Good morning, Lisbon. It's Sunday, March 29, and if you're reading this feeling slightly off, that's because the clocks went forward overnight and you lost an hour.
We're now on summer time. Expect 19°C, sunshine, and daylight until almost 8pm. This is the Lisbon you moved here for. Let's get into it.
🌬️ AIR QUALITY: 24 (Good). Spring at its best.
🗞️ TOP STORY
FUEL PRICES ARE DROPPING. FINALLY.
After weeks of relentless increases, some relief is coming to the pump on Monday. Petrol is expected to fall by around 2.5 cents per litre and diesel by about 1 cent, according to forecasts from the National Association of Fuel Retailers (ANAREC) based on DGEG data.
That puts petrol at roughly €1.90 per litre and diesel at around €2.06 from Monday. Still painfully high, but it breaks the streak that's seen diesel smash through the €2 barrier and petrol approach levels not seen since 2022.
The drop is driven by Brent crude easing from its recent highs. After spiking above $110 per barrel in mid-March amid the Middle East crisis, oil has pulled back to around $95-100. That's still elevated, but the downward movement is enough to filter through to Portuguese pump prices, which adjust weekly based on the prior week's market averages.
Don't confuse this with the crisis being over. Diesel at €2.06 is still brutal. A standard 50-litre fill costs over €100. The government's cumulative ISP tax cuts (now totalling 9.4 cents per litre on diesel and 5.1 on petrol compared to early March) are absorbing some of the shock, but the underlying pressure from Middle East supply disruptions hasn't gone away. European natural gas prices remain up 85% from pre-conflict levels, and the government's energy crisis framework, including the mechanism to cap electricity prices if they exceed €180 per megawatt hour, is still very much on standby.
For expats who drive, the practical advice stays the same: fill up before Monday mornings when the new weekly prices take effect. But this Monday, for once, you might want to wait.
Bottom line: One week of falling prices doesn't end a crisis. But after three weeks of bad news at the pump, a drop of any size is welcome.
⚡ QUICK HITS
Portugal vs Mexico. The seleção played Mexico at the newly reopened Estadio Banorte in the early hours of this morning. This writer has a bedtime, so if you stayed up for the 2am kick-off, reply and tell me whether the result was what you were hoping for. Recap in tomorrow's edition. Portugal play the USA in Atlanta on Tuesday night US time.
Summer time is here. If you missed our warnings: the clocks went forward at 1am, jumping to 2am. Your phone updated automatically; check your oven, car, and any wall clocks. The UK changed on the same date, so no disruption for remote workers with British clients. Portugal is now four hours ahead of the US East Coast (the US switched on March 8). Lisbon now gets daylight until almost 8pm. The esplanadas are officially in season.
Summer travel warning. The Association of Travel Agencies warned on Thursday that Portuguese airports could face "operational instability" this summer due to growing passenger volumes. If you're booking flights for Easter or beyond, build in buffer time at Humberto Delgado. The new airport remains delayed with no confirmed construction date.
Coffee Market wraps today. The final day of Lisbon Coffee Week's Coffee Market at 8 Marvila. It closes out with a morning dance party and all-you-can-drink coffee. Tickets from €8. If you haven't been yet, today's the last chance.
🍽️ SPOT OF THE DAY
Hidden on a quiet street in Lapa, just around the corner from the Puppet Museum, Calmô is the kind of cafe that rewards the people who find it. It's a tiny space run by a team of Brazilian transplants, with a small roaster in the corner and a menu that does a few things very well.
The coffee comes from Brazilian single-origin beans, roasted in-house. The espresso is bright and clean; the filter options rotate but consistently deliver. If you grew up on bold Brazilian coffee, this will feel like home. If you didn't, it's an education.
The food is simple and personal. Pão de queijo, warm balls of cheesy dough served with sweet jam, are the signature. The homemade cakes and toasts are solid, and everything feels made with care rather than scaled for volume. The space is small: a handful of tables, tiled floors, hanging lights, and a warmth that comes from the baristas actually wanting to talk to you.
Calmô opened in 2022 and hasn't chased the listicles. It doesn't have 45,000 Instagram followers or a queue out the door. It's just a neighbourhood coffee shop doing things properly, in a part of Lapa that still feels residential.
Rua do Meio à Lapa 51A. Monday to Friday 8:30am-4pm, weekends 8:30am-2pm. Cards accepted. Expect to pay €4-7 for coffee and a pastry. @calmo.cafe.lisbon
Insider tip: The Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga is a short walk down the hill, one of Lisbon's most underrated museums, with Bosch, Dürer, and a garden terrace overlooking the Tagus. Coffee at Calmô, then the museum, is a great morning combo. Just check the museum's hours first — it's closed Sundays and Mondays.
📅 WHAT'S ON THIS WEEK
Hans Zimmer Live (Tue March 31) MEO Arena. Cinematic scores performed live. One of the biggest shows of the spring.
Portugal vs USA (Tue night US time) Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta. World Cup warm-up. Still no Ronaldo.
Good Friday (Fri April 3) Public holiday. Banks, government offices, and most shops closed.
Easter Sunday (Sun April 5) Public holiday.
Tame Impala (Sun April 5) MEO Arena. Easter Sunday show.
📜 ON THIS DAY
March 29, 1974. A Chinese farmer digging a well near the city of Xi'an struck something hard in the earth. It turned out to be a fragment of a terracotta warrior, the first piece of what would become one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in history: an army of over 8,000 life-sized clay soldiers, horses, and chariots buried with China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, for over 2,000 years. The farmer, Yang Zhifa, reportedly received a modest payment for his trouble. Today the site is a UNESCO World Heritage destination drawing millions of visitors a year. There's a lesson in there somewhere about the value of what's buried under our feet, but on a Sunday morning in Lisbon, maybe just enjoy the sunshine and the extra hour of daylight.
See you tomorrow morning
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