Portugal – all you need to know before you travel

Traveling to Portugal from an EU country, like Slovenia, is refreshingly simple in terms of documentation, thanks to the shared benefits of being in the European Union. However, the challenge lies not in the logistics but in organizing your time in this large and diverse country. Portugal has so much to offer that narrowing down your itinerary can feel overwhelming.

In my case, I didn’t have much time to plan, as our tickets were booked just days before departure—an unexpected turn of events I’ll explain in one of the upcoming blogs. For now, let’s focus on providing you with some key information to ensure your trip is as smooth and worry-free as possible.

As I mentioned above, it is easy to enter Portugal if you’re coming from a country that is a part of European Union – you can enter with just an identity card or passport and you don’t need a visa. If you’re coming from other countries, please check with your government institutions about rules to enter Portugal.

Portuguese is the official language, but many Portuguese people, especially in tourist areas, speak English well. We had no problems communicating in restaurants, hotels and major tourist spots. Most Portuguese also speak French, so you may be able to get along in French :-)

In Portugal, the official currency is the euro (€), so there is no need to carry foreign currency. Card transactions are widespread and ATMs are available in most major cities. If you intend to visit more remote places, we recommend carrying some cash. We didn’t use cash anywhere in 6 days.

As Portugal is part of the European Union, we were able to use mobile internet roaming at no extra cost, just like at home. Before travelling, however, check with your provider how much data roaming allows you to use, as there may be limits, and most providers allow additional data for an extra charge once you exceed your monthly quota. Otherwise you can opt for eSIM providers and their data plans for Portugal, for example Holafly is one we use most often when travelling.

Like elsewhere, hotels, cafés, restaurants and shopping centres offer free Wi-Fi.

They use standard two pin EU (German) plugs, while most of the hotels also have USB plugs in the rooms.

Portugal has a well-developed public transport network. Cities such as Lisbon, Porto and Faro have tram, bus and metro connections. We explored Lisbon by public transport and had a great time, while the usage of public transport in the other two cities were recommended by a colleague.

If you are planning to explore a wider range of cities, I would recommend renting a car. Rent a car is relatively cheap, the roads are well maintained and the traffic is solid. More on that in the next blog.

On arrival at Lisbon Airport (Humberto Delgado Airport), which is very close to the centre of Lisbon and has excellent metro connections,  head out of the terminal and into the metro (subway) station which is directly up front and there you will find ticket machines. We opted for the Viva Viagem card, a contactless card that can be topped up with individual rides or day passes. The price of the card is €0.50 and a day pass (24-hour access to the metro, trams, buses and trains in Lisbon) is €6.80.

You can later top up your card at a metro station, kiosk or ticket vending machine.

Alternatively, you can buy a single ticket at metro stations, kiosks or from bus and tram drivers. The price of a single ride is usually between EUR 1,50 and EUR 2. In my opinion, this is less favourable for multiple rides, but of course each individual should adapt his/her decision to his/her needs and plans in the city.

For tourists, they also have the Lisboa Card, which in addition to unlimited access to public transport also includes admission to museums, cultural attractions and discounts at other attractions. The card can be purchased for 24, 48 or 72 hours.

Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) is only about 7 kilometres from the city centre, providing fast and easy connections. The most simple and affordable option is the metro. The Red Line (Linha Vermelha) has a station directly at the airport and takes about 20-30 minutes.

There is also a bus option. Although we hadn’t planned on this option at first, we were surprised on our last morning when we wanted to go to the airport. Due to technical problems, we waited for 15 minutes at the metro station with the doors open, but the metro did not start. So we quickly found an alternative – the bus. We were surprised by how good a choice it was, as there was no crowd in the early hours of the morning, and we arrived at the airport on time.

We highly recommend using Google Maps or the Rome2Rio app to plan your bus routes.

Portugal has a Mediterranean climate, so it’s pleasant to visit at almost any time. The most popular time to visit is spring or autumn, when temperatures are pleasant. In summer, you can expect even bigger crowds than usual at tourist destinations and higher temperatures.

»Get used to it, it’s going to be windy here all the time.«

I don’t like the wind, the feeling of the wind blowing my hair and my ears being unprotected irritates me, but here it was different. On the cliffs we were almost blown away, but the wind was warm and pleasant. The view of the sea and the huge waves is another dimension altogether.

So I can officially confirm that Portugal is great in October. We had average temperatures in Lisbon between 19 and 24°C during the day. In the south, in Portimao, it got even higher. We only had rain for one day, and even then we escaped it by moving south. There were a few more short morning showers, but they passed quickly and the day was sunny after that. We didn’t have the courage to swim in the Atlantic, but we walked barefoot along the shore and soaked our feet.

But let me save the most important for last. October is the end of the season, especially in the south, which means that the tourist crowds are gone, so you can enjoy the sea and the sun in peace. Which I can’t say for Lisbon, because the tourist spots were very crowded, a bit too much for my taste, and I honestly can’t imagine what that means in the high season.

I hope that with this general information I have made planning your trip to Portugal a little easier. For more and more detailed information, read the other blogs. If you have any more questions, I’d be happy to answer them.