Why You Shouldn't Visit Portugal
To get to Portugal, we drove through northern Spain, specifically Galicia and made a stop in A Coruna before heading south to Portugal. We stopped at the border and took pictures of the sign that said Welcome To Portugal (in Portuguese, of course). The difference between Spain and Portugal was immediate. Spain was advanced, clean, industrial, bustling. Portugal was everything Spain was not: poor, unpaved roads, rural, dusty, and unkempt.
I felt as if I had just entered a Third-World country and I did not feel as if I was in Western Europe. I figured that maybe things would start looking up as we neared the capital, Lisbon. My family and I made another stop at a roadside restaurant with empty stomachs, so we were down for pretty much anything edible.
Maybe it was bad luck, or maybe it was not, but the tomatoes at this specific restaurant were rotten. The establishment looked decrepit and the service --- wait, what service? When I got home from Europe I did some research on Portugal and actually found that their restaurant codes are not strongly enforced, especially in rural areas. No wonder.
Lisbon was a trash dump! Literally. The streets were very filthy and pollution was obvious. While the people were warm, kind, and ready to help any traveler, their capital was not something to boast about. The central plaza had graffiti all over it and traffic was impossible. Everything looked aged, not in a good architectural European way, but in a forgotten, crumbling way. Many stores were for sale as if they were going out of business.
The streets in Lisbon were definitely not in grid format, but in the typical European fashion, going in all directions and intersecting other streets in weird angles. Finding our hotel was a nightmare. And when we got to our hotel, there was another nightmare. Our room did not have air conditioning and everything was very plain - this was a four star hotel in Lisbon. It looked appealing from the outside, but the inside was much different. Maybe it was bad luck, again? I began to doubt Portugal.
Portugal does not have a very large travel industry - no wonder. The pseudo-European nation relies on agriculture and everything has been haywire ever since the introduction of the Euro in 2002. It has made the Portuguese poor, poorer, and the rich, wealthier.
There was not much to see in Lisbon, but a large steel bridge that crossed over a river. My mother was afraid to cross it because it looked unstable. I felt as if I was in Brazil, where such a scenario would be acceptable, but not Europe. We hurried to get out of the country and back to Spain as promptly as possible. We headed south to southern Portugal where shanty towns lined the roads, many without electricity. There were many potholes on the main highway which only consisted of two lanes.
Upon reaching the Spanish-Portuguese border, we quickly snapped a picture of the "Welcome to Spain" sign and drove to civilization. Hallelujah!
There are many other, developed, beautiful European nations that are worth spending your Euros in. Portugal is still struggling to be fully integrated into the European Union because of its flat economy. Maybe it will be worth visiting in the future someday when it flourishes, but for now, Switzerland is next on my list.
Published by Fabienne Hernandaise
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- Portugal was everything Spain was not: poor, unpaved roads, rural, dusty, and unkempt.
- The streets were very filthy and pollution was obvious.
- There was not much to see in Lisbon, but a large steel bridge that crossed over a river.
89 Comments
Post a CommentWow, that was so funny!!!! I mean, Portugal is one of most visit countries in the world according to United Nations World Tourism Organization, and is considered by the New York Times and National Geographic one of the World's Top Destinations.
I really hope you are not thinking make a career out a this! ahahahahahah
That is soooo NOT truth!! HOW can you say that??YOU ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE PORTUGAL THAT I KNOW, DEFENITELY. First Portugal is a very civilized coutry, warm, beautiful, great food and wine, full of history. And Algarve is one of the most beautiful places in the world. I ve been there for three times, and i definitely want to comeback. PORTUGAL IS MUCH BETTER THAN SPAIN. BELIEVE ME !!
You're just some xenophobic girl that is trying to make a bad image of Portugal.. People this review is completely FALSE!!
I happened to visit Lisbon in June 2007 the same time Fabiola's article was posted, other than the ever present graffiti I must have visited another city.
PS about the "unstable bridge" This bridge (25 de Abril) was based on the San Francisco Bay Bridge and was built by the same company!
Sorry but you were not at all prepared if this is your review of Portugal. You shouldn't visit any country if you're not prepared!
I have travelled all throughout Spain and believe me i have had some serious bad luck that still didn't change my view of the country.
All countries have their good and their bad!
Quite frankly, you should not be writing articles if you cannot prepare! I live and work in London, which is supposed to be one of the most developed cities in Europe, and believe me when i say that the Portuguese transport system without a doubt shadows the English one.
There are just so many ways one can argue with this slanderous review but there simply is no point. As from the comments that have been added so far i'm sure they give you the point.
Andaaa!! y a que Portugal voy yo? viajo a menudo a nuestro vecino pais y jamás he visto lo que cuenta esa señora Portugal es maravilloso, animo a los que no la conozcan a visitarla
Congratulations!!!!
I have never, ever, in my life read an article that was so good at showing the lack of preparation and overwhelming prejudice of the author!!!
Are you sure you want to continue writing about your travels?
I don't agree with what you said about Portugal. You probably visited the wrong places and didn't plan your visit carefully. There are excellent hotels, not only in Lisbon but also in some other cities, and restaurants where you can find delicious food. And something more, there's a lot to see and visit in Potugal.The question is: Did you really look for information about what to visit or did you just expect everything to appear in front of you?
I don't agree with what you said about Portugal. You probably visited the wrong places and didn't plan your visit carefully. There are excellent hotels, not only in Lisbon but also in some other cities, and restaurants where you can find delicious food. And something more, there's a lot to see and visit in Potugal.The question is: Did you really look for information about what to visit or did you just expect everything to appear in front of you?