| Health |
No vaccinations are needed to visit
Portugal. There is no free tourist medical service but EU citizens
can obtain a refund of the cost using the form E111 (available
from local post offices in your own country before you visit)
Medical insurance is still advisable.Remember to keep all of your
receipts for making a claim.
At the chemist (farmácia) there
are fully qualified staff who can deal with all minor ailments. If
the chemist is closed there will be a list on the door telling you
where to find the nearest one that is open. |
| Driving |
If you intend to hire a car, take
your driving licence. Your car will carry a red warning triangle
which must be displayed 30m back from the rear of your car in the
event of breakdown or accident. The Portugese drive on the right
hand side of the road and the wearing of seatbelts is compulsory. |
| Climate |
Portugal is a temperate country but
very sunny especially in the Algarve. June, July and August are
the hottest months with the temperature rising as high as 30oC,
with cool breezes in the evening. Spring starts as early as
February. April and May are the best months to witness the
splendid array of wild flowers. Summer is prolonged and it is
still warm in late September. |
| Electricity |
220V AC. Sockets accomodate the
circular two pin continental style plug. You can buy an adaptor
for alternate pin configurations. |
| Time |
Portugal observes Greenwich Mean
Time. The clocks go forward by one hour on the last Sunday in
March and back by one hour on the last Sunday in September. |
| Telephones |
Public phone boxes that take phone
cards are widely available. If you are making an international
call dial 00 followed by the country code then the phone number
dropping the leading zero of the area code. The country code for
the UK is 44, Ireland is 353. Most telephones accept credit cards. |
| Toilets |
Public toilets are not
common, although Public they can be found at all town market halls
The
facilities of a bar or restaurant can be used whether you are a
customer or not. Facilities may be a little primitive so it is
well to take your own toilet tissue. Doors are rather confusingly
marked Senhores (men) and Senhoras (women) but they usally have a
graphical symbol to help the confused! |
