Combined Portuguese Course (20+5)

CIAL Centro de Linguas

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Course description

Join the Standard Group Course with 4 lessons in the morning and combine it with 1 additional individual lesson in the afternoon. 25 lessons per week.
This is the ideal solution for those who want to work further improving oral skills, review
the work done in the morning lessons or work in a specific professional field.
Choose from: Banking, Business, Computer Science, Hotel Industry, Law, Insurance, Interpreting, Medicine, Translation.

Course topics

Listening, Speaking, Pronunciation, Reading, Writing, Vocabulary, Grammar and Activities

Class schedule

Course duration
1-36 weeks
Start dates
Every Monday (06 Jan - 31 Dec)
Start dates for beginners
06 Jan 2025, 20 Jan 2025, 03 Feb 2025, 17 Feb 2025, 03 Mar 2025, 17 Mar 2025, 31 Mar 2025, 14 Apr 2025, 28 Apr 2025, 12 May 2025, 26 May 2025, 09 Jun 2025, 23 Jun 2025, 07 Jul 2025, 21 Jul 2025, 04 Aug 2025, 18 Aug 2025, 01 Sep 2025, 15 Sep 2025, 29 Sep 2025, 13 Oct 2025, 27 Oct 2025, 10 Nov 2025, 24 Nov 2025, 08 Dec 2025 and 22 Dec 2025
Classes per week
25 lessons per week (each lesson lasts 50 min)
Class days
Monday - Friday
School holidays
25 Dec 2024, 25 Dec 2024, 01 Jan 2025, 18 Apr 2025, 01 May 2025, 10 Jun 2025, 15 Aug 2025, 01 Dec 2025, 25 Dec 2025

CIAL Lisbon does not hold classes on the holiday dates above. The school does not compensate for these holidays, so make sure to choose your start date accordingly.

Class times

Morning session
09:00 AM - 12:40 PM
Afternoon session
01:30 PM - 02:20 PM

Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.

Class level

All levels, beginner to advanced
You will take a placement test on your first day to determine your class level.

Class size

Maximum 8 students

Student age

Age range 18 years old and older
Average 30 years old

Certificate

A certificate of completion will be issued at the end of the course.
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school
photos

Photos

  • Building of CIAL Centro de Linguas 1/39
  • Entrance to CIAL Centro de Linguas 2/39
  • Classroom at CIAL Centro de Linguas 3/39
  • Classroom at CIAL Centro de Linguas 4/39
  • Terrace 5/39
  • Teachers Room 6/39
  • Homestay housing offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 7/39
  • Homestay housing offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 8/39
  • Homestay housing offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 9/39
  • Apartments offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 10/39
  • Apartments offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 11/39
  • Apartments offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 12/39
  • Apartments offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 13/39
  • Apartments offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 14/39
  • Apartments offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 15/39
  • Apartments offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 16/39
  • Apartments offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 17/39
  • Activities offered at CIAL Centro de Linguas 18/39
  • Activities offered at CIAL Centro de Linguas 19/39
  • Activities offered at CIAL Centro de Linguas 20/39
  • Activities offered at CIAL Centro de Linguas 21/39
  • Activities offered at CIAL Centro de Linguas 22/39
  • Activities offered at CIAL Centro de Linguas 23/39
  • Activities offered at CIAL Centro de Linguas 24/39
  • Surf lessons 25/39
  • Surf lessons 26/39
  • Surf lessons 27/39
  • Surf lessons 28/39
  • Students of CIAL Centro de Linguas 29/39
  • Student residence offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 30/39
  • Student residence offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 31/39
  • Student residence offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 32/39
  • Student residence offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 33/39
  • Student residence offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 34/39
  • Student residence offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 35/39
  • Student residence offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 36/39
  • Student residence offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 37/39
  • Student residence offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 38/39
  • Student residence offered by CIAL Centro de Linguas 39/39
reviews

Reviews

94% recommend

based on 17 reviews
5 stars
11
4 stars
4
3 stars
1
2 stars
1
1 star
0
Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing

"Great"

Žiga Slapar, student from Slovenia

I enjoyed the classes and improved my language skills monumentally during my stay. I fount the teacher to be very kind and welcoming as he took a personal interest in each student and we often had sessions where we could talk freely about different topics of interest to improve our talking skills in a more engaging way. I only took part in one excursion, which i also found interesting. The student house was also very close and so going to school didn't require waking up too early. I also met a lot of friends at the student house so i prefered it to staying in to having an apartment in a hotel.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
1 Jul 2024 - 12 Jul 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"It was very good, both the teachers and the way we performed the lessons."

Lennart Killander Larsson, student from Sweden

Very short - I was very satisfied with everything especially my two teachers.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
1 Apr 2024 - 12 Apr 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"It was an Interesting time."

Gundi Weiß, student from Austria

I liked the classes, but it was hard work for me. The Workshop in the afternoon was no repetition, but more Input.
The teachers were very friendly and motivated.
The comfort in the Housing leaves something to be desired.
But all in all, a great time for me.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
22 Aug 2022 - 2 Sep 2022
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Nice experience"

Sara Alesi, student from Italy

My only disappointment with the course was that there weren't classes of my linguistic level - B2 - in the morning. I had to change my schedule to fit the new timetables and I had to miss social and cultural activities because I had to take classes in the afternoon. I had expected to be in a class of international students, especially young adults, coming from different backgrounds: instead, I had only one classmate who was much older than me. Nevertheless, the fact that it was a small class can also be considered an advantage, since our teacher had the opportunity to make the programme fit our educational needs and clear our doubts. In general, I didn't have a bad experience. The facilities were good, the staff available, my teacher was prepared, classes were insightful. I had appreciated that she made us read long essays in order to correct our pronunciation.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
29 Aug 2022 - 9 Sep 2022
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"As a beginner for Portuguese, CIAL is a perfect place to start !"

Mei Chi Lam, student from UK

The location of the school and the student residence is conveniently located where student benefits to join cultural activities with classmates after lessons. The school fees and charges for residence are reasonable for students.

Lessons are run at the right pace however some of the grammatical rules could be explained more in greater details l.
The residence is hygienic however should provide air-conditioning during summer as it was quite hot.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Date of study
6 Jun 2022 - 10 Jun 2022
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Nice environment for learning Portuguese"

mathieu da cunha, student from France

Teacher and classes were really cool, it’s enough you don’t need more everything is well done for you to perform. Good location by the way.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
2 weeks
Date of study
11 Oct 2021 - 29 Oct 2021
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"EXCELLENT"

beatriz de Puig Nordbeck, student from Spain

Excellent experience. The classes were very enjoyable and with a lot of complementary material that the same teachers give you during the course, which helps you to advance quickly in the language. In addition, guided tourist activities are offered after classes which allow you to learn about the city. Without any doubt it has been an adventure to repeat.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
14 Sep 2020 - 25 Sep 2020
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Saw a dramatic improvement in just one week."

Thomas Charles Clark, student from UK

I really enjoyed the lessons and found that the combination of staying in Lisbon and having lessons in the morning really helped advance my level of portuguese.

My only negative was the lack of students, which of course is out of your hands. I found it quite lonely as I didn't have anyone to socialise with outside of the classes. However, apart from that the overall experience on learning portugese was very enjoyable and immersive.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
17 Aug 2020 - 28 Aug 2020
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Great!!"

Arianna Stinga, student from Italy

Everything was great starting from the school, the teachers and their lessons. Always fun and smiling to us, I did learnt a lot and reached my A2 level even if I had never studied Portuguese before. Probably the only thing which sometimes I didn’t like it was sharing the flat with that many people, sometimes they were a little bit too noisy and leaving almost everything dirty in the house. But as I said before I wouldn’t change anything at school :) keep up the good work!

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Date of study
24 Feb 2020 - 28 Feb 2020
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"The experience has been so good that I would repeat it again!"

Ana Rodríguez Quesada, student from Spain

- Classes to my intellectual needs; since previously the teacher made a brief "professional test"

- The teachers always introduced me as a "colleague", and they facilitated and collaborated in everything! Excellent team!

- Location and facilities, absolutely correct.

- I have participated in specific activities satisfactorily.

- Unfortunately the house is in poor condition: 1) you must wait 5 to 10 minutes to have hot water, only for another 5-10 minutes!
The drains are clogged, the water reaches the ankles! It was communicated orally to the person in charge, saw it as normal (...)-

- At the time what was communicated about parties and smoking inside the student apartment, there was no good response, and
if they took any action it made things worse.


* I hope that never again live a person with "disability", just for being different, psychological abuse by their roommates!

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
16 Sep 2019 - 27 Sep 2019
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Alexandra Borges de Sousa, Managing Director at CIAL Centro de Linguas responded to this review.
22 October 2019

Dear Ana,
We are very happy to hear that your academic experience in Cial met your expectations, and you are welcome to return anytime!
We aknowledge your comments about the accommodation, and regret things did not run as smoothly. Thank you for your feedback, we need it in order to improve our services.

"Such a nice experience"

Bram, student from Netherlands

When I started studying Portuguese at CIAL I didn't know anything about the language. I've been in Lisbon for 7 weeks and I have gained a lot of knowledge and even got my A1 after 4 weeks! My teachers were really nice and supportive.

The only downside was the apartment I was in, when I arrived there was construction going on and there was a lot of noise almost all day. There weren't as many bathrooms as promised and one of the toilets didn't work most of the time.

Overall I did really love my experience, the excursions were nice and the other students were really open minded! This trip was great for my knowledge of Portuguese and getting to know different cultures!

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
6 weeks
Date of study
14 May 2018 - 29 Jun 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"A nice opportunity to learn a new language"

Juan Comella, student from USA

CIAL can be very good if you have a good teacher. They give you a very nice book at the start of the couse and it's 3 hours a day every week. I think it could be more intensive and have you work more. The students are ok; I had expected to more friends than I did. It doesn't give you the opportunity to interact with all students more often. But in general for a week or two I could recommend.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Date of study
26 Jun 2017 - 30 Jun 2017
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Unique and wonderful experience"

Aline Da Silva Marcelino, student from Belgium

I spent two great weeks. I had private lessons (seven hours per day) with two teachers who complemented each other perfectly. I learned at my own pace and I progressed enormously during those two weeks. I was staying in with someone who was really nice. We talked every day over breakfast. I, unfortunately could not participate in activities seeing my schedule, but I already knew Lisbon so I have no regrets. It was a unique and wonderful experience.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
22 Aug 2016 - 2 Sep 2016
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Unsuitable for a beginner student."

Mia Leong, student from Macau

I had some nice teachers, but not all. I think I chose the wrong course, because I'm a beginner student and I even don't know how to say the numbers in Portuguese, so I had a bad performance in class for two months, that was embarrassing.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
7 weeks
Date of study
4 Jul 2016 - 26 Aug 2016
Would you recommend this school?
No
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.
Alexandra Borges de Sousa, Managing Director at CIAL Centro de Linguas responded to this review.
12 September 2016

Dear Mia,
We are sorry to hear you are not happy with your experience at our school.
Learning a new language can be a stressful process, especially if the student doesn't feel he/she is progressing.
We would like the opportunity to make this up to you, so please get in touch so we can look at what can be arranged.

"Very useful experience with happy times"

Alaa Ghazi

The school was amazing! The lessons were intensive and it was useful to have follow-ups from the teachers on a daily basis. They were very nice and talented teachers with great experience.

Being in CIAL made me love Lisbon, with all the free daily activities and visits to museums and famous places in this city. This opened my eyes to Lisbon's beauty, and made me want to learn the language of this city more and more.

The location of the school is in the center, near two metro stations, with a lot of buses also passing there. I liked the pretty colorful walls in CIAL; even the details in the design of the classrooms of the school were so beautiful. I miss it.

The school provided books for free for every level, and I also liked whenever our teachers wanted us to have new or extra information (like poems, articles from newspapers, lyrics of Portuguese songs, grammar, and additional exercises). Every student had the photocopies within two minutes.

I was living in a different housing already before joining CIAL, so I don't have an idea about CIAL housing.

It was great experience for me and helped me a lot to improve my Portuguese Language in a matter of six months.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
25 weeks
Date of study
1 Apr 2015 - 25 Sep 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes

"Wholesome learning"

Hugh David Jacobs

I spent a full 12 months at CIAL to round and perfect my Portuguese understanding and use in day-to-day.

The classes were pitched at the correct level, and what worked was that the classes / groups ran for a full month. No 1-week passerby allowed.

The location was central. In addition, there is a home stay option.

CIAL is my family, if not my near relative.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
52 weeks
Date of study
1 Mar 2010 - 28 Feb 2011
Would you recommend this school?
Yes

"I received the expected high standard of tuition that I have had in the past."

Joseph Fox

I have attended the school before. I unfortunately was only able to stay for one week. The teacher was aware of this and I did a lot of work during the short period. All the staff in the school were very understanding of the fact that I was recovering from an eye operation and my vision was not fully restored.

The standard of tuition was as good as ever. Virgilio is an excellent teacher and communicator. I look forward to returning in 2016.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Date of study
9 Feb 2015 - 13 Feb 2015
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
housing

Housing

CIAL Lisbon offers the following housing types:
homestay

Homestay - Single Room with Breakfast

NZ$ 382
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Location: In the city center of Lisbon
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: Breakfast (7 meals per week)
Facilities: Telephone and tV room
Distance to school: 10 - 15 minutes by bus
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
NZ$ 382
Accommodation is an important part of most students' stay. CIAL's carefully selected
accommodation options will be your home away from home.
Living in a Portuguese home will help the student gain familiarity with the language.
Students are placed in individual bedrooms and will be the only native speaker of their
language in the house. The host may be a family or an individual.
The homes that host CIAL's students are in the area of the schools, many within walking
distance.
In case students need to use public transportation (bus or subway) it will never be more than 20 min.
Students can get pre-paid tickets or monthly passes for public transportation what will keep prices quite unexpensive.
Private home accommodation is usually booked from the day before starting lessons until the day after the end of the course (Sunday to Saturday).
Private home accommodation does not include the use of the kitchen nor laundry of personal clothes. However students can ask the family directly for details of laundry services in the area of the house.
Bed linens and bathroom towels are included and are changed weekly.

IMPORTANT: on arrival at the apartment he will be required to pay a security deposit of Euro 100,00 in cash which will be refunded on departure if no damage is done.
student-residence

Student residence - Single Room - No meals (Only July and August)

NZ$ 430
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Location: In the city center of Lisbon
Housing type: Student residence (off-campus)
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Kitchen, laundry, telephone, wireless internet, free internet, tV room, garden, and other
Distance to school: 8 - 10 minutes by walk
Availability: 06 Jul 2025 - 30 Aug 2025
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, before 12:00 PM
NZ$ 430
Home2Students is a modern, self-catering residence offering high quality single rooms.

It is located on Avenida João Crisóstomo, only a short 8/10-minute walk to our school.
It is an excellent location, one of Lisbon’s most prestigious areas, with excellent shops, restaurants and bars close by. The Gulbenkian Foundation Museums and gardens are also just a few minutes away.
There is a bus stop and underground station nearby.

Single rooms only (balcony in every room).
Each room has data points with Internet access. All rooms and communal areas have Wi-Fi.
Weekly cleaning and change of linens (bed and towels).
Bathroom facilities are shared (2 WC for every 3 pax).
Lounge with Cable TV, snooker.
Laundry room.
Kitchen area with four-ring electric hobs, microwaves, sinks and 6 fridges.
Terrace with barbecue.

IMPORTANT: on arrival at the apartment he will be required to pay a security deposit of Euro 100,00 in cash which will be refunded on departure if no damage is done.

Premium Student residence - Single-person room - No meals

NZ$ 602
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Address: Campo Pequeno
Location: In the city center of Lisbon
Housing type: Student residence (off-campus)
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Private bathroom, kitchen, laundry, wireless internet, free internet, and heating
Distance to school: 10 - 20 minutes by walk
Availability: 04 Feb 2024 - 31 Aug 2024, 02 Feb 2025 - 30 Aug 2025
Check-in: Sunday, after 12:00 PM
Check-out: Saturday, before 12:00 PM
NZ$ 602
PREMIUM STUDENT RESIDENCE - LISBON
Fully equipped studios

Enjoy your own studio combined with the vibrant atmosphere of all the
available shared living spaces.
All studios are equipped with everything you need to make your experience truly
unforgeable: private bathroom ensuite, a fully fitted kitchen (sink, oven, microwave,
fridge freezer, induction hobs and extractor hood), air conditioning (hot and cold), TV and 100Mb Wi-Fi.

Communal facilities, include a fitness area, study spaces, laundry room, cinema, and lounges.

IMPORTANT: on arrival at the school students are required to pay a security deposit of Euro 100,00 in cash which will be refunded on departure if no damage is done.
apartment

Shared apartment - Shared Room - Self Catering

NZ$ 354
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Location: In the city center of Lisbon
Housing type: Shared apartment
Room type: 2-person shared room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Kitchen, laundry, wireless internet, free internet, tV room, and hardwood
Distance to school: 10 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
NZ$ 354
In our Lisbon Shared Apartment, students can choose to stay in single or shared rooms and will benefit from a more independent accommodation, ideal for longer stays, but also for the short stay.
The apartment is fully equipped, with cable TV, WIFI, washing machine, microwave, coffee machine, ironing board etc.
Bathrooms, kitchen and living room are shared with other CIAL students.
Includes: weekly cleaning and change of bed linens and towels.
School is only 10 minutes away by foot, and there are plenty of shops, cafés and restaurants nearby.

IMPORTANT: on arrival at the apartment he will be required to pay a security deposit of Euro 100,00 in cash which will be refunded on departure if no damage is done.

Shared apartment - Single Room - Self Catering

NZ$ 411
weekly
Age range: 18 years old and older
Location: In the city center of Lisbon
Housing type: Shared apartment
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: No meals
Facilities: Kitchen, laundry, wireless internet, free internet, and tV room
Distance to school: 10 minutes by walk
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
NZ$ 411
In our Lisbon Shared Apartment, students can choose to stay in single or shared rooms and will benefit from a more independent accommodation, ideal for longer stays, but also for the short stay.
The apartment is fully equipped, with cable TV, WIFI, washing machine, microwave, coffee machine, ironing board etc.
Bathrooms, kitchen and living room are shared with other CIAL students.
Includes: weekly cleaning and change of bed linens and towels.
School is only 10 minutes away by foot, and there are plenty of shops, cafés and restaurants nearby.

IMPORTANT: on arrival at the apartment he will be required to pay a security deposit of Euro 100,00 in cash which will be refunded on departure if no damage is done.
visa

Visa support

We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. However, the school can supply you with all the documentation you need to support your visa application.

Your letter of acceptance will be sent to your home address by regular mail at no charge to you. If you wish to receive your paperwork by express mail, you will be charged 90 € when you register.

Flights and airport transfer

Please note that we do not book flights for our students. If you are researching airfare costs, we recommend using Kayak.com, a search engine that lets you compare flight options from your home country to Lisbon based on your budget, schedule and preferences.

Travel insurance

Study abroad worry-free with Language International's health and personal effects insurance coverage. When you book a course with us, you can opt to purchase an international insurance plan that covers not only your health care cost but also loss of your personal belongings. You must book your insurance in advance when you register.

Learn more about our insurance plan »

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questions

Questions and answers

Have questions? Get answers from CIAL Centro de Linguas staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.

Ask a question
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