How to make friends in Lisbon
Pick something that happens every week, go more than once, and stay for the part after. Here is what that looks like in Lisbon.
Is it easy to make friends in Lisbon?
It is easier than it looks, and harder than one night out suggests. Lisbon has a steady supply of events built for people who do not know anyone yet. What decides it is whether you go back: friends tend to come from the third visit to the same thing, not the first.
We have no figures on how long it takes, so we will not invent any. If you are moving to a new city, the plain advice holds: repeat, and give people a reason to see you again.
Best places to meet people in Lisbon
Places where people already expect to talk to strangers:
- Language exchanges. English-Portuguese Conversation Lisbon pairs native English and Portuguese speakers, with a weekly Tuesday in-person chat at A Merendeira and a Wednesday session on Zoom, per its Meetup page.
- Conversation and networking sessions. Lisbon Conversation Exchange is a free Meetup group that runs speaking-practice sessions and themed networking events.
- Run clubs. Founders Running Club Lisbon meets for easy Saturday runs at 9:00 in Praça do Comércio, followed by coffee, per its Meetup page.
- Coworking days. A Meetup search for coworking in Lisbon lists social coworking days and cowork-and-lunch meetups.
- Social evenings. The same search shows Lisbon groups running weekly drinks and board game nights.
More: language exchange and run club searches on Meetup for Lisbon. Listings change, so check dates there.
How people actually do it
- Choose one recurring thing, not five one-off ones.
- Go three times before you decide whether it works.
- Stay for the coffee or the drink after. That is where the talking happens.
- Suggest the next thing yourself, even a small one: a walk, a coffee, the same run next Saturday.
The weak point is the step from "nice to meet you" to a second plan. That is the gap StepOut is built for.
Making friends in Portugal outside Lisbon
The method does not change: one thing that repeats, attended more than once. The groups named above are Lisbon groups, though, and StepOut is Lisbon only for now.
A free app for this: StepOut
StepOut is an app for meeting people in person nearby. You post a plan and people nearby join.
- Free for your first 30 days with everything included, then a free plan or Pro.
- Everyone takes a live selfie that expires every 14 days.
- Attendance is confirmed by GPS within 150 m.
- No ads.
Android only, Lisbon only, in open testing on Google Play.
Questions
Is there a free version of StepOut?
Yes. StepOut is free for your first 30 days with everything included. After that you can stay on a free plan or choose Pro.
Does StepOut cost money?
Not for your first 30 days: everything is included and free. After that there is a free plan, or you can choose Pro. There are no ads.
Is StepOut free for Android?
Yes. StepOut is Android only and is free for your first 30 days with everything included, then a free plan or Pro. It is in open testing on Google Play, in Lisbon only.
Is it easy to meet people in Lisbon?
It is easiest when you go to something that repeats, like a weekly language exchange or run, and go more than once. A single event rarely makes a friend. StepOut is one option: you post a plan and people nearby join.