January 02, 2014
Are you planning to travel through Portugal? Or you don’t know yet what will be your trip in 2014? Read these tips for traveling in Portugal and your doubts and indecisions will be over.
Portugal has a unique cultural heritage, stunning cities, villages and places and astonishing landscapes, monuments and sites. Furthermore, the easy of travelling to Portugal and in Portugal make this country the first choice for many travellers. Check these tips and travel to Portugal.
Portugal shares the Iberian Peninsula with Spain. This country is the westernmost country of Europe, with a 943 km of Atlantic coast in mainland Portugal. Therefore, it is not surprising that Portuguese people were great navigators long time ago. There are six regions that can be found in Portugal: Northern Portugal, North Central Portugal, South Central Portugal, Southern Portugal, Azores and Madeira Islands.
In all of them, we can found a rich and unique culture, lively cities and beautiful sights. In spite of being one of the poorest countries in Western Europe, the tourism has been increasing and Portugal is now the first choice for many travel lovers worldwide and it has been awarded with countless international prizes.
And this is because Portugal offers outstanding landscape diversity, due to its North-South disposition along the western shore of the Iberian Peninsula. You can travel in a single day from green mountains slopes and falls in the Centre, to a near-desert landscape in the Alentejo region and, finally, to the glamorous beach holidays destination, in Algarve.
The language spoken in Portugal is the Portuguese. It is the fifth most spoken language in the world and it is beautiful and smooth. But if you don’t speak any Latin language can be difficult to understand the Portuguese language. However, do not worry! Portuguese people speak very well the English language and they will help you if you have any question.
The capital of this country is Lisbon and the second major city is Oporto. It has a unitary Semi-Presidential Constitutional Republic since 1974. Its calling code is +351 and you must drive on right.
Furthermore, Portugal is safe. There are no internal conflicts, no terrorism-related danger and the violent crime is not a serious problem.
And regarding to health, the major cities in Portugal are well served with medical and emergency facilities and public hospitals are at European Standards. The citizens of the European Union are covered by Portugal’s National Healthcare System as long as they carry the free European Health Insurance Card. And do not forget: the national emergency number is 112.
Portugal is a member of Eurpeoan Union since 1986 and the coin is the Euro (EUR, €). 1€ is divided into 100 cents.
The ATMs in Portugal accepts international cards and they can be found everywhere. You can also use the credit card. To authorize your payment with a credit card, you are frequently presented a device with a keypad where you should type PIN code and also confirm amount--even for Visa Classic or MasterCard.
An important information is, also, that on July 2001 a nationwide low in Portugal took effect that decriminalized the recreational use of drugs. Note that drug possession for personal use and drug usage itself are still legally prohibited, but violations of those prohibitions are deemed to be exclusively administrative violations and are removed completely from the criminal realm.
Portugal is one of the warmest European countries. Its climate can be classified as Mediterranean. In mainland Portugal, yearly temperature averages are about 15°C (55°F) in the north and 18°C (64°F) in the south. Madeira and Azores have a narrower temperature range as expected given their insularity, with the former having low precipitation in most of the archipelago and the latter being wet and rainy.
Spring and summer months are usually sunny and temperature maximum are very high during July and August, with maximums averaging between 35°C and 40°C (86°F - 95°F) in the interior of the country, 30°C and 35°C in the north.
Autumn and winter are typically rainy and windy, but sunny days are not rare either. Temperatures rarely fall below 5°C (41°F) nearer to the sea, averaging 10°C (50°F), but can reach several degrees below 0°C (32°F) further inland.
Snow is common in winter in the mountainous areas of the north, especially in Serra da Estrela, the highest peak in mainland Portugal, but melts quickly once the season is over.
Another important information is the Time Zone and Portugal is regulated by the Western European Time Zone (WET), the same time as in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
In Portugal, there are many interesting and heterogeneous festivities. In summer months, music festivals are very common. In the North of Portugal there are two of the oldest festivals: Paredes de Coura and Vilar de Mouros. You can also watch the festival Marés Vivas, in Vila Nova de Gaia, Oporto. In the South, the most famous festivals are Sudoeste, Super Bock Super Rock and, in 2014, the Rock in Rio. The regions chosen for these festivals are frequently places surrounded by beautiful landscapes and pleasant villages.
There are also some traditional parties like São João, in Oporto, or Santo António, in Lisbon, in which people take to the streets and celebrate the night away, with sardines and a lot of Portuguese music.
Plan your trip through Portugal now!
Marta has a Master degree in Communication Sciences. As a combination of a geek girl and a digital fan, she coordinates the Digital Marketing Department. She has a deep passion for travelling, she is a proud Portuguese and she is very dedicated and enthusiastic. Always working to allow the best user and digital experience to visitors.
@Marta Afonso Read more posts written by Marta Afonso
