Portugal travel tips

Snyper564

Snyper564

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Its that time of year again - planning the annual "work" trip. This year my wife's congress is in Lisbon for three days then we pop a week onto either side and were in Portugal for around 2 weeks. Not planning on doing another country so wanna focus the time in Portugal.

Date will be last week of Aug first week of September - im aware its peak there is no way around this.,

Once again the holiday is a blank script just with three days that must be in Lisbon which can be longer.

Serbia was awesome last year and I was able to share some of my insights as it appeared it was not a well traveled country https://mybroadband.co.za/forum/threads/serbia-trip-tips.1189006/

So if any of you have absolute must sees or tips please share I will be posting my tips as I continue with my research.

At the moment from the flights perspective its around 30k return either via TAAG for 30 hours in total or emirates for 42 hours. def leaning towards TAAG at the moment.
 
@Snyper564

At this time of the year, PT crazy busy. And there are strikes at the airport, so be prepared to wait anything between 1.5-3hours in the immigration queue.

3 days is enough just to do the main sites, maybe even squeezing in Sintra for the castles.

PT is like any other old world country: castles, museums, etc. Speaking of museums, the Gubelkian is a must see. The only castle in Lisboa is Castelo de S jorge, unmissable on the hill overlooking the city. The riverside in Belem is also a great place to see, if you time it right (around 4pm I think), you can see the army parade by the war memorial monument next to the tower of Belem.

Public transport is good, but the ticketing system is very confusing. We used the bus & local train once in 2019, but have stuck to Uber/taxis since Covid.

You can walk everywhere, just beware that lots of the paving is cobblestones, and watch out for dog crap everywhere. Tuktuk sightseeing tours are very popular, we did one in Porto and it was excellent.

It's pity you don't have more time, because the real gem of PT is Porto - that is where the wine is, after all. Another lesser known region, but spectacular nonetheless, is the Aletenjo. Mainly farmlands, quite arid, lots of wineries, very scenic, a bit like our Karoo.

Most young people speak English, but not the older folks, so learn the basics like greetings, thank yous, ordering food/beer, etc.

PT food is... to put it mildly, not very interesting. Couple of things you should try though: the francesinha, and of course, pasteis de nata.
 
Naks said:
@Snyper564

At this time of the year, PT crazy busy. And there are strikes at the airport, so be prepared to wait anything between 1.5-3hours in the immigration queue.

3 days is enough just to do the main sites, maybe even squeezing in Sintra for the castles.

PT is like any other old world country: castles, museums, etc. Speaking of museums, the Gubelkian is a must see. The only castle in Lisboa is Castelo de S jorge, unmissable on the hill overlooking the city. The riverside in Belem is also a great place to see, if you time it right (around 4pm I think), you can see the army parade by the war memorial monument next to the tower of Belem.

Public transport is good, but the ticketing system is very confusing. We used the bus & local train once in 2019, but have stuck to Uber/taxis since Covid.

You can walk everywhere, just beware that lots of the paving is cobblestones, and watch out for dog crap everywhere. Tuktuk sightseeing tours are very popular, we did one in Porto and it was excellent.

It's pity you don't have more time, because the real gem of PT is Porto - that is where the wine is, after all. Another lesser known region, but spectacular nonetheless, is the Aletenjo. Mainly farmlands, quite arid, lots of wineries, very scenic, a bit like our Karoo.

Most young people speak English, but not the older folks, so learn the basics like greetings, thank yous, ordering food/beer, etc.

PT food is... to put it mildly, not very interesting. Couple of things you should try though: the francesinha, and of course, pasteis de nata.
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for this really helps set a good base to start doing proper research from.

You mention strikes? Is that a given or just something to prepare for?

So get there earlier when leaving?
 
Naks said:
@Snyper564
It's pity you don't have more time, because the real gem of PT is Porto - that is where the wine is, after all. Another lesser known region, but spectacular nonetheless, is the Aletenjo. Mainly farmlands, quite arid, lots of wineries, very scenic, a bit like our Karoo.
Click to expand...
+1 for Porto

Make sure to download offline maps for the areas you are traveling too, incase you dont have good coverage.
Take comfortable shoes for walking.
Dont bother to take forex, just swipe
 
Snyper564 said:
Thank you so much for this really helps set a good base to start doing proper research from.

You mention strikes? Is that a given or just something to prepare for?

So get there earlier when leaving?
Click to expand...
Let me put it this way: you will feel right at home in PT, because it is the Africa of Europe. It is one of the poorest countries in Europe, the public sector is almost as bad as ZA's, etc. On the plus side, the people are just like us: friendly, warm, and very welcoming.

The strikes are planned and well communicated, so you can plan accordingly. Just look at the news, etc., before your arrival/departure.

I only saw now that you actually have 2 weeks there, sorry I saw 3 days and assumed that was the whole trip.

I highly recommend that you take the train from Lisboa to Porto, book on www.cp.pt. The one to go for is the high-speed Alfa Pendular train, which goes from Santa Apolonia to Campanha in Porto. The website is not very good at showing you how the trains work and assumes that you already know which trains use which stations, so be careful when booking. First class seats are €36 pp IIRC.

I'll keep adding things as I remember
 
Naks said:
Let me put it this way: you will feel right at home in PT, because it is the Africa of Europe. It is one of the poorest countries in Europe, the public sector is almost as bad as ZA's, etc. On the plus side, the people are just like us: friendly, warm, and very welcoming.

The strikes are planned and well communicated, so you can plan accordingly. Just look at the news, etc., before your arrival/departure.

I only saw now that you actually have 2 weeks there, sorry I saw 3 days and assumed that was the whole trip.

I highly recommend that you take the train from Lisboa to Porto, book on www.cp.pt. The one to go for is the high-speed Alfa Pendular train, which goes from Santa Apolonia to Campanha in Porto. The website is not very good at showing you how the trains work and assumes that you already know which trains use which stations, so be careful when booking. First class seats are €36 pp IIRC.

I'll keep adding things as I remember
Click to expand...
Perfect thanks! Yeah there is 2 weeks but 3 days will be Lisbon. Minimum
 
RedViking said:
Don't care. As long as you share here how the trip was. And some nice pics.

/F5
Click to expand...
Will do, always try my best to leave a good report back to help others as well. Just like the Serbia one. There was minimal info available hope that helped others out. Still cannot belive how cheap that was.
 
Sintra - old palace
Alcobaca - old Monestery
Braga - walking calendar, grounds and Cathedral
Bom Jesus - Giant Jesus Statue in Lisbon
Batalha - medieval cathedral, massive carvings
Coinimbriga - Roman ruins 1100AD
Little Portugal - Lovely "minis" town
Sera de Estrela - highest mountain in Portugal , observatory
Figuira des Vinhos - Riveria and wine farms
Evora - monastery and catacombs with Chapel of Bones
Not sure of name but there are some beautiful natural caves, both on the coast and inland underground.
Valencia- castle on the shore of the northern river border , faces a similar castle on the spannish side with cannons mounted
Hobidos - Castle turned tourist attraction
Naval/army museum - really sonething to see in Lisbon, old ships, armour and cannon
 
Kosmik said:
Portugal is SMALL. 230kms wide by 900 long I think, don't just limit yourself to cities.
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Def won't I have rented cars and took trains busses etc before so don't mind doing smaller places
 
PT food is not interesting , lol.

Steak and chips with Egg
Pork Espetada
Grilled Chicken of course.
Lulas or Lulas com tinte ( squid legs or squid legs with ink )
Bacalhoa ( salted cod fish, not my favourite but lots of folks love it )
Grilled Sardines by the river ( Saldinhas )
Latoa ( roasted suckling pig )
Chorizo
Grou ( chickpeas as a accompaniment like starch )
Presunto ( ham )
Marmalada ( fig marmalade so thick you slice it )
Papseks ( Portuguese bread rolls )
Breads, sour dough not commercial

Portugal is a poor country and the food is rich from that. Don't look for fancy cuisine, you want the rustic stuff.

Bonus coffee

Cafe e aqua quent - Expresso with a firewater chaser
Gallao - Late on steroids

Wines and beers
 
In the small towns, hit the markets.

Fresh produce like strawberries and cherries are dirt cheap in.

Cheeses are great, try the goat cheeses. Hard and soft, various flavors.

Textiles and linen. Portuguese embroidery and detail is phenominal.

Ceramics - hand painted, designs and intricacies, look for ceramic factory or markets.
 
Snyper564 said:
Will do, always try my best to leave a good report back to help others as well. Just like the Serbia one. There was minimal info available hope that helped others out. Still cannot belive how cheap that was.
Click to expand...
Well, all I'll ever have is what is shared on here. Unless your wife fancy me as well.
 
RedViking said:
Don't care. As long as you share here how the trip was. And some nice pics.

/F5
Click to expand...
Agreed.

From a personal side I dunno if you're a car guy but perhaps hit us up with spots ie. some sweet Euroland cabbies. @Snyper564

If you have zero interest I fully understand as well.

Oh yes please add travel costings (in ZAR) if possible, the big ticket items.
 
Kosmik said:
PT food is not interesting , lol.
...
Portugal is a poor country and the food is rich from that. Don't look for fancy cuisine, you want the rustic stuff.
Click to expand...

Boet, I didn't say the food wasn't good. It's just not interesting/bland/uninspiring compared to other cuisines.

Two countries over, you have the gastronomic world leaders, Italy & France. We're not even going to go to the real exciting cuisines, like Sri Lankan, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Malaysian, Indonesian, etc.

If you are going to try and argue that PT food is interesting compared to those, well...

Having said that, we've never had bad food in PT. Steaks were always good, and as you mentioned, hams & cheeses are fantastic. The wines are on par with ZA wines.

But if you are a foodie, you will be disappointed, unless you go to the fancy/expensive restaurants, like Cantinho do Avilez, Cafeina, Chama, etc.

Anyway, back on the trip for @Snyper564: in 2019 we hired a car and drove from Lisboa to Porto, stopping at the Obidos Castle, Batalha Monastery, and Aveiro:
1684008792059.png

Last year we drove from Porto to Evora and then to the Algarve via the back roads, stopping in Evora for the Chapel of Bones/Roman Temple/Cathedral. Once in the Algarve we saw other sites like the Roman ruins in Milreu, Paderne Castle, etc.

When we go back in July/August, we will be doing another road trip: from Porto, we are going to the Serra da Estrela Nature Park for two nights at Casa de São Lourenço. Then onto Elvas, to see the major sites: Forte de Nossa Senhora da Graca, Castelo de Elvas, Elvas City Wall, Military Museum, and the Forte de Santa Luiza.

Then onto São Lourenço do Barrocal for three nights, to explore Monzaraz. Finally we head to Herdade da Malhadinha Nova for three nights for a wine experience. We might stop somewhere along the coast on the way back to Porto after that, but undecided yet.

Portugal is a very small country, so you can do lots driving around . While the highways are in great condition, I prefer to take the country roads.
 
FiestaST said:
Agreed.
From a personal side I dunno if you're a car guy but perhaps hit us up with spots ie. some sweet Euroland cabbies. @Snyper564
If you have zero interest I fully understand as well.
Oh yes please add travel costings (in ZAR) if possible, the big ticket items.
Click to expand...

Loads of Porsches in Porto, very few landys. Worse thing I've ever seen was what looked like a gold-plated 458.
 
FiestaST said:
Agreed.

From a personal side I dunno if you're a car guy but perhaps hit us up with spots ie. some sweet Euroland cabbies. @Snyper564

If you have zero interest I fully understand as well.

Oh yes please add travel costings (in ZAR) if possible, the big ticket items.
Click to expand...
Not much of a car guy but I'll have a look if there is time.

At the moment. The flights look like 30k return for two ppl via taag. That's the first big ticket items for now that I know costing of.
 
Naks said:
Loads of Porsches in Porto, very few landys. Worse thing I've ever seen was what looked like a gold-plated 458.
Click to expand...

just remembered, was overtaken by a kermit green Mercedes AMG GTR on the highway last year, I heard it before I saw it :ROFL:

we live on the main road on the Douro river in Porto, people like to cruise on this road at sunset, will try and take some pics next time we're there:
20220821_191620.jpg
 
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