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Portugal is such a great country to visit and has so much to offer. It's a great destination for a road trip because the country is so diverse and it is cheap, and it's safe. It has white sandy beaches with dramatic rock formations, beautiful cities, and great food and wine.
In this post, I cover when to visit, how long to stay, driving, how much we spent, and some of our tips.
•Peak Season is June to September so best to avoid these months because Portugal is a very popular summer destination and streets, beaches, and historical sites will be busy and prices will increase by around 40%.
•The best time to visit Portugal is March-May and September-October when the weather is warm, prices are lower and many of the crowds have gone.
•November-February is the rainy season so do know that a lot of resorts shut down for winter.
In Portugal, they speak Portuguese but many of the locals also speak Spanish or English.
The currency of Portugal is the Euro.
small kiosks accept credit cards, especially in the cities, but it is always smart to have some cash on you, especially in the Algarve or small towns.
•Waze - to get around by car
•Uber - for the big cities
•Moovit - Great app to have to help you figure out how to get from one point to another in the fastest way possible.
Lisbon, Sintra, The Algarve coast, Douro valley, Aveiro, Azores Islands & Madeira.
We spent 8 days in Portugal and here's a breakdown of our expenses:
Flights: 1,091.7 Euro.
This is the price from TLV to Faro and from Lisbon to TLV cost us for both of us. Obviously, this amount will change depending on where you're flying from.
Hotels: 532 Euro.
•4 nights in a hotel in Algarve - 263 Euro.
•3 nights in Lisbon - 269 Euro.
Travel Insurance: 151.7 Euro
Obviously, this amount will change depending on your country.
Car: 364.46 Euro.
4 days with a car cost.
Gas: 101.9 Euro.
This is the total price we paid for 4 days worth of driving around the Algarve.
Parking: 1.2 Euro.
We paid once for Parking in Old Town Lagos, but besides that Parking in the Algarve was free.
Public Transportation: 89 Euro
During our 3 days in Lisbon, we used public transportation.
•Train: 10.2 Euro (2 rides)
•Taxis: 26 Euro (2 rides)
•Uber: 63 Euro. We took 12 rides since they are pretty cheap and easy to use (a more detailed post about this will be posted soon)
Sim Card: 49.97 Euro.
2 SIM cards from Vodafone with unlimited usage for 15 days.
Food: 447.34 Euro.
We ate in restaurants, went to bars, and also did some grocery shopping.
Activities: 240 Euro.
Castles, Churches, and Boat tours
Souvenirs: 20.5 Euro.
We got 6 souvenirs for family and friends.