Lisbon Travel Forum

I am off to Lisbon in June and have been reading that there are no public toilets in the city unless you are a guy of course and you have to use cafes and bars. I also read that some owners of these establishments won't allow you to use them unless you buy something. This subject is always a concern to me while travelling so I am getting a little anxious of what or where to go while visit. Any tips?

I've just recently returned from Lisbon and was never once asked to buy anything when I asked to use a loo. If you're concerned - pick a place with a middle-aged woman on the staff and ask her, they usually understand!
leyle

Public toilets are a rarity in many European cities. Where this is the case, using loos in cafes etc is common practice..........you may be asked to buy something first, but this is far less likely than having the same experiences as the poster above.

I don't think you need to be concerned, honestly. I've always managed ok (though, admittedly, not in Portugal).

A tip: when a loo opportunity presents itself (e.g. in museums etc) take advantage, regardless! :-)

Maybe I didn't make myself clear - I certainly was never required to buy anything when asking to use a loo in a Lisbon cafe.

You did (at least to me): I was agreeing with you! Obviously I didn't make myself clear. Well.....it is still early-ish...... :-)

Clear to each other or not, the message is, don't worry about it - everyone does it - it's accepted practice. You might find a lady attendant in which case a small charge may be made, and if there's a saucer for tips, a small contribution is the done thing.

Don't know about cafes (I've always been to Lisbon when it was so hot I was begging to stop in cafes!) but there are a number of shopping centres in Lisbon where there are clean, free toilets.

You might find yourself stopping in cafes a lot anyway as they're one of the best things about visiting the city, so combining those with museums and malls should offer a good number of places.

there is also quite a number of modern toilet-boxes in the street all over town,they ask for 20cents thats all.
last time in Lisbon I also managed well using toilets of museums etc.. only once I had to use a bush because I did not see any of these boxes and as soon as I finished I realized that there was such a box around the corner anyway !

I find that, as travelling becomes the norm across huge swathes of the planet (and that in itself is positive of course), all sorts of unexpected non-issues suddenly take centre stage. Bladder fever is one of them. 20 years ago, this was not an issue at all. You tried to use common sense and availed yourself of any opportunity: museums, shopping centres, department stores, cafes, etc. (I won't mention the Sanisettes or public toilets, although some are perfectly fine).

Don't people frequent the same places now? Can't they use the same degree of common sense? Have our bladders regressed that much? Or is it our ability to think for ourselves that's taken a knock? Or do people visit cities in some sort of vacuum, carefully eschewing all the aforementioned places?

This shouldn't be of a huge concern for you while in Lisbon. There are now - tho perhaps still not a common sight yet - coin operated public toilets in Lisbon. Otherwise, just go to any restaurant, coffee shop, etc. and simply ask to be directed to where the loo is and they almost always let you access them without having to purchase anything. I visit the city quite frequently and this had never been problematic to me. And if by odd chance the business establishment demands you purchase something first - and you're opposed to it - then simply try the next place.