10 Best To Use In Portugal
Hello, my name is Ismail Siddiky, and welcome to Europe Diary. Today, I’m talking about the “10 Best Apps to Use in Portugal.”
Are You Planning a Trip or Move to Portugal?
Are you planning a trip or move to Portugal soon? Whether you’re a student, traveler, or resident, having the right apps on your phone can make all the difference. In today’s post, I’m going to show you ten apps that will be beneficial for you if you’re planning to move, study, or visit Portugal. Let’s get started!
Transportation Apps
1. Move It
First up, let’s talk about transportation. If you want to navigate your way through the cities of Lisbon, Porto, or any other city, the app you need is called Move It. This app provides real-time information about the metro, buses, and trains. It will help you avoid traffic and create the perfect route for you. This app works in several areas, including Lisbon, Porto, and the Algarve, so if you’re planning to go to those regions, make sure to install Move It.
2. BOLT
The next app for transportation is BOLT. People who live in Europe are familiar with this app, but if you’re coming from North America, you need to get BOLT. BOLT is basically like Uber. It functions as a taxi service, offers food delivery, and also provides a variety of scooters that you can pick up from the street and take wherever you need to go. BOLT is generally a cheaper version of Uber, but it depends on the city, traffic, and weather conditions because sometimes Uber and BOLT are the same price. There’s also an app called Free Now in Lisbon, but I usually use BOLT because there are so many cars available that it literally takes one minute to get into a car.
3. Gira
If you’re a fan of biking, then the next app is for you: it’s called Gira. Gira is basically a city bike network, similar to Citi Bike in New York or BIXI in Montreal. These bicycles can be found on the streets of Lisbon. If you are a resident, you can get a yearly pass for as low as 25 euros, which is amazing. But if you’re a tourist or just visiting, you can get a monthly pass for only 15 euros or a daily pass for 2 euros. I feel like Gira is perfect for slow riders like myself because every time I take a scooter, it’s like 5 or 6 euros, and I’m like, why do I do this? So I just got myself a Gira subscription for a year, and it’s perfect. With the app, you can locate all the bicycles and stations, check whether your bike is electric or regular, and the rules for using Gira are super simple. You have 90 minutes included in one ride. The next thing you can do is either dock your bike and take another one in a few minutes or keep riding, but then you’ll be charged 2 euros for each additional 45-minute segment, which is still an amazing price for biking in the city.
Food and Reservation Apps
4. The Fork
When it comes to food and reservations, the most useful app here would be The Fork. It’s similar to Yelp, TripAdvisor, and OpenTable because you can check the available restaurants, collect points (which they call Yums), and reserve a table. But please bear in mind that many restaurants have their own reservation systems, so you won’t be able to find them on The Fork. So, if you’re planning to go to a certain restaurant or cafe, make sure to check their website to see if they use The Fork or have their own reservation platform.
5. Glovo
Speaking of food, don’t forget to install Glovo. Glovo is my favorite app, maybe after MBWay. Glovo is basically an app for all deliveries—from groceries to medications, to IKEA meatballs. You name it, they deliver it: food, groceries, restaurant deliveries, pharmacy items—anything you want. The delivery fee varies from one to three euros, but if you’re a frequent user of Glovo, get a Prime subscription. Prime costs only 6 euros, and it will save you so much money because, let’s say you’re cooking a soup and you suddenly realize you forgot an ingredient—you can order it, and it will arrive in, I don’t know, 20 to 30 minutes. How amazing is that? Another thing is, you can always cancel Prime when you don’t need it. So every time we’re traveling, I just cancel my subscription, then we come back and I re-enroll. There is no yearly commitment or anything; you can literally pay as you go, get a month, then cancel for a month. So, Glovo is the best.
Financial Apps
6. MBWay
And my second favorite app is MBWay. I’ve talked about it so many times, but I’m going to tell you one more time: MBWay is basically a digital wallet connected to all the major banks. You can send money, receive money, pay, and withdraw money. It’s not like the regular send-by-email methods; you can send by phone number, and you can even withdraw money from the app. Let’s say you forgot your card—you can literally send money to an ATM and then withdraw it. When you go to a store, it is super convenient to pay with MBWay. There are two ways to pay: offline, you can scan the QR code and pay, or if you’re shopping online, you simply enter your phone number, get a push notification on your phone saying “Pay,” and you just click “Pay.” Done—no entering your bank details, none of that stuff. MBWay is just amazing. If you’re moving to Portugal, please don’t forget to install it. But if you’re just visiting for a week or two, you won’t need this app.
Healthcare Apps
7. SNS 24
Another app for all my residents or people moving to Portugal is SNS 24, which is the healthcare app. Here, you can find all your prescriptions, exams, and vaccines. There is also a website for SNS where you can book appointments with doctors. If you need to see a family doctor, you just go online, book a consultation, and then everything will be on your app. But please bear in mind that you will need a Utente number, which is basically like a healthcare number because, without it, you will not have access to public healthcare.
Home and Maintenance Apps
8. Oscar
Moving on to the next application, which is Oscar. If your sink broke down, or if you need to install some shelves or hang some pictures, Oscar is amazing for all things related to installations and repairs. Anything connected to renovations or fixing things, Oscar is your go-to. The best part about this app is that sometimes it takes just 30 minutes for someone to come and do the work. For example, these shelves—I literally called the guy, and 15 minutes later, he was here installing them. But please bear in mind that for some things, it might take time. For instance, I ordered a deep cleaning for my sofa, and they scheduled it for a day or two after I placed the order. Again, Oscar does everything from cleaning and fixing to dog washing and car washing—anything you need.
Translation Apps
9. DeepL Translate
Another app that will come in handy if you’re traveling to or moving to Portugal is DeepL Translate. Yes, there are a lot of translator apps available, but the thing is, they often offer Brazilian Portuguese. Brazilian and European Portuguese are similar, but not quite the same. Some words in Brazilian Portuguese mean different things in European Portuguese. So if you want to have a conversation with someone in Portugal, you will need to install DeepL because honestly, it’s the only one that offers accurate European Portuguese translations. Yes, you can use Google Translate for basic phrases like “Bom dia,” but if you need to have a full sentence explained, DeepL is your best friend.
Driving Apps
10. Via Verde
And the next app is for those who want to drive in Portugal: it’s Via Verde. Via Verde is a device that you place in your car, and then you have an app. What it does is basically act as an electronic toll transponder that allows you to drive through tolls without having to stop and pay. The same works for some parking lots and even gas stations. You literally come to a gas station, and it says “Pay with Via Verde.” So you fill up your tank, and then you don’t have to do anything. The device automatically detects how much gas you’ve put in and charges you. It’s amazing. But please, again, don’t forget to get that device from the Via Verde office so you can enjoy contactless transactions on the road.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the many applications that can be helpful here in Portugal. If you live in Portugal, please let me know if I missed any apps.
Thank you for reading this blog. If you enjoyed this post and want to learn more about Portugal, stay tuned for more on my website. I’ll see you in the next blog.
