Travel essentials

Cinemas

To an English-speaking visitor’s joy, films are almost always shown with the original soundtrack and Portuguese subtitles. Listings are in local newspapers and screenings are cheap (around €8), with reduced prices usually at matinées and on Mondays.

Costs

Portugal remains one of the EU’s least expensive destinations, and simple meals and drinks, accommodation and public transport are all still pretty good value. Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve are inevitably the most expensive places to visit, but even here you’ll get a better deal on most things than in many other European countries.

As far as a daily budget goes, if you always share a room in the cheapest pensions or hotels, use public transport and stick to inexpensive restaurants you could have a reasonable time on somewhere between €60 and €70 a day. Stay and eat in fancier places in the main cities and you’re looking at more like €100 a day, though if you’re holidaying in five-star beach resorts or city boutique hotels this figure won’t even cover your room.

Most museums, galleries and attractions are fairly inexpensive (and some are free on a certain day of the week), but even so it pays to take along any student/youth discount cards you may be entitled to, such as the Euro 26 card (wwww.euro26.org; also available in Portugal at post offices, youth hostels, and at branches of the Caixa Geral de Depósitos bank – ask for a Cartão Jovem). Children usually get a discount on entry fees to museums. Senior travellers in Portugal are also entitled to discounts at most museums (it’s always worth showing your senior citizen’s card or ID), as well as on trains and at the country’s pousadas.

Crime and personal safety

By European standards, Portugal is a remarkably crime-free country – people really do still leave their cars and house doors unlocked in the country. However, there’s the usual petty theft in the cities and larger tourist resorts, particularly in the form of pickpockets on public transport and in bus and train stations. Best advice is not to carry too much cash or valuables, and leave your passport in the hotel safe where possible. Drivers should never leave anything visible in the car (preferably, don’t leave anything in the car at all). Violence directed at tourists is rare – if you are threatened, hand over your valuables and run. In an emergency, dial t112 for the police or an ambulance.

There are two main police forces: the metropolitan Polícia de Segurança Pública (PSP) and the more rural Guarda Nacional Repúblicana (GNR). Either handles incidents involving tourists. Most police officers in the Algarve speak some English, but elsewhere you can’t count on it, and since tourists can usually muster only a few basic words of Portuguese, confusion can easily arise. To this end, showing deference is wise: the Portuguese still hold respect dear, and the more respect you show a figure in authority, the quicker you’ll be on your way.

Portugal is rarely a dangerous place for women travellers and you only need to be particularly wary in parts of Lisbon at night (around Cais do Sodré, at the top end of Avenida da Liberdade, on the metro and on the Cais do Sodré–Cascais train line), in the darker alleys near the river in Porto, and in streets immediately around train stations in the larger towns (traditionally red-light districts). If you are on your own or feel uncomfortable anywhere, you should be able to get around at night by taxi. On the whole, though, the country is formal to the point of prudishness.

Electricity

Mains voltage is 220V, which works fine with equipment intended for 240V. Plugs are the European two round pin variety; adaptors are sold at airports, supermarkets and hardware stores.

Entry requirements

EU citizens need only a valid passport or identity card to enter Portugal, and can stay indefinitely. Citizens of Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand do not need a visa for stays of up to ninety days. Most other nationals (including South Africans) will have to apply for a visa from a Portuguese embassy or consulate before departure. Entry conditions can change, however, so it’s advisable to check the current situation before leaving home.

If necessary, an extension to your stay can be arranged once you’re in the country. Extensions are issued by the nearest District Police headquarters or the Foreigner’s Registration Service – Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (wwww.sef.pt) – which has offices in most major tourist centres. You should apply at least a week before your time runs out and be prepared to prove that you can support yourself without working. Extended-stay and work visas are also available from Portuguese embassies or consulates in your own country.

For most EU citizens, their passport or ID is sufficient to allow them to stay indefinitely as employees, self-employed or students. However, you will need to register with various agencies if you are staying in Portugal, to access health care etc, and will require a numero de contribuinte (social security number) to do just about anything else, from opening a bank account to settling an electricity bill.

Gay and lesbian travellers

Though traditionally a conservative society, Portugal has become increasingly tolerant of homosexuality, at least in the cities and in the Algarve. In more rural areas, however, old prejudices are ingrained and coming out is still a problem for many. As there is no mention of homosexuality in law, gays have the same rights as heterosexuals by default and the legal age of consent is 16. The best contact is the Associação ILGA Portugal (wwww.ilga-portugal.pt; English information available), which operates the Centro LGBT (Rua de São Lázaro 88, Lisbon; t218 873 918, closed Sun–Tues), an information centre and helpline, which organizes the country’s annual Pride festival. The biggest scene is in Lisbon, which has a number of gay bars and clubs.

Health

The European Health Insurance Card (wwww.ehic.org.uk) gives EU citizens access to Portuguese state public-health services under reciprocal agreements – show it and your passport at a health centre or hospital for treatment. While this will provide free or reduced-cost medical care in the event of minor injuries and emergencies, it won’t cover every eventuality – and it only applies to EU citizens in possession of the card – so travel insurance is also essential.

Tap water is generally safe to drink, although most Portuguese prefer bottled water. Otherwise, just use common sense: wash and peel fruit and vegetables, and avoid eating snacks that appear to have been sitting in display cabinets for too long. Mosquitoes can be a menace in the summer, but mosquito-repellent lotion and coils are widely sold in supermarkets and pharmacies. Use a high-factor sun block as the sun is extremely powerful.

For minor complaints go to a farmácia (pharmacy); most have a green neon cross outside. There’s one in virtually every village and English is often spoken. Pharmacists are highly trained and can dispense drugs that would be prescription-only in Britain or North America. Opening hours are usually Monday to Friday 9am to 1pm and 3 to 7pm, Saturday 9am to 1pm. Local papers carry information about 24-hour or night-time pharmacies (farmácias de serviço) and the details are also posted on every pharmacy door.

In an emergency dial t112. Treatment is at the local Centro da Saúde (Health Centre) or hospital, and somebody usually speaks at least some English. Contact details of other English-speaking doctors can be obtained from British or American consular offices or, with luck, from the local tourist office or a major hotel. Basic treatment is free for EU citizens with the EHIC card, though you’ll have to pay for X-rays, lab tests and the like; otherwise you’ll be charged for everything and will have to claim it back from your insurance, so get receipts.

Insurance

You should take out a comprehensive travel insurance policy before travelling to Portugal, to cover against loss, theft and illness or injury. A typical policy will provide cover for the loss of baggage, tickets and – up to a certain limit – cash or cheques, as well as cancellation or curtailment of your journey. Most policies exclude so-called dangerous sports unless an extra premium is paid: in Portugal this can mean most watersports and scuba diving are excluded, though probably not things like hiking or bike tours.

If you need to make a claim, you should keep receipts for medicines and medical treatment, and in the event you have anything stolen, you must obtain an official statement from the police (a formulário de participação de roubo).

Internet

The government has invested a lot in communications technology and Portugal is surprisingly switched-on and wired-up (or, indeed, wireless) for a place of its size. Internet cafés can be found in most towns and resorts, charging from around €1.50 per hour (though it can cost two or three times as much). You can also get online at larger post offices (access by credit card or by buying a prepaid net card), while free municipal internet places (called Espaços Internet; locations on wwww.espacosinternet.pt) are widespread, even in very small towns. You can generally also find a PC to use in libraries, youth centres, hostels and many hotels (though hotel bedrooms wired for access tend to be more expensive than going out on the street to an internet place). Wireless access is available in bars, shopping malls, town squares and other public “hot spots”, though sometimes you need to sign up and pay for an hour’s or day’s use. If you take your own laptop make sure you’ve got insurance cover and all the relevant adaptors for recharging.

Laundry

Small pensions don’t really like you doing your laundry in your room – to avoid an incident, it might be better to ask first if there’s somewhere you can wash your clothes. Hotels generally have a laundry service, but it’s usually pretty expensive. It’s far better to take your clothes to the local lavandaria, where you can get them washed, dried and even ironed at a very reasonable cost – you may have to come back the next day to pick them up. They usually charge by weight – a bag full of clothes shouldn’t cost more than €7 or €8.

Mail

Post offices (correios; wwww.ctt.pt) are normally open Monday to Friday 8.30am to 6pm, the smaller ones closing for lunch. Larger branches sometimes open on Saturday mornings, while the main Lisbon and Porto offices have longer hours. There’s an office-finder on the website which gives exact hours and contact details for every post office in Portugal. However, it’s often quicker to buy stamps (selos) from coin-operated vending machines in streets or inside the offices, or from newsagents. Letters or cards should take three or four days to arrive at destinations in Europe, and seven to ten days elsewhere. Correio azul is the equivalent of airmail or first-class, and theoretically (but not always in practice) takes two or three days to Europe, five elsewhere.

Maps

The best available country maps are Michelin’s Portugal (1:400,000) and the waterproof and untearable Rough Guide Map: Portugal (1:350,000). There are also three regional Michelin maps (north, centre and south) at 1:300,000, and a Rough Guide Map: The Algarve (1:100,000). Rough Guides also produces a map of Lisbon (marked with shops, bars, hotels and restaurants, local transport routes and the surrounding area), while Michelin’s Lisboa Planta Roteiro is the nearest to an A–Z of the city. A good bookshop or travel store in your own country should be able to provide any of these maps, or buy online from specialist stores such as wwww.stanfords.co.uk or wwww.randmcnally.com. Tourist offices and car rental outlets in Portugal can also usually provide you with a reasonable road map, while other maps and more detailed regional plans can be bought at motorway service stations and town and city bookshops.

For walking and hiking, the only serious choices are the 1:25,000 topographic sheets (the so-called “Série M888”) produced by the Instituto Geográfico do Exército (wwww.igeoe.pt). These cover the entire country, though many haven’t been updated for years. Even so, they are the best you’ll get, and you can order them online from the Institute, or buy them at selected bookshops in Portugal, including Porto (Porto Editora, Pr Dona Filipa de Lencastre 42) and Faro (Livraria Simões, Rua do Alportel 86) plus other outlets listed on the website.

Money

Portugal’s currency is the euro (€), and notes are issued in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 euros, and coins in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and 1 and 2 euros. Up-to-the-minute currency exchange rates are displayed at wwww.xe.com.

You’ll find a bank (banco) or savings bank/building society (caixa) in all but the smallest towns. The major banks are Atlântico, Banco Espírito Santo, BPI and Millennium (BCP); the main caixa is Caixa Geral de Depósitos. Standard opening hours are Monday to Friday 8.30am to 3pm, remaining open at lunchtimes when everything else is closed. In Lisbon and larger Algarve resorts, some banks also open in the evening, while others have installed automatic currency exchange machines. Exchange bureaux (câmbios), which you’ll find in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve, tend to have longer working hours, closing on weekdays at around 6pm, and also open on Saturdays.

By far the easiest way to get money is to use your bank debit card to withdraw cash from an ATM (known as a Multibanco), found in even the smallest towns, as well as on arrival at the airports. You can usually withdraw up to €200 a day and instructions are available in English. Make sure you have a PIN that’s designed to work overseas, and take a note of your bank’s emergency contact number in case the machine swallows your card. Some European debit cards can also be used directly in shops, petrol stations etc, to pay for purchases; you’ll need to check first with your bank.

All major credit cards are accepted in hotels, restaurants and shops, and for tours, tickets and transport, though don’t count on being able to use them in many small hotels, family businesses and rural areas.

Opening hours

Shops and businesses generally open from 9/9.30am until 12.30/1pm and 2.30/3pm until 6/7pm. Most also open on Saturday mornings, especially in towns and cities. Larger shopping centres and malls stay open seven days a week, often until 10pm. Restaurants tend to close one day a week, often Sunday or Monday.

Museums, churches and monuments usually open from 10am to 12.30pm and 2/2.30pm to 6pm, though the larger ones stay open through lunchtime. Almost all museums and monuments, however, are closed on Mondays (or Wednesdays for palaces), as well as on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Good Friday and other public holidays. Some opening hours are seasonal, and usually in Portugal “summer” means from Easter until September and “winter” from October until Easter.

Phones

All Portuguese phone numbers have nine digits. Landlines start with a 2, mobiles with a 9. Numbers starting with 800 are free; 808 are local-rate calls. To call Portugal from abroad, dial your country’s international access number + 351 (country code) + nine-digit number. You can search for national phone numbers and addresses for free online at wwww.pai.pt or wwww.1820.pt.

The cheapest way of making a call from a public telephone is with a telephone card (carta telefónico), available from post offices, newsagents, supermarkets and kiosks. The national operator is Portugal Telecom (wwww.ptcom.pt), which issues its own cards for national and international use (various types and denominations, from €5), though cards are also issued by several competitors. Avoid making any calls from hotel phones, which always have very high charges. Calling home from Portugal, dial t00 (Portugal’s international access code) + your country code + city/area code minus initial zero + number. For reverse-charge calls, dial the international operator t171; international directory enquiries is on t177.

Portugal has one of the highest densities of mobile phone (telemóvel) ownership in the world. Most European mobile phones will work in Portugal, but even though prices are coming down it’s expensive to use your own mobile extensively while abroad. You could always simply buy a local SIM card for your mobile, though this depends on the model and service provider – Vodafone has shops all over Portugal, for example, including at Lisbon airport. Or, if you’re coming for more than a couple of weeks, you could even buy a phone in Portugal – basic pay-as-you-talk models cost as little as €30.

Public holidays

On national public holidays almost everything is closed and transport services are much reduced. Most museums and galleries also close for the day, though other tourist facilities – restaurants, souvenir shops and the like – tend to stay open. There are also endless local festivals, saints’ days and holidays when entire villages, towns, cities and regions grind to a halt: for example, June 13 in Lisbon and June 24 in Porto.

Taxes

Value added tax (known as IVA) is twenty percent for most goods and services, though it’s nearly always included in advertised prices. You might find it charged separately in some hotels or car rental outfits, for example. Non-EU residents can claim back the sales tax on purchases that come to over €60. You need to ask the shop for a declaration and then present this to customs at the airport before you fly home.

Time

Portugal is in the same time zone as the UK, following GMT in winter. Clocks go forward an hour at the end of March and back an hour at the end of October. If you’re coming from France or Spain, turn your watch back one hour.

Toilets

Public toilets are neither numerous nor obvious, though a number of cities have installed coin-operated automated toilets. You can generally use the toilets in cafés, though you’ll have to order something first and sometimes ask for the key. The “facilities” in some places may leave you dazed, though on the whole there’s been a significant upgrade in recent years – whoever has the contract for installing automatic light and flush facilities in Portugal is on a roll. A sign reading Lavábos or WC will head you in the right direction, then it’s homens or cavalheiros for men and senhoras or mulheres for women.

Tourist information

The Portuguese national tourist board, Turismo de Portugal (wwww.visitportugal.com), is a good source of information when planning your trip, while in Portugal itself you’ll find a tourist office in almost every town. Regional offices offer a broad-brush approach to the region they represent, and some also have useful websites such as wwww.turismodocentro.pt (Coimbra and central Portugal), wwww.visitportoandnorth.com (Porto and the north) and wwww.rt-planiciedourada.pt and wwww.rtsm.pt (both Alentejo).

Generally more useful to visitors are the local or municipal turismos, which at least should be able to supply a town map or accommodation information. However, the service available varies wildly from place to place. English is only routinely spoken in offices in the larger towns and resorts, and, while some offices are extremely helpful and professional, others treat your visit almost as an intrusion. Often, the best you’ll get is a fistful of brochures and directions to the bus station/museum/ferry office where you’ll have to ask all over again.

Other useful sources of information are the websites wwww.ipmuseus.pt (Museums Institute) and wwww.portaldacultura.gov.pt (Ministry of Culture’s site, with arts and festival calendar).

Travellers with disabilities

Portugal is slowly coming to terms with the needs of travellers with disabilities, but you should not expect much in the way of special facilities. However, people are generally ready to help and will go out of their way to make your visit as straightforward as possible.

Lisbon, Porto and Faro airports have ramps, lifts and adapted toilets. You’ll also find ramped access to some museums and public buildings, while adapted WCs can be found at some train stations and major shopping centres. It’s worth bearing in mind that many pensões and residenciais are located on the first floor and up and don’t have lifts. However, most four- and five-star hotels have lifts, ramps and specially adapted bedrooms and bathrooms, while many manor houses and farmhouses have guest rooms on the ground floor.

At train stations, wheelchair access is usually possible as far as the platform, but getting from the platform on to the train can be difficult. Parts of Lisbon’s metro system are also problematic, though Porto’s newer system is generally more accessible. Self-drive vehicles with automatic gearshifts are available from the larger car rental companies, and there are reserved disabled parking spaces across the country (though they are not always respected).

Portugal’s old town centres – specifically their steps and cobblestone alleys – pose their own problems. However, a number of attractive medieval towns and villages have been rehabilitated as part of central Portugal’s Aldeias Históricas scheme, which has also meant the construction of some smooth wheelchair-accessible pathways alongside the cobbles.

Some organizations at home may be able to advise you further about travel to Portugal, such as the UK-based Holiday Care (wwww.holidaycare.org.uk) which publishes an information pack about holidaying in Portugal, or Access Travel (wwww.access-travel.co.uk), a small tour operator offering Algarve accommodation suitable for the disabled. In Portugal, Accessible Portugal (wwww.accessibleportugal.com) is a specialist in wheelchair and disabled holidays and offers city breaks, tours, accommodation and transfers. The government organization promoting awareness of, and help for, the disabled is the Instituto Nacional Para a Reabilitação (wwww.inr.pt) – the website is full of relevant information but it’s all in Portuguese.

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