Since we live in Portugal and spend a lot of our time exploring the country, we regularly use different tools to plan trips, book accommodation, compare transportation, find activities, and make travel around Portugal easier.
On this page, we share the tools we use, have used, or confidently recommend for traveling in Portugal. This is not a random list of links. These are resources that can help you save time, avoid complications, and plan your trip around Portugal more easily.
⚠️ Some of the recommendations on this page include affiliate links. This means we may receive a small commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you. We only include tools that make sense to us and that we believe can be useful for travelers planning a trip to Portugal.
🏡 Accommodation
When booking accommodation in Portugal, we usually start by comparing several platforms. Prices and availability can vary a lot depending on the region, the season, and the type of trip, so it is worth checking more than one option before booking.
- Booking.com
- Booking.com is still the platform we use the most to find accommodation in Portugal. It has a wide range of options, from hotels and apartments to guesthouses, local accommodation, and rural tourism stays.
- Book your stay here
- Hotels.com
- Hotels.com is a good alternative to Booking.com, especially for hotels and occasional deals. It can also be useful if you already use the platform’s rewards program.
- See hotels here
- VRBO
- If you are looking for holiday homes or full apartments, especially for longer stays or family trips, VRBO is a good alternative to Airbnb. We started using it more after Airbnb suddenly closed its affiliate program.
- Explora os alojamentos no VRBO
⚠️ Why We No Longer Recommend Airbnb
Airbnb used to be a regular recommendation here, but in 2023 it ended its affiliate program without prior notice or much explanation. Many bloggers and content creators suddenly lost a source of income they had been relying on.
For that reason, we now prefer to recommend platforms that maintain clearer and more transparent partnerships with content creators.
✈️ Flights
Portugal has good flight connections, especially through Lisbon, Porto, and Faro, but prices vary a lot depending on the season, airport, and how far in advance you book. That is why we usually compare several options before buying.
- Google Flights
- Google Flights is one of the most useful tools for quickly comparing prices, dates, and routes. It does not sell flights directly, but it is excellent for understanding the best days to travel and which airlines operate a specific route.
- Check prices on Google Flights
- Kiwi.com
- Kiwi.com can be useful for finding less obvious flight combinations, especially when low-cost airlines or secondary airports are involved. We mainly use it to research possibilities, but it is always important to check the booking conditions carefully before buying.
- Search flights on Kiwi
- AirHelp
- We have not needed to use AirHelp ourselves, but it can be useful to check whether you may be entitled to compensation in case of delayed, canceled, or disrupted flights within the European Union.
- Check compensation with AirHelp
🚆 Transportation in Portugal
When traveling around Portugal, it is worth comparing different options. On some routes, the train is the most comfortable choice. On others, the bus is cheaper, more direct, or simply reaches places where the train does not go.
- CP – Comboios de Portugal
- CP is Portugal’s main railway company and one of the best options for traveling between cities such as Porto, Lisbon, Coimbra, Aveiro, Braga, and Faro. Alfa Pendular and Intercidades trains are generally comfortable, but it is worth booking in advance to get better prices.
- Check the CP website and download the app
- Rede Expressos
- Rede Expressos is one of the main bus companies in Portugal, with connections to many cities and towns across the country. It is especially useful when your destination does not have a good train connection.
- Buy tickets with Rede Expressos
- FlixBus
- FlixBus can be a very affordable alternative for some routes in Portugal, especially between larger cities. It is not always the most practical option, but it is worth comparing prices and schedules.
- Book with FlixBus
- Omio
- Omio is useful for comparing transportation in one place, including trains, buses, and some flights. It can be especially practical if you are planning a trip with several stages or want to quickly compare different ways of getting around.
- Book with Omio
- Uber and Bolt
- In larger cities, Uber and Bolt can be useful for short trips, getting to your accommodation with luggage, or covering routes where public transportation is not convenient. In smaller towns and rural areas, availability may be limited.
🚗 Car Rental
You do not always need to rent a car to travel in Portugal. In cities like Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, or Braga, public transportation is usually enough, and avoiding a car can often be more practical.
However, if you want to explore regions such as the Douro Valley, Alentejo, inland Portugal, some parts of the Algarve, the Azores, or Madeira, having a car can make a big difference. It gives you more freedom, helps you reach less obvious places, and makes the trip easier to organize.
- DiscoverCars
- DiscoverCars is one of the platforms we use to compare rental car prices. We do not rent cars in mainland Portugal very often, but we use DiscoverCars frequently when traveling abroad or to the Azores and Madeira. It usually has very good prices and compares several rental companies. So far, we have never had any problems.
- Find rental cars on DiscoverCars
Before booking, we recommend carefully comparing the conditions, checking the insurance included, confirming the fuel policy, and reading reviews of the rental company you choose.
To better understand when renting a car makes sense, see our guide to renting a car in Portugal.
💳 Money While Traveling
- Revolut
- Revolut is our favorite card for traveling and making payments abroad. It also works very well in Portugal, especially if you are coming from outside the eurozone and want to avoid some bank fees or keep better control of your travel expenses.
- Get your Revolut card
Even if you use a card most of the time, it is still a good idea to carry some cash for small expenses. When using ATMs, avoid private machines with high fees, which are common in very touristy areas, and use the Multibanco network whenever possible.
🎟️ Tours and Activities
Many experiences in Portugal can be organized independently, but there are situations where booking a tour, guided visit, or ticket in advance makes sense, especially for very popular attractions, boat trips, food experiences, wine cellar visits, Douro Valley tours, or activities that include transportation.
- GetYourGuide
- GetYourGuide is one of the most practical platforms for finding guided tours, attraction tickets, day trips, and experiences in Portugal. It can be especially useful in cities such as Lisbon and Porto, or in places where having a guide or organized transportation makes sense.
- Book tours on GetYourGuide
- Viator
- Viator is an alternative to GetYourGuide for comparing activities, tours, and experiences. It is worth checking both platforms because availability, prices, and cancellation conditions can vary.
- Explore tours on Viator
Before booking, we recommend reading the activity description carefully, checking what is included, confirming the meeting point, and comparing recent reviews.
📱 eSIM and Mobile Internet
Having mobile data while traveling can make life much easier in Portugal, especially for using maps, checking schedules, calling Uber or Bolt, translating something, making reservations, or simply staying connected during the day.
- AloSIM
- AloSIM is a practical option for buying and activating an eSIM before your trip. It can be useful if you want to arrive in Portugal with mobile data already available, or if you are traveling through several countries and prefer to buy a regional plan.
- See options on AloSIM
If you are coming from outside the European Union, or if your mobile plan does not include roaming in Portugal, an eSIM can be a practical solution. It allows you to have internet as soon as you arrive, without needing to buy a physical SIM card.
Before buying, always confirm that your phone is compatible with eSIM and compare the amount of data included with what you expect to use during your trip.
🛡️ Travel Insurance
When traveling to Portugal, especially if you are coming from outside the European Union, it is important to confirm that you have valid travel insurance or medical coverage for your stay. Even on simple trips, unexpected things can happen: illness, accidents, cancellations, lost luggage, or delays.
- Revolut
- We usually use the travel insurance included in the Revolut Metal plan, which covers trips of up to 30 days. It is practical for us, but it is important to always confirm the conditions directly in the app, as coverage, limits, and exclusions may change.
- Visit Revolut
- VisitorsCoverage
- VisitorsCoverage can be an option to consider if you are visiting Portugal and want to compare travel insurance plans for short or medium stays. Before purchasing, we recommend carefully reading the coverage, limits, deductibles, and exclusions to make sure the plan matches the type of trip you are taking.
- Check plans on VisitorsCoverage
The most important thing is not to travel without understanding exactly what coverage you have, especially if you are coming from outside the European Union or if you plan to go hiking, take road trips, or visit several regions.
📌 More Guides to Plan Your Trip
In addition to these tools, we also have several practical guides to help you plan a trip to Portugal with fewer doubts and less stress.
You can start here:
- Things to know before traveling to Portugal — practical tips about transportation, money, safety, food, opening hours, and local customs.
- Madeira travel guide — suggestions and tips to explore the island, plan how to get around, and make the most of your trip.
- São Miguel travel guide — useful information to plan a trip to the island and understand how to get around.
- What to eat in Portugal — a complete guide to Portuguese food and traditional dishes.
- Renting a car in Portugal — when it makes sense, what to watch out for, and which regions are easier to explore by car.
These tools and guides are resources we like to have at hand when planning trips. We hope they also help you organize your trip to Portugal more easily.
Traveling in Portugal can be very simple, but choosing the right tools helps you save time, avoid complications, and make the most of each destination.
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