Apartment moves in Lisbon

What's included

Two movers and a van — a third person on larger jobs, at no extra charge to you
Blankets on every piece of furniture, corner and floor protection
Disassembly and reassembly of beds, wardrobes and tables
Photo report of your items and both homes, before and after
Goods-in-transit insurance on every move — what it covers
No surcharge for stairs, lifts or how far the van has to park

From first message to keys on the table

You send a message, usually on WhatsApp. We ask for a ten-minute video call at a time that suits you — evenings are fine — and you walk us through the flat with the phone camera. Open the wardrobes. Show us the storage room, the balcony and whatever is under the bed, because that is where the volume hides and where quotes go wrong.

Within the hour you get a written fixed price and a list of what it contains. Nothing is booked until you say so, and there is no deposit at that stage.

On the day we arrive in the agreed window and photograph the flat and the larger items before anything is touched. Furniture gets blanketed, corners and floors protected, beds and wardrobes taken apart. Loading, driving, unloading, reassembly, and a second set of photographs at the new address. You check everything before we leave, and you pay when you are satisfied — not before.

Two people is the standard crew. On bigger jobs we bring a third, and that is our cost to carry, not an extra line on your invoice.

If you have just arrived in Portugal, the move is only part of it — the practical checklist for moving to Lisbon covers the paperwork, the timeline and what the first month really costs.

What a typical Lisbon apartment move looks like

A studio in Arroios with a lift is about two to three hours: fifteen to twenty boxes, a bed, a wardrobe, a small sofa, a fridge. One trip in the van, done before lunch.

A T2 in Alvalade, second floor, no lift, is the most common job we do. Five to six hours, forty to sixty boxes, a full bedroom, a dining table, a sofa that usually has to have its feet removed to clear a doorway.

A T3 in Cascais moving into Lisbon is a full day. The distance itself is barely an hour of driving, but two addresses in different municipalities mean two parking situations and two sets of building rules, and that is where the time goes rather than on the road.

A partial move — a room, a few pieces, a student's belongings — is often under two hours and is priced separately, from around 80 €. It is worth asking for rather than assuming a minimum charge makes it pointless.

Five things that make an apartment move cost more than it should

Booking the last three days of the month. Everyone's lease ends then, prices firm up across the whole market and the calm slots disappear first.
Packing on the morning. If the crew waits for boxes to be closed, you pay for the waiting on an hourly contract and you lose the goodwill on a fixed one.
Not mentioning the storage room, the garage or the balcony. It is the single most common reason a quote has to be revised — and it is entirely avoidable in the ten-minute video call.
Forgetting to book the building's service lift. An hour spent waiting for a lift someone else reserved is the most avoidable cost in a move.
Leaving the fridge unemptied and unfrozen until the day. It has to be defrosted and drained the night before, and nobody enjoys discovering this with the van already downstairs.

What is not included, and what it costs

We would rather list this than let you find it later. Full packing, where we bring the materials and pack everything ourselves, adds roughly 15–20 % to the move for a one-bedroom. Boxes on their own we can supply and price separately.

A reserved parking space in front of the building needs a council licence and several days of notice, so ask at the survey rather than the week of the move. An external furniture hoist, on the streets where it fits, is a separate cost and we will tell you when it is genuinely cheaper than carrying.

Things we do not do at all: grand pianos, safes, long-term storage and international removals. For those you want a specialist, and we will say so instead of taking the job and improvising.

Questions about this service

Do I need to pack everything myself?

Only if you want to. Most people pack their own boxes and leave furniture, appliances and fragile things to us. Full packing is available as an add-on and we bring the materials.

My building has no lift and I'm on the fourth floor.

That is most of old Lisbon and it is our normal working day. The stairs are priced into the quote at the video survey, honestly and upfront — there is no surprise charge when we arrive.

How far in advance should I book?

One to two weeks is comfortable. For the end of the month, or anything between June and September, allow three to four. Midweek dates stay available longer than Saturdays and cost about 10 % less.

Can you do the move in two trips instead of one?

Sometimes it is the sensible answer for a T3 with a lot of boxes, and it does not automatically cost more — a second trip inside Lisbon is mostly driving time. We tell you at the survey which approach we would use and why.

What happens if something gets damaged?

Every move carries goods-in-transit insurance, and the photographs taken at both addresses mean a claim is settled from evidence rather than from memory. Tell us on the day or within 48 hours, and send a photo.

Do you move on Sundays or public holidays?

Yes, and it costs the same as a Saturday. Buildings are quieter, which sometimes makes the job faster — but check your condominium rules first, because some prohibit moves on Sundays.