Some things to know about Portugal:

-- Almost everyone speaks English, so it's very easy to communicate with the locals. We were told that as long as you are friendly, that's all they care about.

-- Lisbon is very hilly, so be prepared to walk and wear comfortable shoes. (Think San Francisco).

-- Ubers are easily available, and there's also a local version called Bolt. Bolt is slightly cheaper but just as easy to use.

-- No heels in Lisbon. The sidewalks are made up of uneven tiles and can be slippery. The black tiles are less slippery than the white ones.

-- Sintra is about a 45-minute train ride away from Lisbon. It was well worth the day trip and the train was incredibly easy. There are attendants at the train station that can help you purchase a ticket. We would highly recommend it for a day excursion.

-- Make sure to have some cash. All the best local spots are cash only.

-- If you choose to rent a car, be aware that Lisbon is a busy city. As soon as you get out of the city center, there are a lot of highways and country roads you can take to explore and get to the coast or the venue. If you rent a car make sure you know where you're dropping your car off - many of the drop off locations have similar names (we learned this the hard way).