Travel advice for Portugal
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Portugal
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Accommodation in Portugal is pretty good value compared with other western European countries. In almost any town you can find a basic guesthouse or small hotel offering a simple double or twin room for as little as €40, though you’ll pay more in Algarve resorts in summer, or year-round in Lisbon or Porto. Moving upmarket, you’re often spoilt for choice by some wonderful manor houses and a network of comfortable hotels known as pousadas, many in historic buildings or sited in places of natural beauty. Even in high season you shouldn’t have much problem finding a bed in most regions, though the best places in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve are often booked up days ahead, so advance reservations here are advised.
In hotels, a quarto duplo has two single beds, and a quarto casal has a large double bed for a couple. A single room – quarto solteiro or individual – costs around three quarters of the price of a double. Ask to see the room before you take it, and don’t be afraid to ask if there’s a cheaper one available (rooms without private bathrooms often cost considerably less). In higher-grade hotels, you’ll often get a better rate by booking online or simply by asking, especially out of season or at the end of the day.
Lastly, a word of warning: between November and April, night-time temperatures throughout the interior and the north can fall to below freezing. However, few B&Bs or guesthouses have any form of heating other than the odd plug-in radiator, so check out the facilities before taking a room. Similarly, in the height of summer check for a fan or air-conditioning, as nights can be very warm.
Rates for alojamentos locais and quartos average €40–50 a night, though in the Algarve in high season expect to pay up to twice as much.
At two- and three-star hotels, en-suite doubles cost around €80; many three-star places have air-conditioned rooms with cable/satellite TV, and even swimming pools, so they can be pretty good value. For rooms with all mod cons in four- and five-star hotels, you’ll pay anything from €120 to €200, while the very fanciest places – boutique hotels in the Algarve or luxury hotels in Lisbon, for example – attract an international clientele and can pretty much charge what they like. Some cosier places of four- or five-star quality, often in a converted historic building or manor house in a rural location, are known as estalagems, or inns. All hotels and estalagems/inns serve breakfast, usually (though not always) included in the price. In one- and two-star hotels it tends to be continental-style; more substantial buffet breakfasts are provided at three-star places and up.
Prices vary considerably depending on the season, day (more expensive on Fri & Sat nights) and location, but start at €100–120 per night, rising to €170–200 for the finest properties. That said, a whole host of promotions (through the website) offer rooms discounted rooms, and there are good deals for anyone over 55. You can book the pousadas through their website, or through the official agents Keytel in the UK or Petrabax in the US.
Designer-style ancient convent.
Sumptuous comforts in southern Portugal’s most charming town.
Dramatic views from a fabulous castle.
A palatial blend of contemporary style and old-fashioned elegance.
A magnificent Baroque riverside palace in Portugal’s second city.
A tranquil retreat in a former convent.
A dramatic conversion of a former hospital.
A superb, intimate castle conversion.
Sumptuous comforts in southern Portugal’s most charming town.
You can book many of these properties via CENTER (Central Nacional de Turismo no Espaço Rural; 258 931 750), a non-profitmaking organization which aims to help residents maintain their properties and traditional ways of life – without their support, many houses would either be sold, developed or abandoned. Alternatively, check the websites of the organizations it represents: solaresdeportugal.pt, aldeiasdeportugal.pt and casasnocampo.net).
Properties range from simple farmhouses offering a couple of rooms on a bed-and-breakfast basis, to country manors complete with period furnishings. Quintas or herdades are farm estate houses, and you can even stay in palaces (palácios), owned by Portuguese aristocrats who have allowed their ancient seats to become part of the scheme.
There are hundreds of properties available, all of which have been inspected and approved by the government tourist office. Rates start at around €70 a night, though the grandest places might charge up to €120 for a double/twin room, or a little more for self-contained apartments or cottages within the grounds (sleeping up to six). Large breakfasts are invariably included, while many will provide dinners made from locally sourced ingredients. Others offer activities like fishing, rambling, horseriding and wine tasting.
Some hostels are a bit on the basic side, and others are geared towards schools and groups, but they are all in convenient locations for sightseeing or outdoor activities. As well as dorm beds, you can often get larger family rooms or apartments, and even en-suite double rooms. Some of the newer ones – at Parque das Nações (Lisbon) and Guimarães, for example – have been very well designed, while many others have wi-fi, cafés, bars and bike rental as standard.
Prices vary according to season, location and facilities, but dorm beds in most cost between €12 and €18 per person (high season is basically July, August, Easter, Christmas and other public holidays).
There’s also a growing network of independent and boutique hostels. Prices are similar to those at the pousadas de juventude, and most offer double/twin rooms as well as dorms. Some of the new boutique city hostels (such as the Rivoli Cinema Hostel in Porto and Lisbon Lounge or Travellers House in Lisbon) are very classy indeed.
Charges are usually per person and per caravan or tent, with showers and parking extra; even so, it’s rare that you’ll pay more than €8 per person, although those operated by Orbitur – usually with bungalows on site as well – are more expensive. The cheapest place to camp is usually the municipal campsite in each town, though these vary in quality and can be very crowded – they are not always recommended.
A few sites require an international camping card which gives discounts at member sites and serves as useful identification: many campsites will take it instead of your passport, and it covers you for third-party insurance when camping. The card is available from most home motoring or cycling organizations and camping and caravan clubs, or check campingcardinternational.com.
Camping outside campsites is legal, though there are restrictions – for example, you can’t camp on tourist beaches or in natural parks (other than in designated camping areas). With a little sensitivity you can pitch a tent for a short period almost anywhere else in the countryside, but it’s always best to ask locally first – the potential fire risk is taken very seriously in Portugal.
Portugal is a great place to take campervans and motorhomes. However, it is important not to stop in unauthorized locations to prevent environmental damage; in any case, you may well be moved on by the police. Many campsites have dedicated areas where you can stop for the night. The Algarve tourist board can supply a leaflet (also available on their website, visitalgarve.pt) with details of the Algarve Motorhome Support Network, which aims to support and promote locations for motorhomes, including specific motorhome parks.
From travel safety to visa requirements, discover the best tips for traveling to Portugal
written by Mani Ramaswamy
updated 26.04.2021
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