Portugal , in Southern Europe , shares the Iberian peninsula at the western tip of Europe with Spain . Geographically and culturally somewhat isolated from its neighbor, Portugal has a rich, unique culture, lively cities and beautiful countryside. Although it was once one of the poorest countries in Western Europe , the end of dictatorship and introduction of Democracy in 1974, as well as its incorporation into the European Union in 1986, has meant increased prosperity -- and increased prices for travelers.

How to Get In

Visa

All visitors must hold tickets and/or documents for their return or onward journey, and at least €74.82 plus €39.90 per day of stay, unless holding proof of paid accommodation (equivalent in convertible currency accepted). The borderless region known as the Schengen area includes the following countries: Austria , Belgium , Denmark , Finland , France , Germany , Greece , Iceland , Italy , Luxembourg , The Netherlands, Norway , Portugal , Spain and Sweden . All these countries issue a standard Schengen visa that allows the holder, in principal, to travel freely within the borders of all.

Note: Passport and visa requirements are liable to change at short notice. Travellers are advised to check their entry requirements with their embassy or consulate.

By plane

Almost all major full price airlines fly to Portugal (British Airways, Air France, Lufthansa), besides the country's own TAP (Air Portugal ). However, there are some cheap fares to be had from the no-frills airlines, like Fly Monarch, EasyJet, RyanAir and Vueling who have recently started flying to Lisbon and Porto at good prices. There are three international airports in the mainland: Lisbon (in the north of the city, and not far from the centre), Porto , and Faro. The Madeira and Azores Islands also have international airports. From the United States , US Airways offers many flights to Portugal via Philadelphia .

By train

Trains reach most larger cities from Lisbon . Lisbon is connected to Madrid , Spain . In the South it is not possible to enter Portugal from Spain . There are no train connections from i.e. Sevilla to Faro. The only option is to use buses, there are many.

For more information, contact:

* CP, Portuguese Railways.

By car

Roads are generally good, and you can reach almost all major cities with ease, either by motorway or by good, modern roads. The biggest cities are well served by modern highways (most have tolls), and you can travel the full North-South length of the country without ever leaving the highway, if you choose to. However, some secondary roads are ill-treated and may be dangerous if proper care is not taken. Also, Portuguese driving can seem erratic and, frankly, scary to the uninitiated. The country shares with most southern european countries something that the successive Portuguese governments have been trying to fight: terrible road behaviour from some drivers. This is getting a little better year by year, but still, there are many drivers whose dream is to own a Ferrari, but all they actually have is a Renault Clio or a Ford Fiesta, or that think that they can drink and drive without any kind of problem. In order to fight this national calamity, road laws changed recently in order to punish with great severity speeding, driving without license, driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics, etc.

(From someone on a motor touring holiday in late 2006: The most obvious bit of selfish driving is overtaking. You can be on a 2-lane toll highway and be unable to see any other traffic except the car you're overtaking at 30 kph over the speed limit and the car about 6 feet from your back end flashing its headlights to get past you. "Letting on" manners when slip roads come on to fast roads are also pretty poor. On other roads, you'll get used to two classic Portuguese experiences: suicidal overtakig attempts and the resultant absurdly overdone signs indicating when you can and can't overtake - sometimes all of 5 yards apart, and the "penalty stop" traffic light as you enter the 50 kph zone in each small town, with camera to decide whether you're over the speed limit. Rather absurdly, once you're through this, you can go as fast as you like - we never saw a second penalty stop signal. Someone really should add up the cost of all the no-overtaking signs and tell Portuguese drivers how many they must be paying for each.)

It is probably unwise for those unfamiliar with Portuguese driving to try to drive in the cities - be aware if you do that city drivers give no quarter and have limited respect for lane markings. If you do want to try, choose a weekend or an hour outside the rush hour periods. These are early mornings ( 8 am - 9.30 am ) and late afternoons ( 5 pm - 7.30 pm ).

Get around

Thanks to generous government subsidies, rail travel in Portugal is often cheaper and faster than travel by bus. Unfortunately the rail network is limited, so you may find yourself bussing about to get anywhere off the beaten path. The immediate areas surrounding Lisbon and Porto are reasonably well-served by suburban rail services.

Lisbon and Porto also have a clean, modern and air-conditioned metro system (underground/subway and light railway). Road traffic in Lisbon and Porto is pretty congested all day round and gets completely stuck in the rush hours. Car travel is the most convenient or only method to reach areas outside the main cities, however (car rental is not too expensive, but the associated insurance is - unless you book the total package abroad). Heed the advice about the quality of some people's driving skills mentioned above.

In Lisbon you might want to try to hop on one of the trams, but be prepared for a noisy ride. By train

What to See

If you want to spend your holidays in the countryside, you might want to visit Braga , Viana do Castelo, Castelo Branco, Guarda, or even Viseu. If you are more into visiting beautiful monuments and enjoy remarkable views, then Lisbon , Porto , Setubal , Braga , Sintra, Bragan?a and ?vora are some of the cities with wonderful and magnificent monuments. On the reverse, you have the Algarve 's beaches and sport's clubs. At night Setubal , Lisbon , Porto and Algarve are the best choices as you have major places of entertainment. And even if you wish to observe wild life in its natural state, Madeira and Azores Islands are places to remember.

What to do

Surrounded by sea in almost it's entirety, the Portuguese beaches are well worth visiting. A lot of activities are offered, from surfing, to kite-surfing, and during the summer months the most frequented beaches offer sand based activities such as aerobics. If you're not the type of breaking into a sweat during holidays, almost every single public beach will have a bar where locals sit, eat/drink and socialise.

The countryside also offers a great deal of possibilities, although you will have to incite the travel agent's advise a little more than usual, as they tend to just sell beach holidays. Cycling through the mountainous terrain of Gerez or white-water rafting in the affluents of river Douro is an exhilirating experience.

What to Eat

This is potentially the most varied experience to have in the country.

Portuguese cuisine evolved from hearty peasant food drawn from the seafood of the country's abundant coast and the pork raised on the limited grazing land of its interior. From these humble origins, Mediterranean ingredients and spices brought back to the country during its exploration and colonisation of the East Indies and the Far East helped shape what is regarded as 'typical' Portuguese cuisine.

Soup is the essential first course of any Portuguese meal. The most popular is the Minho specialty, caldo verde, made from cabbage, potatoes and spiced sausage.

n some grocery stores the scales are in the produce section, not at the checkout. If you don't weigh your produce and go to the checkout, you will probably be told Tem que os pesar or Tem que pesar ("You have to weigh them"). Snacks Portugal is famous for its wide variety of amazing pastries, or pasteis.

Shopping

Portugal is part of the Eurozone and uses the euro as its currency (symbol: €). ATMs accepting international cards can be found everywhere, and currency conversion booths spring up wherever there is a steady flow of tourists (although the closer they are to tourist attractions, the worse the rates they offer).

In smaller (non-high-street) shops you can try some haggling, especially if you offer to buy multiple items. You might want to check your change, though: although not a widespread practice, some shopkeepers might "accidentely" overcharge tourists.

Tipping in restaurants is optional - if you are not too happy with the service, don't tip. 10% is a good value tip, although most people would just round up the total bill to the next ten's. Keep in mind that whilst tipping, the Portuguese themselves almost always simply leave the coin portion of their change, not considering actual percentages. Waiters are viewed (and paid as) professionals in Portugal . A 'tip' is considered a note of appreciation, not a means to make up for a tiny salary.

Stay Safe

Except for certain neighbourhoods in Charleroi , Brussels and Antwerp , Belgium is a safe country. Being aggressive or even unhelpful towards strangers is very unnatural for Belgians in general.

Also be aware of a mild form of resentment towards Muslims and North African ethnicities.

Always use your common sense, of course. Don't walk in empty streets in the middle of the night, showing off your expensive equipment or jewelry.

Stay Healthy

Portugal is a safe country. This does not mean that you should throw caution to the wind and let down your guard, but generally speaking, you are safer in Portugal than in most other western countries. In particular, there is a refreshing lack of boozy stupidity at the weekends, despite the profusion of bars open to all hours in the major cities. Also, there are no internal conflicts to speak of, and no terrorism-related danger.