I am planning to make my first visit to Portugal in the fall - September or October - and can use some help planning. I hope to be there 8 to 10 days(not including flying days)and am interested in history, art and food. I'm a single woman traveling alone so I'll be using public transportation since the cost of renting a car is too expensive for one person. What are your favorite places in Portugal and why? Is the public transportion as east to use as in other European countries? I obviously don't speak Portugese but I don't speak French, German, Dutch, very little Italian and am not even sure about English when in Great Britain. Should I expect any more difficulty in communicating there? I like to travel off-season to stay away from the crowds and to save money. Should I plan for later -November - instead? Thanks for your help!
Posted by
Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
324 posts
More than anything, I've found that the Portuguese are characterized by a tremendous willingness to try and communicate. This alone makes things quite easy while there. However, just about anybody under the age of 90 or so is reasonably comfortable with English (a benefit of incessant Baywatch re-runs on TV.) and that, coupled with the aforementioned willingness makes things even easier. That said, it is polite to pick up a tiny bit of the language before arriving.
Please: Por favor
Thank you: Obrigada (I'm assuming you're female, otherwise, "Obrigado".)
I want: Eu quero
Where is: Onde está
Beer: Cerveja
Hello: Bom dia (boa tarde after noon)
I spend a fair amount of time in the Porto area, and really like the town of Viseu. Although I don't think it offers more than a day trip. Public transportation is fairly easy. Just ask anybody in town where the Rede Expressos (http://www.rede-expressos.pt/) (bus lines) office is. I haven't taken a train there in years, so can't really speak to that issue.
Boa viagem
Posted by
Canada
37 posts
I was in Portugal the first few days of October 2009. I also was travelling by myself and not willing to rent a car as I was only going to be there for a couple of days. I flew into Faro and stayed out in Tavira. While I enjoyed my time there (loved my hotel in Tavira), I did find that public transportation in the Algarve to be rather limited. So, I would perhaps suggest staying closer to Lisbon where I understand it is easier to get around on trains and buses. I enjoyed the people in Portugal and also found them to be extremely helpful. As the previous poster suggested, I did try to learn a few phrases in the language (it really only takes 3 or 4 to make an impression) but there are so many British tourists in the Algarve that English was generally quite well understood and spoken (but I hate to rely on that). Enjoy!