I use google maps for a lot of things besides getting from Point A to Point B. Here are some insights:

• Phone Directory – I use maps to find a business to get the phone number. I find it easier than trying to locate it on a normal search.
  • If you want to call on WhatsApp, you can still copy the number from maps & paste it into WhatsApp.
• Make Reservations – Some restaurants have an icon in Google Maps for reservations.
  • Tip: Once you know your favorite restaurants, try to make your reservations by calling or getting their WhatsApp # so you can text. Most of the restaurants with the option to reserve a table from maps is done via The Fork or another 3rd party app. These apps charge a fee to the restaurant when their service is used.
• Business Hours – This was another area where I struggled when I first arrived here. Some businesses do not keep their Google Maps updated with the latest information. Therefore, you cannot always rely on the business hours being correct. If needed, I would recommend calling to verify they are open until you become accustomed with hours of your favorite places.
• Saved Places – I use this feature a ton! Anytime someone gives me a recommendation for a business, I try to add it to my saved places in maps. Not only does this provide me a place to store all the recommendations, but I get directions in one click!

If you don’t speak the language, translators will be your best friends. Google Translate & Deepl are great apps for translating, especially since both translate to European Portuguese, not Brazilian Portuguese. Even though these two languages share the same roots, there are some major differences, like pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. You can use these on your computer, tablet, or phone.

Units Plus is a handy free app that converts Temperature, Currency, Length, Area, Speed, Volume, Weight & more from metric to imperial. I use it ALL THE TIME.

• Translating Websites: Google Translate is the best option for translating full web pages.
• Searching Tips:
  • Tip 1: Type in your search request as usual (for example, “home goods”), then after your search terms, type “.eu”. This tells the search engine to look for websites with a European identity. This helps weed out all the american websites that generally come up during my searches. This also helps limit the number of England only websites (which I also get a lot of when searching).
  • Tip 2: If you are searching for something in Portugal specifically and you cannot find what you are looking for, consider translating your search request into Portuguese first. I’ve often found better results when I use the Portuguese language to search.

WhatsApp is the primary way people communicate with each other in Portugal. Many businesses use WhatsApp, as well. It is also a great FREE way to keep in touch with long distance friends and family. WhatsApp has some advanced features that may be beneficial to you as well. This simple guide will provide information and how-to for those features.

Facebook is the primary way small businesses advertise in Portugal. Typically, I will look for a place like a paint store or fabric store on Google Maps and then once I have the name of a business, I’ll look them up on Facebook if they don’t have a dedicated web page.