Accomodation

The easiest and often cheapest option for students is to stay in Students’ Residence, you may want to rent your own room/flat. If so, check:

• local newspapers (e.g.Ocasião)
• Internet (e.g.EasyQuarto;BQuarto;Erasmus Lisboa, OLX, etc.)
• Pin-walls inside Higher Education  Institutions buildings’

Sharing a flat with other students is very common in Portugal. Prices vary significantly depending on the city (Lisbon is e.g. more expensive than other Portuguese cities) and the area (living in the outskirts is, obviously, less expensive than living in town centre).  Prices range roughly from 150€ up to 350€ depending on location, facilities, and the landlord’s common sense!

 Tips

• Try to see the room in person before renting it. Pictures on the internet are often misleading
• If possible, contact other students of your institution to get advice on how to find a room to rent in the city where you plan to study next. If you are lucky, he/she will even offer you his/her room for the following semester.
• Bear in mind that in Portugal it is still very common for old people to rent a room in their own house/apartment. If you want to avoid this kind of accommodation, look for flats (without landlord).

Please refer to The international Affairs Bureau if you need assistance in finding suitable accommodation.

Health and Medical Treatment

The National Health Service (SNS) in Portugal has a network of bodies and services which provide complete healthcare to the whole population, through which the State guarantees peoples' right to health.

The SNS is made up of all the public entities that provide healthcare - hospitals, local health units, health centres and family health units, or groups of health centres.

Under EU legislation on Social Security, nationals from the EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland enjoy the same benefits as Portuguese citizens in terms of access to free or reduced-cost healthcare. In order to benefit from these services, the citizens falling in the category mentioned above need to show the EHIC (European Health Insurance Card).

Third Country nationals must hold medical insurance or benefit from other special medical coverage/arrangements for the entire stay in Portugal.

Third Country nationals, who have been residing in Portugal for more than 3 months (90 days), may wish to apply for the National Health Service Card (Cartão do Utente do SNS). The card is free of charge and gives you access to Portuguese Public Health Service. The card can be obtained in local Health Centres (Centros de Saúde) or in any Loja do Cidadão, upon presentation of residence permit.

Loja do Cidadão

Based on the concept of One Stop Shop, the Loja do Cidadão (literally, Citizens Shop) is a public service aiming at providing a multitude of citizens-oriented services (such as social security, health, immigration, etc) within a same location.

Pharmacies

Pharmacies are open on weekdays between 9 am and 7pm (some close for lunch from 1 to 3 pm) and on Saturdays between 9am and 1pm. When open at night and/or on Sunday, pharmacies display an illuminated green cross outside. Otherwise, they have information posted on the entry indicating the nearest pharmacies that are open at night and/or on Sunday.

Money

Bank Account

Opening a bank account in Portugal is recommendable to third country nationals as withdrawal from foreign banks can be rather expensive and foreign credit cards may not always be accepted.

The procedure to open a bank account is quite simple. You will need: your passport or international ID card, an address in Portugal and a Portuguese fiscal number which can be provided in the Citizen Shop (Loja do Cidadão).

Students can usually benefit from special arrangements between universities and banks which offer free or low service fees accounts.

Be aware that if you withdraw money with a Portuguese credit card in another EU country you may be charged an extra fee. However, differently from what happens in other European countries, you will not be charged an extra fee for withdrawals from a cash machine of a different bank within Portugal.

Cost of Living

Although the cost of living has risen considerably in the last decade, Portugal remains less expensive than most other Western & Northern European countries. In particular, rents, food & primary goods, and entertainment are reasonably cheap: you can eat out for around 5€ at lunch time and have good meat or fish dish at a restaurant for less than 10€ for dinner. A full meal at the university canteen costs around 2,50€ and alcoholic drinks vary roughly from 0,80€ for a beer up to 5€ for a cocktail. A theatre ticket rarely costs more than 30€ and going to the cinema is rather inexpensive.

General Life

Cultural Aspects

Describing a country’s cultural identity is as fascinating as it is dangerous. What follows are some of the first, maybe superficial, traits of Portuguese culture that a foreign eye (or ear) notices…

Family

Family still occupies a very important place in Portuguese society. The native town is often referred to as ‘ minha terra’ (my land) somehow reflecting this strong parental tie.

Formalities

Portuguese are rather traditional and conservative. They retain a sense of formality when dealing with each other, which is displayed in the form of extreme politeness.

Attachment to the Past

Portuguese people are very attached and proud of their past, especially (and for some, surprisingly) to their most glorious past, the so called ‘época dos descobrimentos’ (discoveries). Portugal’s grandeur is often re-evoked, used as a point of reference, talked about with a sort of nostalgic emotion. (see:Saudade).

Another historic reference you will often came across is the ’25 de Abril’ which marked the end of the dictatorship.

Saudade

It turned to be a cliché, but Portuguese like to say that saudade is untranslatable. They are proud of it and cherish it as if it were a secret or distant memory. Originally, saudade referred to “a vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist ... a turning towards the past or towards the future”. More recently, the word has started to be (mis)used in several different phrases such as ‘tenho saudades tuas’ (= miss you) or ‘matar saudades’ (to let ‘saudade’ disappear, e.g. by looking at a picture, by going back to a specific place, etc), somehow losing its original tone.

Football

In Portugal football is not just a game: it is a way of life. In fact, some might say it is something of a national obsession, certainly for the male half of the population, and if you happen to be in Portugal during an important football match you will see why. All the televisions in bars and cafés are showing the match, and all the men seem to be in the bars watching it. The main concentration of football activity in Portugal is around Lisbon and Porto as the country's three major teams - FC Porto, Lisbon's Sporting Clube de Portugal and SL Benfica - are based there. Not surprisingly, there is fierce competition between these teams.

Food and Drink

Portuguese cuisine is rich and varied, and having meals with family or friends is part of the national customs.

Olive oil

As most Mediterranean cultures, in Portugal olive oil is very important in the national diet. Portuguese olive oil is of prime quality and the olive tree is a common feature in the Portuguese landscape.

Wine

Portugal is a country with a strong winegrowing tradition and the whole country produces wine. The Port and Madeira wines are famous fortified wines, but you will find the Douro, Dão, Alentejo and many other table wines are no less superior.

You may be interested in visiting the Douro Valley, and see the man built terraces vines planted on the region’s rugged slopes around the river Douro. This landscape was classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Eating Out

Eating out occupies an important place in Portuguese culture. Restaurants fill up very quickly especially between 12:30 am and 2 pm when workers have their lunch break and ‘migrate’ to the closest café/restaurant.

Eating a sandwich seems to be highly unpopular in Portugal: even the smallest cafés treat their customers with a fresh and plentiful hot dish of the day (prato do dia)!

Coffee

Similarly to what happens in other Latin countries, coffee is an integral part of Portuguese ‘way of life’. Portuguese enjoy drinking strong, dark coffee several times a day, alone or with friends. Most of Portuguese people start their daily routine by having a quick coffee (uma bica, as they say in Lisbon) standing at the counter. Interestingly enough, Portuguese families rarely make coffee at home as they prefer the café da rua (literally, street coffee). 

Sports

Mc Namara

As already mentioned before, Portugal is surrounded West and South by the Atlantic Ocean, having an extensive coast of around 850km2 in continental Portugal.  This way, there are many sports related to water activities being practiced, namely surf.

Portugal is an excellent surfing destination with waves for beginners and professionals.

Mc Namara

Outdoor sport activities are very popular due to the mild climate, namely football and jogging. More and more parks and facilities are being made available around the country for these activities.

In all major cities you will also find a vast number of sport clubs or gyms where you can practice diverse sport modalities.

Communications

Telephones

There are public telephone booths where coins and special cards (sold in Portugal Telecom shops, post offices and kiosks) can be used.

All telephone numbers in Portugal are composed of nine digits. To call from abroad, it is necessary to dial the international access code 00 and the country code 351. To call abroad from Portugal, dial 00, the country code, the area code and then the number wanted. The dialling codes of the various countries are posted in public telephone booths.

Mobile Phones

There are main network service providers – Meo Vodafone and Optimus – that have roaming agreements with most international mobile phone companies providing users with a good coverage nationwide. Moreover, there are other network providers such as Phone-ix, Lycamobile, Mundio Mobile, Zon mobile.

Packages

There is an increasing number of packages that may include cable TV, telephone, mobile phone and internet, namely Meo, Zon, Vodafone and Cabovisão.

Internet

Access is available in cafés, cyber-cafés, public services and in several post offices. In hotels and public facilities, like Airports, Conference centres, Restaurants, Service Areas in motor-ways and shopping centres, it is also possible to access wireless Internet. All University buildings offer wireless access to registered students & teaching staff.

Services

Shops

Shops are traditionally open from Monday to Friday, from 9 or 10am to 7pm. On Saturdays shops generally close at 1pm though in city centres some are open in the afternoon. Shopping centres usually open from 10am to 12pm every day of the week and supermarkets from around 9am to 9pm. Traditional shops with Portuguese products can be found particularly in city centres and older neighbourhoods of towns and cities.

Post Offices

Post offices (CTT) are open between 9am to 6pm from Monday to Friday. Airport offices and those located in city centres have extended opening hours and may be open on Saturdays and also on Sundays. Stamps are also sold in selling-machines placed in the streets.

Banks

Banks are open from 8.30am to 3pm from Monday to Friday. Portugal has a large national network of cash machines (ATMs) identified by the symbol MB (Multibanco), from which you can withdraw cash 24 hours a day. The most commonly used credit cards are: Visa, American Express, Diners Club, Europay / MasterCard, JCB and Maestro. In Portugal, ATM machines also offer several additional services: you can top up your mobile phone, pay your bills… or even buy a train ticket!

National Emergency Number – 112

The national emergencies number is 112. The call is free and it can be dialled at any time of the day or night from anywhere in Portugal.

Meeting & Greeting

Initial greetings are reserved, yet polite and gracious. The handshake is accompanied by the appropriate greeting for the time of day. Once a personal relationship has developed, greetings become more personal: men may greet each other with a hug and a handshake and women kiss each other twice on the cheek starting with the right, as can also be done between opposite sexes.

Titles

The proper form of address is the honorific title 'senhor' and 'senhora' with the surname. Anyone with a university degree is referred to with the honorific title, plus 'doutor' or 'doutora' ('doctor') with A very frequent form of addressing people in a semi-formal manner is by referring to them with their first name (preceded by article) + verb in the third person singular. E.g. “A Maria quer almoçar connosco?” = would you (Maria) like to have lunch with us?

Gastronomy

Portuguese food is distinctive and varied, featuring many regional specialities that have evolved from local traditions and ingredients. A typical meal in Portugal starts with a selection of appetizers such as goat or sheep's cheese, pâté, olives, cornbread and delicious smoked ham called presunto. Soup (sopa) is a regular feature on the restaurant menus, normally made on the premises with fresh ingredients bought at the local market. Fish is a mainstay of Portuguese cuisine, particularly sardines (sardinhas) and the ever-present dried codfish known as bacalhau. Portuguese meat is both tasty and safe to eat, particularly pork (porco) which for centuries has been an important livestock in the country's rural economy.

8 different ways of ordering coffee

Black coffee

1. Bica, Expresso, or just, Café: small black coffee, served in a small cup

2. Café Cheio: weaker small black coffee

3. Abatanado: a large weaker coffee

4. Café Descafeinado: a small black decaffeinated coffee

Coffee with milk

1. Meia de Leite or Café com Leite: half coffee and half hot milk in a tea-sized cup

2. Garoto: a small coffee cup full of milk and a

3. Galão: more hot milk than coffee in a tumbler glass

4. Café Pingado, or sometimes just Pingo: a small black coffee with a drop of hot milk

National holidays

1 January - New Year’s Day

25 April - Freedom Day

1 May - Worker’s Day

10 June - Portugal Day

15 August - Feast of the Assumption

8 December-  Immaculate Conception

25 December - Christmas Day

Moveable public holidays

Carnival - February (festive day, although not an official public holiday)