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Aug 2024
The Country
Portugal is located at the westernmost tip of Europe, occupying a rectangular area measuring 220 by 560 kilometers (135 by 350 miles). It has a very diverse landscape from the Alentejo plains in the south to the mountains and wooded areas further north. The island of Madeira, measuring 55 by 22 kilometers (35 by 14 miles), is approximately 480 km (300 miles) from the Portuguese coast, with lush vegetation and cliffs all over the island. In the Azores archipelago, 1300km (800 miles) from the coast, we have 9 islands with a mild climate.
The population is around 10 million inhabitants, 25% of which are in the Lisbon metropolitan area, and 17% live in the Porto metropolitan area. As compulsory education includes two foreign languages, the majority of the population under 60 understands and speaks English, many speak French, some German. Spanish is understood by everyone, although they prefer to speak Portuguese ;-).
Since the 80s of the last century, homosexuality began to be a topic increasingly accepted by the Portuguese, appearing several times in reports, television series and films. During the discussion in the Parliament on de facto unions in 1998, all polls indicated that the majority of Portuguese people were in favor (although with small margins) of extending them to homosexuals, and in March 2001 the law was changed to include couples of the same sex, and in 2010 there was equality in terms of civil marriage. However, the country is conservative and still has a strong influence from the Catholic Church, which means coming out of the closet can be a very different experience depending on each person's context. At the moment, discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is legally punished (including explicitly in the CLT since 2003) but, in practice, the legislation is not easy to apply.
Most companies apply the benefits of civil unions and civil marriages regardless of the person's gender and today it is common to have same-sex union recognized for the purposes of visiting rights in a hospital, for example.
The evolution of gay and lesbian rights was accompanied with some delay by gender identity, and since 2011 it is possible to change the civil registration of sex and first name upon presentation of a medical report. In 2018, the procedure was simplified to enshrine the right to self-determination of gender identity and gender expression and the protection of each person's sexual characteristics, excluding the need for a medical report. Cities
Lisbon is the great metropolis and where most service and commerce companies are concentrated. Due to its population made up of people from different parts of the country (and out of the country), the pressure on the LGBT community is lower, thus encouraging participation in collective life, with the city hall's good relations with the various associations being noteworthy. The Lisbon Queer Film Festival (in September) and Arraial Pride (Saturday around June 28th) are the city's biggest LGBT events, as is the LGBT Pride March (also around June 28th).
Porto is more conservative and serves as a meeting point for the many industries that exist in the north of the country, but more recently it has seen a new wave of innovation with international projection, both in terms of employment and tourism. The city had its Porto Pride (first Saturday of July) from 2001 to 2012, which had more than 2000 participants and part of the proceeds went to NGOs in the city. In some years, several events were organized on dates close to Porto Pride and in 2006 the first public march was held through the streets of the city, which gradually grew in terms of importance.
In the rest of the country, the gay community lives more modestly but there are, more and more, in addition to LGBT+ places, several pride marchs around the country
Office hours
Banks normally open from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm from Monday to Friday.
The stores are open from 9:00 am to 7:00 pm from Monday to Friday (with a lunch break around 1:00 pm ), in Saturday they are open in the morning. Shops in shopping centers are open from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm every day.
The museums are open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm (with a lunch break) from Tuesday to Sunday. Some locations are also closed on Wednesday.
Holidays
New Year (1 January), Carnival (variable), Good Friday (variable), Easter (variable), Freedom Day (25 April), Labor Party (1 May), Portugal Day (10 June) , Corpus Christi (variable), Assumption of Our Lady (15 August), Implantation of the Republic (5 October), All Saints (1 November), Restoration of Independence (1 December), Immaculate Conception (8 December) and Christmas (25 December).
Normally, shops are closed on these days and may also be closed on the day after Good Friday, Christmas and New Year.
Also pay attention to the various municipal holidays, many of them associated with popular saints. This is the case in Lisbon with Santo António on June 13th and in Porto, São João on June 24th. Other Municipal Holidays: Aveiro 12 May, Braga 24 June, Coimbra 4 July, Funchal 21 August, Leiria 22 May, Ponta Delgada 5 May.
Climate
The climate in mainland Portugal is temperate and varies from the warmer south to the colder and rainier north. In the south, summer lasts from March to October with temperatures of up to 35ºC (95ºF) and sea water at 24ºC (75ºF). In the north there is more rain and low temperatures in winter (but rarely below 0ºC/32ºF on the coast, the interior can be more rugged), sea water varies between 15ºC and 20ºC (60ºF / 70ºF). The climate on the coast is milder than the climate inland. It usually snows a few times in February in the mountains of the northern and central interior.
In the Azores, temperatures are milder, but it tends to rain frequently in winter.
Madeira has a more tropical climate (although there are heavy winter rains) and there is a big difference between the area in the city of Funchal that is less prone to rain than the rest of the island.
Money
Portugal is part of the area of ??Europe that adopted the Euro, which is the official currency in circulation. The Euro is divided into 100 Cents. There are coins in circulation of €0.01, €0.02, €0.05, €0.10, €0.20, €0.50, €1.00, € 2.00, and notes of €5.00, €10.00, €20.00, €50.00, €100.00, €200.00, €500.00. The Euro has been in circulation since January 1, 2002, the year in which the Escudo stopped circulating. Automatic teller machines (ATMs), most of which are part of the MultiBanco network, are an easy way to withdraw euros, accepting all credit withdrawals from the Visa, EuroCard/MasterCard, AmericanExpress and other networks, as well as some debit transactions from some European networks. Keep in mind that on weekends and between 11pm and 4am it may be impossible to withdraw money using international cards due to communication difficulties.
You can make purchases with a bank card or Visa or MasterCard credit card (in many cases also AmericanExpress, Dinners Club and others) in most large stores and restaurants, but don't rely on them for small stores or when outside large cities. br />
There are still many LGBT nightclubs and bars that do not accept card payments.
Tips
It is normal to tip between 5 and 10% in taxi and restaurant services, or even just the rest of the change, especially if it is a cafe or bar.
Fees
Value added tax (VAT) varies between 6% and 23% (values ??are lower in the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira), and is included in most product prices displayed in stores. For buyers outside the European Union, it is possible to receive part of the VAT on your purchases as soon as you leave the European Union, look for the “TaxFree for Tourists” stores.
Measurements
In Portugal, the metric system is used in all activities and don't expect someone to understand what "6 feet" or "2 gallons" are.
Likewise, all temperature measurements are in Centigrade.
Electricity
The electrical voltage (as in much of Europe) is 230V AC 50Hz. The sockets have two round pins (type F).
Drive
Roads are reasonable throughout the country with an extensive network of highways (most paid). Please note that there are several routes where electronic toll payment is mandatory, which can be done automatically with a ViaVerde device or afterwards, using the vehicle license plate, at CTT (Correios) or Payshop agents. Traffic is on the right and the signs are almost all international or easily understandable. It is mandatory for all occupants of the vehicle to wear seat belts. The maximum speed is 50 km/h (about 30 mph) in towns, 90 km/h (about 55 mph) outside towns and 120 km/h (about 75 mph) on highways.
The gasoline available is unleaded with 95 or 98 octane. Normally, not only the two varieties are available, but also versions with additives, as well as diesel at all gas stations in large cities, but the same may not happen in rural areas. The price is more or less free but in practice price variations are below 10 cents per liter. Reference prices in August 2024: €1.80 per liter for Petrol 95, €1.90 per liter for Petrol 98 and €1.60 per liter for Diesel. If you pay by credit card at a gas station you will be charged an additional fee of €0.50 per purchase.
Take into account that tThe maximum blood alcohol level is very low (below 0.5) and even if you only drink a glass of wine you can be caught by the police, so if you are driving: do not drink alcohol at all.
For more information about Driving Licenses, Maps and Signs, see ACP.
Public Transport
Using the Alfa/InterCidades service you can travel quickly and comfortably between the main cities in the country. If you don't find a suitable train, you can use the various bus services at very economical prices.
For more information about trains, see CP
For more information about buses, see FlixBus, Rede Expressos or RodoNorte
For more information about urban transport see Metropolitano de Lisboa, Carris - Lisbon, Metro do Porto, STCP - Porto
Air Transport
Portugal has three main international airports: Lisbon, Porto and Faro, with direct connections to hundreds of international destinations.
For more information about air transport, consult TAP-Air Portugal, or SATA AZORES.
For more information about airports, see ANA.
Stay
Hotels and guesthouses usually have clean and adequate service according to the price. The places are classified at an official level with stars: in a 3 star expect a minimum service with private bathroom, telephone (and possibly television in the room), 4 stars have a hotel with good service and 5 stars are reserved for hotels of Lux. It is advisable to make a reservation in advance. The prices indicated include all taxes.
Local accommodation has had a strong success in Portugal and you can find places across the country on platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com. For those who prefer a calmer and more refined environment, there are also Pousadas de Portugal, usually in buildings of historical value spread throughout the country, and Tourism Residences where you can spend a few days in an old farm or manor house away from the hustle and bustle of big cities. .
In all these locations, by law, there is a complaints book that must be presented to all customers who request it whenever they present their identification, and which is also available available online. In addition to Portuguese, the book has instructions in English and other languages.
Telephones
All national telephone numbers (except special services) have 9 digits, even if you make a local call you have to dial the full number. The international code for Portugal is +351. To make international calls from Portugal, dial 00 followed by the country code and desired number (or + in the case of cell phones).
With the mass increase in cell phones, payphones are becoming increasingly rare.
Landline numbers always start with "2", cell phone numbers (mobile phones) with "91", "93" or "96", special services for "1", free services for "800", shared rate services (pay for a local call anywhere in the country) for "808", and value-added services (paid at the price of gold) for "60".
Due to the existence of three mobile phone operators, it may be economically interesting to buy a cell phone with service, or a SIM card, if your stay is longer than 15 days, find out about the conditions and prices with each operator (MEO, Vodafone and NOS < /a>). Note that Portugal is part of the European Union Roaming space with most SIM cards being able to be used throughout the space at no additional cost.
Useful Phone Numbers (in portuguese)
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Emergencies
Emergency Assistance (Free) 112
SOS Fires 117
Services
National Information 118
Support
Support and Information Line on Homosexuality ILGA-Portugal Thursday and Friday 20:00-23:00 218 873 922 (landline) and 969 239 229 (mobile)
Alcoholics Anonymous 217 162 969
Narcotics Anonymous 219 477 970
Linha Vida (information on drug use/abuse) Business Days 10:00-20:00 (Free) 1414
AIDS Line 17:30-21:30 (Free) 800 20 10 40
Online Sexuality weekdays 11:00-19:00, Saturdays 10:00-17:00, (Free) 800 222 003
Links
For more information about LGBTQ+ places, see
Directory PortugalGay.PT.For more information (in English) about traveling in Portugal see Lonely Planet, Rough Guide, Tripadvisor (with Portuguese version)
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