r/AskPortugal

Hi everyone,

I recently accepted a job offer in Porto, and my office will be around the Boavista area. I'll be relocating from abroad and I'm trying to understand what to expect before I move.

I have a few questions:

- Which neighborhoods would you recommend if I work in Boavista?

- What's a realistic monthly rent for:

- A studio (T0)

- A 1-bedroom apartment (T1)

- A room in a shared apartment?

- Which websites or apps are best for finding rentals? (Idealista, Imovirtual, Facebook groups, etc.)

- How much should I budget monthly (rent + utilities + groceries + transport)?

- Is it easy to get by with English while I slowly learn Portuguese?

- Are there any neighborhoods I should avoid, or any common rental scams I should watch out for?

- Any general advice for a foreigner moving to Porto for the first time?

I'd also love to hear from anyone who relocated to Porto recently. What do you wish you had known before moving?

Thanks in advance!

Bom dia people. I will be travelling from Spain to Portugal next Tuesday and I will stay 3 nights in Sierra de la Estrela , 3 nights somewhere near vieira de leiria .

I wanted to ask for must visit routes/roads/views in those two areas or in between them while moving from one region to another. I know I can ask Google but I still prefer locals’ recommendations as you guys know better your places.

Thanks a lot/obrigado

Hi everyone!

My partner and I are traveling to Portugal (Algarve) and Spain (Andalusia) in a couple weeks. We are SOOOO excited.

My partner has a severe life threatening dairy allergy - we carry an epi pen and he is sensitive to cross contamination. This includes milk, butter, cheese, etc. He also cannot eat red meat unless it is cooked well well done (something with the milk protein in cow’s blood).

We LOVE food and we want to really experience local and traditional cuisines. But this is the first time he has traveled to a country where English is not the language. He is understandably very anxious and nervous about traveling with his allergy.

I figured I’d hop on here to see if anyone has any advice or insight for navigating food during our trip. Any tips would be appreciated, including:

- traditional/popular local foods we should look out for because they ARE usually prepared with dairy products
- specific dishes that generally do NOT use dairy products that we can mark as possibly safer
- how we can best explain the allergy without offending

Bonus, we also used ChatGPT to translate a little blurb we plan to print out on cards to explain the allergy. We would be SO grateful is someone who speaks Spanish or Portuguese can review to make sure it makes sense/let us know if we should add or remove anything for any reason.

Spanish:
“Tengo una alergia muy grave a todos los productos lácteos, leche, queso, mantequilla, nata, yogur y cualquier ingrediente que contenga leche o proteínas de la leche. Incluso pequeñas cantidades o la contaminación cruzada pueden causar una reacción alérgica. Los huevos y la mayonesa son seguros para mí. Si es posible, les agradecería que prepararan mi comida por separado, utilizando utencilios, superficies y guantes limpios o con las manos recién lavadas, para minimizar el riesgo de contaminación cruzada. También necesito que la carne de vacuno esté completamente bien hecha. ¿Pueden adaptar un plato para esta alergia? Si no es posible, lo entiendo perfectamente. ¿Hay algún plato en su menú que me recomendarían y que sea seguro para mí? Muchas gracias por su ayuda.”

Portuguese:
“Tenho uma alergia muito grave a todos os produtos lácteos, leite, queijo, manteiga, natas, iogurte e qualquer ingrediente que contenha leite ou proteínas do leite. Mesmo pequenas quantidades ou a contaminação cruzada podem provocar uma reação alérgica. Os ovos e a maionese são seguros para mim. Se possível, agradecia que preparassem a minha refeição em separado, utilizando utencilios, superfícies e luvas limpas ou com as mãos acabadas de lavar, para minimizar o risco de contaminação cruzada. Também preciso que a carne de vaca esteja completamente bem passada. Conseguem adaptar um prato para esta alergia? Se não for possível, compreendo perfeitamente. Há algum prato do vosso menu que recomendem e que seja seguro para mim? Muito obrigado pela vossa ajuda.”

ANY HELP OR INSIGHT WOULD BE SO SO SO SO SO APPRECIATED. THANK YOU TO ANYONE WHO READ THIS WHOLE POST ❤️🙏

Going to Portugal in September. First half of trip we are deciding between Cascais or Algarve. I understand they’re two different vibes but please give me suggestions, hotels, things to do, etc.

Where I’m from, Latino men and women are seen as the standard of beauty. I’m curious, what is the beauty standard for most people in Portugal?

He venido de vacaciones a la zona sur de Pontevedra, frontera con Portugal, me gustaria saber que planes interesantes se pueden hacer por aqui.

Hi everyone I am from Senegal and I will be in portugal (Lisbon) for a day and looking for recommendations for things to do(I know its a short time). Feel free to dm!

Portugal has a strong naval tradition, like the UK. How is this viewed by most Portuguese today? Is it still a strong part of the culture of modern Portugal or is it seen as no longer relevant?

Obrigado.

Hi there folks! I hope you’re doing great! I’d like to know some things about your country because I’m going to Faro soon. So, I’m listing some below:

1. What places and food do you recommend me?

2. If I want to go to the dentist and physiotherapist, should I book in advance?

3. Where can I find the best bread and cheese?

4. Is it better if I speak in English or Spanish? I know a bit of Portuguese but not enough to have a proper conversation

Thanks in advance!

What are some stereotypes about the Portuguese district of viana do castelo.... I want to know them

What are some stereotypes about the Portuguese district of portalegre... I want to know

I want to know about Portuguese districts and their stereotypes... What are some stereotypes about viseu

Travelling to faro this weekend with my wife.

We are staying in Faro and looking for some nice beaches to relax and swim?

We heard of ilha deserta but our friends told us it was nudists only? Any advice or recommendations?

Moving to Lisbon for an exchange semester (living near Alameda/Técnico) and planning to get a 125cc scooter with an A2 license. I want to mount a surfboard rack on it.

I've dug into the Código da Estrada — Art. 92 technically says cargo on a moto can only be carried "em reboque ou caixa de carga" (trailer or cargo box), and Art. 56 has general load rules (securing, not exceeding vehicle width, etc.). In practice, surf racks on scooters/mopeds seem completely normalized at the coast (Ericeira, Peniche) — there are commercial products for it (Ocean & Earth "Moped Rack") and forum posts about DIY builds, no reports of fines that I could find.

My question: does anyone have experience actually riding around with a board rack in the city center (not just the coastal towns), e.g. daily commuting through central Lisbon? Is it treated any differently there, or is this just a total non-issue everywhere in Portugal? Curious if anyone's actually been stopped for it.

Hello, am I coming to Portugal soon and my only friend who is 25+ to rent a car is a frequent marijuana enjoyer. Will there be any problems with roadside tests or tests when renting or anything like that? Do police usually target tourist drivers for these kinds of tests? I need to mention, he does not drive while inebriated, but usually smokes every night before sleep so those kinds of tests would turn up positive…

Hey! Random question 😄 It's my anniversary soon, and I'd like to send my girlfriend in Portugal some flowers. I'm ordering from another EU country, but when I Google it, I mostly get the big international sites, and they all seem pretty expensive. Do you know of any local florist or affordable flower delivery service you'd recommend?