PORTO — THE BASICS  

Most places in urban Portugal take credit cards. But the smaller and more rural places often don’t.  So, you will need to carry more cash than in other European countries, like France or Italy.

Using local bank cash machines (ATMs) in Porto or Lisbon is generally the best way to withdraw cash, provided you use the right network and follow specific rules to avoid high fees.

The most reliable and cost-effective machines are those in the Multibanco network. Multibanco ATMs typically do not charge a local usage fee for foreign cards, which is rare in many other European countries. They are found everywhere—on street corners, in metro stations, and inside shopping centers. Look for the “MB” logo.

Stick to ATMs affiliated with major banks like Santander, Millennium BCP, or Novo Banco.

Avoid the blue-and-yellow Euronet machines commonly found in high-traffic tourist areas and airports. They often charge high transaction fees and use unfavorable exchange rates.

Airport and hotel ATMs are often convenience-based and may charge higher, unregulated surcharges.

Reject “Dynamic Currency Conversion” (DCC): If the ATM asks if you want to be charged in US Dollars or Euros, always choose Euros. Choosing USD allows the machine to set its own poor exchange rate. Let your home bank handle the conversion.

Check Your Home Bank Fees: While Portuguese banks may not charge you, your home bank might.

PIN Requirements: Most Portuguese ATMs require a 4-digit PIN. If your PIN is longer, change it before you leave. If prompted for 6 digits, enter your 4 digits and press “Enter” or “OK”.

Once you have some money, it’s time to eat.

There are some amazing sandwich shops on the side streets outside the high-tourist areas. The Time Out Market by São Bento train station is a good deal with a large selection of food at lower prices than most restaurants.

There are three types of groceries.

The mom-and-pop markets are all over the city, but they have very limited inventory, especially fresh foods, and sell lots of liquor and junk food. And they only accept cash.

Then, there are the My Auchan and SPAR Supermarkets, which are really just large convenience stores with high prices and limited selection.  They do accept credit cards, and they are in almost every town.

And then there is the Pingo Doce (best name ever!), Portugal’s version of an American supermarket. They have it all and take credit cards.  But they are few and far between. Porto and Lisbon have several, and their bread selection is amazing. They offer local fruits and vegetables, which was a real treat. The checkout is hectic, entirely automated, and rather confusing. We had to ask for help.

Porto — at least in the City Center — is pretty clean.  Street sweepers are everywhere and seem to like their job. They are at least very conscientious, picking up the tiniest of litter.

And it ain’t easy keeping the streets of Porto clean because many people smoke and flick their butts on the ground.  Then, they wedge between the cobblestones, becoming a part of the landscape, like embedded nicotine confetti.

We were amazed at how many people were smoking, and it fell into two categories.  Older people smoke American cigarettes. The young folks like to vape.

Cigarette packaging in Portugal follows strict EU standards, featuring mandatory graphic health warnings covering 65% of the front and back of packs, including shocking images like diseased lungs or rotting teeth. These packs must also include text warnings and information on smoking cessation services.

In terms of the quantity of cigarettes inside, they are actually very similar, but the physical boxes in Portugal (and the rest of Europe) are slightly more compact than those in the United States.

Both standard packs contain 20 cigarettes. Federal law in the United States and the European Union Tobacco Products Directive (which Portugal follows) both mandate a minimum pack size of 20 cigarettes to discourage casual buying, especially among young people.

European packs are generally slightly smaller in all dimensions.

The variation often comes down to the physical dimensions of the cigarettes themselves and how they are arranged. American brands often include more “100mm” or longer cigarettes. Additionally, US packs often feature slightly more internal “breathing room” or thicker cardboard, whereas European packaging is designed for maximum efficiency in pockets and automated vending machines.

Most restaurants and bars still have vending machines, though you typically need to ask the staff to “activate” it with a remote control to verify your age (18+).

While you won’t find the “mini” 10-packs in Portugal anymore—as they were banned by the EU in 2016—you will mostly see the standard 20-count flip-top boxes, often priced between €5.00 and €6.00.

In Portugal, cigarette prices are regulated by the government. This means you will pay the same price whether you buy them at a local café, a specialized tobacconist (Tabacaria), or the airport.

The most popular brand in Portugal is Marlboro, followed by SG, Winston, Camel, Chesterfield, Lucky Strike, and Português.

It seemed like someone was smoking around us wherever we went.  We felt like we had been transported back in time.   A time when there was a lot more coughing going around.

The young people  — and by that I mean the majority of teenagers we saw wherever we traveled — were vaping like crazy.  They prefer vape boxes with a white plastic filter tip, like the real thing. The industry is supposedly tightly regulated, but it seemed pretty much out of control.

Weed is a bit of a grey area, like it was in most of the U.S. about ten years ago.

Since 2001, the possession and consumption of all drugs for personal use (up to a 10-day supply) have been classified as administrative offenses, not crimes.

Medical weed was legalized in 2018, and can be purchased from a licensed pharmacy.

But here’s where it gets sketchy. The “Bud Temple”-style shops we saw around Portugal aren’t actually selling marijuana — they’re CBD/hemp shops. Recreational cannabis is still illegal in Portugal (it’s decriminalized for personal possession, not legalized), and there’s no licensed dispensary system like in the Netherlands or US states. There is no legal way to purchase THC cannabis in Portugal — no dispensaries, coffeeshops, or licensed retailers exist; you can only legally buy CBD products containing less than 0.2% THC from certified shops. The “Cannabis Store Amsterdam” shops we saw in Lisbon and Porto sell only legal CBD products, not THC cannabis — so the leaf-shaped signage is misleading tourists.

BUT — and this is a really big but — enforcement varies significantly based on the quantity possessed and the context of use.

Generally, the personal possession threshold is defined as up to 25 grams of flower, or 5 grams of hashish.

Police do not arrest individuals within these limits. Instead, they may confiscate the drug and issue a citation to appear before a Commission for the Dissuasion of Drug Addiction (CDT).

First-time offenders often have proceedings suspended. Repeat offenders or those with problematic use may face fines (typically €25 to €150), mandatory counseling, or bans on visiting certain places.

Public Consumption is explicitly illegal and more likely to invite police intervention, leading to confiscation and potential administrative fines.

Trafficking is considered an offense punishable by 1 to 5 years in prison, which can extend up to 12 years in severe cases.

Home growing is illegal, and unlicensed cultivation can result in up to 3 years in prison.

Tourists are subject to the same thresholds and administrative processes as residents. While the culture is relatively tolerant, buying from street dealers is advised against due to poor product quality and the lack of a legal retail market.

We were approached numerous times on the street in Lisbon by people trying to sell us weed.  I would sooner poke myself in the eye with a fork than buy illegal drugs from a stranger.

We smelled weed a few times — usually blunts. We never got a sniff of skunk bud or hash, which made me question the quality of the THC market in Portugal, at least at the street level. No worries. Them soon come.

So, when traveling around Portugal, always remember your PIN, groceries are right around the corner, don’t litter, feel free to smoke wherever you like, and just say NO to drugs.