Couvert. in every restaurant you will be welcomed with bread, olives and other dishes – These are generally not included in the price and can sometimes be ridiculously high priced – This is standard in Portugal if you don't eat them you wont pay for them if in doubt inform first.
Portuguese culture is very different from Spanish culture, even though both countries share a border. There are no siestas in Portugal; the stores are always open and people are always up and about.
Almoço (lunch) is the main meal of the day, and this is much more social. You won't see workers eating sandwiches at their desks here. Instead, everyone goes out for a hot meal and takes long, leisurely lunches with wine. Restaurants fill up around 12:30 and go strong until around 2pm.
What is the 6 drink rule in Portugal? These rules mean, if you stay at an all inclusive hotel in one of these resorts, you can have a maximum of 6 alcoholic drinks a day as part of your all inclusive package – 3 at lunch and 3 with evening meals.
You should tip your taxi driver at least 15 to 20% of your trip fare. If you think of giving anything less than 10%, you might as well leave without tipping at all. If your fare is less than $10, leave a tip of not less than a dollar. Something like a 50-cent tip is insulting and more of a hassle to come up with.
It's generally safe and healthy to drink the public tap water across Portugal. Get a water filter such as TAPP 2 to improve the taste and reduce the risk of contaminants. Avoid plastic bottled water in Portugal as most plastic doesn't get properly recycled. Get a high quality reusable water bottle like TAPP.