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Getting To and Around Portugal

As far as Spain is the only country Portugal borders with, travelling by air is of huge priority. Probably, it is the main way of getting to this country regardless railway and maritime transport.

There are two major airline companies, which arrange flights to Portugal: TAP Air Portugal (TP) and Portugalia Airlines. The first one is completely owned by the state and executes flights to and from the most European, American and African destinations. The second one, on the contrary, appears to be its subsidiary, based in Lisbon. It carries out flights around the European countries mainly. Portuguese airline companies operate both regular and charter flights.

It is also appropriate to note that Portugal has three major international airports. The most popular is established in Lisbon (Portela de Sacavem), which is located 7 km north to the city. Notwithstanding there are several ways to get to the Portuguese capital from the airport: by bus (goes every 15 minutes), by airbus (goes every 20 minutes) or by taxi. Faro Airport is situated 4 km away from the city, which can be reached by bus or by taxi. The third airport is established near Porto (Oporto Sa Carneiro); the distance (11 km) between the airport and the city might be covered by taxi.

Railway connection is the best to get to Portugal from France due to Paris – Lisbon connection. It is called Sud-Express, which offers comfortable coaches of the first and the second class. In contrast, travelling by bus or by car can be done only from Spain (due to geographical location), crossing one out of seven border posts. Eurolines, major long distance bus company, serves connection between the largest European cities and Lisbon, Porto, Faro, Lagos and Coimbra. Maritime transport is an option for the major overseas destinations, which preconditioned Portuguese collaboration with such ship companies as P&O, Union Castle, Olympia, Linea C, Cunard and Italia. The biggest ports, which receive international cruise liners, are Lisbon, Funchal and Portimao.

Portugal is a country with a dense and a large network of automobile roads and highways, which encouraged the connection between the majority of Portuguese cities. Going around Portugal is usually associated with travelling by bus; a ticket price depends mainly on the distance covered and might be paid both by coins or by coupons for the travel on the municipal public transport. If you decided to travel around by car, it is worth mentioning that the Portuguese roads are paid in some parts of the country, but from Friday till Sunday they are completely free, just when most of the tourist trips are performed. Due to the high prices, travelling with the domestic Portuguese airlines is not recommended and, therefore, the railway connection is of a bigger advantage.

The largest cities, such as Lisbon and Porto, have many transport means to offer, including, buses, subways, trams and even funiculars. It is important to mention that tourists can save some time on getting transport tickets and purchase them in special stands: “Carris” in Lisbon and STCP in Porto.

Portugal Economy

Being a member of the EU and being located amongst highly developed European countries, Portugal is one of the backward countries, especially after the world financial crisis in 2007. A small national market and a lack of natural deposits led to the major dependence from the global economic environment, foremost European. To date, the whole range of industries in Portugal are divided into three groups by authority and investing: the state owns enterprises of mining and heavy industry, consumer goods thanks to private investments and powerful multinational companies.

Mining Industry

Mining industry is mainly represented by extracting coal and some colored metals (tungsten, tin, and chromium). Most of the coal is mined in Moncorvo and then transported to a local steel plant. Copper mining is also of high priority, which is located in Neves-Corvo – one of the biggest mines of colored metals in Western Europe (100 km away from Faro).

Fuel Industry

A lack of oil and gas deposits influenced much on Portuguese dependence on import of fuels, which are transported on the biggest refinery in the country. It is established in Porto, the second largest city in Portugal.

Energy Supply Industry

The energy production mostly features hydroelectric power stations. However, recently Portugal started developing alternative energy sources. Having favorable conditions for solar energy generation, the solar plant was established in the town of Serpa. In addition, there is a wind energy station in Pinhal. The national energy projects are also aimed on the construction of wave stations.

Wood-Carving Industry

One third of Portuguese territory is covered with forests, which is why a wood-carving industry contributes a lot to the national export. Among the industrial achievements of Portugal is a world leadership in a cork tree supply. Pine trees and eucalyptus, earlier exported from Australia, are fundamental for cellulose and paper production.

Textile industry

Textile industry is one of the leading ones on the north of the state. In particular, Porto and Braga are the centers of textile, clothes and shoes manufactures. Consumer goods manufacturing in Portugal cannot but impress by its foodstuff industry, as far as Portugal is a well-known producer of wines and tomato paste. The most important viticulture regions are located in the valleys of the Portuguese rivers, in Algarve and the Setúbal Peninsula, south to Lisbon. The Portuguese dessert wines, especially port wine and Muscat, and rose table wines are famous throughout the world.

Agriculture

On the contrary, the agriculture in Portugal is considered backcountry in Europe, which is preconditioned by small investments, limited usage of fertile lands and low mechanization. It mainly features the cultivation of olives, tomatoes, wheat and corn. A long coastline facilitates the development of fishing industry, which deals with sardines, anchovies, tuna, and cod. The main fishing ports are Setúbal, Matosinhos and Portimão.

Tourism

The economic development of Portugal cannot undergo without international tourism, profits of which comprise 5% of national GPP. More than a dozen million tourists visit the country annually. Among the most appreciated regions it is appropriate to name Lisbon, Algarve, Porto, Madeira and Azores Islands, Alentejo and Northern Portugal. Unique architectural monuments and marvelous beach areas encourage tourist inflows not only from Europe, but from overseas as well.