Preparing for the trip: Useful tips

In order to have an astonishing trip and save gigabytes of beautiful photos, you need to think in advance and solve a huge number of issues related to visa processing, insurance, buying tickets, accommodation, food, transportation, infrastructure, Internet, and many other things. We hope that this section will help you when planning your trip.

Preparing for the trip

About the documents

documents

First of all, check all the necessary documents: your passport with a valid Schengen visa, air tickets and medical insurance for the entire duration of the trip.

You need to find the most reliable insurance company because our life is very unpredictable. By having such a policy, you will be able to solve all of them in the most efficient manner.

Warning: Kindly note that a Schengen visa and health insurance are mandatory for all non-EU travelers.

If you plan to rent a car, don't forget to take your driver's license.

We recommend making copies of all documents (both a foreign passport and a civil identity card), air tickets, credit cards, and the insurance policy. Take a couple of your own photos for various documents and permissions. This may be necessary in case of a loss of the passport.

Copies should be put separately from the originals. Your documents should be kept in the hotel safe. Take your documents with you for shopping or if you want to submit a Tax-Free application form.

About the money

Portugal is a member of the European community, so the currency is the Euro. The country offers a very developed system of cashless payment. You can use a card for purchases in supermarkets, restaurants, and even taxis. However, make sure that the taxi driver accepts the card.

The system of Multibanco ATMs is very developed. There's no issue if you want to withdraw money from the card, especially knowing the fact that they accept almost all types of cards.

money

Important information: As a result of disagreements with the American Express network, it's very difficult to find a place where you can pay with AmEx cards. Portuguese banks don't serve them. There are no problems with VISA and Mastercard.

If you want to go to a large shopping center with a bill of 200 and 500 euros, be ready to become the center of attention. These banknotes are rarely seen in Portugal, so you have to wait for the administrator to come and change the money. Can you imagine that you decided to use such a bill to pay for lunch in a small cafe or restaurant? They just won't have any change. Don't take such risk if you don't want to stay hungry.

You can face some problems even with 100 euros banknote. Keeping in mind that the Portuguese people rarely carry a lot of money with them, it's highly recommended to take not more than 20 euros with you. You can use your card in the majority of cases.

By using such banknotes, you really risk attracting the attention of pickpockets. Never take a lot of cash when going for a walk around the city.

What to take with you

shoes
Are you going to Portugal? Leave your high-heeled shoes at home! The exception can be made only if you are going to attend a formal event, or you have a business lunch or even a party. If you try to use the high-heels on the Avenida da Liberdade, even local girls will turn their heads to look at you. Take some care of your own legs: you have to walk along the paved streets and overcome the ascents and descents with the angles of 45 degrees.

While choosing the proper clothing, you need to remember that even summer nights are cool, so take a couple of warm clothes with you. Don't take too many clothes with you because Portugal offers great shopping for every taste and budget.

How to avoid unpleasant situations

In order to avoid opening your suitcases at the airport and not to throw your belongings, you need to read the rules on the website of the airline. Do your best to understand the baggage rules to make your trip as pleasant as possible.

Air carriers may have different requirements for the weight of baggage and hand luggage. Be sure to read the customs rules to understand which goods can be imported and exported from Portugal without fees.

baggage

Be careful when crossing the border and never agree to carry someone's things, bags, packages, letters, and parcels through the inspection points. They may contain drugs and other prohibited substances.

Iuliia Smaglii

About Us

DiscoverPortugal is a online travel guide to Portugal. We collected the most interesting and useful information.

Portugal is the country that discovered the world, and now it is time to discover Portugal with DiscoverPortugal.
info@discoverportugal.ru

Subscribe to the Newsletter

Follow the news!