Wikimecum:Traveling to Portugal

Traveling to Portugal

{{#display_map: Lisbon|zoom=13}}

Introduction

Portugal is just a quick plane ride away from Venice, and is a convenient stop during a tour of the Iberian Peninsula. The capitol is Lisbon (or Lisboa in Portuguese), and has many attractions and reasons to visit. The people of Portugal are a cultural mix of Spanish, Moorish, and many other ethnicities due to the country’s location and its rich shipping and exploration based past. Also, as it is significantly warmer than Venice during the time of these projects, it can provide a pleasant respite from the Venetian winter.

What to Do

Castelo de São Jorge

Lisbon is a large, historic city filled with hills, winding roads, museums, restaurants, and other places of interest. Castelo de São Jorge or Saint George’s Castle is one good location to go in the city. From the castle, one can see the sun set over the city, after paying an admission fee with a student discount (see Wikimecum:The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) for more information on student discounts). There are also several squares and monuments one can visit. One way to enjoy the city is to take the subway to the Baixa-Chaido stop (the stop for Lisbon's downtown area), and just walk down scenic streets and squares, and just enjoy the presumably warm weather. Some people prefer to grab a map, and head to anything that looks interesting. And yet others prefer a more stuctured approach, using a guidebook. What can be done is limited to how much time there is to spend, but two or three good days should be able to pack in most of what there is to see.

What to Say

Portuguese is a romance language with strong ties to Spanish. It is also rare to find someone from outside Portugal, Brazil, or similar nations that can speak the language. For these two reasons, and its history and proximity with Spain, many Portuguese people, especially those a tourist might encounter, speak Spanish. Like most of Western Europe, many Portuguese also have passable English skills. So, if you have not learned any Portuguese, but do know English or Spanish, you should be able to get around and do what you wish to achieve in the country.

But, if you do want to learn some rudimentary Portuguese there are a few words that can be helpful. Here is a condensed list of helpful phrases and vocabulary you might want or need to use:

Greetings

1. Hello: Olá
2. Good Day/Evening/Night: Bom dia/Boa tarde/Boa noite
3. Goodbye: Adeus/Até logo

Introductions

1. Mr./Mrs./Miss: Senhor/Senhora/Senhorita
2. My name is…: Meu chamo…
3. I’m from...: Eu sou de…

Pleasantries

1. How are you?: Come vai?
2. I am well (and you?): Tudo bem (e você?)
3. Thank you (male/female person): Obrigado/Obrigada
4. Please: Por favor
5. You’re welcome: De Nada.
6. I am sorry: Desculpe

Language Barrier

1. I do not speak Portuguese: Não falo português
2. Do you speak English/Spanish/Italian/French?: Você fala ingles/espanhol/italiano/francês?
3. I do not understand: Não compreendo

Directions

1. Where is…?: Onde é
2. Where is the bathroom?: Onde é o banheiro?
3. Left: esquerda
4. Right: direito
5. Where am I?: Onde é aqui
6. Bus station: a Rodoviária
7. Bus stop: a ponto de ônibus
8. Subway station: a estação do metro

Making Purchases

1. I would like (type of food, etc.): Gostaria…
2. How much does it (this) cost?: Quanto custa (isto)?
3. The bill please: a conta, por favor

Other Important Words

1. Yes: Sim
2. No: Não
3. I do not know: Não sei.
4. Pardon?/How?/What?: Como?
5. (very) Good: (muito) Bem
6. Bad: mal

Pronunciation in Portuguese is significantly different than that of many other languages. Like many other languages, Portuguese sounds strange to anyone that has not experienced it before. Without having had formal training or significant imersion in the language, it can be difficult to speak the language well. Different pronunciation guides can be found online[1] or in other places, but unless a significant amount of time is devoted to the process, Portuguese pronunciation will likely still be a little off.

What to Eat

There is little of what one would call “Traditional Portuguese Food.” Because of their heavy trading background, Portugal has a vibrant mix of different cooking styles; from Italian to Chinese food, there should be good food for many palates. Also, as Portugal is not a heavy tourist area, the prices for a meal are usually lower than in places like Venice, Rome, and Barcelona, among others.

There are hundreds of restaurants in Lisbon, from the steak chain restaurant "Portvgalia," to Chinese and Italian restaurants, to many more styles of food to choose. One way is to shop around and find the best combination of quality and price for whatever budget.

Also of note are “Fado Bars.” They play live traditional Portuguese music, based heavily on guitar picking. Food at a Fado Bar or Restaurant tends to consist of full meals or a Tapas style of dining with many shared appetizers. Like any other bar or restaurant, prices will vary, and choice of venue will likely depend on budget. Fado Bars can be found across the city, and as most will be advertised as such, it should be relatively easy to find one.

Where to Stay

All across Europe, there are Hostels that provided reasonably priced accommodations. Portugal is no different in this respect. The a good choice is to search online for Hostels[2] and choose one based on any preferences. Some people might choose a Hostel based on the language that the employees speak, a good user rating, internet access, or a convenient location. If there are enough people going to Portugal, then finding a Hostel with private rooms might be considered a good idea. Prices are usually in the twenty to thirty euro range, per person, per night, though that mostly depends on location and other benefits.

Other information

Portugal, and specifically Lisbon, is a good stop to make if there are a few days free to travel. Portugal’s interesting and vibrant culture provides a good and varied European experience and the climate can give a nice break from the cold northern Italian winter.