Portugal Essentials: Everything you need to know before travelling

Portugal is one of the best-value countries in western Europe, and one of the easiest to travel. It is small enough to cross in a day, with surf beaches along the whole Atlantic coast and hill towns and vineyards inland. The food is simple and good, and the wine is cheap enough to have with every meal. Porto and Lisbon get most of the attention, and both deserve it.

Visas

Portugal is part of the Schengen Area. EU and EEA nationals enter freely. Most Western nationalities, including the UK, US, Canada and Australia, can visit visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The EU's new entry checks, and the ETIAS pre-travel registration for non-EU visitors, are being phased in, so check the current rules before you fly.

Getting Around

• Trains: CP runs the network, and the fast Alfa Pendular links Lisbon and Porto in about three hours; book ahead for the cheapest fares
• Buses: Rede Expressos and FlixBus cover the routes trains do not, and are often cheaper
• Metro: Lisbon and Porto both have simple, cheap metro systems, each with a rechargeable travel card
• Car hire: worth it for the Algarve coast, the Alentejo and the Douro, less so in the cities, where parking is a headache

When to Go

May to June and September to October are the sweet spots: warm, sunny and calmer than high summer. July and August are hot inland, and the Douro Valley regularly passes 35°C, though the Atlantic keeps the coast fresher. The water is cold all year. Winter is mild and quiet, with more rain in the north.

Food and Drink

• Pastel de nata, the custard tart, is everywhere and best warm with cinnamon on top
• Bacalhau, salt cod, is said to have a different recipe for every day of the year
• Grilled sardines are the taste of summer, especially around the June street festivals
• Vinho verde is the light, young wine of the north; port comes from the Douro, and is blended and aged in the cellars across the river from Porto
• The prato do dia, the dish of the day, is the cheapest way to eat a proper lunch

Money and Costs

• Portugal is noticeably cheaper than Spain, France or Italy, though Lisbon has caught up fast
• Cards are taken almost everywhere, but small cafés and markets still prefer cash
• Use bank-owned Multibanco cash machines rather than the standalone Euronet ones, which charge heavily
• Tipping is not expected; rounding up or leaving a euro or two for good service is plenty

If you only have a week, split it between Porto and Lisbon by train, with a day out to the Douro Valley from Porto. That gives you the two best cities and the best scenery for very little effort.