Portugal: selected suggestions, stories and supporter content
What are typical Portuguese habits, food customs, recipes and philosophies in Portugal?
What are the customs in Portugal regarding food?
- Eating is a social activity. Lunch and dinners can take multiple hours.
- Almoço (lunch) is the biggest meal of the day. It traditionally consists of three courses: soup, maincourse and dessert.
What are the best recipes in Portugal?
- A lot of fish is eaten, which is not surprising given the coastline of 850 kilometers. Popular fish dishes are the bacalhau recipes used to prepare dried cod. It is said that there is a bacalhau recipe for every day of the year. Besides dried cod, grilled sardines and caldeirada, stew with potato and different types of fish, are favorites. The Portugese love their meat as well: chicken piri-piri or arroz de sarrabulho (rice with pigblood).
What are the best drinks in Portugal?
- Vinho verde is a light green wine.
- Ginja is a liqueur and it is always served in a shot glass, with a spirit at the bottom.
- Port is also a typical Portuguese drink.
What are notable holidays and festivals in Portugal?
- Most towns and villages in Portugal have their own traditional festas or romarias.
- Romarias are local religious festivals that honor the saints of a particular area in Portugal.
- About 80-85% of the Portuguese population is Catholic. So most holidays are based on Christian holidays, such as Christmas, Easter and Ascension Day.
- At Easter, beautiful processions pass by in every Portuguese city, with floats decorated with flowers.
- Queima das Fitas: Coimbra's students celebrate the end of the academic year in the first week of May with parties, concerts and exhibitions.
- Festo de Santo António is on June 12 and 13. This is when Lisbon's favorite saint is honored with parties that go on all night in the city streets.
- Festa de São João: Porto and Braga in northern Portugal "go wild" in June in honor of Saint Juan, with fireworks, concerts, bonfires and lots of noise.
- Medieval Festival: The medieval market in the still-walled town of Óbido is the place for two weeks of sword-fighting, singing minstrels, roasted pigs and spirits in July.
- Festival de Sudoeste: One of Portugal's largest music festivals erupts every August in the coastal town of Zambujeira do Mar.
What are the notable habits in Portugal?
- The Portuguese are traditional and conservative. Innovation and major changes within the family or community are not easily accepted. Life in Portugal revolves around the family and even now in the 21st century, old customs and traditions can be seen daily.
- Fado is a typical Portuguese music movement from the 19th century and the life song of the locals. While Fado used to be popular only in bars and brothels of the poorer neighborhoods in Lisbon and Coimbra, nowadays it is very popular and you come across it in many places.
- Typically Portuguese are azulejos, Portuguese tiles that you find a lot on and in railway stations, churches and houses. Often they are blue and white, but they can also be richly colored.
- Time is relative and being late for appointments is very common.
Where to study in Portugal, do an internship, do volunteer work or look for a job in Portugal?
Why study, intern, volunteer or work temporarily in Portugal?
- because there are many English-language courses available.
- because the student cities of Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra have vibrant and dynamic city life.
- because Portugal has a developed economy with many opportunities for internships and graduate jobs, especially in the tourism, technology and education sectors.
What should you pay attention to?
- that patience is a virtue, and you can develop your patience well in Portugal.
- that time is relative.
Why to live in Portugal, why to emigrate to Portugal or stay for a long time?
Why live in Portugal as an expat, emigrant or working nomad?
- because conditions in Portugal are good in terms of security and safety, climate, nature and history.
- because Portuguese are community people and value friendships.
- because the cost of living is relatively low.
- because the work culture is hierarchical and formal.
- because Portuguese are open to ideas from foreigners.
What should you pay attention to?
- that it is difficult to find a job if you don't speak Portuguese.
- that local wages are generally low.
- that the Portuguese are generally more flexible with deadlines.
You may make three wishes if you eat twelve grapes or twelve raisins at twelve o 'clock on New Year's eve. - Portugal
You may make three wishes if you eat twelve grapes or twelve raisins at twelve o 'clock on New Year's eve. - Portugal
Portugal: Updates & Travel
Travel in Portugal
- Portugal's popularity as a holiday destination is growing every year. And rightly so, because there is plenty to see in Portugal: the fairytale palaces of Sintra, the dizzying ravines in the Serra da Estrela, Lisbon with its romantic neighbourhoods and the snow-white villages in the Alentejo. You can eat delicious food while listening to the melancholic fado music.
- Visit the castles near Sintra. This place (which actually consists of three villages) near Lisbon is world famous for its palaces that are a mixture of different styles (real architecture purists shudder at this). The forest is also fairytale-like with mist (which often occurs).
- Listen to the famous Portuguese Fado music in a café.
- Spot dolphins near the pleasant seaside resort of Lagos in the Algarve.
- Eat the delicious bacalhau (cod) on one of the many terraces.
- Visit one of the famous Port houses in Porto and enjoy this typical Portuguese drink. JoHotspots in Portugal
- Lisbon: The capital of Portugal combines history, coziness and beautiful sights such as the ‘Tower of Bélem’. Take the old-fashioned Tram 28 for an atmospheric tour through the city and visit the cozy bars and cafés in Barrio Alto.
- Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, but almost equal in atmosphere, coziness and sights. Porto is built on both sides of the Douro River and a boat trip on this river is the best way to admire the city. You can easily walk to Santiago de Compostela from Porto.
- Viana do Castello is the best kept secret of Portugal. This small town in the north is the epitome of peace and tranquility with beautiful white houses and stunning nature. The name ‘Jewel of the Costa Verde’ is certainly not an exaggeration.
- Coimbra and Braga are the two largest student cities in the country. During the semesters they are lively and cozy cities, especially during the summer holidays it can be quite deserted. The university library is worth a look inside. The Algarve is famous for its beautiful beaches and charming fishing villages. There are many nice villages and beaches, but Lagos and Tavira are among the most beautiful. In the summer, some places can be touristy and crowded, but there are always small, quiet and typical Portuguese villages nearby.
- Fatima, is a difficult to reach place of pilgrimage where Mary is said to have appeared several times.
- Don't be surprised if you see people crawling on their (bare) knees across the church square and lighting candles while crying to thank God or to do penance. Especially because the square and the gigantic church are literally blindingly white in the summer, it all seems quite unreal.
- Be aware that forest fires occur every year in Portugal. Especially in the summer months, forest fires can cause a lot of damage. Avoid areas with forest fires as much as possible.
Updates Portugal
- More about Portugal, updates and contributions, see the link below.