- Important points
- Choosing wings
- Hotel or apartment
- Transport subtleties
- Nightingales are not fed with fables
- Useful details
- The perfect trip to Portugal
What is Portugal in the extensive list of European travel destinations? The degree of its popularity is not yet as high as that of Spain or Italy, but more and more often the advanced tourist turns his gaze to the westernmost coast of the Old World. Travel to Portugal is chosen by creative natures who do not recognize standards and go beyond the ordinary more often than others. Fortified wines and waves headlong covering the lighthouses, the endless expanse of the Atlantic and old Lisbon trams, hard, old-fashioned, entering every turn, but have not lost their former stature over the years - Portugal is beautiful, and you have the opportunity to check this statement and get true travel pleasure.
Important points
- To travel to Portugal, a Russian tourist will need to obtain a standard Schengen visa.
- Do not ignore the instructions of the rescue service on the beaches of Portugal. The ocean is often unpredictable, and therefore the recommendations of the rescuers should be followed unquestioningly.
- No vaccinations are required for tourists traveling to Portugal.
Choosing wings
TAP Portugal air carrier has direct flights to the capital of the country from Moscow. Travel time is 5.5 hours, and the ticket price is around $ 330. Travel with a transit connection in one of the European capitals will be cheaper. The French and Dutch are ready to take passengers on board for $ 290, and the journey, taking into account the connection in Paris or Amsterdam, will take about 9 hours.
Aircraft of low-cost airlines will gladly deliver Russian passengers to Faro. Pobeda and Ryanair with a transfer, for example, in Munich, connect Moscow and Faro in 12 hours and $ 300.
Hotel or apartment
Despite the prevailing opinion that the westernmost part of Europe is not a cheap country for tourists, planning a budget trip to Portugal is not at all difficult. There are hotels in Lisbon, Porto or Faro for every budget, and a night in a cozy hostel in the capital will cost 20 euros, while guests will find a hearty breakfast, free Wi-Fi, luggage storage and a convenient location in the city center close to the most important attractions.
3 * hotels in Lisbon cost from 60 euros per night and look very dignified and solid. "Five" in the capital of Portugal are expensive and the price per day in such a hotel will be from 120 euros and more. Historical mansions, castles and even fortresses have also been turned into hotels. Called "pozads", they are very expensive, and for a night in such a mansion you will have to pay at least 200 euros.
In Faro, in a small family hotel near the beach, you can stay for 30-40 euros per day. The guest will have wireless internet, air conditioning, heating and breakfast.
The Portuguese willingly lease rooms and apartments to visiting tourists and in large quantities. On specialized sites, you can find very lucrative offers from local residents. If hotel service is not a matter of principle for you, renting an apartment in Portugal is an option for an inexpensive vacation with a family or in the company of like-minded people.
In the center of the capital, you can live in a room in an old house for 15-20 euros, and the owners will give the keys to a separate apartment for only 30-40 euros. In Porto, prices are slightly higher, but with advance booking, a room and a separate apartment can be found for 20 and 50 euros per day, respectively.
Transport subtleties
Public transport in Lisbon and Porto is represented by buses, trams, metro and funiculars. One trip by bus will cost almost 1.5 euros, by metro - from 0.85 to 1 euro, depending on the distance.
Fast travel between cities is convenient with express buses. Tickets for them should be bought in advance, as both locals and tourists actively use this type of transport. The road from Porto or Faro to Lisbon will cost about 17 euros.
Trains from the capital to the southern regions run frequently and are quite inexpensive. Rail transport in Portugal is very slow, but traveling by train can be a good alternative to a sightseeing tour of the country, as during the trip, passengers will find delightful landscapes outside the carriage window.
Nightingales are not fed with fables
Tourists who have once visited Portugal return there again and again, and the local gastronomic component is not in the last place in the list of reasons for such constancy. The country is famous for its cuisine, in which meat and fish dishes are leading, the portions are striking in size, and the quality of preparation does not depend on the status of the restaurant and the prices on the menu.
You can have an inexpensive snack for two at the fish market or in a street cafe for 20 euros, but the cost of a dinner with wine will depend on the level of the institution and the age of the drinks ordered. A good port wine in stores starts from 10 euros per bottle, and Madeira of the same quality and age will cost about one and a half times more.
Useful details
- Tourist urban transport passes are a good way to save money. A ticket for one day will cost 4 euros, for 4 days - 16 euros. Passes are valid for buses, metro, trams and funiculars.
- At night, taxi services rise in price by 20%.
- You can park for free in most Portuguese resorts, and therefore renting a car in Portugal is cheaper than in other European countries.
- The municipal ownership of the beaches in Portugal is a guarantee of free admission and the possibility of staying for everyone on any part of the coast. You will have to pay only for renting a sun lounger or umbrella, if you need them.
The perfect trip to Portugal
The country is located in the Mediterranean climate zone and sharp temperature fluctuations throughout its territory are not observed either in July or in January. The southern coast boasts a fairly hot summer, but in the north, even in August, thermometers do not rise above + 27 ° C. The water in the ocean warms up to + 23 ° C, but swimming on the beaches of Portugal is most comfortable in the southern part of the country.
The beach season on the Lisbon Riviera and in the Algarve lasts from late spring to mid-September, while Madeira's first tourists start sunbathing and swimming in March. The Gulf Stream provides the paradise island with a long beach season and you can fly to Madeira until November inclusive.
If the purpose of your trip is to get acquainted with the national customs and peculiarities of the culture of the Portuguese, choose the time of the carnival. It was he who became the progenitor of the famous Brazilian holiday, known all over the world today. Carnival in Portugal takes place on the eve of Lent, usually in late February or early March.
