Lisbon, the sunny capital of Portugal, has become a popular city for working remotely. Not only is it one of the most welcoming places you will ever visit, but there is already a vibrant remote community, built on a foundation of strong connectivity, transport networks, workspaces and laptop cafés. Coworking culture is burgeoning in the city, and there is a vast choice of places to establish your remote desk and join the growing scene. We went on a mission to find the best coworking spaces in Lisbon to help you get started.
Coworking spaces in Lisbon: a quick introduction
Lisbon offers many advantages for remote workers, whether you want to set up a long-term base in the city or visit for a brief workation.
The city is well connected with a strong transport infrastructure, and it has comparatively low living costs for western Europe. Internet connectivity is fast and reliable, and it’s generally a very safe place. Not to mention it is a beautiful city with lots of history and culture to explore while you’re here!
It’s no surprise, then, that coworking culture has thrived in Lisbon. Coworking spaces can be found all over the city, in many different shapes and sizes.
Coworking spaces in Lisbon are also becoming increasingly flexible. Most of those we visited offer day rates, and others offer short-term rates or flexi packages.
Whether you want to find somewhere with a quiet corner to get your head down and focus, or you want to embrace the social aspects of communal working, there is a coworking space in Lisbon to suit your needs.
Location is a key consideration when choosing a coworking space, so we’ve organised our selections by area. Let’s get started…
Coworking spaces in Lisbon: around Saldanha
Saldanha is one of Lisbon’s fastest upcoming neighbourhoods. One of the coworking space owners we met on our visit described it as the “new centre of Lisbon”, and there is a lot of truth to this.
The neighbourhood is situated in the heart of urban Lisbon. It has an interchange station that connects the red and yellow lines of the metro system, so it’s easy to reach and convenient as a base.
As Lisbon has grown, Saldanha has blossomed into an upmarket quarter of the city. It has a nucleus of shops, interesting local boutiques and independent cafés, dotted with leafy green parks.
There’s plenty going on here for the active soul, but it’s also much more peaceful than the downtown areas of Lisbon. And while it’s a relaxing place to be, you’re still not too far away from the city’s attractions if you want to go exploring. Baixa and the Alfama are a short bus or metro ride away, or a gentle stroll downhill towards the river.
The large local market hall of Mercado 31 de Janeiro, featured in out guide to food markets in Lisbon, is on the outskirts of the neighbourhood, providing a great option for lunch and fresh produce shopping.
All of this makes Saldanha a great place for remote workers, with a laidback atmosphere and green spaces but also lots of activity nearby.
Avila Spaces – Atrium Saldanha
- Nearest metro station: Saldanha
- Opening hours: 8am–8pm Monday to Saturday
- Rates from: Day rate packages from €20 per day, monthly memberships from €200
We begin with one of Lisbon’s newest coworking spaces. Avila Spaces opened its second Lisbon coworking space at the beginning of 2022 in the Atrium Saldanha, an upscale shopping centre located in the heart of the district on its central roundabout.
A coworking space inside a shopping complex is quite a quirky and unusual concept. You can walk straight out into the mall from your desk! It is set on the second floor around the edge of the building, with views of the neighbourhood outside. Tall windows span the perimeter of the communal working space, letting in lots of natural light, and you can look out onto the boulevard below from the lounge areas.
I was shown around the facilities by Carlos, the founder and CEO of Avila Spaces, and Inês, who works at the site. Their passion about connecting people was very clear to see, and is clearly a cornerstone of the coworking space’s ethos.
This isn’t just a platitude, either. It is resonated in many of the features and initiatives around the coworking space. For example, Avila Spaces has its own networking platform that profiles its members and their skills, and enables them to connect with one another. You can key into it on a touchscreen as you enter the space.
There is also a stylishly furnished auditorium inside the coworking space. Plush colourful seating is huddled around a large screen, showing in-house-produced podcast interviews showcasing Avila Space members.
The workspaces at this new site provide a blend of open-plan and privacy. There are communal table areas and lounges where you can hotdesk and work around others, as well as a bright and well equipped kitchen, which is a focal point of social interactions.
But you can also find quieter spaces when needed. Personal booths, meeting rooms and a library area are integrated seamlessly into the layout.
Avila Spaces – Av. República
- Nearest metro station: Saldanha
- Opening hours: 9am–7pm Monday to Saturday
- Rates from: Day rate packages from €20 per day, monthly memberships from €200
Just across the road from the Atrium Saldanha site is the original Avila Spaces coworking space, set across two floors of a building overlooking Avenida da República.
This site shares many similarities with the new one, but in a slightly more classic layout. On the reception floor there are two adjacent spaces: one with regular workdesks arranged in neat rows, and another, less formal hotdesking space with more of a relaxed communal vibe.
The hotdesking area has circular tables with comfy seating, and a chill-out space with high breakfast-bar-style chairs and a coffee machine. At the far side of the room is a really cool library space, with big padded chairs and an array of books to peruse on the shelves.
A more comprehensive kitchen is located on the higher floor, with space to hang out and chat over lunch. There’s also a booth up here that you can book for private calls. Meeting rooms are interwoven across the two floors, including a large boardroom-style one.
The community ethos of Avila Spaces has brought about some really thoughtful charitable initiatives. For example, at both of its sites in Saldanha you can buy bottles of ‘solidarity wine’ for €7 a bottle, with half the purchase price donated to IPO Lisboa, a local children’s cancer hospital.
The wine is produced in the Setúbal region of Portugal, south of Lisbon. Avila Spaces also has a partnership with a traditional old local bakery, Pastelaria Versailles, which supplies its pastries and cakes.
An additional feature of the Avenida da República coworking space is an outdoor terrace area. What’s really cool about this is that an undercover seating area is fitted with power sockets, so you can work outside. This is also a place for social gatherings, such as informal Friday beers each week.
IDEA Spaces – Saldanha
- Nearest metro station: Saldanha
- Opening hours: 9am–6pm Monday to Friday with reception service, 24/7 access
- Rates from: Hot desk passes €20 per day or €60 per week, monthly memberships from €140
IDEA Spaces has three coworking spaces around Lisbon, and I was lucky enough to take a look around all of them on my visit, with a warm welcome from the on-site teams.
The branding of IDEA Spaces is bold and striking, with bright colours. This is balanced subtly and tastefully in the workspace layouts, with white walls and lighting, more muted soft furnishings, and plenty of green plants strewn around.
If you are a member of IDEA Spaces or have a short-term hot desk pass, you have access to the facilities at all three of the sites. While I like all three of them, the Saldanha site is a personal favourite. This is the newest of the three spaces, opened in 2021.
IDEA Spaces Saldanha is where the highest degree of imagination is on display in the facilities and decoarations. In the lower floor, there is an open communal area with various nooks, crannies and quirky features built around its perimeter.
In between meeting rooms, you will find a cinema room, a boxing room and a boat room. So there is never a lack of options to switch up your environment!
The IDEA Spaces Saldanha complex is set across several floors in a 12-storey building, and incorporates an impressive range of facilities. Kitchen, bar and cafeteria? Check. Large outdoor terrace area? Check. Access to a swimming pool? Check!
And at €15 for a hot desking day pass or €40 for the week, you will be hard-pressed to find better value in a coworking space anywhere in Lisbon.
Look out for the fabulous ‘Resistance’ mural among the surroundings. It is reflective of the city’s creative spirit and new rebirth after the Covid-19 pandemic.
IDEA Spaces – Palácio Sotto Mayor
- Nearest metro station: Picoas (yellow line), Parque (blue line)
- Opening hours: 9am–6pm Monday to Friday with reception service, 24/7 access
- Rates from: Hot desk passes €20 per day or €60 per week, monthly memberships from €140
While the new Saldanha complex is IDEA Spaces’ largest coworking space in Lisbon, the nearby Palácio Sotto Mayor site has the most spacious open-plan area set across a single floor.
Spread among a huge basement level below Sotto Mayor Palace – a 19th-century former residence of a Portuguese aristocrat – it covers some 2,500 square metres.
The layout is very well organised to allow for quiet, studious spaces, as well as plenty of communal space for connecting with other remote workers. There is a mixture of standing and sitting desks to choose from, plus a canteen-style kitchen, private booths and lots of meetings rooms.
Plenty of natural light seeps into the open coworking area, despite the lower-floor setting. Tall potted and hanging plants add a relaxing touch of greenery to the surroundings.
When you want to catch a moment of fresh air, then Eduardo VII Park is a short step across the road, with its sculpted hedgerows and sweeping views down towards the river, one of the best views in Lisbon. It’s a gorgeous spot for an early morning run or afternoon walk.
Compared to other coworking spaces in Lisbon, IDEA Spaces in Palácio Sotto Mayor has quite a formal atmosphere. So, if you’re looking for a professional working environment in the city, then this space brings everything you need.
Want to stay in this area on a working trip? Some of the best Lisbon hotels with rooftop pools are within a close walk of the coworking space.
Coworking spaces in Lisbon: Cais do Sodré
The Cais do Sodré district is one of Lisbon’s main hubs of transportation. Its huge station connects the train, metro, tram, ferry and bus networks together. As such, it is a springboard for reaching anywhere in Lisbon, or across the river to Almada.
Cais do Sodré has also become one of Lisbon’s trendiest neighbourhoods following a rejuvenation in recent years. Once shackled with a seedy reputation, it has blossomed into a top hangout place and nightlife spot. Its old warehouses and factories have been repurposed into modern food halls and markets, and the rough streets transformed into a melting pot of artisan shops and cafés.
Time Out Market, opened in the old Mercado da Ribeira, is now a focal point of the district, blending the old with the new. It combines a traditional 19th-century fresh-foods marketplace with a contemporary gourmet food hall of local and international stalls.
If you like your workplace to be in a busy and connected setting, rife with options for socialising, eating and drinking, then Cais do Sodré fits the criteria. The district has two excellent coworking spaces, each offering something a little different. Let’s take a look.
Second Home Lisboa
- Nearest metro station: Cais do Sodré
- Opening hours: 8am–10pm Monday to Friday
- Rates from: Monthly memberships from €235, daily pass bundles also available
Second Home is a coworking space and community that has six sites: four in London, one in Los Angeles, and one in Lisbon. Set inside the iconic 1892 Mercado de Ribeira building, the Lisbon space was the second of these to open, following the original in Spitalfields, London.
The main coworking area in Second Home Lisboa is integrated into a vast hallway, with curvaceous desks arranged among over a thousand plants and trees. It’s like walking among a huge allotment garden interspersed with laptops.
Plant pots are neatly arranged on the desktops and used as partitions between workspaces. Overhead, the old hall ceiling is propped up with original 19th-century beams, with light streaming in through windows from either side.
The concept is grounded on the extensive evidence that green spaces make great working environments. Being around plants reduces stress and makes you more productive, and you can’t help but feel calmed while pacing around the nature-filled coworking area at Second Home Lisboa.
In addition to the main coworking space, there is also a communal café and hangout area, stacked bookshelves, and meeting rooms overlooking the market hall below.
One end of the vast coworking space is utilised as a roaming hot desk area, which brings some flexibility to the membership options. Day passes are available depending on capacity, and with limited access to membership benefits such as the community Slack channel.
Shorter-term memberships are available too, beginning at one month. As a member you can access community initiatives such as a wellness programme, fitness classes and yoga sessions.
Another lovely touch is that members can spend up to five days per month in another Second Home location. So, if you’re a member in London, you can pop over to Lisbon for a few days.
Soraia, community manager at Second Home, told me how fostering a positive community environment is key to their approach. “We aim to connect people,” she explained. “That community aspect is probably why members end up staying with us for longer. We still have members who have been here since 2016.”
So, if you are looking to work remotely in Lisbon for the longer haul and want to become part of a thriving community in one of the city’s liveliest neighbourhoods, Second Home Lisboa fits the profile perfectly.
Outsite Cowork Café
- Nearest metro station: Cais do Sodré
- Opening hours: 9am–6pm Monday to Friday
- Rates: Daily passes €17, weekly passes €70, monthly and flexi passes €150
Outsite Cowork Café is a place where Lisbon’s coworking scene and coffee culture meet. Set away from the main road and a couple of blocks back from Cais do Sodré station, it is a cosy, intimate coworking space where you will never be short of refreshments.
The entrance to the café brings you straight into the main communal working area in a high-ceilinged, naturally lit open space. It feels like a warm and friendly environment for relaxed work sessions and quiet afternoon conversations.
A handful of desks are arranged around the room, while smaller coffee tables look out onto the road outside. You can recharge here with a coffee watching the world go by as trams trundle past.
Behind the coworking space, a large wooden meeting table is available for collaborative sessions. More meeting rooms and private booths can be found to the rear of the building.
As the name suggests, it’s a café as well as a coworking space. The fresh menu offers up healthy bites, salads and the like, as well as sustainably sourced coffee. And how about a glass of wine as a post-work treat?
The access passes at Outsite Cowork Café are created with flexibility in mind, perfect for travellers and nomadic remote workers. You don’t need to sign up for a membership; just choose the pass duration you need, and the space is yours to enjoy.
Coworking spaces in Lisbon: Campo de Ourique
Once you venture beyond the hubbub of Baixa, the Alfama and Bairro Alto, you begin to see a different Lisbon. The neighbourhoods immediately to the west of downtown are much more easygoing, while still being full of life and activity. Exploring these offbeat places is one of our favourite things to do in Lisbon.
Campo de Ourique is a jewel among these laidback suburbs, with local shops, bars and marketplaces mingled among spotless, tree-lined roads.
The metro system doesn’t extend into Campo de Ourique, but you can get around the main spots by bus or tram. For example, the iconic number 28 tram stops by Mercado de Campo de Ourique, a fantastic local food market at the heart of the district.
Campo de Ourique is a place where you can enjoy the slower pace of Lisbon. Its streets are a delight to wander by foot or bicycle. This calmer atmosphere makes it a naturally good fit as a base for remote working, away from the rush of the more touristy neighbourhoods.
Resvés Cowork Space
- Nearest metro station: Rato
- Opening hours: 9am–6pm Monday to Friday, 24/7 access
- Rates: Day pass €25, 4-day pass €88, 24/7 dedicated desk from €260 per month
Perched along a hushed outer sidestreet of Campo de Ourique, Resvés Cowork Space is a real hidden gem of Lisbon’s coworking scene. Its location is quiet and inconspicuous, but just a short stroll away from the green parks of Estrela and the fashionable outlets of Príncipe Real.
Stepping inside the coworking space you are welcomed into a calm and homely atmosphere. The walls are adorned with magnificent artworks by Lisbon-based artists, one of the many ways that Resvés supports local talent.
Next to each painting you can read information about the artist, and choose to buy one if you wish. Resvés has also hosted events to give local artists a space to express themselves, such as ‘Art Taco’, combining painting and photography exhibitions with beer and Mexican tacos.
This supportive spirit resonates through the coworking space. Mariana, the operations and community manager, introduced me to the space and explained more.
“Our motto is ‘it’s all about the people’”, she said. “If there is a conversation that sparks here and someone has something they need that somebody else can offer, that’s what makes it really worthwhile for us.”
The main coworking area is on the ground floor, with a reading area, private booths and chill-out spaces filling the gaps. There’s some outdoor seating too for those moments when you want some fresh air.
Downstairs, two comfy hammock seats swing loosely in an open space between a communal kitchen and large meeting table. Doors lead off into meeting rooms, which enjoy natural light despite being at the basement level, thanks to carefully fitted windows.
There’s also a photo and production studio that members can access. “People can rent it out if they want to do a podcast, for example,” explained Mariana.
Social events and activities are held weekly, such as pilates on Mondays, and yoga classes and community lunches on Wednesdays. The team has really done a great job of creating a positive environment for connecting with likeminded people in the remote working community.
Coworking spaces in Lisbon: Marvila and Parque das Nações
Walk alongside the Tagus beyond the Alfama and you will wander through some of Lisbon’s intriguing riverside districts: Marvila and Parque das Nações.
Marvila is another neighbourhood that has reinvented itself. Once a manufacturing and industrial heartland, the old factory buildings have been regenerated into a hub of art galleries, breweries and coworking spaces in modern times.
Further up the river, Parque das Nações was another deteriorating old industrial area until it was transformed for the Lisbon World Exposition in 1998, which brought some 11 million visitors to the area. This is why the neighbourhood is nicknamed ‘Expo’.
Parque das Nações has continued to grow since this transformation, and is now rife with bold, contemporary architecture, business centres and landscaped gardens.
An entrepreneurial spirit runs through these revived suburbs, attracting a growing coworking community.
Lisbon WorkHub
- Nearest stations: Braço de Prata train station / Bela Vista metro station
- Opening hours: 9am–6pm Monday to Friday, 24/7 access
- Rates: Day pass €19, flex desk €120 per month, dedicated desk €175 per month
Lisbon WorkHub is an inspirational example of regeneration in the Marvila district. Here, an old abandoned factory warehouse has been repurposed into a thriving coworking space.
Many of the legacy factory features have been retained, creating an ambiance that blends nostalgia with modernity. Old industrial-style light strips hang above the spacious workdesks, and the high ceiling is lined with ventilation tubing and hung with large metallic domed lights.
Vanessa, the community manager at Lisbon WorkHub, welcomed me to the space and showed me around. The main coworking area is arranged into a long hallway, with rows of desks stretching out between lounge areas, comfy sofas and breakout spaces. Meeting rooms and private office spaces are dotted around the perimeter.
A doorway to the back of the hallway leads out to a spacious communal kitchen and dining area. There’s also a large event space on this side of the building, which is used for conferences and community gatherings.
The proximity to the river is a lovely aspect of coworking at Lisbon WorkHub. You can take the communal bike or head out on foot along the waterside and then return to your desk reinvigorated.
For a change of scenery, you can head over the road to Delta The Coffee House Experience, recommended to me by Vanessa. A fresh coffee roasted on the premises and a tasty bite to eat is the perfect interlude to the working day.
IDEA Spaces – Parque das Nações
- Nearest metro station: Oriente
- Opening hours: 9am–6pm Monday to Friday with reception service, 24/7 access
- Rates from: Hot desk passes €20 per day or €60 per week, monthly memberships from €140
Opened in 2014, this coworking space in Parque das Nações was the first of IDEA Spaces’ sites in Lisbon, and one of the first coworking spaces in Portugal. The leafy suburb of Parque das Nações makes for a calm remote working environment with its parks, gardens and waterside walks.
Situated a short walk from the Oriente station on the red line of the Lisbon metro, it’s easy to get to downtown, and also just a few minutes’ ride away from the airport.
The vibe and decor here is consistent with the newer IDEA Spaces locations over in Saldanha, with white walls, brightly coloured features, green plants dotted around, and lots of natural light throughout.
It has a really cool communal area adjoined to its kitchen. Here you will find a sitting area with multicoloured cushioned stools, and an ‘experience wall’ displaying photos and story-cards depicting community gatherings and initiatives.
For me, the most impressive thing about this IDEA Spaces location is the view. Set on the 11th floor of a towering office building, you can enjoy a stunning perspective of the riverside neighbourhood from above.
While the newer IDEA Spaces sites offer more space and features, the original at Parque das Nações still provides all the basics, and is a refreshing alternative in a scenic setting.
Coworking spaces in Lisbon: map
See the map below to find the locations of the coworking spaces in Lisbon highlighted in this article:
Have you worked in any coworking spaces in Lisbon? Let us know about your experiences in the comments below.
Thinking of a remote work trip to Lisbon outside of peak season? See our guide to Lisbon in winter.
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