OPINIÃO
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The Monthly Companion
Erasmus
Leonor Costa
The main national events take place here: Festivals like Santo António in charming lovely places such Alfama, shows like Lisbon Fashion Week, and cultural projects, with enphasis to IndieLisboa and Lisbonarte. Summer music festivals are also a big deal in the city, with concerts and activities for every taste.
It is quite easy to explore the capital thanks to the metro stations (importante to aquire a Viva Card) and in addition, a great way to explore the city by foot is by joining one of the free walking tours of Discover Lisbon.
Explore and enjoy the best experience of your life in you soon-to-be favourite city! In conclusion, and to the extent of advices to the newcomers, here are a few tips from locals and Lisbon’s Erasmus students:
The best cream pastries are the ones in Manteigaria (Chiado), and not the typical (and also very good) ones in Belém
The best miradouros in town are Santa Catarina, São Pedro de Alcântara, Santa Luzia, Graça and Nossa Senhora do Monte
Every Tuesday and Saturday there is a big flea market in Campo de Santa Clara, from 6am to 5pm
Some bars that will blow your mind due to their decorations, atmosphere and views are: Casa Independente, Primeiro Andar, Pavilhão Chinês and PARK Bar
LX factory is a must-see: it used to be an old factory and now it is completely renovated, involving a mix of craft shops, advertising and fashion agencies, vintage cafes and restaurants
Out Jazz is a free outdoor jazz & lounge concert happening from May until September every Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon in one of Lisbon’s beautiful parks
Starting off this year, the Pontivírgula journal welcomes all of you to Lisbon and to the Catholic University, with a particular attention to the Erasmus students and to the newcomers settling in Lisbon. As you chose the portuguese capital to stick around, it is important to know a few things that will help you with this experience.
One should get acquainted with Lisbon’s Erasmus Student Network – ESN Lisboa –a non-profit organization that offers activities and support to the exchange students, being the biggest project in Portugal with these functions, underlined by their vision “enrichment of society through international students”. With the ESN’s Buddy Program, the Erasmus students can get the help of a local student around the city as well as in matters regarding finding a house, showing the best places to visit and explaining all the ESN activities during the time spent here. The organization also provides a card with several discounts for many activities and events happening in the city - all in all, ESN Lisboa is a great source of opportunities for cultural knowledge and involvement in Lisbon’s daily (and nightly!) life, where students help other students
Living in Lisbon, you quickly realize that it is a great exemple of what a city should have in order to be attractive to tourists - recomended by many international magazines, articles and media - BBC mentions it as a perfect combinations of startups, surf and sun, the best city to work and to have a good time.
Although Lisbon is a cosmopolit city, it has also countryside destinations nearby, as well as beaches and lots of green spaces in the center, making a great diversity of activities available.
Bairro Alto and Chiado, places that mix erudite culture with popular culture, give the chance to listen to live Fado music, go to bars, nightclubs, restaurants and cafes.
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Welcoming you!