Portugal Trip Checklist: What to Sort Before You Go

Tip: save this page to your phone’s home screen. It works as a handy reminder list while you’re travelling.

Before you book

Passport valid for your whole stay (non-EU visitors: at least 3 months beyond your departure date).
Coming from outside the EU? Check the latest entry rules. The EU’s Entry/Exit System now registers non-EU visitors at the border, and visa-exempt travellers will need an ETIAS authorisation once it launches. Check the official EU travel site for dates.
Travel insurance that covers health and, if you’re driving, the car hire excess. EU and UK visitors: bring your EHIC or GHIC too.
Pick your base. First trip? Lisbon for 3 to 4 nights, Porto for 2 to 3, then the Algarve or the Douro if you have time.

Pena Palace in Sintra runs on timed entry slots. Book online and go early. See our Sintra tips.
Livraria Lello in Porto needs a ticket, and queues are long in summer.
Douro Valley wine tours and Berlenga ferries fill up in July and August. See our Douro tours and Berlengas guide.
Popular restaurants on Friday and Saturday nights, especially in Lisbon and Porto.

Lisbon airport: the metro red line takes you into the city; Uber and Bolt have marked pick-up zones; official taxis queue outside arrivals.
Porto airport: the metro (violet line E) runs straight into the city centre.
Faro airport: buses and taxis to Faro; most people heading to the resorts use a transfer or hire a car.
Get a rechargeable transport card for trams, metros and ferries: Navegante in Lisbon, Andante in Porto.

EU mobile plans roam for free. Everyone else: set up an eSIM before you fly so you have data at the airport.
The currency is the euro. Cards work almost everywhere, but carry a little cash for small cafés and markets.
When a card machine or ATM asks, choose to pay in euros, not your home currency. The conversion offered is usually worse.
Use bank ATMs marked Multibanco. Avoid standalone tourist ATMs, which often add high fees.
Plugs are type F (two round pins), 230V.

Ask your rental company for an electronic toll device (Via Verde). Many motorways only have electronic tolls, and unpaid tolls come back as fines.
Good news for the south: tolls on the Algarve’s A22 and several other former “SCUT” motorways were scrapped from 1 January 2025.
Don’t drive into central Lisbon or Porto unless you have to. Parking is hard and the old streets are narrow.
More in our car rental guide.

The bread, olives and butter put on your table (the “couvert”) are charged if you eat them. Send them back if you don’t want them.
Tipping isn’t expected. Rounding up or leaving 5 to 10% for great service is appreciated.
Lunch runs roughly 12:30 to 15:00 and dinner starts around 19:30 to 20:00. Some small shops close on Sundays.
Lisbon, Porto and many other towns charge a small nightly tourist tax, usually paid at your hotel.
Watch your bag on Lisbon’s tram 28 and in busy viewpoints. Pickpockets love a crowd.
Bring comfortable shoes. The hills and cobbles are no joke.

Still got a question? Ask it in Portugal Travel Tips, Lisbon Travel Tips or Porto Travel Tips. Someone will have just done the same trip.