Portugal

The currency used in Portugal is the Euro.

Most places in Portugal will take credit cards, but some of the smaller places and markets may require cash. There are also ATMs at all the towns we visit to get cash on the go. Try downloading a currency app like XE Currency to see the most current currency conversion.

There are not any visas or vaccines required to visit Portugal. 

The entry requirements for US citizens to visit Portugal is a passport with at least 6 months of validity and 1 blank page. For more information, please visit the State Department website here. 

There are not vaccination requirements to visit Portugal as of June 19, 2023, but we always recommend checking Sherpa travel requirements that are updated by the government. That site can be found here.

For Portugal there are two associated plug types, C and F. Plug type C is the plug which has two round pins and type F has two round pins with two earth clips on the side. Portugal operates on 230V supply voltage and 50Hz.

 Click here to purchase your adapter/converter and see other travel accessories that will be great for this trip.

Each traveler will be expected to bring $100 per person to tip the guides and the driver. Tips $80 for guides and $20 for driver. Euro is preferred, but USD dollars are good —  just make sure all bills are crisp, no tears. Your Happy Guide will collect tips from everyone towards the end of the trip before giving them to the guides and porters.

Weather in Portugal in October is lovely! This country is known for its year-round sunshine and temperate weather. The weather has an average of 60-75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Our Happy trips want travelers to come as they are, so dress comfortably and like yourself! We do not have a dress code for any of our days.

We will be doing walking tours daily, so place pack comfortable walking shoes. The streets in Europe are cobblestone and sometimes difficult to walk on, so it’s good to have shoes with cushioning.

We will also be visiting several churches during your visit, so it’s important for ladies to have a scarf to cover their shoulders and neckline to be allowed entry. Churches also require visitors to have coverings down to their knees. Just have something on hand to be prepared.

If you wish to come into Lisbon early, we have a few hotels to recommend for you to stay at! If you are an Airbnb person, that is fine too! There are plenty of Airbnb and VRBO options to compare as well.

• If it’s your first time in Lisbon, we recommend stayin in Baixa or Chaido. It’s a fantastic, central home base for exploring the city. If you stay here, we recommend staying at the Porto do Mar Apartments in Baixa.
• If you’re looking for something more romantic and charming, stay in Alfama, which is full of narrow cobblestone streets to get lost in. But there’s a tradeoff – it’s up a hill and there’s only a few ways to get up and down that aren’t walking.
   
• Alfama Hotel Recommendations:

• • Memmo Alfama – Design Hotels
    • Memmo Alfama is housed in a restored 19th century building in the picturesque Alfama, close to all the hot tourist spots in Lisbon. The Terrace Rooms have their small wooden decks with stunning views over the river. Surrounded by the best fado restaurants in Alfama, the hotel is within 5 minutes’ walking distance of Lisbon’s medieval castle.

• • Hotel Convento do Salvodor
    • Housed in a former convent dated from 1392, Hotel Convento do Salvador offers rooms with some of the best views of Alfama’s rooftops and the river. It’s the perfect choice for families, but also for guests with reduced mobility as rooms are fully adapted. But take note that the Alfama area is all set on a steep hill. Breakfast is often served on the beautiful patio.

• • Olissippo Castelo
    • Overlooking the castle walls and the Baixa (Lisbon’s downtown area), Olissippo Castelo is a four-star hotel set in an outstanding location. Some rooms have a private terrace. The castle is a few minutes away, and the Baixa is easily reachable. However, climbing back the steep and cobbled streets around the hotel may not be easy for people with reduced mobility.
• If you’re looking for nightlife and want to be in the middle of all the action after dark, stay in Bairro Alto, which is adject to Chiado on top of the hill.

 Bairro Alto Hotel Recommendations

• 5-Star: Bairro Alto Hotel
• 4-Star: Bairro Alto Suites
• 3-Star: Monte Belvedere Boutique Hotel

Ahh Portugal dining and wining!! It’s some of the best in Europe. Below we have some great recommendations on places to eat and drink in Lisbon and Porto.

• Time Out Market (Food Hall)
  This is a MUST SEE place filled with a ton of great food options! 
•  Bistro 100 Maneiras
  Bistro 100 Maneiras is a hip modern European restaurant open until dawn, with music. The restaurant was founded in 2009 and showcases original creations by the irreverent chef Ljubomir Stanisic. With only 30 seats available, it’s a great way to sample things you might not try otherwise. The menu features Portuguese flavors and there are currently no plans to move elsewhere. 
• Tasca de Esquina
  Tasca da Esquina is a small, cafe-style restaurant situated in Campo de Ourique, Portugal. It is known for its creative Portuguese tapas and seafood. 
• Sala de Corte
  Sala de Corte is an upscale steak house in Lisbon that serves up some of the best aged meats in the city. It recently reopened after a long hiatus and it is located in one of the city’s most popular neighbourhoods. The venue has a refined aesthetic with classic mood lighting and over 100 tables. It is under the direction of award-winning Luís Gaspar and specializes in dry-aged meat. 
• BouBou’s
  Fine dining restaurant BouBou’s in the Principe Real neighbourhood of Montreal strives to serve its international clientele with French-born Chef Louise Bourrat in charge of the room and Thai-born kitchen Manager, Inna Tchounkova. They use all seasonality in their dishes and feature a tasting menu as well as vegetarian options. 
• Casa do Alentejo
  Located inside a former palace, Casa do Alentejo serves some of the best typical Alentejo cuisine in Lisbon. The restaurant is decorated with Moroccan and European influences, and has two rooms. 
• Chapito a Mesa
  Chapito à Mesa is a rooftop restaurant in Lisbon with stunning views of the city. It is a popular spot for tourists and locals, who flock for delicious food and amazing views. The stairs involved in getting to the restaurant are worth it, as diners can enjoy prime sundowner views of the water and landmark 25 de Abril bridge while sipping frosty beers.

The following restaurants in Porto are renowned for how great the food is and how cool the vibe of the eateries are. Please enjoy.

•  Flow Restaurant and Bar
  The brainchild of friends Ricardo Graça Moura and Paulo Freire, Flow acts as both a restaurant and a bar. Set in an exquisite neo-Arabic building with a stunning atrium, the decor echoes an exotic Middle Eastern feel, providing a buzzing atmosphere every single night. The creative menu explores Mediterranean flavours and sushi.
• Cafeina
  This restaurant has two elegant dining rooms, set in a gorgeous old yellow-tiled town house in the Foz neighbourhood. They serve European food with a Portuguese touch, and the wine list is excellent. Cafeína opened its doors in the late 1990s, and it has since been a neighbourhood favourite for more special occasions while retaining a sophisticated yet cool vibe.
• MISTU
  MISTU is one of the coolest restaurants in town. As you enter you are greeted with an eye-catching huge photograph on the wall, which you will notice for sure (you’ll see what we mean!). The menu brings together exotic fusions, influenced by flavours from Asia and South America with a dash of Portugal. The dulce de leche fondant is divine.
• Cantina 32
  A trendy and photogenic restaurant serving Portuguese classics, such as Bacalhau à Bráz (salted cod with fried potatoes and egg) and Porto’s famous tripe stew, as well as some creative dishes. Everything on the menu really is fantastic, including the wine. Vegetarians will also be happy. For dessert, try the dark chocolate cake sold by length.

Transportation to and from the hotel and airport in Portugal is not included. You can either opt to take a taxi or Uber is readily available throughout the country. It’s only about 15 minutes of driving between the airport and hotel.

 The only issue with crime in Portugal is petty theft. Please be mindful of your surroundings and belongings while traveling.

Sun-drenched beaches of the Algarve, exclusive golf resorts, medieval hilltop towns, colorful fishing villages, a cosmopolitan capital, the vine-filled valley of the Douro, wild remote mountains—Portugal has it all. But Europe’s oldest country, which has had its eyes melancholically set on the sea and on a lost and glorious past, has turned its head toward Europe and is undergoing a profound modernization. Still, things move a bit more slowly in Portugal,devagar as residents say, and some 11 million tourists seem to like the pace.

The social contrasts are still bigger there than in any other country in western Europe. But Europe’s former “poor house” is on its way to becoming a nice mansion with a sea view. The young Portuguese still listen to fado, and the students of Coimbra still wear their traditional outfits, but they party in stylish cafes and bars.

There is no better way to experience Portugal than to sit down in a street cafe with a bica (espresso) or a glass of port as you watch the world go by. And when you leave Portugal, you will probably feel saudade (a feeling of longing for something that is gone but might return). But unlike King Sebastian, you can always return.

Portugal is a long, narrow country on the Iberian Peninsula, at the southwestern edge of Europe. Mountains run through the eastern part of the country, and to the west the Atlantic Ocean meets an extensive seacoast, creating many excellent harbors. In the southernmost province of the Algarve, beaches, marshes and cliffs mark the coast.

Two island groups in the Atlantic, the Azores and Madeira, are also part of Portugal. Both are green and fairly remote.

Outsiders have flocked to Portugal’s shores before—as invaders. The region—called Lusitania by the Romans—was occupied by Phoenicians, Celts, Romans, Germanic tribes and Arabs, among others. The foundation of the nation-state we know today as Portugal was laid in 1139 when Afonso Henriques, the country’s first king, declared independence from Leon and Castile.

As a result of naval expansion, from 1400 to 1600 Portugal was a major colonial power, developing territories in South America, Africa, India and Asia. That 200-year era has come to be known as Portugal’s Golden Age. (Portugal only relinquished the last of those colonies in 1975.)

The Golden Age ended in a series of costly wars with Spain. The Portuguese monarchy gradually lost the respect of its citizens, who ousted the last king in 1910. After two decades of turmoil, Dr. Antonio de Oliveira Salazar emerged as Portugal’s unquestioned leader. Salazar, who ruled as prime minister for more than 35 years, isolated Portugal from the rest of Europe and clung to power through a brutal police force that censored virtually anyone who opposed him.

Salazar suffered a stroke in 1968 and died two years later. His regime died shortly thereafter, and by 1976 Portugal had become a true democracy. It joined the European Union in 1986, which led to widespread development and investment in infrastructure. However, the financial crises precipitated by the banks in recent years have resulted in the country having to apply to the International Monetary Fund and the European Union for bail-out loans to help stabilize its economy.

Portuguese culture today contains remnants of the conquering and conquered cultures, but the modern Portuguese way of life is not entirely constrained by the past, as evidenced by the development of tourism, particularly in the Algarve.