LisbonLisboaPortugal.com
The best independent guide to Lisbon
LisbonLisboaPortugal.com
The best independent guide to Lisbon
About Phil Giddings: Your Guide to the Real Lisbon
Olá, I'm Phil. For more than two decades, I’ve been exploring, writing about, and building a life connected to Lisbon. Today, sharing my knowledge of Portugal is my full-time profession.
My story with this city began on my very first visit in 2001 with my then-girlfriend, Carla. She was excited to introduce me to her home town, and from day one I was meeting her family and experiencing the city through their eyes. Our connection, both to each other and to the city, quickly grew into a lifelong bond.
Having this deep personal anchor allowed me to see a side of the city most visitors miss. I was lucky to know Lisbon before the big tourism boom, learning to love the energy of the Popular Saints festivals and discovering places that were simply part of daily local life. I’ve watched Lisbon grow and change for over 24 years.
By 2008, I grew frustrated with the travel information available online. So many blogs were written by people who had only visited for a day, offering very shallow advice. I also found that many official websites were outdated or poorly managed. I knew travellers needed a better resource.
Our special day in 2010
I started LisbonLisboaPortugal.com to solve this problem. My goal was to provide visitors with real value and deep knowledge, creating guides that are both practical and reliable. This was the beginning of my journey into full-time travel writing.
By 2010, our lives were completely intertwined with the city. For us, there was no other place in the world that felt right to get married. Our wedding at the magnificent Sé Cathedral was more than just a ceremony; it was a declaration of our commitment to each other and to the city that had been the backdrop for our entire story. It truly cemented Lisbon as our second home.
Today, we have our own flat in the city and spend every moment we can there. Everything on this site is the result of years of on-the-ground experience. I hope my guides help you discover the authentic, wonderful city that I am so fortunate to be a part of.
Thank you for trusting me with your travel plans.
Phil Giddings
Connect with me:
You can find my professional profile on LinkedIn and see my latest photos from Portugal on our Instagram.
Smudge the cat
Smudge the cat doesn’t really help; instead, he demands food and attention, especially when there’s work to be done!
About this guide: I'm Philip Giddings. I live in Graça with my Portuguese wife Carla, whose family are Lisboetas going back generations. I've been visiting Portugal since 2001, writing the independent guides at LisbonLisboaPortugal.com since 2009, and the site is now my full-time work. Carla first brought me up to Lisbon on an early trip, and twenty-five years on we are still walking the city together: summers on the packed beaches, quiet Saturdays at the Feira da Ladra, and hunting for a heater for our flat when the chilly winter arrives.
This site has 189 guides on Lisbon. It takes no payment from tourist boards, tour operators, or attractions for inclusion, and is funded by affiliate commissions on tour bookings, disclosed on every page that contains them. Every practical detail (ticket prices, opening hours, bus routes, time-slot policies) is checked against the official sources and verified in person on the walks I make through the city each week. Read the full story here.
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