Portugal

Currency and money

The currency in Portugal is the Euro. One Euro breaks down into 100 cents. As a rule of thumb the exchange rates to the Euro are approximately:

• 0.70 Pounds Sterling
• 1.1 US Dollars
• 1.5 Canadian Dollars
• 1.5 Australian Dollars

The Euro is the second most common currency in the world after the US dollar, and the same banknotes are used in all the countries in the Euro-zone (each country issues different coins, but these differ only in the picture on the back, and can be used outside their country of issue). Even in the European countries which do not use the Euro as their official currency, it is still very common to find it accepted in larger shops and hotels (sometimes at a suprisingly reasonable rate of exchange). It should not be difficult to exchange into or out of Euros at currency exchanges worldwide.

Travellers Cheques.

It is impossible to emphasize enough what a waste of time travellers cheques generally are. If you want to carry some for security then feel free, but you will probably end up paying a horrible rate of exchange and comission if you actually use them anywhere.

ATM Machines.

On every corner a bank, and on every bank an ATM. You could probably go your whole life without using the same ATM twice in Portugal. Certainly if you are in a town centre, you will have no problems finding a machine. They all accept Mastercard, Visa, Plus and Maestro as well, which is nice.

Credit and Debit Cards.

All the major cards (Visa, Access, AmEx) are suprisingly widely accepted in Portugal. You might even find a use for a Diner's Club or Discover card. You can generally pay for accomodation and train tickets with a credit card, but the same doesn't apply to coach tickets, which can only be paid for with the local MB debit card.

Language

The official language of Portugal is Portuguese. This is also the language spoken natively by almost all the inhabitants. If you can speak Portuguese, even a North American variety, you should find you can get by just fine in Portugal.

English is spoken surprisingly widely and surprisingly well in Portugal. Certainly it is far easier to get by using English in Portugal than it is in Spain. Most establishments that deal with tourists on an even remotely regular basis will have an English speaker on the staff, and even people who do not speak it are likely to be familiar with at least a few words. It is worthwhile to learn a few words of Portuguese however, even if you just stick to Abrigado (thank you), or Abriga, which is the shorter version.

Spanish is a fairly similar language to Portuguese, although Portuguese is a little more complex. This means that good Spanish speakers will probably be understood in Portugal, although they are less likely to understand the reply. It is sometimes not particularly popular with the Portuguese to address them in Spanish, since it can appear to belittle their own language and culture, so it may be helpful to apologise for not knowing Portuguese.

Shop opening

Shops typically open at around 10am, and stay open til around 7 or later in the evening. It is pretty common to take a fairly long lunch break/siesta in the afternoon. Town centre shops are often open on Sundays, but smaller grocery stores and newsagents/tobacconists rarely do so. Post Offices and banks open only until 6, and not on Saturdays and Sundays.

Crime and punishment

Crime.

The crime rate is not particularly high in Portugal, but in certain areas of Lisbon and other cities, tourists are at some risk of being robbed. It is sensible to take a few precautions therefore, such as staying in groups, sticking to wider and busier streets, and carrying at least some money separately from your purse or wallet, since handing over a little cash will often prevent you from losing documents and cards. Should the worst happen, stay positive and try not to let it spoil your holiday.

Police.

The main police force is the Policia Judiciaria, who have a station in most towns. The police seem to keep a pretty low profile in Portugal - you will rarely see officers of any kind patrolling the streets on foot, and even car patrols are less common than in other countries.

Basic laws.

Drinking in public is not generally a problem in Portugal, so there is a very limited market for brown paper bags. The age of consent is 14 for heterosexuals (with some restrictions below the age of 16) and 16 for homosexuals. Drug use is largely decriminalized in Portugal, although selling drugs is still regarded as a serious offence. The main result of this is that it is impossible to get through a night out without being pestered by someone to buy whatever white powder they have to hand as "cocaine".