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Festivals, football and everyday tips

Festivals, football and everyday tips: a chapter of the Trip to Portugal Book, with the words, places and habits that make a first trip easier.

11 cards · History

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Each Zap teaches up to 5 new cards, so you learn the chapter a few at a time.

Checked by the Brain Zap team · reviewed 27 Oct 2026

Sources: Visit Portugal (official tourism site), Portugal (Encyclopaedia Britannica)

Preview

  • Glowing on the map: the pilgrimage town of 13 May

    Show answer: Glowing on the map: the pilgrimage town of 13 May

    Fátima

    Learn more: Hundreds of thousands come on 12 and 13 May; some walk the last stretch on their knees.

  • Lisbon club whose eagle flies before home games

    Show answer: Lisbon club whose eagle flies before home games

    Benfica

    Learn more: Its eagle circles the stadium before kick-off; Benfica, Sporting and FC Porto are the big three.

  • Year Portugal won the European Championship

    Show answer: Year Portugal won the European Championship

    2016

    Learn more: Éder scored in extra time in the final, after Cristiano Ronaldo went off injured.

  • Portugal's cash machine network

    Show answer: Portugal's cash machine network

    Multibanco

    Learn more: Its machines also sell tickets and pay bills; most shops take cards too.

  • Usual restaurant tip, if the service was good

    Show answer: Usual restaurant tip, if the service was good

    About 5 to 10%

    Learn more: Tipping isn't expected; rounding up or leaving a few coins is fine in a café.

About this topic

Portugal's year is full of festivals, from the pilgrimages to Fátima to the summer feasts of the popular saints, and football is close to a national religion. This chapter also covers the practical things a traveller needs: paying with Multibanco, how much to tip, finding a pharmacy, calling for help on 112, keeping an eye on your bag on Lisbon's tram 28, and whether the tap water is safe to drink. A few words are read aloud, for the moments that matter.

This is a chapter of the Trip to Portugal Book. Each card asks one question, with a hint before you answer and a short reason after; on some, the place glows on the map or the word is read aloud.

All 11 cards

  1. Glowing on the map: the pilgrimage town of 13 May

    Fátima

    Learn more: Hundreds of thousands come on 12 and 13 May; some walk the last stretch on their knees.

  2. Lisbon club whose eagle flies before home games

    Benfica

    Learn more: Its eagle circles the stadium before kick-off; Benfica, Sporting and FC Porto are the big three.

  3. Year Portugal won the European Championship

    2016

    Learn more: Éder scored in extra time in the final, after Cristiano Ronaldo went off injured.

  4. Portugal's cash machine network

    Multibanco

    Learn more: Its machines also sell tickets and pay bills; most shops take cards too.

  5. Usual restaurant tip, if the service was good

    About 5 to 10%

    Learn more: Tipping isn't expected; rounding up or leaving a few coins is fine in a café.

  6. Sign that marks a pharmacy

    A green cross

    Learn more: A notice on every pharmacy door shows the nearest one open at night, the farmácia de serviço.

  7. Pharmacy

    Farmácia

    Learn more: Pharmacists advise on minor problems and sell many medicines without a prescription.

  8. Help!

    Socorro!

    Learn more: Then call 112, the European emergency number, which works across Portugal.

  9. Emergency number in Portugal

    112

    Learn more: It reaches police, ambulance and fire service; operators can answer in English.

  10. Lisbon tram where pickpockets are common

    Tram 28

    Learn more: Keep your bag in front of you on busy trams and in crowds; violent crime is rare.

  11. Is tap water safe to drink in Portugal?

    Yes

    Learn more: Mains water is safe across Portugal; some people just prefer the taste of bottled water.

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