Knowing where to get help is as useful as knowing what to visit. Save your accommodation’s address and contact before going out, and keep an offline copy of important travel details separately from your wallet.
Everyday precautions
Pay particular attention to bags and phones in crowded transport, queues and busy visitor areas. Keep valuables zipped away and in view at a café; do not leave a phone or wallet at the edge of an outdoor table. At night, plan your route home and stay with your companions. These are practical precautions, not a reason to avoid exploring.
For airport transport, use the official taxi rank, the tourism desk’s voucher service or your own app booking. Do not accept a ride from someone approaching you inside the terminal. Our airport guide explains the pickup arrangements.
Lisbon’s tourist police station
Lisbon has a PSP Esquadra de Turismo, with officers prepared to help visitors in different languages. The national tourism directory lists it at Doca Jardim do Tabaco, Terminal de Cruzeiros de Lisboa, Edifício SW, 1100-651 Lisboa.
Call +351 219 021 950 for non-emergency assistance or to confirm where to go. Open the location in Google Maps. Confirm the building entrance locally; an old guide may still send you to a different address.
If something is stolen
Move somewhere safe, contact the police and ask how to report the incident. Keep the report details for your insurer. Block missing bank cards promptly; if a passport is lost or stolen, contact your country’s embassy or consulate about replacement travel documents. Your host can help you find the relevant contact, but does not replace the police or consulate.
If you simply left something behind on a bus, train or metro, contact that operator’s lost-property service with the route, time and a description of the item.
Emergencies
For an immediate emergency, call 112, Portugal’s emergency number. Give your location as precisely as possible and follow the operator’s instructions. The tourist-police telephone above is for assistance; do not delay an emergency call while trying to reach a particular station.
For bags you need to leave before check-in or after check-out, use an arranged luggage storage service, and keep travel documents and essentials with you.