After spending several months travelling around Portugal in our van, we were able to get a feel for the country, and in many ways live a local life. We put together this travel guide to give you a head start on your Portuguese vacation, and provide you with some tips ahead of time so that you can have a fun, and stress free vacation. We have broken our Portugal travel tips into categories, to help you easily navigate this article, and enable you to quickly find sections that you want to re-read in order to refresh your memory, before or during your trip.
Visiting a new country is always fun, and the key to a successful trip to Portugal is doing a little bit of research before you travel. Learning some key Portuguese phrases will make communication easier, toll road fines can be avoided by signing up for electronic billing, and you can save money on your fuel bill by filling up at the right gas stations, and following some simple safety measures will ensure your trip is not spoiled.
Learn Portuguese Phrases to Easily Communicate with Locals
As you probably guessed, the official language in Portugal is Portuguese. Although probably not too difficult to pick up if you already speak Italian or Spanish, the pronunciation will most definitely throw you for a loop, with the spoken words often not resembling the written words at all, at least to my unrefined foreign ears. Nevertheless if you make an effort, and learn a few key phrases, and try to speak them with a smile, you will immediately notice the difference.
The level of English fluency varies greatly across the country, with the rural areas having the least fluency. In short, you should expect English fluency to be relatively low, compared to Scandinavia for example, but I found the Portuguese to be kind, and supportive of my feeble attempts to wrap my tongue around their language.
Tip #1: Learning a few key Portuguese phrases will lead to many positive interactions
Here are a few key phrases that will come in handy when travelling in Portugal:
Eating Out on Your Portugal Vacation: Save Money Experiencing Portuguese Food
Tip #2: Seek out traditional dishes to try
At the risk of ruining your day, it is my sad duty to inform you that Nando’s does not exist in Portugal. Luckily, Portugal has some delicious traditional dishes that are well worth trying, and although these dishes are not the most common, with a little bit of research you can find restaurants that specialise in them.
Tip #3: Get a three course meal with drinks for cheap with the Menu do Dia
If you simply do not feel like cooking, and want to treat yourself to lunch, look for a restaurant that has a ‘Menu do Dia’ (menu of the day). These menus will usually include a glass of wine, beer, or soft drink along with a small starter, main dish, and dessert with coffee. Every restaurant sets their own price, but most we found were around 10-12 Euros per person for lunch during the week, which is frankly a fantastic value.
If you want to treat yourself to dinner, you also do not have to break the bank, and can usually expect to pay around 12-30 EUR for a main course, while a glass of local wine big enough to get your wife tipsy, will typically set you back EUR 2.50.
Tip #4: You are not expected to tip in Europe
In Portugal, as in most of Europe, it is not expected or even common practice to leave a tip when paying for your meal. If you are paying in cash, and are very happy with the service you received, you can round up to the nearest Euro.
Tip #5: Eat where locals eat to avoid the tourist traps
As with every country, the trick is to find the restaurants that the locals also frequent, and avoid restaurants on the main tourist strip. Those are great for a quick snack, or to enjoy a glass of wine or beer, and people watch, but unless you think McDonalds is the peak of culinary invention, you should not expect to get a quality meal at those places.
Tips and Prices for Grocery Shopping in Portugal
Tip #6: Rent accommodation with a kitchen to make some of your own meals
If you plan to visit Portugal for more than a week, or as a family, I would definitely recommend renting an apartment. Not only will you get more space to relax after a day of exploring, but you will also be able to prepare some of your own meals, and save some money compared to eating out all the time.
Tip #7: Buy your basics at the grocery store, to stay healthy, and save money from always eating out
The main grocery stores in Portugal are Continente, Intermarche, Aldi, Lidl, Carrefour, and L’Eclerc. There is some price difference between them, but not enough to make a huge difference in your budget for a short stay. The produce is usually excellent, and local, so you can eat as many fruits and veggies as your heart desires, without breaking the bank.
Below we have put together a list of prices for some of the most common items to help you budget for your trip:
Bonus Tip: Seek out at least one fresh Pastel de Nata to try, however not from the grocery store
Make sure you seek out a Pastel de Nata (Portuguese custard tart) during your visit. These little tarts are a deliciously creamy accompaniment to your morning coffee, afternoon coffee, or any excuse you can think of. Although you will see them at grocery stores, those should be avoided like the plague as they are made with oil, instead of eggs and cream. The factory produced crust is also usually soggy, and chewy, instead of crunchy, and flaky. Instead, look for a Pastelaria (pastry shop) that is known for their Pastel de Natas, and makes them fresh in house.
Is Portugal Safe? Essential Safety Travel Tips for Visiting Portugal
Tip #8: Keep your valuables out of sight
Overall we found Portugal to be a safe country, but as with any country bad apples do exist, more so in the larger cities. If you have a rental car for your trip to Portugal, make sure not to leave any valuables like sunglasses, purses, and luggage visible. Especially in the big cities, and by popular tourist beaches, there are thieves that are looking for a quick smash and grab opportunity. If you make sure that there is nothing of value to see, they are more likely to move on to a more interesting target.
Tip #9: Make your wallet or purse difficult for someone to grab
Likewise when walking through the major cities like Porto, and Lisbon, you should keep your wallet in your front pocket, to make it harder for any pickpockets to grab it. If you are carrying a purse, make sure the strap goes over your neck, to prevent anyone from snatching it.
Tip #10: Leave your passport and one credit card at your hotel in a secure spot
Another good safety tip is always to leave a credit card behind in the hotel safe, along with your passports, that way if your wallet does get stolen, you can still continue to pay for your vacation.
Tip #11: Beware the pine processionary caterpillars in the early spring if you have small children or pets
If you plan to venture into the Portuguese countryside, or explore city parks, in the early spring, then you need to be aware of a very dangerous little creature that has been getting a lot of attention lately, for trying to kill a Fifty Shades of Grey actor. This creature is the processionary pine caterpillar, it gets its name because when they leave their nests at the top of pine trees they do so in a long line, nose to tail. The caterpillars are more prevalent in the south of Portugal, especially the Algarve, usually between January and April, depending on how mild the winter was. As long as you leave them alone they are harmless, unless you are a pine tree, but if you threaten them they will fire a volley of tiny hairs that act like harpoons, and will stick to your skin. Generally they are not lethal, and the best treatment is to wash the hairs off immediately with copious amounts of water, but do not try and brush them off.
Although not typically lethal to humans, they can be lethal to dogs, and if your dog is exposed you should seek out a vet immediately. If an adult or child was exposed they may require hospitalisation, depending on the severity of the exposure. If you do find yourself needing medical attention, make sure you have travel insurance. Portugal has universal healthcare for its residents, but it is not free for visitors (unless you are an EU resident with a blue health card). We currently use Genki health insurance, and have been very happy with the product.
Best Tips for Driving In Portugal – Save Money on Fuel & Avoid Fines on Your Portugal Road Trip
Tip #12: The best way to see Portugal if by driving, and luckily car rentals are very affordable
Portugal is a small enough country that you can see a lot of it in a short period of time. To do so efficiently you will definitely need to rent a car. If you are on a very tight budget, but have plenty of time, there are affordable bus services that can take you to most places in Portugal for only EUR 10-15.
If you have driven in a major North American city before, then you will not have any issues driving a car in Portugal. Portuguese drivers tend to be a bit impatient, and drive faster than you think they should, especially on windy mountain roads.
Tip #13: Intermarche grocery store gas stations usually have the cheapest fuel prices
When the fuel needle begins to get close to empty your best bet is to fill up at the Intermarche grocery store gas stations, as their prices are a lot cheaper than the competition.
Tip #14: Make sure to fill up with the correct type of fuel for your car, and check that the gas station takes credit cards beforehand
Make sure you pay attention to what you are filling up, and what fuel your rental car takes. If the sticker on the fuel lid says E10 then it requires gasoline (petrol) if it says B7 then it takes Diesel. Before filling up, make sure the gas stations accept credit cards, by looking for the Visa, and Mastercard symbols.
You will see the following words at the gas pumps:
- Gasoleo = Diesel B7
- Gasolina = Gasoline / Petrol E10
Tip #15: Sign up for Easy Toll to avoid getting a fine for accidentally taking a toll road (which is all too easy to do)
Some highways in Portugal have tolls, a lot of these toll roads have switched to an electronic system, where there are no toll booths. To avoid getting a fine for not paying a toll, you can sign up for Easy Toll. After signing up with your credit card, and rental car licence plate, your card will automatically be charged whenever you drive on a toll road.
Portugal, Your Next European Vacation
Hopefully this article has given you enough tips to help you plan a successful trip to Portugal. We came to Portugal with very little knowledge of it beforehand, and have been learning all the tips we laid out here as we travelled around the country.
To get the best experience of Portugal I would strongly recommend splitting your vacation into a city part, and a rural part. The big Portuguese cities like Lisbon, and Porto are fun places to visit, and should definitely be part of your itinerary, but to see all sides of Portugal a trip to the countryside is a must. For more tips on travelling in Portugal, you can read our other Portugal travel guide on how to plan your Portugal travel budget with a comprehensive list of travel costs.
