Facts
Country facts about Portugal
A bit of information before you book your holiday home in Portugal
- Size: 92,212 km2
- Capital: Lisboa
- Population: Approx. 10,000,000
- Main holiday destinations: Lisboa, Costa de Prata, Porto & The Algarve
- Currency: Euro
- Languages: Portuguese
- Time zone: GMT [CET -/- 1 hour]
- National dish: Portugal’s national dish is 'Bacalhau', salted cod
Climate in Portugal
The climate in Portugal is very mild. During the winter the average temperature in the Algarve is 15-18º Celcius. The temperatures are a little lower in the rest of Portugal. In the summer months there is barely any rainfalls in Portugal, and at the same time it is not quite as hot as some parts of Spain. Especially in Algarve rainfalls are practically non-existant.
Opening times of shops
Most of the larger shops are open all week between 9:30 and 22.00. Smaller, local shops close at 20:00. In the busy season in coastal areas, the shops usually do not close until 00:00 at night during summer. Pharmacies are usually open between 9:30-13:30 and 16:30-20:00.