Staying connected in Portugal.

Portuguese networks are good where visitors go, so the decision is what you pay. Roaming on your US plan is the expensive default at about 10 to 12 dollars a day, roughly 70 to 84 dollars for a week, though the AT&T cap means a longer trip stops compounding after ten billed days while Verizon keeps charging. T-Mobile's current tiers include roughly 5GB on Experience More, Magenta MAX and Go5G Plus, 15GB on Experience Beyond and Go5G Next and 30GB on Better Value, so check your own plan before buying anything.

A Nomad eSIM at a few dollars per gigabyte undercuts the day pass comfortably for a normal week. A local MEO, Vodafone or NOS prepaid SIM is inexpensive too and carries EU roaming, so on a multi-country European trip it can be the better buy. Do not roam with no plan: pay-per-use is about 2 dollars a megabyte.

This is the Portugal-specific thing worth knowing, and it is a purchasing detail rather than a coverage one. Madeira and the Azores appear as their own entries on the US carriers' destination lists, and travel eSIM plans sold as covering Europe sometimes leave them out. Coverage on both archipelagos is genuinely good, with 4G across the populated parts of Madeira and the main Azorean islands, so the risk is not signal, it is buying a plan that stops at the mainland.

So if Funchal or Sao Miguel is on the itinerary, open the covered-country list and look for the island group by name. On the islands themselves, expect thinner coverage on the calderas, the high Madeira levada walks and the smaller Azorean islands, which is a hiking note rather than a trip-planning one.

On the mainland there is little to warn about. Lisbon, Porto, the Algarve and the coastal towns have fast 4G and widespread urban 5G, and the trains and motorways hold a signal. It thins in the Serra da Estrela, parts of the Douro and Alentejo back roads, and on some of the wilder Atlantic coast.

For a hiking day or a back-road drive, download offline maps, which is the same advice as anywhere with hills. This guide is written for US travelers departing the US. For more, see cash or card in Portugal, Tram 28 and contactless in Lisbon, and the Portugal money guide.

Common questions

Quick answers.

More on Portugal

The little money things nobody warns you about.

• Taxis in Portugal, and the Bolt appPortuguese taxis are cheap and mostly honest, and ride apps are even cheaper, with Bolt the local favorite. The main thing to watch is the odd airport driver, so here is how to keep it simple.
• Do I need cash in Portugal, or can I use cards?Short answer: a card for most things, a little euro cash for the rest. Portugal is card-friendly, especially in Lisbon and Porto, but small shops, markets and rural spots still like cash. Here is how to handle it.
• Tipping in PortugalPortugal is a light-tipping country. Staff earn a wage, nobody expects a US-style percentage, and a modest tip for good service is welcome but never required. Here is what you actually owe, and what that couvert on the table is.
• How to avoid the yellow Euronet ATMs in LisbonThe bright yellow machines by the airport exits and in the tourist squares are the most expensive way to get euros. Here is how to spot them, what to use instead, and the one habit that matters more than the machine.
• The IVA tax-refund kiosk at Lisbon airport, step by stepIf you shopped in Portugal and want the IVA (VAT) back, it comes down to a self-service kiosk at the airport and one green screen. Here is the exact sequence, and the one timing mistake that costs people the refund.
• Does tram 28 in Lisbon take contactless?The short, honest answer is: not reliably. Tapping your own card is solid on the metro, but on the historic 28 tram it is hit or miss, so here is the cheap way that always works.
• Bringing your dog or cat to Portugal.Portugal runs on the single EU pet-entry process for a US-origin dog or cat: microchip, rabies in the right order, and an EU health certificate on a 10-day clock. No quarantine, no rabies titer. Here is what that means for Portugal, and the local parts worth knowing.
• Driving in Portugal, and the electronic toll trapPortugal has two kinds of toll road and only one of them lets you pay at the roadside. That is the whole problem in one sentence, and the fix is a small transponder you should sort before you drive rather than after.
• Do you need a rail pass in Portugal?Some countries need a careful comparison. This one does not. Portuguese long-distance fares booked in advance are so low that the pass conversation ends before it starts, and the only real skill is booking on time.
• What does getting sick in Portugal cost a visitor?The US Embassy in Lisbon puts it in one flat sentence: Portugal does not offer free medical treatment to visitors. What softens that sentence is everything around it, starting with a national health line that answers in English.