, we would pass buildings and people so close that I could have given them a high five!

Overall, I had an incredible time in Lisbon! It’s definitely one of my favorite cities in Europe, and I can’t wait to go back. Portuguese Connection Language School also substantially contributed to my experience!