Portuguese phrases for travel: 25 words for trains, hotels and directions

🇵🇹 PortugueseA1–A225 words

Travel vocabulary in Portugal differs from Brazil more than anywhere else: you take the "comboio", wait at the "paragem" for the "autocarro" and withdraw cash at a "multibanco". Learn these words before you land and you will understand the signs and announcements from day one.

Where you will use it: Trains, buses, hotels, directions and emergencies in Portugal.

Portuguese phrases for travel — The word list

Meanings and translations are in English.

Portuguese	Meaning and example
Queria…	I would like… (polite request)“Queria um bilhete para o Porto, por favor.”I'd like a ticket to Porto, please.
a conta	The bill; the check.“Pode trazer a conta, por favor?”Could you bring the bill, please?
o bilhete	Ticket.“Comprei o bilhete na estação.”I bought the ticket at the station.
ida e volta	Return; round trip.“Um bilhete de ida e volta para Sintra.”A return ticket to Sintra.
o comboio	Train.“O comboio para Cascais parte às dez.”The train to Cascais leaves at ten.
o autocarro	Bus.“Este autocarro vai para o centro?”Does this bus go to the centre?
o elétrico	Tram.“Apanhámos o elétrico 28 em Lisboa.”We caught the number 28 tram in Lisbon.
o metro	Underground; metro.“O metro fecha à uma da manhã.”The metro closes at one in the morning.
a paragem	Stop (bus or tram).“A paragem fica em frente ao hotel.”The stop is opposite the hotel.
a estação	Station.“Onde fica a estação de comboios?”Where is the train station?
o aeroporto	Airport.“Quanto tempo demora até ao aeroporto?”How long does it take to get to the airport?
a mala	Suitcase; bag.“A minha mala não chegou.”My suitcase didn't arrive.
a reserva	Reservation; booking.“Tenho uma reserva em nome de Silva.”I have a booking under the name Silva.
o quarto	Room (in a hotel or house).“O quarto tem vista para o mar.”The room has a sea view.
a casa de banho	Bathroom; toilet.“Onde fica a casa de banho?”Where is the toilet?
à esquerda	On the left; to the left.“A farmácia fica à esquerda.”The pharmacy is on the left.
à direita	On the right; to the right.“Vire à direita no semáforo.”Turn right at the traffic lights.
em frente	Straight ahead.“Siga sempre em frente.”Keep going straight ahead.
perto	Near; close.“O hotel fica perto da praia.”The hotel is close to the beach.
longe	Far.“O castelo fica longe daqui?”Is the castle far from here?
a praia	Beach.“Vamos à praia no sábado.”Let's go to the beach on Saturday.
o multibanco	Cash machine; ATM.“Há um multibanco perto daqui?”Is there a cash machine near here?
a farmácia	Pharmacy; chemist's.“A farmácia está aberta até às oito.”The pharmacy is open until eight.
fechado / aberto	Closed / open.“O museu está fechado à segunda-feira.”The museum is closed on Mondays.
Socorro!	Help! (emergency)“Socorro! Chamem uma ambulância!”Help! Call an ambulance!

Tips for learning Portuguese words

Learn the article with the nounWrite o comboio or a paragem, not just the noun: the article tells you the gender, and adjectives agree with it.
Listen before you speakEuropean Portuguese swallows many unstressed vowels, so words sound shorter than they look. Play the audio and repeat each example aloud.
Type the accentsIn WordNest a missing accent counts as a mistake. Typing água, não and amanhã correctly from the start saves relearning them later.

European, not Brazilian Portuguese

Portugal and Brazil share one language but differ in everyday words, pronunciation and grammar: a train is a comboio in Portugal and a trem in Brazil, and "I am eating" is estou a comer rather than estou comendo. WordNest teaches the Portugal variety — example sentences, pronunciation and AI corrections all follow Portugal's norms.

Add five or six of these words a day rather than the whole list at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.

European vs Brazilian Portuguese: 50 everyday words that differ →How to learn European Portuguese with WordNest →

Questions about this list

Is this European or Brazilian Portuguese?

European Portuguese, as spoken in Portugal. Where Brazil uses a different word, the list gives the Portugal one — for example comboio instead of trem.

How do I practise Portuguese phrases for travel?

Start with five words, listen and say each example aloud. Then recall the Portuguese word from its English meaning and review it over several days.

How many words are in this list?

This list contains 25 words and phrases with English meanings and example sentences. It is a starting set, not a complete course.

Study these words with spaced repetition

Create a free account, choose Portuguese as a study language and add these words to your own deck.