50+ Must-Know Travel Tips for Portugal: What I Wish I Knew Before My First Trip

🚆 Transportation and Getting Around

🛂 Airport & Arrival Tips

• Lisbon Airport (LIS) is very busy — plan extra time, especially for departures.
• Passport control can take up to 1+ hour depending on the time of day.
• Upon departure, pay €11 to book Lisbon Airport Security Fast Track (we did and it was worth skipping the line)
• If you're arriving early, most hotels will store your luggage until check-in.

Arrival Tip:

Airbnbs usually do not have the ability to store luggage, so if you're arriving in the morning, consider booking a hotel for your first night or leg of the trip.

Lisbon Public Transit

You can now tap your credit card, Apple Pay, or Google Wallet to pay for:

• Metro
• Trams
• Buses
• Local trains

No need for a special transit card anymore. A single ride is just under €2.

Rideshare Tips

• Uber is widely available and affordable.
• Bolt is usually 20–30% cheaper than Uber (especially in Lisbon and Porto).
• Download Bolt before your trip and verify your number in advance.

Trains Between Cities

• Portugal’s train system is clean, reliable, and affordable.
• Only book through the official site: cp.pt
• Avoid third-party sites like Rail Ninja (they overcharge!)

🚗 Renting a Car in Portugal

We rented a car in the Algarve, and it was one of the best decisions of our trip.

Rental Car tip:

We found the best rate and reserved on DiscoverCars.

What to Know:

• Driving is relaxed outside of cities.
• Roads are smooth, traffic is light, and scenery is stunning.
• In small towns, streets can be very narrow — just take turns and wave each other through.

Driving Tips:

• Manual cars are cheaper and more common.
• Book early if you need an automatic.
• Portuguese highways use electronic tolls — check that your rental includes a transponder.
• You don’t need an international driving permit, but it’s good to have just in case.

💳 Money, Cards & ATMs

• Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted.
• Use a card with no foreign transaction fees if possible.
• When paying or withdrawing, always choose euros — never let the machine convert to your home currency.

Cash Tips:

• Some cafes and small shops have a €5 card minimum or are cash-only.
• Always carry a little cash for:
  • Bakeries
  • Small purchases
  • Tips

Where to Withdraw:

• Use Multibanco ATMs (official, reliable, and safe).
• Avoid Euronet ATMs — they charge higher fees.
• You may need to decline the conversion twice to get the better rate.
• If you prefer to land with cash in hand, €300–€500 is plenty for 7–10 days.

📱 Phones & Data

Best Option: eSIM

• Set it up before your trip for instant access to data.
• Great for navigating from the airport, booking rides, or making reservations.
• Recommended: SAILY or Airalo

SIM Card Alternative

• Visit a Vodafone store to get a tourist SIM (physical or eSIM).
• Comes with a local number — helpful for restaurant reservations or local calls.

🍽️ Dining & Food Culture

Meal Times

• Dinner starts late: most locals eat around 8:30 or 9pm.
• Restaurants often don’t open until 7pm or later.
• Tourist-heavy restaurants are usually the ones packed at 5:30pm.

Reservations

• Highly recommended in Lisbon and Porto.
• You can:
  • Use The Fork app
  • Message restaurants via Instagram or WhatsApp
  • Call (if you have a local SIM)

Couvert: What It Is

• A small plate of bread, cheese, olives, or spreads brought to the table.
• Not free but affordable.
• If you don’t want it, just politely decline.
• Every restaurant’s couvert is different — often listed on the menu.

What the Food Is Like

• Fresh, simple, and full of flavor — not heavy on sauces.
• Even the ketchup tastes like real tomatoes.
• Each region has its own specialties. Try:
  • Cod, octopus, and sardines in Lisbon
  • Piri piri chicken in the Algarve
  • Francesinha and bifanas in Porto
  • Vinho verde up north

Wine in Portugal

• Amazing quality at incredibly low prices.
• An 8–10 euro bottle can taste like a $40 bottle back home.
• Even grocery store wine is good — seriously, we had a great 3-euro bottle.

Water at Restaurants

• Still or sparkling water will cost a few euros.
• Tap water is safe to drink, but you’ll have to ask for it.
• More common in Porto and Lisbon than in the Algarve.

🌤️ Weather and Best Times to Visit

There’s no bad time to go, but the best times are:

• March – May
• September – October

We visited in October and found:

• Great weather
• Smaller crowds (especially in the Algarve)

Avoid July, August, and early September if you’re not a fan of heat or crowds.

Instead, check out lesser-known regions like Alentejo.

🎒 Packing Tips

• Comfortable shoes are essential — think grippy soles and lots of support.
• Portugal’s sidewalks are made of beautiful but uneven calçadas (stone tiles), and cities are full of hills and stairs.

What I Packed:

• Walking shoes (New Balance, but Dr. Scholl's are great too)
• Black flats for evenings
• Reef sandals — waterproof, comfortable, and perfect for hot weather

Pro Tips:

• Skip the umbrella — buy one if it rains.
• Bring a handheld fan if visiting in summer.
• Carry-on travel is totally doable.

Bag Recommendations:

• Hard-sided: Monos Carry-On
• Soft-sided: Bric’s Spinner, Travelpro, Samsonite Lipault
• Use a sling or crossbody bag with zippers (I used the large Nomad Lane Sling — it held everything I needed!)

Watch out for pickpockets in Lisbon and Cascais. Zip everything up and stay aware in crowds.

🗺️ Planning Your Portugal Itinerary

Don’t Try to See the Whole Country

Portugal may look small, but it’s packed with places worth visiting.

• With one week:
  → Choose Lisbon + North or Lisbon + South
• For Lisbon, Porto, and the Algarve:
  → Give yourself 10+ days

We had 12 nights and stayed:

• 4 nights in Porto (view our Porto hotel)
• 4 nights in Lisbon (view our Lisbon Hotel)
• 4 nights in the Algarve (view our hotel here)

This gave us time for day trips like:

• Douro Valley from Porto
• Sintra from Lisbon

🏨 Where to Stay

We booked everything through Booking, about 2.5 months in advance.

• Expect to pay around €200/night for boutique hotels in walkable neighborhoods.

Bonus Tip:

Check Plannin.com too — it partners with Booking and sometimes has even better prices.

Use my profile to browse some of the hotels I personally recommend.

🧼 Hotel & Airbnb Expectations

• Many accommodations do not have daily housekeeping, especially Airbnbs.
• Air conditioning is not always standard — double-check when booking in summer.
• If you’re staying in a smaller town, ask your host about local restaurant hours — they vary a lot.
• Many hotels/apartment-hotels are older and don't have elevators, so you may have to walk up a few flights of stairs

Bonus Tip:

Try to book accommodations with a washer for the halfway point in your trip (or for after 4-5 days) – this makes laundry and packing so much easier!

🧭 Booking Tours and Activities

We booked a few great day trips through:

• Viator
• Get Your Guide

If there’s something you really want to do — book it early.

• Our Douro Valley wine tour was a trip highlight, and I wouldn’t risk missing it.
• Walking tours and food tours can be booked closer to your travel date.
• Cooking classes tend to sell out on rainy days — we missed out, so don’t wait too long.

🇵🇹 Cultural Tips

• Portuguese people are kind, helpful, and warm.
• Most people under 40–50 speak English in cities, but try to use a few local phrases:

Also Good to Know:

• Many restaurants close on Mondays
• Some museums and shops close Sundays or Mondays — always check hours
• Graffiti is everywhere — even in upscale neighborhoods. It’s just part of the urban texture, not a sign of danger.

💶 Tipping in Portugal

Tipping isn’t expected everywhere, but here’s what’s common:

Always tip in euros and preferably in cash.

🧠 Helpful Apps to Download Before You Go

• Bolt – rideshare (cheaper than Uber)
• The Fork – restaurant reservations and deals
• Google Translate – for menus or quick chats
• Maps.me – great offline maps for hiking or rural areas
• WhatsApp – widely used for local communication and reservations