How much does it cost to travel in Portugal?

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How Much is to Travel to Portugal 1

Most of the people think they need loads of money to travel. But that is not true, and we are here to prove that! Today is the first post of our new series “How Much Does it Cost to Travel to…”, where we break down our costs and show that it is possible to travel the world and have fun with a tiny budget. Welcome to how much does it cost to travel in Portugal?

Before we start talking about figures let me explain a little thing: we try to make the most of our cash. What does it mean? We don’t book hotels, flights or tours before doing a lot of research. We search online on sites like Booking.com and Skyscanner. Friends are also a good source of info on how to live like a local.

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When we planned our trip to Portugal, our travel budget was $50 per day, per person. And we did well, especially around Europe where life and travel costs tend to be higher. Below there is a detailed breakdown of our Portugal trip costs and links to our posts about the country. If you are traveling with family, read about traveling in Portugal with kids here.

Portugal in figures:

[the values are in Euros, by the end of the article we converted the totals to dollars]

Dates: 04/30 – 05/15/2014

Days: 16

Cities: 4 Lisbon (10d), Porto (6d), day trips to Pocinho, Sesimbra and Sintra

Inbound: Madrid » Lisbon by bus

Outbound: Lisbon » Seville by car (ride-sharing)

 

Transport Cost in Portugal = € 289,15

Intercity: € 180,30

(2 train trips –  1 bus trip – 1 BlaBlaCar)

Local transport: € 108,85

We didn’t spend much on transportation because we spend our days between Lisbon, Sintra and Porto. For our next trip, we plan to go on a road trip through Portugal, so instead of busses and trains, we might rent a car for the whole trip. 

 

Accommodation in Portugal = € 316,00

Lisbon: € 157,00 (read our guide about Lisbon Travel Costs here!)

Porto: € 159,00

In both cities, we got a private room in a shared apartment/house – Airbnb. Book your first room through this link and get 25 dollars discount! 😉 The final figure of how much does it cost to travel in Portugal will vary a lot depending on which type of accommodation you choose. If you stay in shared places like Airbnb you can keep your costs low.

 

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Cost of Food in Portugal =  € 465,27

Market: € 158,53

Here is everything we bought in a supermarket or street markets. At the places we stayed we could use the kitchen, so our breakfast and sometimes lunch were prepared at home. This is a great way to save money and eat well. The market costs also include the toiletries and cleaning products we bought.

Eat Out: € 306,74

We always carry in our bag: water, fruit and sometimes a sandwich. That helps a lot to cut the costs of eating out. Also, we try to avoid the tourist restaurants, we search for local (delicious & cheap) places.

No doubt Portugal was the cheapest country in Europe for food. Even though it´s the biggest figure in our how much does it cost to travel in Portugal spreadSheet. That´s why it is so important to choose accommodation where you can cook, definitely we saved a lot by having breakfast and making sandwiches at home. 😉

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Attractions in Portugal =  € 74,00

Another money saver tip: Free Walking Tours! In every city we visit we always try to take a walking tour. It´s cheap, you connect with other travelers and you learn about the city and the tourist attractions. After the tour, you know which ones are worth paying to get in and the ones that have free entrance.

Also, have a look at the attraction’s official website, sometimes they have special fees or free days to visit. That´s how we save a lot! Being smart makes your money stretches what means you can travel more or give yourself some treats. In Porto, for example, we found a boat trip that included the entrance to three wineries (with a free glass of wine in each one), Happy Days!!!

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We did some awesome posts about the cities we visited in Portugal. What to do, see and eat, for sure you will enjoy reading them!

What to do in Evora / Busy Week in Lisbon / Lisbon True Colors /

Lisbon Food Secrets5 Things to Do and Eat in Belem / One day in Sintra

Porto: History & Magic / Porto Wine and Douro River

 

Night Out in Portugal =  € 35,00

Who has friends has it all! Our Portuguese fellows did a pretty good job taking us to nice bars and clubs. To save some bucks avoid the tourist traps nightclubs and head to local bars and entrance-free places.

Bairro Alto in Portugal is the paradise for good bars, nice people and tons of fun!

 

Other Costs – € 8,85

WC: € 1,20

Souvenirs:€  2,00

Internet / Print: € 2,15

Locker: € 3,50

For sure this little spending doesn’t make a big difference in the total of how much does it cost to travel in Portugal, but if you think in the long-term, this small amount can become a substantial figure in a year trip. That´s why we take note of everything!

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How much does it cost to travel to Portugal? 

€ 1.188,27 > This amount is for two people on a 16 days trip. In May/2014 it was $ 813,97 (USD) per person.

The cost of our trip to Portugal was $ 50,87 (USD) per person / per day. 

We did it!! Great food, awesome places, comfy and clean rooms and some party without bankruptcy! Now when I say you don’t need to be rich to travel the world, you must believe me! It´s a matter of mindset and priorities and learn how to save money to travel! 

Ps: it’s not included in our costs the transport to Portugal either our travel insurance. Talking about that, if you are looking for a reliable travel insurance company we recommend World Nomads. The price is fair and when we needed they were really fast on their reply. If you buy the travel insurance through this link we’ll receive a little commission without any extra cost to you! 😉

Do you have any secrets on how to travel on a budget? Or you finish your travels with a big credit card bill? Did you have a clue of how much does it cost to travel to Portugal?

27 thoughts on “How much does it cost to travel in Portugal?”

  1. Sounds good! Be it Portugal or any other destination, the same rule applies for all – you need to find affordable options! At first instance, everything looks expensive, but as you wait a while, look around, ask locals, research on internet, things begin to look so much better.

    Reply
    • Hey Renuka!!

      That’s so true! Local advice are the best!! You have to get out from the tourist path to really enjoy the local culture, especially food!
      Happy Travels! And thanks for stopping by!!

      Nat 🙂

      Reply
  2. We did two weeks in Portugal with a rented car and a tent – I think we spend about £1.500 including everything – the best holidays ever! You can do it cheaper though! Because we had a tent we could spend more on an amazing food! Tent is a good idea to travel around, we hope to do the same in Spain next June as I need to find out if my Spanish progressing at all 🙂 You can read about trip with a tent here: http://www.wanderingveronique.com/?cat=117 if you want 🙂 Great blog guys bdw 🙂

    Reply
  3. Great idea for a series because it is something that I am always researching. Like you I am a budget traveller, and want to enjoy the experience with breaking the bank. Totally agree on the free walking tours.

    Reply
    • Hi Darren,
      Before start our journey we did a lot of researches and we noticed that for some destinations the info wasn’t up to date. So it’s good to help fellow travellers with fresh info 😉
      Very soon we will post our costs breakdown for Spain!

      Reply
  4. I’m definitely not a budget traveler, but I really enjoyed reading how you’ve spelled out your budget and spending. I’ve not yet been to Portugal, but certainly have plans to get there. Safe travels!

    Reply
    • Portugal was the second country we visited in our Love & Road Project! On that moment we didn’t know exactly how we would manage to keep our budget under control, but turned out be easier than we expected!

      And you definitely should visit Portugal, it´s a beautiful country. The chocolate is not their best food asset but the wine and seafood make up for it!

      Happy Travels,
      Nat

      Reply
  5. What an awesome idea!

    I’ve only recently started adding a few the costs throughout our travels as I thought it may be of interest to some readers, but this is taking it to the next level!

    Reply
    • Hahaha… Thanks Chris!

      As we have a tight travel budget we have to keep control of every penny… And believe or not, it´s not that difficult!
      For us is good to know how much we are spending, and maybe help other travelers that want to do a trip but are worried about the amount of money they will need! 😉

      Cheers,
      Nat

      Reply
    • Thanks Rachel!!

      We traveled for six months around Europe last year and just booked accommodation through Airbnb. It´s cheaper than hotels and I love the idea to have to share the kitchen with some local people to chat on breakfast and dinner… For us, renting a room is someone´s house is an opportunity to learn about the city and people!
      🙂

      Nat

      Reply
  6. Awesome post! I haven’t been to Portugal—but planning to! So this post of yours is very, very helpful! I may have enough money than before, but it’s always a habit of mine to budget things. So it’s nice to get a feel of this place already given your calculations.

    Reply
  7. Am planning on traveling next month a friend of my in portugal is inviting me over to portugal, what are the thing I need? and how much will he cost?

    Reply
    • Hi Joy!!
      The costs will depend on the style of your trip, how many days and places you gonna visit. The article above can give you some tips about the costs of food and transportation around there.
      All The best,
      Nat

      Reply
    • Hi Louisa!!
      The secret of travelling is to plan well and organize the budget. Doesn’t matter if you a travelling on a low profile or a luxury trip. Save money and spend wisely is always a good option!
      Thanks for stopping by and glad that you liked the post!
      All the best!
      Nat

      Reply

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