10 Things to Know Before Visiting Portugal on Budget: Travel Experiences and Lessons of two Canadians

Inside Taylor's Wine Cellar in Porto, Portugal

It's been all over social media for a couple years now - Portugal is the spot to visit these days! Breathtaking sights, mouthwatering cuisine and delicious wine tastings for days, this country has so much to offer. Add to that the fact that it is cheaper than many other European countries typically visited by Canadians and Americans, Portugal is an amazing vacation destination! Here are 10 Things to know before visiting Portugal on a budget. After all, we did approach this vacation from a "live and learn" perspective in order to make many common mistakes and oversights so you could learn from our experience traveling this European country

10 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE VISITING PORTUGAL ON BUDGET: TRAVEL EXPERIENCES AND LESSONS OF TWO CANADIANS

Drugs have been decriminalised in Portugal
We would never recommend using drugs, especially not while traveling, but we feel it's important to have this knowledge as it's quite common, especially in Lisbon, to be approached by individuals trying to see you drugs. Best way to react seems to be to politely decline (shake your head no in case they don't understand English) and walk away. With this approach we didn't run into any troubles!

No, it's not free!
When offered or usually simply given olives and bread in restaurants, it's never free (even though they never seem to mention this). If you're okay with paying the extra and are going to eat the olives and/or bread, it's great, but if not then make sure to let them know you don't want them and that they should take it away.

Planning a vacation to Portugal and wanting to see more of what this amazing country has to offer? Have a look at why your trip should include a stop the Azores.

Quinta da Regaleira castle in Sintra, Portugal

Amazing cheap wines!
This is not a secret: Europe has some of the best wines, and Portugal is no exception! While costs in the restaurants are significantly lower than back home, purchasing a bottle of wine from the grocery store is the most frugal option for wine lovers, as the bottles start at a mere 2 Euros!

Euros are expensive
If you haven't looked into the exchange rate yet, but warned: the exchange rate between the Canadian Dollar and Euros hurts enough to leave anyone with a tear in the corner or their eyes. As this is not something you can control, it's best to simply focus on finding cheap attractions and accommodations, and saving money wherever possible

Praia da Marinha Beach near Lagos, Portugal

Driving can get quite expensive!
If you don't know how to drive standard, your automatic rental vehicle will cost you significantly more (and be careful as it might be a city car, which means using more gas to accelerate up to highway speeds!). The gas is actually quite expensive in Portugal compared to American and Canadian gas prices, and while the toll highways make for effortless driving, the tolls are quite steep  (at one point we paid 31 Euros!!), making the side roads much more enticing (and they truly enhance your vacation as you get to see beautiful sights and locations that you would otherwise have missed!). ​

Cheap cold drinks
Some corner stores sell beers and ciders for less than 1 euro, making it easy to grab a cold one while exploring during a warm day (and saves you the more costly prices from having a drink in the restaurants).

Communication can be tricky if you don't speak Portuguese
While communicating on the Azores islands was near impossible (in English or French), the northern part of Portugal was easy to visit speaking English and especially French. And of course, the more touristy the destination, the easier it was to locate individuals who spoke English. However, all signs were in Portuguese, but with a bit of quick google translate searches it's easy to memorize a few basic words to help alleviate some confusion.

Looking for more travel tips and tricks?
​Head over to our travel planning section to get more budget travel advice!

Many downtown roads are (VERY) narrow and made with cobblestones
This means that driving down the tiny winding cobblestone roads is not for the faint of heart (thankfully Janie was very confident in her driving!). It also results in terrain that's impossible to walk in heels, and challenging to simply walk when there's such limited space and cars are driving by - be careful or you might loose a toe!

Dress to impress
Generally speaking, people in this country seemed to dress well. We didn't run into anyone in sweat pants and a hoodie with disheveled hair. Most individuals seem to put at least a minimal effort in their appearance before leaving their home, and so we recommend doing the same in order to try blending in with the crowds! After all, we saw many ladies even walking on the cobblestone hills with heels - a feat we couldn't even imagine taking on - all in the name of dressing well!

Temperature changes quickly
While it can be sweltering daytime, once the sun goes down the temperature quickly dips. Make sure to pack clothing accordingly, as you don't want to be stuck wearing the same sweater all trip because you didn't expect it to get cold (as we had to do). Also, if you've gone out for the day, make sure to bring a few layers in order to dress according to the temperature!

Driving can be tricky 
If you are renting a vehicle, please do some research ahead of time in order to understand the various street signs used in this country - many of them have no resemblance to the signs used in Canada or the U.S. You'll also be surprised to know that the speed limit on some major highways is 120km/h, with most going significantly above the posted limit! You will need to drive fast enough, otherwise risk finding yourself in dangerous situations with fast drivers around you, but don't drive too fast as to risk getting in trouble with the law or worst!

Sunset in Porto, Portugal

Cheap food can be found!
While we mostly relied on food purchased from grocery stores, we were able to locate many big delicious meals that were sufficient for two people for just 7 Euros. This may require some searching, but if you're on a tight budget as we were it's well worth it! (Just be careful if you order more food than what you can eat, we found some restaurant owners actually got quite upset when asked if we could bring the rest of the food with us!)

Looking for a good travel inspired laugh at some of our best adventures?
​Check out our travel fails, or send in some of your own for a chance to be featured!

Hopefully these 10 things to know before visiting Portugal on a budget have provided you with sufficient tips and tricks to plan a wonderful vacation! 
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J&C

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