Portugal Tours

The main event is the Flower Parade, with floats and costumed groups covered in flowers moving through Funchal. It runs on two days during the festival, and seated places along the route need a ticket, which our tour includes.

The Madeira Flower Festival lasts about four weeks, from late April to May, so there's more around the parade: flower displays in the streets, concerts, and a market selling local food and drink.

Tram 28 is Lisbon's most famous ride, winding through Alfama past the cathedral. By mid-morning the line can run past half an hour, and pickpockets work the crowded cars.

For a similar old yellow tram, try 12E, which loops through Alfama and usually has shorter lines. Tram 24E climbs through Bairro Alto and Príncipe Real and is even less crowded, though it doesn't go through Alfama.

If you still want 28, board at a middle stop like Estrela or Graça, or go early in the morning. Your guide can help time it so you're not standing in line at noon.

Yes, especially in Lisbon and Porto. The old streets are paved with small limestone cobbles, often set in black-and-white patterns, and centuries of footsteps have worn them smooth. On steep hills or after rain, they get slick.

Pack sturdy sneakers or flat walking shoes with grippy rubber soles, and leave stilettos and leather soles at home.

You can also skip the worst slopes: your driver can drop you at the top of a neighborhood, so you walk down instead of up.

Not at all. The Douro makes table wine and port, the sweet, strong wine Porto is known for.

At a quinta, or wine estate, someone explains how it's made while you taste, and port comes in small glasses, so you sip.

Even if you don't drink, the view is worth the day: vineyards in terraces running down to the river. Plan on a full day from Porto, with lunch at the estate.

Learn more about: Portugal's Wine Regions: Vinho Verde, Douro Valley & More

Both are Portuguese islands in the Atlantic, but they feel very different.

Madeira is the garden island: mild weather, steep green hills, Funchal's old town, and tropical gardens. The Azores are wilder, with crater lakes, hot springs, and whale watching from April to October. Pick Madeira for flowers and comfort, and the Azores for volcanoes and open landscapes.

Madeira is under two hours by air from Lisbon, and São Miguel is about two and a half. 

No. Many Portuguese restaurants bring bread, butter, olives, cheese, or cured meats to your table before you order. It's called couvert, and it's standard practice, not a trick. Each item has a price on the menu, and whatever you touch goes on the bill.

If you don't want it, say "não, obrigado" (or "obrigada" if you're a woman) and the waiter will take it away. Or leave it untouched and check the bill at the end.