Portugal
The information below is provided by Lonely Planet readers and is not verified by Lonely Planet. For the official lowdown, contact your nearest embassy or check out our Travel Links.
Travel Tips
Credit cards are not accepted in small restaurants, pensaos, or pastelerias. You need cash a lot in Portugal.
Anonymous, USA (Oct 05)
Moving About
In Lisbon, the five-day travel card (€12.50) is really good value as you can use it on bus, tram and metro. It is also rechargeable, so you can get a day travel for €3 for up to a year after you buy it. You don't put it through a slot but hold it up against an electronic scanner, disguised as a plastic pad.
Barbara Forbes, UK (Sep 05)
The Rossio Train station in Lisbon has been closed. Trains to Sintra leave from the station Jardim Zoológico and the Entrecampos Train station. The big bus station of Rede Expressos is also situated at the Jardim Zoológico station. Itâ??s the end point for buses from Portalègre and Ã?vora for example.
From here taxis, trains (Sintra) and metros run into Lisbon. You can say itâ??s a very important place concerning public transport from and to Lisbon.
From Sintra to the Aeroporto de Lisboa you can take the train to Entrecampos Train Station in Lisbon and from there you can the bus, no 44 and 45. Check out the right direction â??destination- of the bus! Contrary to whatâ??s recorded in the Lonely Planet thereâ??s no direct connection by bus from Sintra to the airport in Lisbon. Trains from Sintra to Lisbon run every 10 to 15 minutes till 1:00 pm. A trainticket costs about €1.40.
Buses around Ã?vora and Portalègre; in summertime buses only run once or twice a day because of the holidays. Itâ??s a problem when you depend on the public transport. We found out itâ??s very important to visit the local turismo immediately as soon as you get somewhere to ask about the timetable of the buses or to have a look at the timetable at the bus station.
Marieke van 't Hul & Wim van der Kaaij, Netherlands (Aug 05)
Tollway roads in Portugal: On some tollways, you need to take a ticket and surrender it as you leave the tollway so they can evaluate the toll otherwise you will be charged the maximum rate. When travelling over the bridge to Lisbon, there is only one lane (on the far right) where you can pay cash. If you go through without paying you can make amends by going to the building on the far right and paying the €1.20 charge or else you send €5 to a particular address, stating your car registration number and the approximate time/date you travelled over the bridge.
Anonymous, Australia (Jul 05)
Scams & Warnings
Lisbon: When joining the crush to catch the (famed) Number 28 Tram - the pickpockets will be waiting, pretending to be catching the tram. When I was there, a man in front of me started yelling that his wallet had been stolen by 2 men at his side, who tried to look innocent, but the wallet appeared on the step of the tram (I looked & it wasn't there before). I noticed my bag being jostled by an older (60's) man & the bag was open, but my belongings were safe. When I was on the tram, neither the 2 "accused thieves" nor the older man got on. The Number 28 is also an old type of tram with huge windows that open up, so when the tram got around the first corner, a teenager jumped up & tried to grab a passengers bag from their lap. After that, I was too busy clutching my bag & keeping an eye on everyone that I missed the sights outside the window!
Sharon Livingstone, Australia (Feb 06)
Taxis in Lisbon are OK except from the airport: they run a meter but the meter is a scam because it is anywhere between €18 and €25 to get to the center. I am not sure what you can do about it. You already warn the readers and tell them the fare should be about €8. But the meter runs and everything seems to be fine. Then you take a taxi from Lisbon to the airport and you realize it IS only €8. Also, your book says it is hard to catch a taxi in the street â?? it is absolutely no problem at all! They are plentiful and happy to stop for you.
Anonymous, USA (Oct 05)
The practice of waiters bringing unordered items to the table. In the US you assume that anything brought to the able unordered is complementary. In Portugal you can find your final bill ten to twenty Euros higher than you expected with these little add-ons. They charge for everything in cluding bread and butter. It took us a while to realize what was happening and that we could send them back. They always act hurt when you do but we saw Portuguese sending stuff back so we did too.
Anonymous, USA (Oct 05)
In the beginning of the book you have a section that says something along the lines of what to take on the trip. I would add a pair of running shoes. As Lisbon´s streets are made of cobble stone, a woman can run into serious walking problems if she only has heels or flip flops. So I know we all think it is basic, but some women still think they can survive a trip to Europe without running shoes, if you can believe that!
Diego Valdes, Spain (Aug 05)
Gems, Highlights & Attractions
Cascais: Just opposite the Museu Condes de Castro Guimaraes, on the other side of the road, there is the recently opened Casa de Santa Maria, owned and run by the local council. This was built by a famous Portuguese architect Raul Lino in 1902 and is a wonderful collection of tiles, panels, arches, little corners. It is used for seminars and architects' meetings, but members of the public can go in absolutely free, snoop around, and sit on the terrace where it seems half the crowned heads of Europe have previously sat. The gently-spoken attendant was only too happy to answer our questions as I don't think he'd had many visitors that day.
Barbara Forbes, UK (Sep 05)
In Castelo de Sao Jorge (St. Jorge Castle) there is a tower called Ulysse tower. Inside is mounted a periscope, like those used in submarines. After the guide switched on the periscope, the images of the city were projected on a parabolic display under it. Is is possible to focus images at different distances and using a system of ropes, is possible to move the periscope so that you can have a 360 degrees view of the city. It's really amazing seeing the panorama in this way. You can also distinguish people walking on the street. Of course they are completely unaware that you are spying them. They are quiet small (dimension of a fly) but you can see them moving. All the show lasts about 20 minutes, during which you have an exhaustive description of the different areas of Lisbon and surroundings, their history and their actual use. The explanations are in Portuguese and English. Every half an hour there is a show in the tower, and itâ??s completely free. Photoâ??s are not allowed inside (I was permitted to take a shot just because I was the only guest).
Braguti Ettore, Italy (Jul 05)
I live in a village on the surroundings of Porto (30km south) called Santa Maria da Feira. It wouldn't be different from other Portuguese villages if it wasn't for its Moorish castle and for the active cultural life we have here. There are several events worth a reference, like the Viagem Medieval em Terra de Santa Maria (Medieval Journey in the Land of Saint Mary). The "Medieval Journey " is in the last weeks of July and the start of August. It is a 10 day long festival where the city dresses in medieval clothes, trying to recreate the medieval way of living. Come and see it for yourselves!
Caroline Dahlem, Portugal (Jul 05)
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