Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve: money, trams and trains, tipping, when to visit, curated traveler tips, and easy mobile data with an eSIM.
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Portugal has become Europe's favorite discovery for a reason: Lisbon's tiled hills and pasteis de nata, Porto's port lodges above the Douro, the golden cliffs of the Algarve and surf towns like Ericeira and Nazare - all at prices gentler than most of Western Europe.
Distances are short and trains pleasant, so a first trip can genuinely cover Lisbon, Porto and a coastal escape in ten days without feeling rushed.
Lisbon will steal a week if you let it: miradouro sunsets, tram bells, a pastel de nata that ruins you for all other custard, and hills that punish anyone who packed the wrong shoes. Porto is smaller, wine-dark and easier to love in three nights. The Algarve is the exhale — cliffs, grilled sardines, and water still warm in October.
The country is compact enough that you can do all three without heroics. Just do not treat it as Spain's cheaper cousin. Portugal has its own pace, its own wine, and a stubborn sweetness that sneaks up on people who only came for the tiles.
Essentials
Traveler tips
Real advice from people who have been to Portugal, curated by our team with links to the original sources.
The bread, olives and cheese brought unasked are not free - it is the couvert, charged per item you touch. Wave it away politely if you do not want it; only pay for what you ate.
Lisbon's famous tram is packed with tourists (and pickpockets) most of the day. Ride at dawn, or get the same views walking through Alfama and taking any regular tram elsewhere on the network.
The prato do dia lunch special at neighborhood tascas - main, drink and coffee for around ten euros - is Portugal's best food deal. Dinner starts late; kitchens fill after 8pm.
Lisbon and Porto are beautiful and vertical. Pack broken-in shoes with grip. The number of travelers who spend day two buying sneakers is a local cottage industry.
Pastéis de Belém is the famous line and worth it once. After that, neighborhood bakeries all over Lisbon and Porto will happily ruin you for less money and no queue. Eat them warm. That is the whole trick.
TripAdvisor Forums
Tram 28 is a standing-room souvenir for most of the day. The 18 to Ajuda and the 25 toward Campo Ourique use the same little cars on quieter streets.
View sourceTripAdvisor Forums
Cash handed to a Lisbon bus or tram driver is the tourist fare. A Viva Viagem card with zapping credit is what locals tap, and it is the cheaper way to ride.
View sourceRick Steves Travel Forum
Comboios de Portugal is the state carrier. Book Alfa Pendular and Intercidades in the official app — advance fares are the cheap ones. Rail Ninja and Omio are resellers. The fast Lisbon–Porto AP often leaves from Oriente, not Santa Apolónia downtown. On Urbana commuter tickets, validate before you board; inspectors do fine people who forget.
View sourceMetro de Lisboa
The green Navegante ocasional card from a metro machine holds Zapping credit that works on metro, Carris trams and buses, CP trains to Sintra and Cascais, and the Cacilhas ferry. Changing operator charges again. If you will ride four-plus times in one day, load the Carris/Metro 24-hour product instead. Contactless bank tap on metro alone is a different, slightly dearer single.
View sourceFAQ
No. Bread, olives and cheese are charged if you touch them. Wave them away. Unlocked iPhone XS / Pixel 3 / Galaxy S20 and newer can run Comboios and maps on an eSIM while you climb Lisbon's hills in the wrong shoes.
Tram routes, train times, maps in Alfama's alleys and cafe research come to about 1-2 GB per day. A 10 GB plan covers a Lisbon-Porto week; size up if you plan to hotspot or stream.
Excellent - Portugal has strong 4G and 5G nationwide, including the Algarve, the Douro Valley and Madeira. Even rural Alentejo stays well connected by European standards.
Airport shops charge more than city stores and involve a queue plus registration. An eSIM installed before departure means you land, your data connects, and you head straight for the metro into town.
Only if it is a regional Europe plan - single-country Portugal plans end at the border. Since Lisbon-Seville and Porto-Vigo trips are popular combinations, check the plan's country list before buying.
eSIM plans
Between tram routes, Douro train times and finding the next pastel de nata, your phone earns its keep in Portugal. An eSIM has you online at Lisbon arrivals for less than a single day of roaming charges.
Tram apps, Comboios de Portugal tickets and a map through Alfama's unnamed alleys all want a signal. An eSIM means you land at LIS and ride the metro into town instead of paying roaming for the privilege of getting lost.