General & Travel Info

Currency

The Euro is now the official currency of the European Union member states (including Portugal). The first Euro coins and notes were introduced in January 2002.

The Euro notes are: 500, 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 €.

The Euro coins are: 1 and 2 €, and 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents.

Currency Exchange

Check with banks for details and current rates. ATMs and Electronic Exchange Machines are abundantly available and tend to be more efficient to exchange currency.

Up-to-date exchange rates at www.xe.com.

Credit & Debit Cards

MasterCard, American Express and Visa are widely accepted, as well as Eurocheque cards.

Travellers Cheques

Traveller's cheques are accepted mainly for exchange in banks and exchange booths. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travellers are advised to take travellers cheques in Euros, Pounds Sterling or US Dollars.

Banking Hours

Generally, Mon-Fri 8:30 am to 3 pm (certain banks in shopping centres or are open until as late as 11 pm).

Passports

Passport is required for all visitors except EU nationals (except Denmark, Ireland and UK) and nationals of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Malta, Norway and Switzerland holding valid national ID cards. For nationals of UK, the passport must be valid for the duration of the stay in Portugal.

Language

Portuguese is the mother language in Portugal. Most of the Portuguese people especially at tourist areas like the Algarve speak one or more foreign languages. English and French are the two most widely spoken foreign languages.

Time

Continental Portugal and Madeira Island are on the Greenwich 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).

Electricity

The electrical current in Portugal is 220 volts, 50 cycle AC, and outlets are two round prongs. It is advisable to pack a converter and an adapter.

Equivalent Weights and Measures

• 1 cm = 0.39 inches
• 1 meter = 3.28 feet / 1.09 yards
• 1 km = 0.62 miles
• 1 litre = 0.22 gallons
• 1 inch = 2.54 cm
• 1 foot = 0.30 meters
• 1 yard = 0.91 meters
• 1 mile = 1.60 km
• 1 gallon = 4.55 litres

Shopping

Traditional commerce is open from 9 am to 1 pm and from 3 to 7 pm Mondays to Fridays and from 9 am to 1 pm on Saturdays. However, most shopping centres and hypermarkets may be open from 9 am to 12 pm, 7 days a week.

Markets

Most towns have a traditional market held weekly or once every month. The busy markets are very colourful and present a good opportunity to shop for traditional handicrafts.

Dress Code

Casual wear is widely acceptable, although beachwear should not be worn in towns.

Smoking

Smoking is prohibited in public offices, any health related facility, cinemas, theatres and on buses.

Since Jan. 1^st 2008, the prohibition is extended to all closed public premisses (cafés, restaurants), albeit with some exceptions.

Tipping

Generally 10-15 per cent.

National Bank Holidays

• January 1st – New Year’s Day
• April 25th – Revolution Day
• May 1st – Labour Day
• June 10th – Camões and Portugal Day
• August 15th – Ascension Day
• October 5th – Republic Day
• November 1st – All Saints Day
• December 1st – Independence Day
• December 8th – The Immaculate Conception
• December 25th – Christmas Day
• Other Public Holidays which fall on different dates are: Good Friday, Carnival and Corpus Christi.

Post Office

Most post offices are open Monday to Friday 9 am to 6 pm.

Telephones

Telephone calls can be made at post offices and public phone booths which accept coins, standard credit cards or "credifone" cards. "Credifone" cards may be purchased from post offices, Portugal Telecom shops, most newsagents and supermarkets.

For calls abroad dial 00, followed by the country code, the area code (omitting the 0) then the telephone number.

Country codes can be found in the first pages of the local telephone book, the post office, or by contacting the International operator on 099 (inside Europe), 098 (outside Europe).

Safety Precautions

You should be as security conscious with your car, at the villas and apartments as you would be at home. When you go out, be sure to lock all windows and doors. When driving you must carry your licence and car documents, but don't leave them in the car when parked.

Foreign Office travel advice for Portugal.

Lost Property

To report or inquire about air travel baggage gone astray in transit, phone Faro airport lost property office 289 818302. Property lost in Portugal should be reported to the nearest GNR or Police stations.

Cats and Dogs

Stray cats and dogs are unfortunately common in the Algarve. Many Portuguese keep dogs, which live outdoors and may sometimes be heard barking, please be patient and try not to let this disturb your holiday.