A number of cities around the world have introduced a tourist tax. This is a nightly fee that you pay in addition to the cost of your hotel room or Airbnb. In Portugal, you’ll notice this fee when you book accommodation in cities like Lisbon and Porto. It doesn’t exist everywhere in Portugal. The fee is €2 per person per night up to a maximum of €14 (or 7 nights). It only applies to people 13
If you’re moving to Portugal, or even just visiting, you may be wondering whether Venmo is used here. And the answer is no. At the time of writing, Venmo isn’t available in Portugal or anywhere in Europe, and most people probably won’t have heard of it. So how do you transfer money to friends or businesses in Portugal? The Portuguese use MBway, which is only available on Portuguese bank accounts. This is used to send
If you’re travelling to Portugal, particularly from outside the Eurozone, you may be wondering which card you should bring with you. And you may be thinking of taking your American Express. After all, it’s typically travel friendly, offers perks for using it, and has great customer service if things go wrong. Unfortunately, American Express isn’t widely accepted in Portugal. In fact, foreign credit cards in general aren’t accepted in a lot of restaurants and small
Train travel in Portugal is extremely affordable. Sure, many of the trains are old, there isn’t a high-speed rail network like there is in other European countries, and the train network doesn’t cover all of the country, but train travel is really cheap – and even cheaper if you manage to get a discount. Discounts for Advanced Booking The easiest way to get a discount, and this applies to everyone regardless of age, is to
If you’re arriving into Faro before you can check into your accommodation, the last thing you want to do is wander around the city with suitcases and backpacks. While Faro isn’t hilly, the weather can be quite warm—especially in the height of summer. Not much fun when you’re lugging around your luggage. Thankfully, there are a few places where you can drop your bags for a few hours, days, and even weeks. Many of these
Online shopping is great, but the process of getting your order is still a little tricky. Amazon Lockers are ideal for those that work or who have trouble getting their orders delivered, but unfortunately, they still haven’t come to Portugal — despite being in Spain, France, Germany and many other European countries. If you live in Portugal, and you don’t have the option of getting it sent to your work, the best thing you can
Known as the “Venice of Portugal”, Aveiro is a small, but beautiful Portuguese city. It’s famous for its canals (hence the Venice nickname) and the ovos moles sweets that come from here. You can see most of Aveiro’s attractions in a day, although it’ll be rushed. For a proper experience, and particularly if you want to visit the nearby beach, you should allow for an overnight stay. With that in mind, here are some of
Known for its university, Coimbra is a popular destination for tourists and, increasingly, people moving to Portugal. It is packed with history and character, particularly thanks to its university connections, and you can easily fill a day or two with things to see and do here. The following are just a few suggestions. Explore Coimbra University Coimbra is not only the oldest university in Portugal, but it has some of the most beautiful buildings as
There are a few words that help explain Portuguese culture. One of them is saudade, a word that’s considered to be untranslatable but the closest interpretation is a feeling of longing. You can feel saudade for anything: a different time, a person, a relationship you once had. You can even feel saudade for something that hasn’t happened yet. Saudade is a useful word because it gives some insight into the slightly melancholy, poetic, and philosophical
The Algarve, Portugal’s southerly, coastal region, has always tempted a few digital nomads and travelling entrepreneurs, particularly those visiting Lisbon. Now, however, it’s no longer just a place you might tack onto a Lisbon trip, but somewhere you might visit on its own – or, thanks to Portugal’s digital nomad visa, consider moving to. For a long time, Faro, the largest city on the Algarve, was also a contender for the Algarve destination of choice
