Pensions
Officially classified into 3 categories. Often occupy old buildings with character, sometimes with owners to match.
The more sophisticated ones will have modern bathrooms, heaters and air conditioning. Breakfast is usually included, but don’t expect much more than coffee, bread and pastries.
Villas and Houses
Every country area – near the coast, Lisbon and Porto – has some villa or flat available, from simple one-bedroom luxury studios to packed houses with gardens and pools.
Youth Hostels
Advance bookings are advised and can be made at the hostels, through the central booking office, or online (Phone: 707 203 030, www.pousadasjuventude.pt).
The hostels themselves are rudimentary but convenient, most with kitchens and lounges. Some of the new ones – at Parque das Nações in Lisbon and Guimarães, for example – are comfortable.
Camping
Portugal has several hundred authorised campsites in attractive locations (over 500 spaces is not unusual), but they can get crowded in summer.
The Roteiro Campista booklet (www.roteiro-campista.pt) details the parks – available from most tourist offices in Portugal, and the website is also helpful.
The larger campsites have spaces for motorhomes and will have bungalows for rent. The Orbitur chain(www.orbitur.pt) usually has the most expensive homes. The cheapest is the municipal camping parks, but they are generally full.
Some require an international camping card and can be a good investment. You cannot camp on tourist beaches, which is forbidden in Portugal’s natural parks. That said, pitch a tent anywhere for a short period in the countryside.
