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Before you travel, check the average prices of some important products and services and get an idea of what it costs to live and travel in Portugal.
Food and drinks
Prices may vary and depend on the kind of service you choose, so these are merely indicative prices.
An expresso, so dearly appreciated by the Portuguese and commonly known as «bica», costs 60 to 70 cents in a typical café. A latte («galão») may cost €0,70 to €1,20 and a tea ranges from €1 to €1,5. A freshly squeezed orange juice costs around €2,50 and a beer or a coke will cost €1 to €1,50.
A cheese or ham sandwich costs €1,50 to €2,50 and a toast or a pastry won’t cost more than 2 euros.
For a complete meal, you should expect to pay 8 to 11 euros per person in a snack bar, 13 to 20 euros if you choose a 2nd class restaurant, and 30 to 50 euros in a 1st class restaurant or a «casa de fados» (house of fado).
Culture
A ticket to a museum, a national monument or an exhibition costs around 2 to 5 euros.
A ticket to the cinema costs 5,50 euros. In the theatre, you may pay 10 to 30 euros, and tickets to concerts, opera or ballet may range from 15 to 75 euros.
To watch a bullfight, which happens only between Sunday Easter and All Saints Day, tickets may cost 15 to 75 euros, depending on the bullring and the participants.
Public Transport
Trains
A trip between Lisbon and Oporto in the Alfa Pendular train (the quickest and most comfortable) may cost €27,50 to 39,50 (2nd or 1st class) and in the Intercidades train it will cost €18 to €28.
From Lisbon to Faro, a ticket costs €19 to €26 in the Alfa Pendular train and €18 to €23 in the Intercidades train.
To visit tourist attractions in the outskirts of Lisbon, the tickets between Cais do Sodré and Belém, or Rossio and Queluz-Belas cost €1,20; from Alcântara to Oriente you’ll pay €1,30 and from Lisbon to Sintra or Cascais €1,70 http://www.cp.pt Express Bus
There is a regular service of express buses between Lisbon and all major Portuguese cities. A trip between Lisbon and Oporto should cost €17; from Lisbon to Faro you’ll pay €18; from Faro to Oporto €26 and from Lisbon to Coimbra €13 http://www.rede-expressos.pt Taxis
Inside the city, the initial fare («bandeirada») during daytime costs €2 and at night, weekends and holidays you should expect to pay €2,50. Then add to this amount the distance and time travelled.
If you call a taxi, there is an additional cost of €0,80 and if you need to use the baggage door you’ll pay another €1,60.
Outside the city, the service is paid by kilometre, and the customer is expected to pay the return trip, whether he takes it or not. Usually, a price is accorded at the beginning of the journey.
Urban transport
Lisbon
The «Lisbon Card» allows you to use the public transport system (buses, metro, trams) and the trains from Lisbon to Sintra and Cascais; it also grants discounts and free entrances to several monuments, museums and sightseeing tours. A Card valid for 24h costs €15 and for 48h costs €26; children aged 5 to 11 have a 50% discount.
If you buy a ticket on board buses or trams, you pay €1,40.
The «Sete Colinas» (seven hills) Card can be bought at the Carris and Metro kiosks and costs only €0,50; then you have to buy single or combined tickets to use on the bus and the metro (these cost €3,70 for one day).
Oporto
The «Porto Card» allows you to use all the city public transport and also offers discounts and free entrances to several monuments and museums, as well as performances, cruises in the River Douro, sightseeing tours, restaurants and traditional shops. The Card costs €8,50 for one day; €13,50 for two days and €17,50 for three days.
A ticket on board buses costs €1,45 and a simple metro ticket costs €0,95. Combined tickets to the bus, metro and train inside Oporto’s urban area cost €4 a day and €9 for three days.
Petrol and diesel
Prices are not restricted and vary mainly according to the average crude oil prices in the international market. At the moment (2011/07/12), petrol costs around €1,599 /litre, diesel costs €1,399/litre and GPL €0,824/litre.
Money
Currency
Portugal is a member of the European Union and has adopted the Euro as its currency. 1 euro can be divided into 100 cents. Euro coins come in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, and 1 and 2 euros; euro notes come in 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 denominations.
Euro coins have one common face all over Europe, whilst the other varies from country to country, usually displaying a national symbol; however, euro coins from other countries are legal tender everywhere.
Money Exchange
Money can be exchanged at banks, open to the public between 8:30am to 3:00pm, from Monday to Friday; independent exchange facilities and ATMs.
ATM
There is a national network of ATMs, identified as MB (Multibanco), allowing withdrawals 24h a day.
Credit Cards
In Portugal, the most commonly used credit cards are Visa, American Express, Diners Club, Europay/Mastercard, JCB and Maestro.
If your credit card gets lost or stolen, you should contact immediately one of the following lines:
Visa: Tel. 800 811 107 Mastercard: Tel. 800 811 272
Driving
In Portugal, cars travel on the right side of the road. In squares, intersections and junctions, unless signalled otherwise, priority has to be given to the right. In intersections with roundabouts, vehicles already travelling on the roundabout have priority over the entering vehicles. Traffic signs obey international rules and regulations.
Required documents:
- Personal identification card
- Drivers license
- Insurance certificate
- Registration certificate of ownership of the vehicle or similar
- Identification of the vehicle («livrete») or similar
If you are fined for a driving offence, you’ll have to pay immediately at the scene.
Speeding limits for regular vehicles are 50km/h (within towns), 90km/h (outside towns), 100km/h (expressways) and 120km/h (highways).
You are not allowed to drive if you exceed the limit of blood alcohol content (0,5gr/litre).
Using a seatbelt is mandatory at all times.
Portuguese traffic regulations do not allow the use of mobile phones during driving, unless using a hands-free device.
Text adapted from visitportugal.com
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