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Brass tacks on planning - 4 days in Lisbon - part 2, Practicalities
Well, the last time we visited Europe was in ... 2018. So when I looked up my planning document, it occurred to me that technology or some of my assumptions may have changed by now. Just a few things:
1) Credit card - I need to tell them I'll be away, right? I also need to check that they don't have extra fees, things could have changed in 4 years. 2) Phone/internet. Do I just want an international plan? Does such a thing still exist? I mostly use my phone for photos, but occasionally for (not downloaded) maps, and certainly for Google Translate. The hotels have wi-fi, so that's not a problem. 3) Charging in the hotel I only need adapters, not converters at this point, right? 220-240 V? One issue is that we have multiple devices to charge, 2 phones, 2 ipads. I can get some sort of ... splitter or something that lets me charge multiple things at once, is that right? 4) Charging on the go. I've seen little portable chargers in case you overdo it with your phone during the day. Worthwhile? Not too heavy? The whole separate topic is COVID. Since we're traveling from Porto to Lisbon on our last whole day, will it be a problem to wait until we're in Lisbon to get tested? I saw that some people get tested in the airport, but on the off chance one of us tests positive, I'd rather know before I'm all packed up and at the airport ready to go. It just needs to be no sooner than the day before, is that right? Not exactly 24 hours. I like the figuring out what to do and what to see better, but this part has to be right too! Thanks, Alice |
Hi
When I'm in Portugal I use a local sim card from Vodafone. https://www.vodafone.pt/en/products-...-portugal.html You'll need an adapter because the prongs on the plugs and outlets are different, and a converter from 220 to 110 volts ( Portugal 220v NorthAmerica110v). I use a all in one converter adapter, think I got it from the autoclub. Happy travels |
I can respond only to two of your questions:
[1] Yes, I would strongly advise calling your credit-card company with your travel plans. I usually find that the company that issued the credit-card I use to purchase my plane ticket already knows about my travel plans, which is convenient but also a little ominous -- I don't like it when a company knows things about me that I haven't yet told them. But I would advise calling the company anyway. [3] I'm sure you will need an adapter, though I can't verify the number you cited. (The one I usually use in Europe has two narrow cylindrical prongs.) But what I can say is that I've always managed with a small, simple, inexpensive one -- one that cost only a few dollars. I mention this because I've seen bigger, more elaborate, more expensive ones on the market -- I have no idea what they're for, but I've managed with that simple, cheap one for several trips to Europe so far. That's all I can say. I still follow the travel habits I acquired in the 1970s, the tail end of the glorious pre-communications era. All I can add is that I've carried my iPhone on trips only so that I could make hotel reservations on the move. For that purpose, as long as I could find wi-fi, I've never needed another plan. |
I have a portable charger that is the size of a credit card, easy to use.
I get a European SIM card for my phone for calls within Europe. My spouse gets a Verizon Intl plan in case of medical emergencies which have occurred in the past. Our family can also text him. OurCapitalOne credit card does NOT want us contacting them about our foreign travel anymore. |
We have a portable charger/power bank, slightly smaller than an I-phone. The brand is Mophie--couldn't live without it.
We have the T-Mobil international calling plan--couldn't live without it, because we travel outside of the US so much. We also use WhatsApp for messaging. |
Thanks, Maribel, now that you mention it I think I've heard of Mophie. We use Verizon, but I think I can get a month's worth of an international plan.
aulop, we've never used a sim card, I don't know the relative pluses and minuses of that vs an international plan. Faedus, I used to bring a real live camera and didn't use my iphone for much, but the photos I can take with the iphone now truly rival the ones I used to take with my camera (probably because I'm not the world's best photographer). Much less to carry around, in any case. HappyTrvlr, can you tell me the name of the portable charger you use? Thanks, all! Alice |
Oh, wait, I forgot something on my list! I need to learn some Portugese phrases. I was surprised that my usual apps only do Brazilian Portugese, which is apparently pretty different. Any recommendations? I like to be able to do simple greetings, and then I go straight to reading menus!
Alice |
The whole separate topic is COVID. Since we're traveling from Porto to Lisbon on our last whole day, will it be a problem to wait until we're in Lisbon to get tested? I saw that some people get tested in the airport, but on the off chance one of us tests positive, I'd rather know before I'm all packed up and at the airport ready to go. It just needs to be no sooner than the day before, is that right? Not exactly 24 hours
Just test when you get to Lisbon, keeping in mind that most testing sites we saw close at 6 pm. They have your results ready in 30 minutes. Anytime the day prior to your departure is okay. You'll need your passport for the test and they ask you to fill out a short questionnaire. International calls and texts are included with my Google Fi plan - which is why I chose it - as we also travel internationally quite a bit. |
Alice,
We have a couple of these that we take with us for charging two devices. . Are you still planning to drive from Porto to Lisbon on your last full day and drop off your rental car at the Lisbon airport? If so, you could make an online appointment to get tested at the airport before checking into your airport vicinity hotel. See the location of the airport Synlab testing site here- it's in the P! car park and you can book on the app. I believe it's open until 10 pm. https://www.ana.pt/en/lis/services-s...ealth-services |
Maribel, that's just what we need for charging, thanks.
And yes, we are planning to drive back to Lisbon the last day, so that's an excellent suggestion. Thanks so much for the information! That should work out perfectly (as long as we test negative..). |
As for your intention to learn some Portuguese phrases, mentioned above -- I think it's a great idea; I've actually been working on the language myself more seriously, though without as much progress, so far, as I would like. You may want to try a free website called "Surface Languages" (I can't account for the odd name, but just type it into Google.) From the many languages listed, just select "Portuguese-Portugal," and you'll be given a list of basic phrases, with buttons you can click on to hear them.
There are many good phrase books out there; one I used, and like, is the pocket-sized "Collins Gem" phrase-book. It seemed as good as any other I looked at, but it also gave some basic grammar, including verb conjugations in the more common tenses -- I found this useful when constructing sentences on my own. But I wouldn't try speaking Portuguese without listening to some of it first, for from an English perspective (or at least from mine), it's a bit difficult phonetically -- oddly, a bit like French, with its nasalized vowels, slurred unaccented vowels, and fricative consonants. |
Alice,
About learning European Portuguese, you might find some tips here from the Julie Dawn Fox very helpful blog-- https://juliedawnfox.com/learn-europ...rtuguese-free/ I find it much more challenging to pronounce than Brazilian Portuguese. To me, European Porgtuguese sounds somewhat Slavic. Brazilian sounds to me much more melodic or softer. I'm struggling with the speaking part. |
Faedus and Maribel, thanks for the suggestions on learning some phrases, I'll check out your sources. I had actually started a Babbel course until I learned it was Brazilian Portugese! Duolingo only offers Brazilian Portugese. I think these courses should be explicit about what they're offering upfront, since someone might not necessarily know how different the pronunciation is between the two (and not just pronunciation, some vocabulary as well).
I'm hoping I'll only need basic phrases just to be polite and that most people will know English. Alice |
You'll need an adapter because the prongs on the plugs and outlets are different, and a converter from 220 to 110 volts ( Portugal 220v NorthAmerica110v). You can get a T-Mobile account just for a month, but changing the SIM card in your phone shouldn't be too difficult - look for the user's manual online. You no longer need to tell Capital One if you are traveling, but that may not be true for other cards. You do know to watch out for the Dynamic Currency Conversion scam, right? If you are going to use hotel wi-fi for anything sensitive, like accessing bank accounts, you need a VPN. This is free language help: https://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/portuguese/guide/ |
Alice,
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the number of Portuguese who speak very good English, especially the younger generation. I tried to alert BoA that I would be traveling abroad and was told it was no longer necessary. I don't know about other banks, however. I agree with thursdaysd that you won't need a converter. The electronics that we take are all dual voltage. |
thursdaysd, everything I need to charge is dual voltage, and I know from experience about hair dryers!
Are you saying I shouldn't get an international plan from Verizon, but get a sim card instead? And I DON'T know about the Dynamic Currency Conversion scam, please enlighten me. And you know, I used to use that BBC language site and forgot all about it. I took a quick look and it's hard to tell if it's European or Brazilian Portugese, although you'd think a British site would use the European one. Thanks so much! Alice |
Somehow my last response got posted THREE times (I thought my computer was slow), and I don't know how to delete two of them - edit didn't seem to allow me to do so. So if someone could tell me how to do that I WILL, otherwise, sorry about that and ignore the 2 extras.
Alice |
Dynamic Currency Conversion - an offer to charge you in your own currency instead of the local currency. At a seriously inflated exchange rate. Found at ATMs as well as when paying by credit card. Always, always decline. And be careful, the offer may not be obvious and the payment will default to your own currency.
How much does Verizon propose to charge? |
Alice,
About the dreaded DCC (Dynamic Currency Conversion) scam that's alive and well in Portugal-- https://thepointsguy.com/2015/06/dyn...cy-conversion/ https://wallethub.com/edu/cc/dynamic...nversion/25576. What I wrote to Iwan2go on her trip report- "That 100 euro withdrawal from the Multibanco (ATM) that cost $124 dollars is most likely because you unknowingly accepted the DCC, the currency conversion to dollars rather than rejecting the conversion to dollars and instead choosing the transaction in euros. The wording is extremely tricky. It's easy to be taken!" One should always choose to have the withdrawal calculated in local currency (quotation from janisj) |
Alice - click on the orange triangle and report the duplicates to the Mods.
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WOW, thanks for the information about DCC, I did NOT know about that, although I have to say, we have always withdrawn money in the local currency. I'm not sure about when we charge things, but what a scam!
thursdaysd, I haven't called Verizon yet, on my list, I'll let you know. And I reported the triple posting, hopefully someone will get rid of 2 of them. Thanks much! Alice |
Alice,
The wording during the multibanco transaction can be tricky. From Rick Steves-- "Some ATM machines also offer DCC, often in purposefully confusing or misleading terms. If an ATM offers to "lock in" or "guarantee" your conversion rate, choose "proceed without conversion." Other prompts might state, "You can be charged in dollars: Press YES for dollars, NO for euros." Always choose the local currency." The Portuguese multibancos that we used gave us the prompt, Press YES for dollars, NO for euros". https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-ti...chip-pin-cards And never, ever, ever use one of the ubiquitous "Euronet ATMs" that are everywhere now in Lisbon and even Sintra that look like this https://www.portugalist.com/euronet-atms/. . |
Learning portuguese - why? What for? The only ones that are able to pronounce portuguese are the Greeks, pronounce is the same. Other countries, like Albânia, might touch portuguese pronounce. But the others... come on, try to say a simple word like "Bolhão" (the market in Porto that unfortunately is still under works). You don't need to know portuguese words to be welcome here, a smile is much more important! Bring your smile and spread it. We are in need for that.
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Maribel, thanks so much for this warning, this is devious indeed, I can see how people would easily by tricked.
Alice |
Well, HelenaFatima, that is very good to hear, smiling is something I am pretty good at! I DO feel like it's always worth making an effort to speak a little of the language, that's it's presumptuous of Americans to assume that everyone, everywhere speaks English. I like to be able to say Hello goodbye please thank you excuse me and most importantly where's the bathroom? HOPEFULLY, I will be able to manage those!
Alice |
Many banks no longer want you to call for travel alerts. Some don't require them, and some have a link on their website.While some that say they don't need a travel notice, my payment is often blocked at some gas stations out of area (I get a text alert that needs to be approved). Always a good idea to bring a mix (MC/Visa/Amex) sometimes one works while another doesn't.
In the US I have a cheap Tracfone SIM that doesn't include internationaI but also have a Google Fi SIM mostly for emergencies during international travel. (the basic plan is $20/month plus data). I know the number before I leave and can swap out the SIMs when I travel (or better yet, I bring two unlocked phones). I would bring a battery if you are not driving, ( I don't remember if the rental cars there had charger ports or not?) I mostly charged at home overnight. I don't know Portuguese and it was not needed! Smiles (and English) work fine. Even if I had tried to speak in Portuguese it would have come out in Spanish no doubt. So I stuck to English. Adapter only. I do not travel with a hair dryer or curling/straightening iron. |
Like mlgb, we take a mix of cards (Visa, MC, AmEx) and 2 debit cards, plus we have Apple Pay and the Uber app.
In our experience, in Portugal AmEx isn't widely accepted. Many small, homey tascas/tabernas, such as specifically the Taberna Rua das Flores, can be cash only, Lisbon, ime, isn't yet, the cashless place that Madrid is now becoming. Not all Lisbon taxi drivers accept credit cards. |
Alice: Regarding language, despite some discouraging comments above, I would encourage you to carry on with your commendable intention to learn some Portuguese phrases. My guess would be that the great majority of tourists who visit this increasingly popular country know, or care, little about the language; if you speak some Portuguese yourself (the more the better), you may distinguish yourself in a positive way. A comment above about about Portuguese sounding like Greek or Albanian was, I thought, a bit far-fetched; as I mentioned in my earlier note, you have to go only as far as France to find similar phonetics. Anyway, I've always tried to learn at least some of the language of the respective countries I visit -- you've acknowledged your skills at smiling, which I'm sure will be useful; but for those of use who have not mastered that skill, at least some of the local language is good compensation.
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Thanks, Faedus, we are of like mind on the language topic. I don't need to learn a lot, but enough to show I've made a bit of an effort.
I find it interesting that many of the language apps and courses start you out with vocabulary that I don't need to know right away. I would much rather learn the polite phrases and exchanges I will be sure to use. I don't need the work for 'apple' necessarily, nor do I need to understand that someone is from Norway. I should start a company that gives courses in 'tourist language', heavy emphasis on greetings, driving (road signs!), restaurants, hotels, BATHROOMS, money etc. Sort of a combination of what you need to know and how to say it. Alice |
Faedus wrote: "A comment above about about Portuguese sounding like Greek or Albanian was, I thought, a bit far-fetched; as I mentioned in my earlier note, you have to go only as far as France to find similar phonetics."
Ok. I'm trying to find similar phonetics of my language with French. I'm still strugling with the word 500 (cinqcent). I use it everyday, as it is the Bus nr to Matosinhos, and yet I have to write it. It's impossible to say. French people never understand me! Alice, bathroom is not very much used in Portugal, you should ask for the restroom (if you are speacking english). If you want to ask for this in portuguese, the right words are "casa-de-banho". Please don't use "banheiro", the brasilian word for it, that in portuguese from Portugal is a complete different thing (life-saver on the beaches). Of course we know what it means when they say "banheiro", but it is ridiculous if somelse say it. You can also use "toillets" and (the most common in signs) WC (don't say water-closet, just WC). The big trap: if you are trying to be kind and say something in portuguese, but, unfortunately, you say it in spanish... well, that's really unkind. That's really bad. We all speak spanish, and don't mind to speak spanish with people that have spanish as their mother language (Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, etc). But the problem is that many people from other countries speak spanglish and think they are speaking spanish and so they are near to portuguese, which they are not. The same with Brasilian portuguese. If someone asks me where is "café da manhã", I just say I don't understand (unless it is a brasilian person, in that case I do understand and they are our family, so that's ok). Restaurants - in portuguese, restaurantes. Hotels - in portuguese, hotéis. Money - euros. But everyone knows what dollars are, and where they are from. Road signs - ??? They are signs instead of words for some reason... Greetings - Olá! |
Thank you HelenaFatima! At least I will be able to ask for the RESTROOM or WC. I find road signs important to look at if you're planning to drive at all - the first time we went to Italy, if I hadn't learned that uscita meant exit we would STILL be on that highway!
Good warning about spanglish, I was wondering about that. Alice |
Okay, it's been a cold and rainy day at home, and I was looking into which sites I need to buy tickets for ahead of time. The ones on my list are:
1) Pena Palace - but I am unsure, I only want to go on the grounds, not indoors, and we'll go in the afternoon. It doesn't appear to be timed - but is the idea just to avoid the line? 2) We'll go to the Regaleira first on our Sintra day, and try to get there when it opens (10?), but do I need to buy a ticket ahead for this one? 3) Jeronimos Monastery - doesn't seem to be dated, but just to not have to wait in line, is that right? 4) What about the Gulbenkian? I haven't seen anything about getting tickets ahead. 5) Our train tickets from Lisbon to Porto - before we leave for the trip, or just do it when we get there? 6) What am I forgetting that I need to do before leaving home? I need to start spending some time on Porto now! Thank you! Alice |
1). Pena Palace--the park ticket is untimed. The Pena Palace interiors ticket is timed. The idea of purchasing the Park ticket (which allows you access to the Palace terraces and the extra 3 euro green shuttle bus up to them to avoid the 15-min, steep climb) is to avoid a long ticket line at the Park entrance. It's chaotic these days at the park entrance. So, I'd purchase the Park ticket and supplementary 3 euro transfer on line.
Here's the link for the Park ticket and additional shuttle ticket purchase: https://bilheteira.parquesdesintra.p...664.1649948800 2. There are several large signs at the Regaleira entrance advising visitors to purchase tickets online. When I see those type of signs strongly advising me, I tend to pay attention. They exist for a reason. In March we didn't (didn't know about the warning signs), but it was a slow day, and luckily there were 5 ticket counters open, so it went quickly. In high season, I'd definitely purchase those online tickets if only a day in advance. It doesn't "sell out', but it gets super busy. 3. Jerónimos isn't time specific but is IS date specific. A ticket purchased online does avoid the huge, miserable lines in the hot sun. And there are indeed long lines. When we arrived, there was only 1 ticket seller (sometimes there are 2). We arrived with tickets in hand at the entrance at 9:45, after a quick pasteis de nata/meia de leite stop at Confeitaria Pastéis de Belém (inside--not take out), so as to be the first inside the magnificent cloister at 10. We had an hour of sheer bliss in the cloister and were able to snap beautiful photos and identify the many creatures in the gargoyles, admire the beautiful tiles in the rectory and the special sculpture in the choir without constantly bumping into other visitors, although by the end, when exiting, there was a long line to get into the adjacent church (it's free, but closed on Sundays/Mondays). So to visit the church and the tomb of Vasco da Gama inside, we needed to stand in another line after our cloister visit. Here's the official ticket purchasing site- https://bilheteira.patrimoniocultural.pt/pos/space/list 4. We've never pre-purchased Gulbenkian tickets in all of our visits. But we do go when it opens, and it's closed on Tuesdays rather than Mondays. 5. Please !!! buy those Lisbon to Porto rail tickets on the IC or AP (Alfa Pendular) fast trains to avail yourselves of the great discounts. Discounts are available from 60 to 8 days out. In addition there's a 50% senior rate as well (just scroll down to find it). You'll need to register at www.cp.pt first before purchasing the tickets. 6. What are you forgetting? Do you want to attend a Lisbon fado performance? My favorite venue is O Faia in the Bairro Alto, recommended to me by our great hotel concierge. One can go for dinner or just for the performance. O Faia - Fado House Since 1947, Fado Restaurant in Lisbon I've also been to Sr Vinho in the elegant Lapa district, somewhat of a fado icon, but that would entail a taxi/uber ride. https://fadoreserve.com/#menu. |
Maribel, PERFECT, and just what I needed to know.
I have mixed feelings about fado (I read something, somewhere that led me to think it was touristy, but, you know... we're tourists), but if we decide to attend a performance I will note your preferences, and assume I need tickets ahead of time. So appreciated! Alice (You will get a big thank you in my trip report!). |
Hi Alice,
Yes, the fado houses fill up with tourists just like all the flamenco venues in Spain, but the two places I mentioned have class and solid performances. You might take a listen to a recording of Mariza or Ana Moura (or the legendary, late, great Amália Rodrigues) to decide whether it appeals to you. We've luckily seen the first two contemporary fado singers here on tour in Seattle. Now, on to Porto planning! |
Regarding Pena Palace - we arrived at 9, bought our park ticket then hightailed it up the hill to the palace (we couldn't find where to purchase the park ticket online).
We found the climb up the hill pretty tame - and short - and the shuttle wasn't even running yet, so we beat those up who were waiting for the shuttle. This enabled us to get up to the palace before those with timed entry tickets (I think the first entry is at 9:30) and before those waiting for the shuttle - we had plenty of time to wander the palace terraces and take photos - with no people! Then we headed onto the park grounds, where we spent several hours. |
Mel, was the line at the Park entrance to purchase the ticket at 9 am short? If so, that's the better plan for those wanting to tour it in the am.
I don't know what time the shuttle starts running...probably at 9:30 or maybe 9:15? It's supposed to run every 15 minutes, but there's no indication on the web page of what time the shuttle starts. You're a much better hill climber and more experienced than we are. We found it steep and were glad to take the shuttle ride. |
Yes and no. We were towards the front as we arrived prior to 9 am, but there were quite a few people behind us. It took us a few tries to buy our ticket at the kiosk.
I got the impression the shuttle didn't start operating until 9:30, but I don't know this for a fact. |
Thanks Mel,
Another question---did you see public restrooms at the park entrance? |
No, I didn't, but wasn't looking so didn't pay much attention.
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