Travel Costs & Tips!
We understand traveling to Portugal requires our guests to invest time and money to come celebrate our marriage. We can’t stress enough how grateful we are for that. Our hope is that if you travel to Lisbon, our wedding serves as starting point or ending point for a vacation in Europe! We want everyone to celebrate a few days with us and then take that trip to Italy you’ve always wanted to do afterwards!
The great thing about traveling in Portugal is that it is safe, English is common (but maybe learn a few Portuguese words), and it’s an affordable European country.
Here are some general tips and info from us to help you plan!
Flights: $700-$1,500 (depending where you are flying from)
Flights to Lisbon have spiked recently because it’s getting more popular for tourists. However, you can often save a few hundred dollars if you fly to another European city (London, Dublin, Paris, Barcelona) and then buy a separate flight on a European airline (RyanAir, TAP). It’s a little more work, but its a cost saver and great way to see another city!
Accommodations: $50-$100 per person/night
The most affordable accommodations, outside of a hostel, is likely an Air BnB. We have stayed in multiple Air BnB’s in Lisbon that are very nice and they usually run about $75-$100 per night. Obviously, you can go cheaper or more expensive, but if you’re budgeting for your trip plan for roughly $100 per night.
Check the “Accommodations” tab for hotels near where the wedding party is staying as well as one of Abby and Willard’s favorite Air BnB’s in Lisbon.
Food: $20-$40 per day/per person
This is going to vary drastically, but Portugal does have some cheap eats. They also have affordable beer and wine. That said, Lisbon is popular and near the tourist spots you won’t see a huge savings, but you also won’t see San Francisco prices.
Tip: hit the supermarket for some breakfast foods to cut down on eating all meals out. Do make sure to try the Portuguese dish “Bacalhau” and wash it down with Vino Verde, or the Portuguese beer, Super Bock.
Entertainment:
This will vary depending on how ambitious you are to see all the sites! Sintra, Sao Jorge Castle and Belem Tower are all must sees and all have admission fees. Lisbon however has a lot of churches and buildings that do not cost anything, or are only a few euro. Check out the “What to do” section for our “must sees.”
Travelling to Portugal is easy, but there are a few things you need to plan for.
1. You need a Passport! There is no Visa requirement to enter Portugal, so just your Passport will do.
2. Plug-ins are type F in Portugal. What does that mean? Our American chargers won't work. You will want to buy an adapter before you leave. I've provided a link to one of these adapters below!
3. Cell phones will require an international plan. There is wifi everywhere in Europe, so you could get by without an international plan. If you're planning on doing any driving though, it’s recommended to have an international plan to enable GPS use. International plans are also nice to have so you can order an uber when wifi is not available. Most cellular carriers offer an international plan that can be added on to your current plan for the duration of your trip.
4. Portugal uses the Euro. Just something to keep in mind when you're looking at prices online. The Euro is usually more valuable than the US Dollar.