Living in Oeiras, Lisbon
Quarto em apartamento partilhado Living in Oeiras, Lisbon - direto do proprietário, sem agência - Lisbon
An affluent coastal town halfway between Lisbon and Cascais, on the Tagus: a hub of offices and technology (Taguspark, Lagoas Park), a seafront and beaches, on the Linha de Cascais.
Oeiras, with Paço de Arcos, is an affluent coastal town halfway between Lisbon and Cascais, facing the Tagus near its mouth. It's one of the most important office and technology hubs in Portugal: the Taguspark and the Lagoas Park host the headquarters of large companies, start-ups and a university nucleus (Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa). Along the coast runs the Passeio Marítimo, seven kilometers of seaside promenade among urban beaches, the Palácio do Marquês de Pombal and its gardens. It's orderly, quiet, full of qualified workers: good-standard living, but outside the center of Lisbon.
Who lives here
Portuguese upper-middle-class families, professionals and managers who work in the technology parks. Many expats and international workers in the tech sector, drawn by the corporate headquarters. Students of the Instituto Superior Técnico at Taguspark. Few resident tourists.
What it's like during the day
Orderly and active by day: offices, university campuses, people running or cycling on the Passeio Marítimo. The beaches of Santo Amaro de Oeiras and Paço de Arcos fill up on sunny days. The Palácio do Marquês de Pombal and its gardens are the historic heart. The historic center of Paço de Arcos stays compact and quiet.
What it's like in the evening
Calm evenings. A few fish restaurants on the seafront, bars along the marina, ice-cream parlors. On summer evenings the beaches and the Passeio Marítimo come alive a little. For real nightlife you take the train toward Lisbon or Cascais.
Getting around
The Linha de Cascais (CP), from Cais do Sodré to Cascais, stops at Paço de Arcos, Santo Amaro de Oeiras and Oeiras: a direct, frequent connection with the center. Many buses complete the network. Taguspark, far from the railway, is served by the free Valley Shuttle from the Paço de Arcos station (every 20 minutes, Monday to Friday) as well as by various buses.
Eating and shopping
Major chain supermarkets (Pingo Doce, Continente) and shopping centers like the Oeiras Parque. Fish restaurants on the seafront, international cooking near the office parks, cafés and pastry shops in the historic center of Paço de Arcos.
When NOT to pick it
If you want nightlife and the atmosphere of the historic bairros: here it's residential and silent. If you don't work in the technology parks and have to commute every day toward the center of Lisbon: the train is convenient but you're still far. If you're after a creative or alternative scene: this isn't the place.
Oeiras is the right pick if you work in the technology parks or are after the sea, the calm and the order a few steps from the train to Lisbon - convenience and quality of life, in exchange for distance from the center.