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Portugal travel tips
- Thread starter Snyper564
- Start date
I am toying with this response as I plan the review.
BUT
Lisbon, Aveiro, Sintra IMO totally overrated tourists have to a large extent ruined these areas. Some monuments that should be a quick in and out now have a 1-3 hour wait. I didnt do them but just to give you an idea. Also some entrance fees are just crazy.
Porto, Coimbra, Duoro valley (as long as you stay in a small village and even better a quinta) well worth the trip.
Im an avid home brewer and do my best to visit local craft breweries which I did here too but to give you an idea this was an almost R250 flight 120ml x5. local beer superbock and sagres 1 euro a pint. But just to put something like this in perspective.
Now if you look at my Serbia thread. Serbia is WAAAAY underrated and one of my favorite Europe trips so far.
Serbia trip tips
That's a wrap. Sitting in the Air Serbia Premium lounge - thanks lounge key. Nice quiet and relaxed before check in. Have a 4 hour layover in Doha might update thread a bit there. TLDR. Worth the trip? 100%! @MaisonP it definitely ticked the European holiday for me, people, history...
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The shear affordability of Serbia makes it a must see in addition to its rich history, culture and amazing food and wine.
Just looking at Serbia budget was R15-R20k on experiences including food sites etc Portugal was R34-R38k. Maybe dont call this budget just what we spent over 14 days.
This excludes accommodation, car rental etc.
All I can say after a trip like this is that I know there is a lot of "bad" in SA but we are so spoilt for choice and price etc here that its not even funny.
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Naks
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Thanks for the first impressions, looking forward to your review once you've mulled it over 
Only a pleasure used many of your recommendations. Also brought loads of cool things from that side including a few bags of these and a bottle of aguardente bagaceira as I now have a taste for Cafe com cherinho - dont think I had one cup of bad coffee there and ate more PDNs than I can countThanks for the first impressions, looking forward to your review once you've mulled it over
One of our fav museum visits was your recommendation of the Gulbenkian
One of my fav purchases was the house tile numbers from the https://www.santanna.com.pt/en one of the original tile factories from the 1700s
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Kosmik
Honorary Master
We get our tiles from a local village artist. Hope you went to the markets and fiera's and looked at the textiles : lace, cloths etc.Only a pleasure used many of your recommendations. Also brought loads of cool things from that side including a few bags of these and a bottle of aguardente bagaceira as I now have a taste for Cafe com cherinho - dont think I had one cup of bad coffee there and ate more PDNs than I can count
One of our fav museum visits was your recommendation of the Gulbenkian
View attachment 1585360
One of my fav purchases was the house tile numbers from the https://www.santanna.com.pt/en one of the original tile factories from the 1700s
And there was a pottery ceramic factory around as well.
pinball wizard
Honorary Master
I dunno much, but I'd go here. I mean literal rivers of wine.
Naks
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Jah, that Lote de Chavena coffee is good ****
Naks
Honorary Master
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Jah, that Lote de Chavena coffee is good ****
I couldnt resist - not one bad cup of coffee no matter how remote the location. Heck even had an espresso pretty much in the middle of no where, where the locals were grabbing lunch whilst harvesting grapes made by a kind old vovó.Jah, that Lote de Chavena coffee is good ****
Also as I said the moment I asked for that com Cherinho was like an ice breaker. There was a guy that distelled his own spirits for it in Lisbon cafe and shared three glasses free of charge for me an my wife when I inquired what he added,
Review is in:
Currency: Euro
VISA Application: R2750 per person via VFS. Took 15 working days. No escalation everything went well.
Flights: flew with TAAG zero issues large old planes with loads of leg room perfect connections no late anythings. Just ensure you have your own inflight entertainment. The lounge in Angola is a joke DO NOT PAY FOR IT you get one drink and one toasted sandwich only use this if you have free entry. Otherwise it’s a badly spent 35USD.
Cash/card: most places have card machines but some places only accept cash. Highly recommend that you carry about 100-200 Euro at a time. For swiping Capitec Global acc worked great and used Investec to draw cash from ATMs as they dont charge anything for international ATMs
Sim card: The easiest method is just obtaining a Vodafone sim card upon arrival no passport or “RICA” info needed. 25 Euro gets you 10gig was enough for our two weeks as any intensive data was used over wifi. You can buy cheaper sims locally or esims BUT not in the airport so getting an Uber/Bolt may be an issue.
Language: local language is Portuguese. As with all our travels learn the basics, please, thank you, sorry etc. I was in Serbia last year and thought the language barrier would be better here. NOPE. Although that might have been as I stayed in the more local areas and away from tourists. I have no issue with this but just be aware there is a real language barrier. Took more than 30 min to sort out how to park at one of the parking lots in Coimbra. I have found with all my travels just be friendly patient etc and language is not a problem. I don't learn more than the basics as language is not my strong point anyway.
Transport: all major cities use buses/trams/metro so you are sufficiently covered in this respect. Uber or bolt from the airports are recommended and cost us 10-12 Eur each way. Google maps will also get you everywhere you need to go. Although there are trains busses etc between major cities if you want to see smaller towns etc get a rental,
Car rental: We used Avis car rental. BUT book using this agent
David Silva
AVIS Rent a Car Official Agent
RNAVT: 10543 Portugal Tourism
[email protected] (his email)
Contact and Whatsapp: +351 912 057 131
He managed to get us the rental at Eur 219 for a week which was half the price of the website all options the same. There is a petrol station located right outside the return at the airport. International drivers license was not needed for rental but was noted that it was needed for the police if pulled over. Was never pulled over so I am not sure but I did have it anyway.
Safety: if you are a South African just use your basic safety logic. One massive difference here is that you can pretty much walk all over the main city no issue.
Spending money: this is a tricky one as this is driven sooo much by tourists. The more “touristy” the area the more you will pay. BUT let me try and give an indication once again all dependent on location.
1 pint of beer (sagres/superbock): 1-6 Eur
Craft beer: 2.5 Eur for 160ml taster if you Dois Corvos/Duque both highly recommended and worth it,
Espresso: 0.65-1.2 Eur typically 0.75 eur if you ask for café com cherinho they will give you an espresso with a touch of local spirits free of charge. A massive ice breaker and they typically “loved” when I asked for this and gave me a big smile.
Bottle of wine: 12-40 Eur typically 15 eur
Bread/olives/butter: usually 1-2 eur a person THESE ARE ALL CHARGED THEY ARE NOT FREE.
Mains: 8-35 eur Typically 12-15 Eur
Pastel de natas: 0.65-2eur typically 1.2 eur though
Port tasting in Porto: ranges between 10-50 eur depending on the types of Port. Recommended sharing a tasting.
I know these prices seem all over the place that exactly what they are all over the place. So stick to the local areas and pay less.
Tipping: apparently is not a thing but we do it as its in our nature and was always met with a smile.
Attractions: now this is something they are nailing tourists on. In Lisbon you will pay through your nose 10-25 eur per person entrance and easily wait 1-3 hours. We passed on most of the tourist attractions. Other places like Coimbra you will pay less for example 6 Eur for some of the museums and have an awesome time!
Recommended cities/areas: Lisbon, Porto, Duoro Valley, Coimbra. Lisbon was our least fav as it was “overrun” with tourists so keep the time here to 2-3 days.
Recommended time: 1.5 weeks to 2 weeks minimum.
Locals: The locals are very friendly and we did not have any unpleasant interactions. Key here is always - don’t be an ASS!
Ill pop some pics below ask question you have.
Currency: Euro
VISA Application: R2750 per person via VFS. Took 15 working days. No escalation everything went well.
Flights: flew with TAAG zero issues large old planes with loads of leg room perfect connections no late anythings. Just ensure you have your own inflight entertainment. The lounge in Angola is a joke DO NOT PAY FOR IT you get one drink and one toasted sandwich only use this if you have free entry. Otherwise it’s a badly spent 35USD.
Cash/card: most places have card machines but some places only accept cash. Highly recommend that you carry about 100-200 Euro at a time. For swiping Capitec Global acc worked great and used Investec to draw cash from ATMs as they dont charge anything for international ATMs
Sim card: The easiest method is just obtaining a Vodafone sim card upon arrival no passport or “RICA” info needed. 25 Euro gets you 10gig was enough for our two weeks as any intensive data was used over wifi. You can buy cheaper sims locally or esims BUT not in the airport so getting an Uber/Bolt may be an issue.
Language: local language is Portuguese. As with all our travels learn the basics, please, thank you, sorry etc. I was in Serbia last year and thought the language barrier would be better here. NOPE. Although that might have been as I stayed in the more local areas and away from tourists. I have no issue with this but just be aware there is a real language barrier. Took more than 30 min to sort out how to park at one of the parking lots in Coimbra. I have found with all my travels just be friendly patient etc and language is not a problem. I don't learn more than the basics as language is not my strong point anyway.
Transport: all major cities use buses/trams/metro so you are sufficiently covered in this respect. Uber or bolt from the airports are recommended and cost us 10-12 Eur each way. Google maps will also get you everywhere you need to go. Although there are trains busses etc between major cities if you want to see smaller towns etc get a rental,
Car rental: We used Avis car rental. BUT book using this agent
David Silva
AVIS Rent a Car Official Agent
RNAVT: 10543 Portugal Tourism
[email protected] (his email)
Contact and Whatsapp: +351 912 057 131
He managed to get us the rental at Eur 219 for a week which was half the price of the website all options the same. There is a petrol station located right outside the return at the airport. International drivers license was not needed for rental but was noted that it was needed for the police if pulled over. Was never pulled over so I am not sure but I did have it anyway.
Safety: if you are a South African just use your basic safety logic. One massive difference here is that you can pretty much walk all over the main city no issue.
Spending money: this is a tricky one as this is driven sooo much by tourists. The more “touristy” the area the more you will pay. BUT let me try and give an indication once again all dependent on location.
1 pint of beer (sagres/superbock): 1-6 Eur
Craft beer: 2.5 Eur for 160ml taster if you Dois Corvos/Duque both highly recommended and worth it,
Espresso: 0.65-1.2 Eur typically 0.75 eur if you ask for café com cherinho they will give you an espresso with a touch of local spirits free of charge. A massive ice breaker and they typically “loved” when I asked for this and gave me a big smile.
Bottle of wine: 12-40 Eur typically 15 eur
Bread/olives/butter: usually 1-2 eur a person THESE ARE ALL CHARGED THEY ARE NOT FREE.
Mains: 8-35 eur Typically 12-15 Eur
Pastel de natas: 0.65-2eur typically 1.2 eur though
Port tasting in Porto: ranges between 10-50 eur depending on the types of Port. Recommended sharing a tasting.
I know these prices seem all over the place that exactly what they are all over the place. So stick to the local areas and pay less.
Tipping: apparently is not a thing but we do it as its in our nature and was always met with a smile.
Attractions: now this is something they are nailing tourists on. In Lisbon you will pay through your nose 10-25 eur per person entrance and easily wait 1-3 hours. We passed on most of the tourist attractions. Other places like Coimbra you will pay less for example 6 Eur for some of the museums and have an awesome time!
Recommended cities/areas: Lisbon, Porto, Duoro Valley, Coimbra. Lisbon was our least fav as it was “overrun” with tourists so keep the time here to 2-3 days.
Recommended time: 1.5 weeks to 2 weeks minimum.
Locals: The locals are very friendly and we did not have any unpleasant interactions. Key here is always - don’t be an ASS!
Ill pop some pics below ask question you have.
