Thanks again for all the great input on my other post. My question is for a road trip of 9 days around the country - Algarve, the Atlantic coast, Duaro Valley, etc., can one just find hotels and good restaurants along the way while there or is it risky and expensive/difficult to find places along the way and things should be booked ahead of time?
Thanks again for any insight you might offer.
What time of year are you travelling? I would want to book accommodation if travelling in school holidays. You will probably be ok not booking restaurants in advance unless you’re staying on the coast in peak season.
Nine days to cover the Algarve up to the Douro certainly would involve you seeing lots of road and not much else! I wouldn’t attempt to cover so much ground even with 2 full weeks on the ground. I suggest you drop the Algarve and focus on the more interesting areas between Lisbon and Porto.
We always book hotels in advance and on their website vs. a third party booking agency. Personally, I do not want the stress of finding a hotel last minute, and I do a lot of research to find a hotel that best meets our needs. As for restaurants, we have found that they are easier to book last minute if you can be flexible on your dining time.
Sorry, I forgot to mention we are traveling 3/29 through 4/7.
Hi
Usually restaurant reservations are not required in Portugal .
The exceptions are during events such as new years, Holy week (Easter) etc, specific tourist restaurants and famous restaurants.
If you want to experience local food go where the locals go.
This is what I do:
If a complete meal deal is available I often order it, but first I ask what is specifically in the complete meal - just because an item is brought to the table it does not mean it’s part of the complete meal.
Complete meal goes by different names: “ementa completa” ementa turistica” refeicao completa” and it’s different in every restaurant that has it .
Don’t confuse with “ prato do dia” which is the plate of the day and not a complete meal deal.
DO NOT assume that an item brought to the table is part of your meal or free - it probably requires an extra charge - ask.
I often send items back to avoid extra charges for items that I did not ask for.
Happy travels
