– Introduction to Portugal | Planning a trip to Portugal
Portugal, the first real global empire, and the location of one of the most famous beach destinations in the world in the Algarve, is a country that is often overlooked instead of it’s larger neighbour on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain. Once one of Europe’s poorest countries, it has since increased its stature since its addition to the EU. Here are some tips if you planning a trip to Portugal.
In Portugal you will see remnants of lots of different civilizations and cultures, from monasteries and castles, to Roman ruins and temples, as Portugal has impressions from Celts, Romans, Visigoths, Moors, and Christian civilizations.
It’s famous for its southern coast, in the Algarve, where you will find long sandy beaches, and a coastline dotted with cliffs and caves. However you can also hike in the mountains or drive through the historical villages in the Beiras.
For golfers it’s a major travel destination with a lot of stunning courses in the country. Surfers visit the country as it has some of the best surfing beaches in Europe.
The climate is Mediterranean with temperatures that average 25°C in the summers and 12°C in the winters.
– What can you expect from Portugal?
A lengthy history being one of the founders of exploration, miles of beaches surrounded by cliffs with many caves to the south in the Algarve, and lots of castles, monasteries, and palaces to explore and learn about Portugal’s past.
For our gallery of Portugal please click here.
– How we got to Portugal
As we were traveling to the Algarve, the best way for us to get there was by first arriving in Lisbon and then taking the national carrier TAP to Faro airport. This is a small but busy airport due all the tourists that enter the region.
Portugal comes under the Schengen agreement so if you have a visa for Europe you can travel here.
For visa information please click here;
https://www.schengenvisainfo.com
– Map of Portugal & places we were
Places we visited;
- Alvor – Where we were based for the skydiving
- Lagos – One of the locations you can take a kayak tour of the coast
- Portimao – Benagil Cave and a good place to take a boat trip to the other caves on the coast
– Where to stay
There are many places to stay in Portugal as it is a popular tourist destination. These range from hotels to hostels, and serviced apartments are also available for rent.
If you prefer campsites these are available too. You will see many people traveling with camper vans in the country and stopping off at campsites for the night.
Camping in the wild is not allowed, but staying in a campervan outside of camping grounds is ok. Campervans can be hired from some companies in Portugal.
– Car hire
Car hire in Portugal is not a problem. The roads are good and all major towns and cities are served well. On the motorways there are quite a lot of tolls, and its advisable to ask the car hire company to rent you a toll tag as otherwise the cost can really add up going through these.
In the Algarve region the manner of driving is good as you will encounter a lot of other tourist drivers, but in the larger cities it can be quite unnerving. It can even sometimes be dangerous.
Petrol stations are available all over the country and when on the motorways you will often see signs telling you how far to the various upcoming petrol stations.
– Activities and sights
The following items are some of the things that are recommended to see and do when planning a trip to Portugal;
- Surf in what is considered the surfing capital of Europe
- Play some of Europe’s finest golf courses
- View the Algarve from 15,000 feet in a skydive
- Kayak through the caves and along the cliffs on the coastline
- Get lost in Lisbon’s Alfama District
- Visit the fairytale setting of Sintra
- Walk the nature trail in Parque Natural da Ria Formosa
- See the medieval town of Evora
- Sample the wine in Alto Douro wine country
- Stand on Cabo de Sao Vicente and see where the Portuguese explorers sailed past in bygone days
- Visit the picturesque and historical villages in the Beiras
- Stroll around Portugal’s second city Porto
- See one of Europe’s oldest universities in Coimbra
- Shop in the market in Barcelos Market
Although the majority of our trip to Portugal was for skydiving, we did see some other places and took some tours on the coast. For information on these please see our post in the Skydiving and Sightseeing categories;
https://www.breakingbarriers.online/5-best-ways-to-see-the-beautiful-algarve-caves/
https://www.breakingbarriers.online/learning-to-skydive-in-skydive-algarve-portugal/
– Food and drink
Being a country with a large coastline, one of the main dishes in Portugal is seafood. These are mainly with salted cod or sardines. In the tourist areas all manners of food are available and there are lots of restaurants around which can cater to your needs. It’s good to know what to try when planning a trip to Portugal.
Foods to try
– Salted cod which is cooked in many different ways.
– Sardines are one of Portugal’s most popular seafoods.
– Pasteis de Nata is a custard filled pastry topped with sugar powder and cinnamon.
– Bifana is a bread roll with a slice of pork inside.
– Francesinha is an open sandwich covered in melted cheese.
– Travesseira is a puff pastry filled with almond and custard mostly found in Sintra.
Drinks to try
– Portugal wines are often drank with meals and are popular throughout the country, especially the red wines, and a variation of white called Vinho Verde which is actually green.
– Port which is a fortified wine and is taken as an aperitif or is offered just after a meal by some restaurants.
– For the beer drinkers, Sagres and Super Bock are the most popular.
– Additional information
Plugs and electricity: The common plug used is the 2 pin European plug. It’s advisable to get an adapter before traveling because some places will not have them available to loan to you.
Vaccines: There are no vaccine checks at the border but it is recommended to have your Hep A, Hep B, and Rabies vaccines still in date before traveling.
COVID: For information on any restrictions or other information please click here.
Currency: The currency is the Euro (€) like the majority of the countries in Europe. For current conversion rates check http://www.xe.com/ before you go. You can find ATM machines throughout Portugal and most places will accept credit cards.
Language: The main language of the country is Portuguese. In the tourist areas, a lot of the people will also speak English. However, if you want to be polite then its good to learn some simple phrases like ‘please’, ‘thank you’, and some numbers just to make it easier for yourself.
Security: There is no security issues in Portugal, however, like most tourist destinations, always watch your wallet when in public.