Portugal | October 2022
Portugal:
Weather:
Low 60's but rainy the entire time.
Transportation:
We rented a car for our stay. Make sure you don't rent a stick-shift by mistake!
In regards to a driver, Chabad recommends Mr. Nuno +351 918 355 667.
Kosher Food:
We ordered Shabbos meals from Chabad in Cascais. 25 Euro per person (includes baguette, main dish, 2 side dishes, and dessert). Bottle of wine is 10 Euro.
There are two small kosher grocery stores:
Portuel and Kosher in Portugal
We bought bread, cheese, dips, and meat products from Portuel.
In Lisbon, the El-Corte-Ingles supermarket, located on Av. Antonio Augusto de Aguiar 31 has a small kosher section. You can find frozen chicken, some cheeses and a few other products.
There is an American store called Liberty on Largo de Sao Sebastiao de Pedreira 9, which carries many products with an American Kosher certification.
In all these locations, please look for a reliable kosher certification.
For Shabbos meal options in Lisbon, you can check out the following links:
In Cascais, the GB store has imported products from the UK, some of which carry kosher certification. Av. Das Comunidades Europeias, 415
Bread in Portugal is problematic.
I met someone in the Portuel store who gave us this number for Ezra & Sasson Catering in Albufeira: +351960066585. I have no idea how reputable or Kosher they are. They shop with you and cook your food.
Jewish Services:
Chabad is located in the Cascais district of greater Lisbon– 30 km from Lisbon city center. The address is Rua Aristides de Sousa Mendes 105, Cascais. The Rosenfelds can be contacted at info@chabadportugal.com.
The local Synagogue in Lisbon is called Sharei Tikva, located on Rua Alexandre Herculano 59. Services begin Friday at 7:00 pm and Shabbos morning at 9AM. If you plan to visit or attend services, please email the community security, seguranca@cilisboa.org with a copy of your passports, so they will be expecting you. If they don't respond, do not be concerned.
For the mikva, please contact +351910345639 at least 24 hours in advance. Please note, the mikva is by appointment only.
For Shabbos service options in the Algarve, please contact jca.Algarve@yahoo.com.
For information in Porto, please click here.
Attractions:
Lisbon:
Chabad recommended:
Tours in English:
Paolo - Click here to contact him
Benny - Email bennystur@gmail.com
Tours in Hebrew:
Rona - Email info.portugo@gmail.com
Arik - Email Arik@israeliinportugal.com
Algarve:
3 hours south of Lisbon. We rented a car and it was a straight drive.
Thai Massage Vilamoura - Tiny massage place with 3 female masseuses.
Algarve Shopping Center - Lots of stores like Zara, Sephora etc. Great for a rainy day!
Porto:
We didn't end up going north to Porto, but supposedly it's great for surfing and they have castles there.