Release Notes 2023

Planning and Logistics

Arrival | Getting Around | Pessoa Hotel | Food Tour | Sintra | Dine-Around | Schedule | Action Items

Now that Release Notes Lisbon is getting closer, we wanted to provide some logistical details as well as information about our schedule and dining arrangements. Please read this page thoroughly and attend to the action items below.

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Arrival in Lisbon

Most people will be flying into Lisbon. The Lisbon airport (airport code: LIS), formally called the Humberto Delgado Airport, is located on the north side of Lisbon, about a 30 minute drive from the Pessoa Hotel, which will be our home base for the weekend.

A taxi or Uber is probably the easiest way to get from the airport to downtown where our hotel is located, but you can also take the Metro. If taking the metro, you will want to take the Red line to the Alemeda stop, where you will switch to the Green line. Take the Green line to either the Rossio station or the Baixa-Chiado station. (Both stations are walking distance to the Pessoa Hotel.)

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Getting Around Lisbon

Lisbon has a developed public transit system made up of trains, a metro/subway system, buses, and trams. Luckily one reusable, reloadable ticket – called a Viva Viagem Card – covers them all. You just "zap" your card on the magnetic pad as you board your train, bus, or tram at the beginning of your trip, and then "zap" again as you deboard. Your fare is automatically calculated and deducted from your card. It's worth noting that each passenger must have his or her own Viva Viagem card. They cannot be shared.

You will want to purchase a Viva Viagem card at your earliest convenience so that you can get around town on your own, but you will also need a card for our trip to Sintra. Viva Viagem cards can be purchased at ticket windows and ticket machines at any Metro station. The first part of this video shows how to find the Metro station at the Lisbon Airport, and how to puchase your Viva Viagem card at the ticket machine. You will want to use the "Stored Value" option, since that is the only version of the card that can be used on our train to Sintra. (A single trip within Lisbon costs €1.35. The train ride to Sintra costs €2.30 each way.)

You can find maps, diagrams, and timetables of the Lisbon Metro system on the Lisbon Metro website.

You can find maps and diagrams of the Lisbon bus and tram system on the Carris website.

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Pessoa Hotel

The Pessoa Hotel will serve as our main venue for the weekend. Many of us will be lodging there, but it will also serve as a meeting point before activites, and its bar will be our wind down location at the end of the day.

Lisboa Pessoa Hotel
Rua da Oliveira ao Carmo 8
1200-309 Lisboa

Telephone: +351 210 437 810
GPS: 38.712577 -9.141543
Apple Maps
Google Maps

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Food Tour

On Friday afternoon and evening, most of the group will be participating in a walking food tour of downtown Lisbon. Unless you told us that you will not be attending, your spot on the tour has been pre-paid. Payment for your tour has already been made, and Release Notes will take care of tipping our guides at the end of the tour.

For the tour, please wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the elements. We recommend that you bring a rain shell – just in case. The tour will last 3 to 4 hours, so even if it is sunny and warm at the beginning of our tour, it may not be by the end.

This is a food tour, and they have warned us to show up hungry, so there should be plenty to eat. If you have made the Release Notes team aware of any food allergies or dietary restrictions, those have been given to our tour guides. We have been assured that alternate dishes will be made available for those who need them.

Our group is large enough that we will need to subdivide into two smaller groups for the tour. Each smaller group will have its own tour guide, and each smaller group will be accompanied by a member of the Release Notes team – either Charles or Joe.

Tour Groups

Group 1
Group 2
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Sintra

On Saturday, we will be taking a trip to Sintra, which is about a 40 minute train ride from Lisbon. Each person will need a Via Viagem card preloaded with at least €4.60 before we leave for Rossio train station on Saturday. I'm not sure if there is a way to reload a Via Viagem card at Rossio station, and it is my understanding that lines for regular tickets can be long.

In Sintra, you will need cash for bus tickets (a ticket valid for two rides costs €5.00; a 24-hour pass costs €11.50), and you will need to prepurchase tickets for two of the sites we will be visiting: the Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle.

The flamboyant Pena Palace was built by German-born Prince Ferdinand in the 19th century. In the current century, it is a popular tourist location that requires ticket for entry. Tickets should be purchased online in advance of our trip so that you don't have to stand in line on the day of our travel. Tickets are valid only on the date and time indicated on your ticket. Purchase your ticket for €14 per person on the Parques de Sintra website, and be sure to purchase your tickets for entry at Noon on April 15, 2023. (Tickets for each entry time are limited, so purchase early.) No transfer supplement should be needed, but feel free to add the audio guide if you wish. Tickets can be downloaded and stored on your smartphone after purchase. (Pro Tip: If you keep getting a "Transaction Rejected" message when purchasing your tickets, use Chrome as your browser and turn off any content blockers.)

The thousand year old Moorish Castle is a preserved castle ruins, complete with forts connected by crenellated walkways. You should also purchase your ticket to the Moorish Castle in advance in order to avoid long lines on the day of travel. Purchase your ticket for €8 per person on the Parques de Sintra website. These tickets do not require a reservation time. Tickets can be downloaded and stored on your smartphone after purchase. (Pro Tip: If you keep getting a "Transaction Rejected" message when purchasing your tickets, use Chrome as your browser and turn off any content blockers.)

plate, fork, and knife

The Dine-Around

The dine-around has always been one of the most popular parts of our Release Notes events, so we wanted to bring that tradition with us to Lisbon. On Saturday evening, after we return from Sintra, we will divide our large group into smaller dining groups of five or six people. Each group will dine together at a restaurant of their choosing, and will be responsible for making their own dinner reservations. It's a chance to get to know a few of your fellow attendees, and make meaningful connections with others.

Please find your dining group below, and connect with them on Slack. You will be collectively be responsible for choosing a restaurant, and making dining reservations for the evening of Saturday, April 15, 2023.

Dining Groups

Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
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The Schedule

Now that more concrete plans have been made, we wanted to share the agenda for the weekend with you.

Friday, April 14

11:00 AM Begin gathering at Pessoa Hotel.
12:00 PM People who are present at Pessoa Hotel can self-organize into smaller groups of 4-6 to get lunch. We anticipate that there will be stragglers. As people arrive in the area, use Slack to find others and join them.
After Lunch Grab any clothing needed for the walking food tour, and then regroup at Passeo Hotel.
3:30 Begin walking to the starting location for the food tour in front of Igreja de São Domingos church. Meet by the Star of David monument. (Address: Largo São Domingos 1-8; GPS: 38.71485 -9.138943)
4:00 Begin food tour
8:00 End walking food tour, and return to hotel to freshen up. NOTE: This would be a good time to reload your Via Viagem Card, if needed, for tomorrow's train ride.
9:00 Regroup at hotel bar at Pessoa Hotel. Conversation and drinks until whenever.

Saturday, April 15

Morning Breakfast on your schedule.
9:30 AM Gather at Pessoa Hotel lobby.
9:35 Walk to Lisboa-Rossio train station.
9:40 Arrive at Rossio, find train platform.
10:01 Train departs for Sintra.
10:41 Train arrives at Sintra.
11:20 Take bus #434 to Pena Palace.
11:40 Arrive Pena Palace.
12:00 PM Enter Pena Palace.
1:00 Lunch at Pena Palace restaurant.
1:30 Walk downhill to Moorish Castle.
1:45 Arrive at Moorish Castle.
2:00 Enter Moorish Castle.
3:00 Take bus #434 back to train station.
3:20 Explore the town of Sintra.
4:30 Gather at Sintra train station, and find train platform.
4:50 Train departs for Lisboa-Rossio station.
5:30 Arrive at Lisboa-Rossio station and return to hotel to freshen up for dinner.
7:00 Dining groups meet and walk to restaurants.
9:00 Regroup at hotel bar at Pessoa Hotel. Conversation and drinks until whenever.

Sunday, April 16

Morning Breakfast on your schedule, and farewells. There is no formal closing.
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Action Items

There are a few items that you will be responsible for doing, either before or during your time in Lisbon. Please review the action items below and attend to them.

As Soon as Possible

Upon Arrival in Lisbon