Destinations
The biggest attractions of Portugal are spectacular football, excellent beach holidays and delicious cuisine with aromatic wines. Lisbon sights and ancient castles, diving and resorts in the Lisbon Riviera, the Algarve and Madeira are all about Portugal.
Portugal is a country for experienced hedonists. Wandering the cozy streets of its cities, you can seem for a moment that you are somewhere in Spain or southern France. With only one fundamental difference: there are almost no ubiquitous galloping tourists in Europe, this place is more for wealthy travelers who prefer a special, upscale vacation. Here they value traditions, honor the rich historical heritage, they are able to enjoy life and comfort.
Breathing in the scent of oranges and eucalyptus, strolling along the waterfronts, enjoying wine while listening to the sad songs of fad in colorful cafes, one can come to a closer look at true Europe – one that is too proud and beautiful to participate in tourist races.
Portugal is dominated by high-end hotels. Most of them work on the basis of breakfast, half board is rare, there is no all-inclusive system. This is because the country has a very tasty and varied cuisine: tourists prefer to try everything in different places rather than eating at a hotel buffet.
The best hotels are old pousadas, which are 4-5 stars. Historic “backstories” are old castles and fortresses, reconstructed and transformed into luxurious hotels (about 50 of them in total). Staying in them is considered prestigious. There are also regional “behinds”, which are estates or houses built in the typical architectural style of the area. Guests are served mainly local cuisine.
Portugal has housing for budget tourists as well. For example, local hostels are considered to be one of the best in Europe: they regularly lead the way in prestigious world rankings and delight guests with hospitality, cleanliness and high quality of service. Bed in a Dormitory in Lisbon, Porto or Algarve – from 16 EUR per night. Rates in capital hotels 2* – from 55 EUR, in hotels of higher class – from 65 EUR per day.
The mains voltage is 220 V, 50 Hz, standard European outlets.
Portuguese cuisine pleases small and diverse dishes of meat, fish and vegetables, but fish cooking is its main focus. Chefs are known for more than 300 ways to prepare cod, they can cook many dishes of sardines, mackerel, perch and trout.
We recommend to taste a cataplane – a hearty puff of meat, fish or seafood served directly in a frying pan. The most famous is the green caldo verde soup of cabbage, onion, potato and sausage. Meat-eaters will like an assortment, the secret of which is a strictly verified sequence of adding different types of meat when cooking and stewed with prawns or turtles. Local fast food – francesine sandwiches: toast with sausage, ham and meat (at the same time!), topped with sauce and melted cheese. The best dessert is pasta, appetizing with cinnamon and powdered sugar.
The most amazing Portuguese delicacy – “persebesh”: those who are not deterred by its appearance (reminiscent of a hoof) and the price (to get it from the seabed is dangerous enough), waiting for acquaintance with anything of comparable taste.
Madeira cuisine differs from continental with even greater abundance of fish and seafood, as well as the wide use of fruits and local spices. The most famous delicacy is the swordfish, which is cooked in dozens of ways.
Pregnant women are not recommended to eat swordfish dishes.
Portuguese wines are famous throughout the world for their exquisite taste. The country produces a huge amount of red, white and “green”, reminiscent of champagne, wines. “Green” wines have earned their name not through color, but through age. These are young dry wines made in the northern province of Minho. An exquisite drink with light acidity and bubbles perfectly quenches thirst and is suitable for many dishes. And port wine is a business card of Portugal: white is drunk as an aperitif, and red is a dessert.
Traditional lunch time is from 12:00 to 15:00. Algarve is open in the summer almost 24 hours a day. In small, cheap restaurants are fed no less delicious than expensive ones.
Tips in Portugal do not have official status, but 10% of the bill is forbidden to leave in a restaurant, taxi or cafe.
Materials from the site: tonkosti.ru
There are four types of buses in Portugal: expressos, localas (rapidas), so-called carreiras, marked with a CR sign (they stop at each intersection), and luxury alta qualidade cars. The Lisbon – Faro ticket on the express bus will cost around 17-35 EUR (4 hours). The Lisbon – Porto bus takes 3.5 hours, and it costs 19-29 EUR. By the way, in the high season it is better to book your tickets in advance. Local route rates are available, especially in summer. Discounts for passengers under 26 are often provided.
The railway connects Lisbon with the south of Portugal. Trains take longer than express buses, but they are cheaper. Trains are regional, stop often, fairly fast interregional and express trains. You can find out the schedule and cost of tickets on the railways website.
A well-developed, well-organized transport network allows you to move comfortably within Portuguese cities. In almost all settlements there are buses, the fare is 1.40 EUR (if to buy in on a bus – 1.80 EUR). There are night routes to Lisbon.
The capital and Porto have subways: the first consists of 4 lines and runs from 6:00 to 1:00, the second – with 6 lines and closes at 1:30. You can pay only with plastic cards, one trip to the capital’s subway costs 1,40 EUR, in Porto – from 1,30 EUR depending on the area. The cost of daily bus and metro travel in Lisbon is EUR 6.30, there is also a Zapping card for EUR 1.30, which can be replenished for any amount from EUR 3 to EUR 40. In Porto, the ticket for all kind of transport will cost 15 EUR for 24 hours and 26 EUR for 48 hours. The points of sale are located at railway and metro stations.
Another popular form of transportation in big cities is the tram. In Lisbon there are both modern trams (route 15, which goes to the Belem area), as well as charming old carriages that take tourists to the sights. The most famous is the route number 28, which runs along the main excursion points. The cost of the trip – 2,90 EUR. It will bring pleasure and a trip in the retro tram on the streets of Porto (tickets – 2,50 EUR). An alternative to the tram can be a double-decker excursion bus: a one-day stroll around the capital costs from 20 EUR, from Porto – from 10 EUR. There are audio guides on board in 7 languages, you can enter and leave at any stop.
It is easy to rent a car in Portugal. To do this, you must have at least one year of driving experience, be at least 21 years old (25 years in some companies) and present a credit card or deposit (in most companies).
Traffic is right-sided in the country, the average quality of highways is often lacking in marking, and road signs can be misleading. Recently, many new high-quality highways have been built (tolls are paid). In most resorts, parking is free, but in major cities, especially Lisbon and Porto, and Madeira, historical sites are paid daily during the weekdays.
Option for the most athletic – bicycle rent: the day of the ride will cost from 20 EUR, there are rental locations in all major cities. Here only forces should be calculated soberly: in the Portuguese streets there are steep turns, sharp ups and downs.
Portuguese taxis – black and green or beige, equipped with indicators (green signal means “busy”) and meters. The average starting rate is EUR 3.90, for each km it is EUR 0.56. Country trips are paid not by the meter, but by the mileage (the cost includes a return trip to the city). To catch a taxi on the street is futile: you will have to look for a parking lot or call a car by phone (plus EUR 0.80 to the transfer fee). A trip to Lisbon costs an average of 15-20 EUR, delivery to the airport – 25 EUR. At night, prices are increased by 20%, it is good to leave a tip of 10%.
Amadora (8.68km)
Setúbal (31.01km)
Queluz (10.70km)
Cacém (14.64km)
Euro, €
ESP
1.31 €
8 €
+351
light rain
min.12.27 ℃ avg.14.87 ℃ max.15.99 ℃light rain
min.11.36 ℃ avg.16.28 ℃ max.16.75 ℃light rain
min.9.81 ℃ avg.15.91 ℃ max.16.79 ℃clear sky
min.11.15 ℃ avg.17.13 ℃ max.17.13 ℃light rain
min.13.61 ℃ avg.18.29 ℃ max.18.64 ℃light rain
min.11.19 ℃ avg.15.53 ℃ max.15.99 ℃light rain
min.10.53 ℃ avg.15.39 ℃ max.16.37 ℃light rain
min.11.67 ℃ avg.17.02 ℃ max.17.79 ℃
