10 Things to Know Before Your Trip to Portugal

As a lover of travel and an avid Taylor Swift fan, seeing Taylor perform abroad was an absolute dream come true. When she announced her international dates for the Eras Tour, my friends and I decided we would go wherever we could snag tickets. That city ended up being Lisbon, Portugal. Having never been to Portugal, there are several things I learned along the way. If you are planning your next trip to Portugal, then I hope you will find this list helpful when preparing for your journey!

1. Spring is the best time to go to Portugal

When planning the timing of your trip, I would highly recommend that you consider going in the springtime. Our trip was at the end of May, and this is exactly when I would want to go if I had the opportunity to do it again. The weather was absolutely beautiful, around 70 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and a little cooler at night. We were told by locals that this was the beginning of their tourist season with the peak being later in the summer. While it was definitely busy and lively in the city, we didn’t have any trouble with lines or getting to see everything that we wanted to. I can imagine that the tourist attractions are much busier in the summer months and waiting in lines in the peak of the summer heat would be less than pleasant.

2. Getting there – Choose your airline carefully

When we were looking to book our flight, it was immediately obvious that Azores Airlines would be the cheapest option to get us there (as opposed to the larger “name brand” airlines I was used to: Delta, American, etc.) Despite warnings from friends that had previously flown with Azores, we decided to save a little cash and booked with them anyway. 

The day of our flight we were supposed to fly out of JFK in New York around 8:55pm. At about midday we got a text notification that our flight had been rescheduled and that no further information was available yet. We called the airline looking for more guidance and learned that our flight was actually only delayed 30 minutes, but then got charged over $50 for making an international call. Despite what we were told over the phone, looking in the app later we learned that the flight was canceled entirely and we were instead being put on a flight with TAP Air Portugal the following day. I had paid extra to sit with my friends for the flight, but that was no longer honored and no refund was issued. However, the most disappointing part was that we were losing a day of our trip.

What I learned is that Azores Airlines is very small and has a limited number of airplanes. Therefore, if anything happens to your flight, it is not unlikely that you will be rescheduled to the following day and lose time on your trip. If you are a budget traveler with a flexible schedule, you might decide that the risk is worth the price tag. However, if you are on a strict itinerary or you have a little more cash to spend, I would consider it worth it to fly with a larger airline to avoid the stress we dealt with getting there.

3. Use Bolt instead of Uber, and take advantage of public transportation

Transportation from the airport and around Porto and Lisbon was a breeze. I would highly recommend downloading Bolt before your trip. This is a rideshare app similar to Uber or Lyft, but it was by far the cheapest option when other forms of public transportation were not available.

Both Porto and Lisbon are extremely walkable cities. There was plenty to see and do within walking distance of the Airbnbs we were staying in. However, when we did need to get somewhere a little farther (ie. the Taylor Swift concert), getting on the metro in Lisbon was cheap and easy to navigate. It also felt a lot cleaner and safer than other underground trains I have been on (looking at you NYC). 

I would warn you that the metro is much easier for navigation than the tram. In Lisbon, you will see the tram lines traveling all across the city. While they are very cute and a staple to the city, they are typically packed with tourists and very hot. If you are hopping on for the experience of taking the Lisbon tram, then by all means go for it! However, if you are looking for the most practical mode of transportation, the metro will be your best bet.

4. Get an outlet converter ahead of time

Something I didn’t know until my first trip to Europe – different areas of the world use different types of outlets. If you are from the US, this means anything you pack that requires being plugged in will not work in Portugal. That is, unless you have a converter. I highly recommend purchasing a universal one off of Amazon. They are super cheap (under $20), work with multiple types of outlets, and typically have multiple plug-ins – including USB. If you are to make one purchase before your trip, let it be this!

5. Watch out for seagulls!

A funny, but very real, threat to look out for is the seagulls along the coast. According to one of our tour guides, they have become like the pigeons in New York City. Meaning, they are so used to tourists that they are not scared of people, and they might even try to steal your food! Definitely look over your shoulder when dining outside. And if you are looking for a laugh, look up videos of these hungry birds stealing food online!

6. Portuguese phrases to know

If you are headed to the larger cities in Portugal that tourists tend to frequent, you will get around just fine without knowing any Portuguese. The majority of signs and menus we came across had English translations, and it was rare that we had to interact with someone who didn’t know any English. However, if you are looking to do your homework and impress your travel buddies, the top word to know is “obrigado” if you are a guy or “obrigada” if you are a girl. It means thank you!

Here are some other helpful phrases to have on hand:

• Por favor – please
• De nada – you’re welcome
• Adeus – goodbye
• Olá – hello

If you are familiar with Spanish, you will notice Portuguese is very similar.

7. What you should wear in Portugal

You should know that if you are headed to Portugal in the summer, or even in the spring, it is going to be hot! Although it can cool off at night, so pack layers (like a jacket to bring to dinner) to be on the safe side.

Despite the heat, Portugal along the coast can be very windy. I would recommend opting for long skirts and dresses as much as you can. I found that when I was wearing short dresses, I was much more likely to end up with a Marilyn Monre moment, if you know what I mean! 

Good walking shoes are also going to be essential. Portugal is extremely hilly, even within the cities. It is likely you will be walking steep uphill inclines at multiple points each day, so make sure you are wearing shoes that will be easy on your feet for those walks. Definitely ditch the high heels for this trip.

8. Tipping culture in Portugal

As an American, tipping expectations is always a question on my mind when traveling to Eurorpe. We found that in Portugal, it is not an expectation to tip unless you are at a very nice dinner or have exceptional service. In this case, 5-10% is perfect, whereas 20% is standard in the US. 

If you do leave a tip at dinner, remember to let your waiter know before you pay the bill. We made the mistake of waiting until after, because typically in the US the waiter will bring the receipt back for you to sign and mark how much you want to tip. This is not the case in Portugal, so remember to ask before your waiter leaves with your card!

Speaking of paying for meals, it is not uncommon for appetizers to already be on your table when you get sat at a restaurant (typically bread and olives). Just know that you will be charged for these items unless you notify your waiter that you don’t want them.

9. Eat lots of pastel de nata

Portugal is known for its pastries, specifically one called pastel de nata. This is a delicious egg custard tart that you will find in almost every bakery and coffee shop. Our tour guide informed us that the origins of this desert came from the nuns in Portugal who used eggs whites to iron their clothes. They had so many yolks that they didn’t use left over that they needed to find something to do with, so they ended up making this delicious treat. We had one almost every day of our trip and recommend you do the same.

10. Take advantage of walking tours

The best decision we made was booking a walking tour the first day we arrived in Porto. This is an excellent way to figure out the lay of the land and learn a little bit about the culture and history of the city. We booked ours through withlocals.com, but there are several options out there. If you are able to book a private or small group tour, this would be the best way to get a personalized tour where you can ask lots of questions and see the things that are most important to you!

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