Rick Steves Portugal

This book was extremely helpful in planning my trip to Portugal (drove across from Spain and spent time in the Algarve). As usual, Rick gives practical information any traveler can use--about driving in the country, tolls, language, etc. He's blunt about which areas to avoid and what's worth seeing. And I love his philosophy about travel--we don't go just to "see" things but to experience other countries and respectfully meet the people of the country. His book "Europe through the Back Door" truly changed my perspective...it's a must-read for anyone seeking to travel to Europe!My only complaint about Rick in general is that he is definitely aimed toward the budget traveler. I understand that part of his philosophy is that spending money puts up a barrier between you and the actual culture, and I agree. But while on a trip, it's sometimes nice to splurge on a really nice dinner or a luxury hotel, and his options are limited. To be fair, he DOES include at least one "luxury" option in categories. But sometimes his constant leaning toward budget travel can be limiting. We paired this with another Portugal book and of course Trip Advisor to make sure we got the full picture. We used Trip Advisor almost exclusively for restaurants and hotels and used this book for background and overviews. I actually prefer Fodor's and their recommendations, but I just love Rick's philosophy and his frank approach.Overall, this book is a great buy if you're planning a Portugal trip. I read bad reviews of his Spain book, so we relied solely on Fodor's for that one...but I do recommend this Portugal guide, just balance Rick's recommendations with Trip Advisor or something. Oh, and Salema (in the Algarve) is just as charming as he says...but it's definitely not as small-town as he made it sound! There were tons of people on the beach and lots of cars. Of course, I'm sure his raves about Salema ensured that it would become a tourist destination. :-) Still worth a stop though...Portugal is a beautiful country, wherever you go. Even touristy Lagos has its charms! The Algarve was fantastic...we're already talking about going back, and taking more time to explore the other regions of magical Portugal.Enjoy this book, and enjoy your trip!

Rick Steve's Portugal is entertaining, practical, useful, entertaining, helpful, factual and entertaining! Steves has a very light touch which mixes honest opinion with the hard, dry facts and the book is well-organized with a detailed Index and a sensible table of contents. He tells it like it is. A restaurant may be good, but it may also be patronized mainly by tourists. If you feel safer with your fellow adventurers, then you know where to go. If you travel in order to 'be with the people,' you know where not to go. You know that his staff of travelers and writer has really visited all of the places mentioned in the book. Rick Steams can lead you to things you'd like to see and not waste your time with things you woudln't be interested it. The only problem with this, and any other travel guide, is that the information is probably at least a year or two old. Some hotels and restaurants may no longer be in business, and prices are guaranteed to have gone up.However, even if you're not going to Portugal you would probably enjoy this book, and then decide that you'd like to see for yourself.

This was my first time using a Rick Steves' book. We visited Portugal and Spain on our trip.I had purchased this book for Portugal and a Lonely Planet book for Spain.I ended up abandoning the Lonely Planet and buying Kindle version of Rick Steves' books for Spain(Madrid and Barcelona).The thing that I appreciated the most about this (and his other) books is that he literally GUIDES you through the city/country.From his awesome walking tours, what to expect from the locals, where to watch out for pick-pockets, to all the little details (the cost of a train to the beach town outside the city) make this book great.His hand drawn maps are also worth mentioning. They focus in on the key streets, the key intersections and things to see. When we were in Lisbon, I relied solely on his maps and we ended up covering all the Lisbon neighborhood on foot.By comparison, the Lonely Planet book was frustrating to use and felt like a reference instead of a guide.I'm not traveling without a Rick Steves' book again!PS. I would recommend getting this book one or two weeks in advance of your trip. Study the sections of the book, read the travel tips, get comfortable with the maps. That way when you get to your destination, the book will be an extension to your worldly experience!

This is the second book that we purchased to help with planning a trip to Portugal and it was the better organized of the two and invaluable in the planning stage. The detail was excellent and accurate. While touring Portugal, we took the book on all our day trips. Without this book, we would have missed many opportunities, and would not have used our limited time (3 weeks) as efficiently.

Good book.

dá as informações necessáriaspara se programar uma viagemà Portugal.valeu a pena adquirir,como todos os livros do autor.

well written

Good buy