You will be entering Portugal via air at Lisbon`s Humberto Delgado Airport (called Portela Airport by locals, IATA code LIS). Lisbon`s airport is 73 miles south of Nazare.

Some of you will be self-driving to Nazare. Consult your reservation information and keep in mind the name of the company from which you have rented. The rental car companies are based in Terminal T1, in and around the P3 parking lot.

Driving directions to Nazare: At the roundabout, take the fourth exit, which will keep you on Avenida Berlim. After about a quarter of a mile, turn left onto Avenida Cidade do Porto. Then take the ramp to A8 Oeste. After a quarter of a mile, merge onto the E1. Then take exit 14 for the IC17/CRIL toward the A8 Oeste. Then, after 0.6 miles, merge onto the A36/IC17. After one and three-quarter miles, take the A8 exit for Leiria/Loures. Keep left and follow the signs for Cavaleiros. At the fork, keep left and follow the signs for the A-8/Santo Antonio dos Cavaleiros, and merge onto the A8. After approximately 45 miles, there will be a fork, stay to the left and follow signs for Leiria/Caldas da Rainha. After 18 miles, take exit 22 toward the N8-5 (signs will say Nazare/Alcobaca/Valado dos Frades). Continue onto the IC1, and after 0.4 miles, you will enter a roundabout. Take the second exit off the roundabout onto Avenida da Nazare. The Avenida da Nazare, after 3.5 miles, will lead directly to the city of Nazare.

For those who are not reserving a car: Take the Lisbon Metro from Aeroporto station (inside the airport) to Sao Sebastiao station (the end of the Red Line). Change trains and pick up the Blue Line train going in the direction of Reboleira (NOT Santa Apolonia). Two stops after leaving Sao Sebastiao station, get off the Metro at Jardim Zoologico station. Sete Rios bus station (at Praca Marechal Humberto Delgado and Rua das Laranjeiras) is next door. Bus tickets for Nazare are sold by Rede Expressos (www.rede-expressos.pt). The No. 5 Rede Expressos bus leaves weekdays at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., noon, 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 7 p.m. (on weekends, the 5:30 and 7 p.m. buses are substituted for an 8 p.m. bus). The journey takes an hour and 50 minutes; the bus stops in Caldas da Rainha, Alfeizerao, and Sao Martinho do Porto before arriving in Nazare.

There are no issues with hailing taxis from the street, but there may not be many of them around for you to notice. It is easier to just call for a cab and have them meet you at your location. Have your hotel call for you so you can be assured of reaching your correct destination.

The major taxi provider in Nazare is called Taxis Promontorio Nazare, and it is located at Rua Urbisol 4, Lote 15-16 (+351 262 551 946). Flagfall is more expensive than in many cities, at approximately €3.50-€4 depending on time of day, and the fare increases by about €2 per mile. Expect to pay €8-€10 to travel from O Sitio to Nazare Beach, and €9-€11 to Monte de Sao Bartolomeu. It is approximately €15 to travel between Valado train station and most points in Nazare, and a taxi from Nazare to Alcobaca Monastery will cost at least €20.

The Nazare itinerary that TripMasters recommends to travelers doesn`t require a car, but if you do wish to reserve one, we recommend that you make those arrangements with TripMasters before you arrive in Portugal. In that case, you would pick up your car at Lisbon Portela Airport upon arrival in Portugal, and not in Nazare. If, for whatever reason, you change your mind and want to rent a car in Nazare, you can do that on your own by making arrangements with the local company Nazarecar (www.nazarecar.com/en), which has no relationship with TripMasters.

Yes and no. It is easy to walk segments of the city and then take a taxi or the Ascensor da Nazare to another part of town, but we wouldn`t recommend walking all of it in one day. Pace yourself and you should be fine.

Nazare is more spread-out than other Portuguese cities. The area around O Sitio is fairly compact, with sights all within a half-mile of one another. A half-mile to the south is the Nazare Beach area, which also includes the bus station, the market, Misericordia da Pederneira, and (two-thirds of a mile to the east) Monte de Sao Bartolomeu. Then, three-quarters of a mile to the south of Nazare Beach is South Beach, which requires visitors to pass through the Port of Nazare.

Nazare for the most part is very safe. We do recommend that you not drive to Nazare Beach, as there have been reports of car burglaries, with many victims being tourists. Take a taxi or walk to the beach. Otherwise you should be fine.

Shopping in Nazare is plentiful, but when it comes to the wares that are peddled to tourists, particularly in the Nazare Beach area, the verdict is that few souvenirs are of good quality, and you will find the same souvenirs most everywhere you look. The exception would be pottery and ceramics made just a few miles away in Valado dos Frades. You can find those souvenirs, plus many more, at a one-stop-shop called Amor na Nazare, located at Rua Alexandre Herculano 11 (www.facebook.com/amornanazare2015).

Nazare Beach is the beach that is most popular with locals and tourists. North Beach is more secluded and the surf is much more rough than at the beaches further south. South Beach is quiet and requires that you pay a toll to pass through the Port area.

The currency of Portugal is the Euro and US dollars are not accepted for payment. Please be sure to have the correct currency on hand or be prepared to exchange your dollars for euros upon arrival. Currency exchange desks and ATMs can be found at your arrival airport and at many hotels and banks throughout the city.

It is more common to find English speakers in Portugal than it is in other southern European countries, such as Spain. A recent European Union language survey found that 32% of Portuguese people over the age of 18 can speak English on a conversational level or better.

With that said, you may encounter some difficulty finding an English speaker away from tourist areas. It is recommended to brush up on basic Portuguese phrases before arriving, like basic pleasantries and numbers from 1 to 10. To ask someone if they speak English, say `Fala ingles?`

Note: Do not speak in Spanish to a Portuguese person, thinking they will understand you when you do so. Responses will range from stunned silence to outright hostility; the Portuguese people are proud of their culture and heritage, and such an act will cause nearly everyone to take personal offense. On another note, the vocabulary and pronunciation in Portuguese differs from Spanish more than you may realize.

The legal drinking age in Portugal is 18, whether you find yourself in a pub or a nightclub. Asking for proof of age upon ordering an alcoholic beverage or entering a nightclub is becoming more commonplace, especially if you appear younger. Keep your passport with you as it doubles as proof of age and identification.

If you are renting a car, do not drive after consuming alcohol. A blood alcohol content level of 0.05 is considered the legal limit; penalties can range from fines to a jail sentence of up to one year. Save yourself the potential trouble and heartache.