November 8, 2026, Portugal
Morning. It's Sunday, 8 November. Lisbon 23° · Porto 22° · Faro 23°, mild but wet, with rain spreading across the mainland. Madeira has yellow wind warnings until 9pm. Let's get into it.
📰 THE MAIN STORY
Fuel prices are set to fall by around 10 cents a litre tomorrow
Filling up should get noticeably cheaper from tomorrow, Monday. The ACP, the Portuguese automobile club, expects diesel to fall by about 11 cents a litre, to an average of €2.095, and petrol by about 12.5 cents, to €1.876, reported by The Portugal News.
What it means for you: if your tank can wait a day, fill up tomorrow rather than today. On a 50-litre tank, that's roughly €5 less, according to estimates reported by LusoMotores. Diesel will still cost more than €2 a litre.
Watch out for: the final cut could be smaller. The government is trimming its temporary discount on ISP, the fuel tax, by 1.79 cents a litre for diesel and 2.55 cents for petrol, so Correio da Manhã estimates a net fall closer to 9 cents for diesel and 10 cents for petrol. Prices also vary between stations, and DGEG, the energy directorate, lists them on its official site, precoscombustiveis.dgeg.gov.pt.
Fuel prices here change on Mondays, because they follow the previous week's international prices, converted into euros. They have been high all year because of the war with Iran. This week Brent crude fell below $100 a barrel on hopes of a peace deal, and a stronger euro has made imported fuel cheaper, according to Contas Poupança and LusoMotores.
In short: if you can, leave the fill-up until tomorrow, and compare stations before you do.
⚡ IN BRIEF
Bruna's rain reaches the mainland today
Rain spreads across the mainland from this morning as the fronts of Bruna, the Atlantic storm IPMA named this week, reach the coast. IPMA expects abundant rain all week, with next Sunday, 15 November, the only day that looks drier, reported by Notícias ao Minuto. Swell on the west coast should become strong from Tuesday, and further warnings are likely.
In Madeira, last night's orange warnings have eased to yellow wind warnings until 9pm, with gusts of up to 110 km/h in the mountains and 4-metre waves on the south coast. Check IPMA before heading to the coast this week.
Web Summit brings 75,000 people to Lisbon from tomorrow
Web Summit, the big technology conference, runs from Monday to Thursday at FIL, the Lisbon fair centre, and the MEO Arena in Parque das Nações, with about 75,000 people expected, reported by The Portugal News. The Lisbon Metro is adding trains on the Red and Green lines, and Oriente station serves both venues.
If you're not going, expect busier trains on the Red line and more traffic around Parque das Nações. Metro-only travellers can pay with a contactless bank card, with no ticket needed.
Mars comes to Monsaraz next April
Monsaraz, the walled Alentejo village in Wednesday's issue, will host a simulated mission to Mars from 5 to 18 April 2027, reported by The Portugal News and Lusa. AMADEE-27, run by the Austrian Space Forum, will have six analogue astronauts, led by the Portuguese European Space Agency mission manager João Lousada, carrying out 17 experiments in 50 kg spacesuit simulators.
Messages to mission control in Vienna will arrive with a 10-minute delay, close to the average signal time between Mars and Earth. The University of Évora and the Alqueva Lake Observatory are among the partners.
📍 WORTH THE TRIP
Furnas (Povoação, São Miguel, Azores)
You smell Furnas before you see it: steam from hot springs rises right in the middle of the village. Furnas sits in a volcanic valley in the east of São Miguel, about 40 km, or 40 minutes by car, from Ponta Delgada. Close to 30 caldeiras, the bubbling springs and fumaroles, line paved paths with safety barriers, and they're free to visit.
Terra Nostra Park, a garden started in 1775 by the American merchant Thomas Hickling, has more than 600 types of camellia and a large, iron-rich thermal pool kept close to 40°C. By Lagoa das Furnas, the crater lake, pots of cozido das Furnas, a stew of meats and vegetables, are buried in the hot ground before dawn and lifted out around noon. The catch: public transport is infrequent, so a car is the practical option.
Before you go: Terra Nostra charges a small entry fee, and its thermal pool is open until 10pm. Poça da Dona Beija, a cluster of small thermal pools on the edge of the village, is open all year and has changing rooms.
Local tip: have the cozido for lunch in the village. The number of pots is fixed, so book ahead in busy months.
Find it here: Google Maps
WORD OF THE DAY
Atestar (verb)
Say it: uh-tush-TAR
Meaning: to fill up, usually a fuel tank
“Vou esperar por segunda-feira para atestar o depósito.”
I'm going to wait until Monday to fill up the tank.
At a staffed pump, "Pode atestar, por favor?" means "Fill it up, please." You'll also need gasóleo for diesel and gasolina for petrol. In Brazil, people say encher o tanque.
📅 Coming Up
North
Luzes Selvagens, today, Sunday 8 November, 4:30pm to 8:30pm, Zoo Santo Inácio, Avintes, Vila Nova de Gaia. The zoo's night trail of illuminated animals and dinosaurs, open on weekends and holidays until 30 December. From €10.50 online. Tickets
São Martinho in Penafiel, until Friday 20 November, Penafiel, east of Porto. The town's patron saint festival, with a food tent and wine tastings on Praça de São Martinho, a crafts market and fairground rides. On Wednesday 11 November, the local holiday, there's a procession at 11am and a magusto, a chestnut roast, at 4pm. Details
Guimarães Jazz, opening night Thursday 12 November, 9:30pm, Centro Cultural Vila Flor, Guimarães. The festival's 35th edition opens with Brazilian guitarist Toninho Horta, known for his work on Milton Nascimento's Clube da Esquina, playing with his quartet and the Orquestra de Guimarães. €20, or €15 with concessions. Tickets
Centre
LEFFEST, until Sunday 15 November, Lisbon. The Lisbon film festival, with screenings, guests and awards. Details
Harp recital by Madalena Costa, today, Sunday 8 November, 4pm, Museu de Leiria, Leiria. Part of Fora de Tempo, a cycle of free concerts in places hit by storm Kristin. Free, with booking. Details
Festa de São Martinho, today, Sunday 8 November (Parque Anjos, Algés), and Wednesday 11 November (Fábrica da Pólvora, Barcarena), 11am to 10pm. Oeiras council's São Martinho celebrations, with roasted chestnuts, ahead of and on the saint's day. Free entry. Details
Maria, Thursday 12 November, 9:30pm, Teatro Miguel Franco, Leiria. Actor Carla Galvão performs a monologue adapted from Colm Tóibín's The Testament of Mary, in Portuguese. Details
South
Feira de São Martinho, until Sunday 15 November, Parque de Feiras e Exposições, Portimão. The Algarve town's autumn fair, which dates back to 1662, with food stalls, market stands and funfair rides. Details
Walk & Art Fest, final day today, Sunday 8 November, Barão de São João, Lagos. A free weekend of guided walks, concerts and art workshops in a village in the hills behind Lagos. Registration needed. Details
A Primeira Vez, Thursday 12 November, 9:30pm, Teatro Mascarenhas Gregório, Silves. TV presenter Teresa Guilherme's comedy show, mixing personal stories and improvisation, in Portuguese. €5. Tickets
Festa do Castanheiro, Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, Marvão. The hilltop village's chestnut festival, with chestnut dishes in local restaurants from 14 to 29 November. Details
Islands
Madeira PianoFest, today, Sunday 8, and Wednesday 11 November, 6pm, Teatro Municipal Baltazar Dias, Funchal. Piano recitals by Bruno Belthoise and João Costa Ferreira today and Yolande Kouznetsov on Wednesday. €20. Details
(re)cantos, Wednesday 11 November, 6:30pm Azores time (7:30pm mainland), Teatro Micaelense, Ponta Delgada, São Miguel. Raquel Dutra revisits traditional Azorean songs in a concert with short readings and talk about where the songs come from. €10. Tickets
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Até amanhã,
Gabriel - DailyPortugal