LISBON ONLINE
Updated May 2026
Instagram. You Tube. Websites. Nothing beats on the ground and in person, however our screens have become their own source of connection and information. So while we’re all on our devices anyway, here are my recommendations to get a virtual dose of portugal.
Note: These recommendations are personal, I get no profit nor have colabs from anyone of these.
YouTube
There are now plenty of YouTube content creators based in Portugal nowadays, when 3 or 4 years ago there were only a few. I have one word of advice - please be aware that many are trying to get clicks (& money) by selling you a false paradise.
While no one should be as dumb as me to do this work for free, there are creators being intentionally misleading by refusing to talk about the less-positive realities and promoting false naratives in order to sell you sell you something, like their overpriced consulting services or a course (as soon as you see the acronym F.I.R.E, press exit).
But don’t worry, here’s the good stuff:
Honeymoon Always
Previously based in Lisbon, Dan & Michelle don’t make Portugal focused content anymore, but if you go to their channel’s playlists, you’ll find useful videos back from when they moved here, including real surprises and challenges they faced. I appreciated their honest opinions so much when I was in the transition of settling in myself.
(Full disclosure - they are my real-life besties now. But only because I recognised them in the street and accosted them into being my friends on the spot, which we still laugh about.)
Dave in Portugal
A heavily American-based perspective that I feel is more nuanced and balanced. He has videos about moving to Portugal, but also travel and culture. Never met the guy, but he seems super genuine and makes a concerted effort to give useful, truthful info.
Talk The Streets
When Liz started, there was no one doing European Portuguese language based content. Now there are quite a few and I think I’ve given them all a whirl at this point, but honestly she’s the queen. Her focus is on practical, real conversational Portuguese for your everyday life here. Her videos are short enough and easy to grasp (even for a numpty like me), all focusing on a different theme. I recommend watching one while having your morning coffee and starting your day right. There’s PLENTY to get though.
People Of Lisbon
A short interview format, done very casually (but with high level production value), mostly with a creative professional or someone contributing to the culture here in some way (both local and not), about their perspectives on life in our city. Always interesting, each video is only about 7 minutes long. They’ve really started blowing up on instagram now too.
Tile & Cork
A relatively new but growing channel where an American couple share their personal experiences & insights. They’re also doing episodes showing various Lisbon neighbourhoods.
Substack
Substack is my new fave content platform, where essays, newsletters and blogs have merged into some kind of homogeneous thing.
There are plenty of people discussing their personal rural or village life in Portugal. Lisbon less so (or not that I’ve found, yet). I’m so busy doing this website that people waxing lyrical about orange trees isn’t really for me right now, however, the ones I read religiously & subscribe to are:
Portugal Decoded & Portugal Weekly
Both of these cover Portuguese news and social issues in English that help keep me informed without overwhelming me. Neither seem to have a particular political leaning and are rather balanced. I pay for the upgrade of Portugal Decoded that comes out every Friday and I highly recommend it.
A truly well done Substack from a decolonial and intersectional perspective. Anna is Finnish and moved to Lisbon way back in 2005, so that 20+ years experience plus a PhD in Postcolonial Studies from the University of Coimbra, means you get a very nuanced exploration of modern Lisbon and it’s roots beyond the colourful buildings and cobblestone streets. She’s not putting out fluffy opinion pieces like everyone else, this is more like genuine journalism. Refreshing.
Love it or hate it, it’s really not that deep. There are plenty of Portugal/Lisbon accounts, here are a few great ones I follow. (I’ve kept it free of food related accounts, there’s plennnnty of those, your algorithm will do its job without me.)
I would love to have you follow YLB on instagram! It’s where new page updates, fun little tidbits, extra recomendations and daily Libon life observations go. Hope to see you there!
Funny, irreverent observational humour about being Portuguese (usually in English). He gives shit to everyone equally, including himself.
Brittany travels the world eating all things sugary & sweet. Based in Lisbon, I swear every time I see her reels she is trying some kooky activity or new workshop in town. (She also knows all the best brunch spots, if that’s your thing.) If you’re a dog person, her puppy Milo is fun to follow and a good place to know the dog friendly spots in town.
A young American woman living in Setúbal (45 mins south of Lisbon), she uses her account to express quirky observations and address questions she’s asked about life in Portugal in a way I think is real and balanced. She’s recently started You Tube videos, it will be great to have another voice of reason on the platform.
As mentioned above in YouTube, she’s basically the OG on all platforms, and no one does it better. I love Liz’s handy snippets on learning European Portuguese in little insta-sized chunks.
The king of Portugal influencers, is there anyone in Lisbon not following him? Everything he does is perfectly considered and aesthetically stunning. No notes. I met him by accident recently, he’s a very humble guy.
Lisbon based professional photographers capturing the gorgeous moments of this city.
Websites
You’re on it! Your Lisbon Bestie! Thank you for being here!
I make this content for free and none of my recommendations are paid for.
I wanted a website like this when we got here. From where to buy a bunch of flowers to the new world of European skincare brands, I had questions going unanswered. I wanted recommendations that weren’t just touristy or trending on tiktok. I needed everyday info like utilities and transport to help navigate initial integration, alongside insider info.
After a while I’d meet newcomers who all had the same needs & questions. So I decided to do it myself!
It’s been an immense amount of work but a true labor of love that I hope you find useful. I will continually add more resources, lists, and personal edorsements that I stand behind.
Currently, I am also working on in-depth neighbourhood guides, so stay tuned for those.
If you appreciate my work and want to help keep it going, you can help me out here. It would give me the much needed (and hugely appreciated) encouragement to continue.
You can also say hello at yourlisbonbestie@gmail.com.