10 Must-Have Apps for Living in Lisbon

Which of Lisbon’s miradouros should you visit first? Which is the best restaurant for dining out? Where are the fun activities this weekend? These tidbits and more are the kind of information that comes with Lisboa Cool, an app for where to go, what to do, and where to stay. And in a city like Lisbon, where there is always something going on, this app will soon become your best friend.

Is there anything more frustrating about city life than apartment-searching? Luckily websites like Idealista have created apps so you can look for your next apartment or roommate while sipping a coffee at one of Lisbon’s many charming cafés or gardens. This is also a European application, so it will continue helping you if and when you decide to leave Lisbon (although that may not be likely).

OLX (pronounced in Portuguese as O-L-Sheesh) is like Portugal’s Craigslist where locals can sell, rent, and buy practically anything. Like Idealista, it helps make life easier by keeping the beauty of the site on mobile devices and in the palm of your hand. From services for sale and work opportunities, through to buying used cars and finding your next home and/or furnishings, OLX is a great app that will make life in Lisbon (and the rest of Portugal) easier.

Are you new to Lisbon and don’t yet know anyone? True, the locals are friendly and there are many other expats who have also seen the charm in this lovely city, but Meetup makes meeting like-minded people even easier. Since there’s always something going on in Lisbon, the app is extra convenient since it sends reminders for the topics you’ve marked an interest in.

Portugal is a Catholic country with some exceptionally gorgeous churches, cathedrals, and monasteries. Whether to worship or to plan your visit around mass, the app Missas em Lisboa details the nearest services at different locations and times. It also helps searchers find confession locations and special Jubilee Churches, as well as live stream mass.

Cascais is one of Lisbon’s most beautiful beach towns and a totally hot location to spend sunny summer days. Keep up with the area’s news, even if you live in Lisbon’s center, with the Agenda Cascais application, which will share this resort town’s upcoming events, exhibitions, beach events and more.

Created as one of Lisbon’s many start ups, Hole 19 has had a lot of success among the area’s golf enthusiasts and professionals. With the slogan “designed by golfers with golfers in mind”, it has all the best tips to offer for golfing not only in the Portuguese capital, including GPS coordinates for courses and social features, but also around the world.

A city as visitor-friendly as Lisbon has tons of local services to offer, so how can anyone narrow down which restaurant, nail salon, or café to visit on any given day? There’s always the “close your eyes and choose” method, but luckily Mygon can help you make a more informed decision. Mygon communicates with other applications and local sites to share discounts, photos, reviews, and special events all under one umbrella. If you’re after a seafood dinner, for example, it’s possible to find out which fish restaurants are the best in terms of quality and then streamline the selection further to know which among them are more budget-friendly.

An obvious choice, but it goes without saying that when public transport is simply not an option, locals prefer using Uber to get from point A to B at a cheaper rate than local taxis. The site also pre-plans each route so passengers have an idea of the trip duration and an estimate of the cost. Many of Lisbon’s streets are maze-like, and there are usually a few different ways to get around, but the Uber app helps newcomers feel comfortable travelling on the most effective route.

Discover Lisbon with our very own travel and culture app that, like our website, shares the best things to do, most popular places to visit, and top dishes to try (in addition to more). Set it up on your Android or Apple devices for global news or specifically for your preferred region/city. It’s super-easy to use and will prevent you from ever running out of fun activities and ideas.