Is Lisbon Pet friendly?

We love our four-legged (or fewer-legged) friends, and so it makes sense to make sure that they can travel with us all over the world. Luckily, Portugal, and Lisbon by extension, is pretty friendly towards animals and pets of all sorts, though some restrictions apply.

Whether you need to find a mid-term rental that’s pet-friendly or you worry about where you can bring your dog, we put together some info about how to best enjoy your few months living in Lisbon with your pet.

While dogs in the city are a surprisingly hotly debated issue, some significant steps have been taken to ensure their safety. The good news is that you are now legally protected and cannot be denied a rental because of your pet.

This has been a new piece of legislation that has really opened up the city to all animal lovers. But that does not mean every apartment will be very pet friendly. However, if you go on Flatio, you will find many apartments that have been equipped with doggies and kitties in mind.

Some hotels allow for pets, like Marriott Lisbon or The Lisboans Apartments, and they do accept more than just dogs or cats. However, they tend to be pretty expensive.

Dogs in public transport are an issue. Whether you want to take the metro or a tram, your dog has to be in a carrier, regardless of its size. This may make travelling with large dogs using public transport near impossible.

Tour busses are similar as they don’t allow any pets, regardless of their size. However, the new alternatives to public transport like Uber have been accepting pets more readily.

It’s still not a guarantee as the drivers may have some allergies and can reject you if you have a pet, but this is primarily a rare occurrence.

Alternatively, you can use the Tuk-Tuk tours since most of them are pet friendly. Their windowless design makes allergic reactions very rare.

When it comes to restaurants and pubs, this may be a bit of an issue for some. These places don’t allow pets to go inside their establishments. Still, if they have an outside seating area or a terrace, they will be completely fine with you bringing a pet along.

You can even ask staff for a bowl of water for your pet, and most of the time, they will happily get it. However, most other public spaces in Lisbon like museums, stores, libraries and so on won’t let you in with a pet.

There aren’t even any parks that would be specifically for dogs, and you always have to walk your dog on a leash in all public parks. So if you want to run some errands and walk your dog at the same time, you will have to leave it in front of the shop or post office.

Matosinhos. Situated near the port, the freshest seafood in the city is on offer since it is brought straight from the fishermen who returned that day. The best and most varied seafood is sold right here and for reasonable prices too.

Mercado Beira-Rio de Vila Nova de Gaia is a bit different from the previous entries. Rather than selling ingredients, you can come here to taste local cuisine and wine.

Only a few places in Porto will have such a density of traditional dishes as this market does. If you are crazy about food or just love new experiences and tastes, don’t miss out.