Travel Info
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For those visiting or planning a holiday in Portugal, here is some general information that may be useful

Entry requirements
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A valid passport is the only requirement for US citizens. All other nationalities, please contact the nearest Portuguese Consulate in order to obtain any requirements information.

Going to Portugal
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International airports are: Lisboa, Porto, Faro, Funchal (Madeira), Ponta Delgada (São Miguel, Açores), and Lajes (Ilha Terceira, Açores). The national airline is TAP–Air Portugal. The regional air company, SATA, flies connections to the Açores Islands. There are also air links between Funchal (Madeira) and Porto Santo. Portugalia and Air Luxor also operate schedule flights to and from Portugal in Europe. Every day, international trains run between Paris and Lisbon (Sud Express); Lisbon-Madrid train Lusitânia, and Porto-Vigo

Customs
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Residents or non-residents
who leave or enter Portugal territory are free to take with them national and foreign currency in coins and notes, travelers cheques and other securities intended to pay for the travel expenses, but are obligated to inform the customs authorities if the values involved exceed 12,000 Euros (approximately US$13,000.00).

Travelers over 17 years old, may bring in the following items, duty free: 2 bottles of table wine, 1 bottle of hard liquor, 200 cigarettes or 250 grams of tobacco, 1.75 ounces of perfume and small quantities of tea or coffee for personal use. Bringing fresh meat into Portugal is forbidden. For further information, contact the Embassy services or the Portuguese Consulates.

Time
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Continental Portugal and Madeira Island are on the Greenwich time - five hours ahead of Eastern Time & eight ahead of Pacific Time. The Azores Islands are 1 hour behind the Portuguese mainland. Daylight savings time begins the last Sunday in March (clocks are turned one hour ahead) and ends the last Sunday in October (clocks go back one hour).

Climate
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Mild year round. Summers are dry and clear, with warm sunshine extending long into Autumn. Winters are moderately cool and are the rainiest time of year, except in subtropical Madeira, where there is little rain. Mid-Summer temperatures range in the 70 F, while Winter temperatures range from the low to mid-50s.

Weather Chart reflects average temperatures

Getting around

Urban public transport In the main towns there is a complete public transport network. In Lisboa there are buses, the underground, and trams. One may also use public elevators (lifts). Tourism Information Centers at Carris (Lisboa) and STCP (Porto) sell tourist tickets every business day from 8 am to 8 pm.

Taxis are painted mostly cream with a roof-light to identify them. However, there are still some taxis which keep the old colours, green and black. In towns they use taximeters, but once outside urban boundaries the service is charged by the kilometre, and includes the price of the driver’s return trip to his starting point. From 10 pm to 6 am the rate increases by 20%. It is normal to give a tip of 10% on top of the fare. Luggage is charged according to a fixed rate. All taxis have an updated chart in two languages.

Express trains run between Lisbon and Porto stopping in Coimbra (Alfa trains), while regional trains (Intercidades and Inter-regional) connect the different parts of Portugal. These trains have first and second class carriages, except for local and suburban trains, where there is only one class. Special tickets - including tourist tickets valid for 7, 14 or 21 days, may be bought, while there are special return ticket discounts on “blue days” for trips exceeding 100 km.

Business hours

Banks open from 8:30 am to 3 pm from Monday to Friday; closed on bank holidays. Shops open rom 9 am to 1 pm and from 3 pm to 7 pm (working days). On Saturdays, most shops close at 1 pm. In the shopping malls located in larger towns, shops are normally open on 7 days a week and holidays from 10 am to 11 pm.

Museums open from 10 am to 12:30 am and from 2 pm to 5 pm. Closed on Mondays. Some palaces also close on Wednesdays.

Pharmacies open from 9 am to 1 pm and from 3 pm to 7 pm, Monday to Friday, and Saturday mornings. There are also 24 hour pharmacies which operate according to an official chart displayed on Pharmacy windows.


Distances in kilometers between main tourist destinations

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