Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PRACTICALITIES
»
Portugal uses the metric system for weights and measures. Decimals are indicated by commas, thousands by
points.
»
Portugal uses the PAL video system, incompatible with both the French SECAM system and the North Americ-
an NTSC system.
»
Main newspapers include
Diário de Noticias, Público, Jornal de Noticias
and the tabloid best-seller
Correio da
Manhã
.
»
English-language media includes the long-running daily, the
Portugal News
(
www.theportugalnews.com
) , and
the weekly
Algarve Resident
(
www.algarveresident.com
)
.
»
TV channels in Portugal include Rádio Televisão Portuguesa (RTP-1 and RTP-2), Sociedade Independente
(SIC) and TV Independente (TV1), with RTP-2 providing the best selection of foreign films and world news cov-
erage. Other stations fill the airwaves with a mix of Portuguese and Brazilian soaps, game shows and dubbed or
subtitled foreign movies.
»
Portugal's national radio stations include state-owned Rádiodifusão Portuguesa (RDP), which runs the stations
Antena 1, 2 and 3 and plays Portuguese broadcasts and evening music (Lisbon frequencies are 95.7, 94.4 and
100.3). For English-language radio there is the BBC World Service (Lisbon 90.2) and Voice of America (VOA),
or a few Algarve-based stations, such as Kiss (95.8 and 101.2).
»
Smoking is allowed in some restaurants and most bars. Restaurants that allow smoking are supposed to have
separate smoking sections, but inadequate ventilation means nonsmokers will be breathing in the fumes. Mean-
while, many hotels still offer smoking rooms.
Public Holidays
Banks, offices, department stores and some shops close on the public holidays listed here. On New Year's Day, Easter
Sunday, Labour Day and Christmas Day, even
turismos
close.
New Year's Day
1 January
Carnaval Tuesday
February/March - the day before Ash Wednesday
Good Friday
March/April
Liberty Day
25 April - celebrating the 1974 revolution
Labour Day
1 May
Corpus Christi
May/June - ninth Thursday after Easter
Portugal Day
10 June - also known as Camões and Communities Day
Feast of the Assumption
15 August
Republic Day
5 October - commemorating the 1910 declaration of the Portuguese Republic
All Saints' Day
1 November
Independence Day
1 December - commemorating the 1640 restoration of independence from Spain
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
8 December
