Proper etiquette while in Portugal

Question

im going on vaction to Portugal soon, can anone tell me proper etiquette while traveling there?

Answer 1

Yes, just common sense should do it.

Have fun

Answer 2

?

Common sense?...

Portugal is not an exotic island in the middle of the pacific, it's a typical southern european old catholic country...

But it's not a good idea to invade a church in the middle of a mass dressed with shorts, sandals and socks shooting pictures all around...

And it's definitely not a good idea to mistake Portugal for Spain or try to speak spanish to a portuguese, Portugal and Spain were once the two rival massive super-powers for almost 500 years so it's not nice to suggest Portugal is part of Spain or that we in Portugal speak spanish... Anyway, Portugal is about 400 years OLDER than Spain.

But we're used to tourists, so just have fun and respect the others.

Answer 3

Portuguese are lovely, friendly relaxed people, so as long as you are friendly, smile, say please and thank you and excuse me when appropriate, you're fine.

However, it's never a bad idea to try to learn just a few words of the language, like please, thank you, excuse me, hello Mr, hello Mrs, that kind of thing. It is appreciated wherever you go.  

Answer 4

Hi!

Unless you come from an exotic country, etiquette in Portugal is the same as in the rest of Europe. As Heteronimo said don't mistake us with the Spanish and it is better to speak in English or attempt some Portuguese, rather than speaking in Spanish, if you are visiting the north of Portugal and you are speaking in Portuguese, don't address anyone by 'você', even though it is becoming more frequent, that is considered rude by some people in the North. If you are interested in knowing the basics of my language, you can either join a group in yahoo groups called Awful Portuguese.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/awfulportu...

Or check out the BBC languages website.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/portugues...

We will appreciate any attempt you make to speak Portuguese.

Tips in restaurants, taxis, hotels, etc, although not mandatory, are welcome. Be polite and kind, give your seat to old ladies, say 'thank you' (obrigada) and 'please' (se faz favor) in appropriate situations, avoid binge drinking, even though in Portugal we drink a lot of alcohol, binge drinking is not part of our culture and we don't appreciate drunkards in the streets.

What I usually do, when I'm in a foreign county is, for a day or two, observe other people -- how they behave, how they talk, etc -- and then mimic them.  However, if you're going to the Algarve, don't worry, it is full of tourists so we are used to bizarre things. :oD

As you can see, nothing out of the ordinary. But if you prefer to be on the safe side, take a look at a book about Portugal and its culture and you can't go wrong.

Enjoy your vacation in Portugal.