Portugal

Guidebook corrections:

Please note: The following corrections were submitted by readers and have not yet been confirmed by Rick. Check updates from Rick for the latest.

The Tivoli in Lisbon no longer exists.

maria in Lewiston , N. USA 03/13/2010

System of purchasing 10 subway tickets in Lisbon does not exist any more. You can purchase a card and charge it with whatever amount you choose and recharge, or purchase a day card which can also be recharged. Cards are good on subway, trolleus, buses and some funiculars

Marylene Pastides in Columbia, MO USA 11/20/2009

Lagos Accommodatin : Casa de Sao Goncalo de Lagos is no longer a fine value. It is now a unclean Youth Hostel. I would not recommend it's retention in your book. Having visited many of the small beach towns in the Algarve I cannot understand why Salema is so headlined in the book. It really is featureless. In my opinion Luz rates higher for many reasons not the least of which are the Roman ruins.

Wayne Baldwin in White Rock, BC Canada 10/26/2009

There is no longer a Sunday market in Parque de Nacoes in Lisbon.

Bettina is now managing the Pension A Mare in Salema. She is very warm and helpful.

The red metro line has been extended to go to Sao Sebastiao.

Patricia Snee in Springville, PA USA 10/09/2009

just thought I'd let you know, I was just in Porto and toured some of the port wine cellars. I never got a refund on tasting when deciding to buy a bottle - even asked. Also, Kopke's tasting room may have changed their location - it is the the first tasting room you get to as you walk down the street along the river from the bridge (before you get to Sandeman).

Lisa Cameron in Brookline, MA USA 09/19/2009

In Porto, you can now walk across the high level of the bridge - well worth the views!

Hillary Slawson in Seattle, WA USA 08/15/2009

Portugal Guide Book Lisbon Lavandaria da Baixa is out of business. Use the Laundry service 5aSeca Lavandaria R. do Cruzifixo Metro stop Baixa-Chiado

Carmen in Los Angeles, CA USA 07/15/2009

Cigar smoking is no longer permitted at the Port institute in Lisbon Portugal

Thomasine Skufca in Kingwood, Tx USA 06/23/2009

Hi Sorry but there is a mistake at the Rick Steves' Guidebook. Residencia Coimbra e-mail is not: coimbra@gmail.com The correct e-mail is: residencia.coimbra@gmail.com Unfortunately there was a mistake from the editors and now I receive 2 or 3 mails every month! :S If you want you can try acommodation as well in one of this places: http://www.regiaocentro.net/lugares/coimbra/alojamento/index.html Good luck

Vasco Goncalves in Coimbra, PT Portugal 06/19/2009

Sintra- Pena Palace is now 11 Euros from April to October. Also, the tourist bus loop is not a 24 hour pass but for one round trip.

Carol in Atlanta, GA USA 05/28/2009

The tiny quiet fishing village of Salema isn't really any of the above. We just returned and it's no longer tiny - development abounds. The quiet has been replaced by construction equipment from morning to night so we left and explored daily (not a bad alternative, but we wanted peace and quiet). Fishing still occurs but I'd say it's a tourist village now, plain and simple. Go inland instead for accomodations, travel to the beaches by day.

Paula Fedirchuk in Seattle, WA USA 05/20/2009

It is May, 2009 and we used the 2008 edition. As to be expected, all the prices are a little bit higher than in the book.

Brenda VanAmburgh in Fort Worth, TX USA 05/17/2009

Porto: The #1 tram does not go all the was to Foz any more. It only goes to Passeio Alegre. But the 500 bus will take you all the way to Foz and you catch it at the same place as the #1 tram.

Lisbon: The one day pass is not the 7 Colinas any more but it iw called the "Viva Viagem", and the ticket machine button to push to get the card is not the "Joint CA/ML Ticket," but something like "Metro/Carris" - which I figured out because I remembered that the Lisbon public bus company was called Carris. Also, your Lisbon Public Transportation Map needs to be updated as the Blue A Metro line now runs all the way to the Santa Apolina station, which is helpful if you are coming in on the train from Porto or the north and want to get closer to the center of town than the Oriente station.

Beverly Rabenberg in Austin, TX USA 11/24/2008

Lorinne Lunde in Northbrook, Il USA 10/16/2008

On page 34 of the 2008 Portugal book Rick says that there is a 5-day "7 Colinas" transportation card in Lisbon. But I couldn't find it for sale on their website. I sent an e-mail and got a response that said the 5-day card had been discontinued because of "lack of demand". (I tried to demand, but to no avail!)

Jonathan Fields in Portland, OR USA 09/01/2008

Have to warn folks about potential rip offs at Fado at Canto do Camões. We were charged almost 40 euros for dishes we never had.

kat in NY, NY USA 08/28/2008

Include city of Braga

The Rev'd Canon Francis C. Zanger in Braga, Portugal 07/03/2008

We found all of Portugal to be non-smoking, from hotels, to restuarants, to the buses. Our whole experience was wonderfully smoke-free.

Colette in Cottage Grove, OR USA 06/29/2008

Sintra: Addition to Kyle's correction. Pena Palace cost 11 euro on Sunday on June 22, 2008. Signs there said it is free until 1pm for locals. So, it isn't free unless one can fake being a local. Agree that the buses we took - 434 from the train station (at 4 euro per person) and the green trolly (3 euro per person - but one can hike that last stretch) add to the total cost. Also, the 11 euro entrance was just for this castle. The combined castle ticket is 16 euro (I think). There was a complicated array of combination tour options that was poorly explained in English. It would be useful to have all this spelled out on the website.

Danny Mittleman in Chicago, IL USA 06/23/2008

Potugal has ATM limits of 200 Euros per transaction no matter what your back in the States may have.

James VanSickle in Norton, OH USA 05/15/2008

Tram fare is now 1,35 not 1,20. Pena Palace is now open on Mondays. Rossio train station is best place to leave for Sintra, otherwise you may have to transfer trains which can be difficult.

Christopher Allen in Berkeley, CA USA 05/05/2008

I would make clear that Nazare is a beach town. If you're expecting a fishing village, you'll be very surprised. The beach is beautiful and there are many places for delicious fresh fish, but it isn't old and it isn't quaint.

David Dooley in San Diego, CA USA 03/31/2008

Places to Stay: Pensao Residencial 13 da Sorte, Lisbon on page 99 of 2007 guidebook was no longer open when we were there in mid-November 2007. A sign referred guests to another location in the city.

Philip Hubbard in Barre, MA USA 01/06/2008

The Pena Palace in Sintra is not free on Sundays (even before 14:00). I paid 10 euros for a combined ticket for entry into the Pena Palace and Moorish Castle on Sunday, December 30, 2007. Add that to the cost to get to Sintra (3.20 euros round-trip by train) and the 434 Scotturb bus cost (4.00 euros), and a Sunday day trip to Sintra from Lisbon was not cheap. Also, my guide at the Fortaleza in Sagres said that most of the Henry the Navigator stuff is not true--there was no navigation school, and the wind compass (the reason I went to Portugal!) was mostly a dream of their dictator in the 1960s. The TI at the Lisbon airport was closed on Christmas day, but the public buses ran (including the airport bus).

Kyla Gurganus in Ypsilanti, MI USA 01/05/2008

Vuiva Laemgo is no longer in 29 Cal. do Sacramento in the Chiado district of Lisbon. They have a showroom in: Largo do Intendente, 25 1100-285 Lisboa Tel: 218 852 408

Uma Murthy in Blacksburg, VA USA 01/03/2008

In Lisbon the Barrio Alto overlook view from a terrace near the Gloria funicular was fenced off for renovations. There is no Amex office in Lisbon (p. 46). We were told it has been closed for 3 years. There was no "free guided tour" for Sao Jorge (p. 59)

pp 170 and 173 refer to Restaurante O Luis in Sitio. It no longer exists.

In Alcobaca the National Wine Museum (p. 187) is permanently closed.

This book was like having a personal guided tour every place we went Oct 16-30 2007. Extremely accurate and helpful info.

bill rapp in malvern, pa USA 12/05/2007

The directions from Porto to the Douro Valley need a bit more detail. Seemed to be an information gap between Armarante and Mesao Frio. Hard to find N-101 just east of Armarante near Maladena.

Don Karpen in Talent, OR USA 10/16/2007

In Sintra, the Sunday morning discounts only apply to the gardens at the Pena Palace and not to the palace itself. There are Sunday morning discounts for the Moorish castle, though. Therefore, instead of recommending that people visit Pena Palace and then Moorish Castle, the guidebook should instead recommend that people visit the Moorish Castle first and then Pena Palace

Jon Seibald in New York, NY USA 10/02/2007

Many restaurants in the book are closed or the opening times are incorrect.

No one says Adeau; use Ciao for goodbye.

Fan in Rockville, MD USA 08/18/2007

Queluz-Belas is a stop on the Sintra train line. An easy, 20-minute walk from the station takes you to Queluz Palace. It was a wonderful experience and viewing all the tiles made the Tile Museum redundant. Another best was the absence of crowds. Please consider adding this as it is so easy to reach via the train to Sintra.

Earl Johnson in Dowling Park, FL USA 08/13/2007

The new church in Fatima is not open yet. The book said it is open already, but it is far from completion.

Jane Leingang in Evansville, IN USA 08/06/2007

The Duoro Museum in Peso da Regua is closed while the new museum is being built; couldn't find out anticipated opening.

Marcy Nicklas in Frederick, MD USA 07/23/2007

In the discussion of Fatima, Lucia died in 2005, she is not still alive. More importantly, the map of Belem needs to be adjusted. The map suggests that the Alges train stop is right next to the tower of Belem, while they are in fact almost a mile apart. The map suggests it is drawn to scale, which is misleading. The book was otherwise great!

Mike Soboeiro in Pinehurst, NC USA 06/24/2007

Still can't get to Sintra from Rossio station. In Lagos, Casa de Sao Goncalo is closed for renovation. Next door, the Hotel Riomar can’t possibly be “new,” as described in the book.

Vicki Phillips in Denver, CO USA 05/17/2007

Be careful...the TI at Cabo da Roca that sells certificates that prove you were there doesn't close at 2000, it closes earlier--1830 or 1900. I took a cab out there to get one, arrived at 1915, and was too late. Which brings me to my second point... The bus from Cabo da Roca stops running at a certain time...about 1945 or so, if I recall. I just barely made the last bus...another five minutes and I would have had some long walk back to civilization from Europe's westernmost point.

George Mole' in Bronx, NY USA 04/16/2007

In Portugal's 2007 guidebook p.183 says that Sister Lucia is still alive but she passed away on February 2005

Norman Lizano Costa Rica 04/06/2007

In 2007 a one-way cable car journey from Nazaré to Sitío costs EUR 0.85 per person, up from EUR 0.75.

Josh Hanz in Frisco, TX USA 03/03/2007

The Canto do Camoes restaurant in Lisbon has a new internet address: http://www.cantodocamoes.com. The website listed in the 2006 Portugal guide, page 87, has changed. Please note that it is closed for remodeling until 10th March 2007.

[Editor's Note: This has been corrected in our 2007 Portugal guide, which is now available through our online Travel Store.]

Josh Hanz in Frisco, TX USA 01/27/2007

Page 20 shows driving distances and times. One of the distances that appears incorrect, is from Porto to Santiago de Compostela. The book gives a distance of 450 miles, and 8.5 hours. According to the Michelin website, it shows 145 miles, and 2.5 to 3.0 hours (I picked Rua Santa Catarina in Porto, as a reference).

Josh Hanz in Frisco, TX USA 01/24/2007

In the listing of "Casa Pasteis de Belém", the fact that a "garoto" is the same as a "café com leite". The staff should understand both words, though.

Josh Hanz in Frisco, TX USA 01/23/2007

In Lisbon, Rick recommends Chimarrao, a Brazilian churrascaria located in Armazens do Chiado. However we spoke with several Brazilians living in Lisbon whom we met at bus stops, restaurants, etc. All said that the Chimarrao located at Colombo shopping mall is better.

We also found a decent Brazilian food at a little place just down the street from the Baixo Chiado metro exit that was a Brazilian buffet for less than half the price of Chimarrao. It is about two doors down from a grocery store. Can't remember the name.

Bill Skelton in Newnan, GA USA 01/01/2007

We had a great time in Lisbon and your book was terrific. We went there the week before Christmas 2006. This is the second time we used your travel guide. The first time was last year in Paris, and we stayed in the Rue Cler neighborhood. We agree with your assessment that Rue Cler certainly represents the flavor of Paris. However, back to Lisbon. We stayed at the VIP Eden Hotel, which is the official name of the hotel. Your guide list it as Orion Eden Apartment Hotel, which the airport tourist booth did not recognize. The Elevador da Gloria funicular is closed while the Rossio station is closed.

The restaurant you seggested in your guide in Porto Brandao is closed. We are not sure if it is going through major renovation, because there was construction inside the building. However, the restaurant next door, Restaurante Porto Brandao, was very good.

David Seto in North Brunswick, NJ USA 01/01/2007