My husband and I are active seniors headed to Portugal in November. I read in an older edition (2005) of Fodor's that restaurants, as well as public places such as museums, often offer senior discounts but that one must identify oneself as a senior on entering the restaurant and not wait until the check comes. Is this true? Do you get a different menu as a result?

The same guidebook talked about the requirements and procedures for getting a VAT refund. I cannot find any information about VAT refunds in more recent guidebooks and am wondering if it has been eliminated?

You can only get a VAT refund if you are taking the article on which VAT has been paid out of the EU. You cannot get VAT refunds on things like accommodation or restaurants

Normally it's a case of getting the appropriate form where you are buying the article then returning to the Customs section of the last place in the EU you are staying - so if you fly home to the US via Paris then Paris is where you apply for the refund

i found in europe, a lot of discounts (senior, student, etc) is for EU citizens only. don't know specifically abot portugal though.

lerasp, the same is true of the US so it is not that surprising.

I just wish the US would introduce a sales tax refund scheme along the lines of the VAT refund scheme.

Portugal gives seniors a discount to thie rhistoric sites even if they are not from the EU countries.Other EU countries usually have that the EU residency requirement.
We were treated so well in Portugal and even had free admission to the excellent Gulbakian Museum in Lisbon. A few times we had to show an ID with birthdate, but mostly they didn't ask us. In addition to the senior discounts, we were treated so warmily and welcoming by
the Portugese people themselves. Every day of the two weeks we spent in Portugal someone did something nice for us. Enjoy your visit!

That is good news because often it is frustrating that most places offer discounts for seniors from the EU only.
How about the Pousadas do they offer the same great discounts for Seniors as the Spanish Paradores?