Transportation in Portugal
Ubers, Bolt, Taxis – available in the bigger cities (ie. Lisbon, Porto) and very affordable. Taxis are available in the smaller towns/villages and likely reached via phone but in our experience they cost significantly more than Uber/Bolt.
If you plan on flying into LIS or OPO and exploring either city, having a car is more of a hassle (parking can be pricey and challenging to find, and many “streets” are not necessarily what we’d categorize a road for cars, rather more like a narrow alleyway!).
Private Driver – Rui is fantastic and he can be reserved directly. He also offers tours.
Train – Highly reliable (unless there is a strike), and we find going business class for longer durations (ie. Lisbon-Porto) worthwhile. There is also a train station in Penafiel (wedding venue location).
Renting a Car If you are renting a car and unfamiliar with driving in Europe, below are a few helpful tips:
- When entering a highway, it is NOT a merge! YOU MUST YIELD to the highway traffic.
- Become familiar with roundabouts and the correct lane and turn signal usage.
- Be aware of speed cameras.
- Crosswalks – cars MUST YIELD to pedestrians at crosswalks
- ViaVerde = like EZPass in the US
- Driving in Portugal is the opposite experience from their kind, calm and laid back culture. Speeding, tailgating, and passing on a one lane road are norms here.