Portugal is one of the 26 European countries that are part of the Schengen Agreement, which means it offers visa-free travel to nationals from 60 other countries including Australia, the United States, Canada, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

To determine whether the country you're travelling to requires a visa, head to the Schengen Visa's information website.

The best time to travel to Portugal is in spring between March May, and in late summer or early autumn in September, when the weather is still warm with daily averages of 23ºC, while avoiding the summer heat and busy crowds.

Portuguese is the official language of Portugal – the fifth most spoken language in the world!

The weather in Portugal is categorized by hot summers reaching highs of 30ºC in July (though these are cooled by the breeze from the Atlantic), and mild winters which don’t dip below averages of 10ºC even during the coldest month, December – though this will vary from across the coastline to the mountains of the Algarve.

Portugal uses the official currency of Europe, the Euro (€), which was introduced in 2002 replacing the Portuguese escudo.

It's not compulsory, but when traveling in Portugal it is customary for tourists to leave a small tip of around 5-10% in restaurants, while most cafes will have a tip jar where a few coins can be added (usually around €1). On a Trafalgar tour, we have pre-paid certain tips and gratuities for you such as baggage handling at hotels, service charges and tips for hotel wait staff (for included meals).

You’ll be able to find ATMs easily in major towns and cities across Portugal, as well as in popular tourist destinations, airports and train stations – look out for ‘multibanco’ signs. If you’re traveling to smaller villages or more remote parts of Portugal, be sure to get some cash out beforehand so you’re not caught out.

Tap water in Portugal meets all EU standards and is considered safe in all regions, though the tap water in Lisbon is hard so many locals and tourists choose to drink bottled water instead.

We highly recommend guests purchase travel insurance prior to your trip. Please ensure you add the details of your insurance to the My Trafalgar portal.

Your insurance should cover trip interruption, personal injury, medical expenses, and evacuation and repatriation cover including during pandemic events.

Book your travel insurance with Trafalgar's Travel Protection Plan, which includes the Cancel For Any Reason Credit Certificate Feature and the Travel Insurance Benefits that may help to protect your vacation payment against the unexpected.