Portugal Travel Guide — Living & Local

If Portugal isn’t on your list of European destinations, be sure to quickly add it. The westernmost nation on the European mainland has seen a spike in tourism in the last two years, and I don’t think it’ll slow down ANY time soon. After making a trip to Portugal, I can see why so many people flock to this country! The Portuguese people are friendly, the cities are beautiful (the countryside even more so), it’s packed with history and the food is fresh and delicious. What more could you want?

My girlfriends and I traveled as a group of six, which ended up being a perfect size! Honestly, had our party been any larger, we would have had trouble finding places to eat that could seat us all (LOOKIN AT YEW, PORTO CHARCUTERIE SPOT). Our Portugal itinerary was a full NINE DAYS, and we were able to explore Lisbon, Porto, Douro Valley, and pop into a few small coastal towns. I could have easily spent more than nine days in Portugal, but it seemed to be the perfect amount of time to satisfy our wanderlust (for now).

Lisbon (4 nights)

Sintra (Mid-morning to early afternoon)

Porto (3 nights)

Ericiera (1 night)

LISBON/LISBOA

STAY:

Since we were a mid-sized group, we opted to book AirBnbs. We were pleasantly surprised at how moderately priced our options were split between the six of us! For Lisbon, we ended up staying a couple of nights in the Alfama neighborhood. We just happened to LUCK OUT on our neighborhood of choice - our place was a stone’s throw away from Castelo San Jorge and had a gorgeous balcony. Alfama is quite hilly, but has THE BEST views and all of the cute little casas you see in the photos.

DO:

-Castelo Sao Jorge. Some of the travel blogs I read said you could omit this stop. I couldn’t disagree more! This was probably my favorite site of our time in Lisbon. PRO TIP: Arrive 10-15 minutes before the castle opens to purchase tickets if you want to avoid LONG LINES. Plus, you’ll have the place (almost) to yourself for a while! Makes for great photo ops and you don’t feel like you’re being trampled by touristas.

-Tower of Belem. This tower was built in 1514 as a point of welcome into Lisbon (could also double as a defense fortress). All spots in west Belem are easily walkable (although it could be windy since you’re right on the water). We skipped the entry fee and enjoyed the views from the beach!

-Food Tour. I would 10/10 recommend a food tour in Lisbon. Or, really, while abroad ANYWHERE. We ended up booking a group tour that combined Portuguese history and food. Two of my favorite things! We tasted olive oil paste (I could have licked the bowl), vino verde (my new favorite summer wine), ate cheese, drank port wine, and tasted many traditional Portuguese dishes at a tasquina (no frills, home cookin’, finger lickin’ good restaurant).

-Jeronimos Monastery. We arrived a bit late (by bus) and the entry line was around the corner. Entrance in to the chapel is free on Sunday (we ended up doing this)! Just be sure to work around the mass schedule.

-Pasteis de Belem. They make the most famous Pastels de Nata in town! Pastels de Nata are the infamous egg (custard) tarts of Lisbon. You can’t leave the city without trying one! They’re delicious. Pasteis de Belem is housed in an old sugar factory where monks from the neighboring monastery used to bake goods and sell them to the people (in order to survive after government orders shut down religious orders). Obviously, they did it right. There’s always a line out the door!

-LX Factory. The hipster spot of Lisbon. An open air, old warehouse property that has been renovated and turned into a bunch of shops, bars and restaurants! Really neat location. We ended up running into a “farmers market” of sorts on Sunday, and I ended up purchasing a Portuguese tile!

-MAAT. A museum close to west Belem. If you’re walking - you might as well walk by this gorgeous piece of architecture.

-Carmo Convent. The roof of this convent was destroyed by the earthquake of 1755. It sits in the heart of Lisbon and is absolutely gorgeous.

-Miradouro de Santa Luzia. A lookout spot in Alfama with GORGEOUS views of the sea and the city.

For a more detailed itinerary of Lisbon + photos, check out L&L’s 3-Day Lisbon Itinerary! After spending a couple of days in Lisbon (we averaged 10 miles/day walking), we rented a car to head NORTH!

SINTRA

Sintra is a small town located about 35 minutes from Lisbon and 100% worth a day trip. Or, an overnight. There are so many things to see, you could definitely spend extra time here. We explored Palacio de Pena (looks like a Disney castle on top of a hill with all the yellows, reds and purples) and half of the group toured the gardens of Quinta da Regaleira. Although I LOVED Sintra, I’d do some things differently my second go-round…

Catch the train in from Lisbon. It’s super easy and lets you off right in the center of town. This will help you avoid the nightmare of trying to find a parking spot (and we arrived EARLY).
BUY THE BUS TICKET THAT TAKES YOU TO EACH CASTLE/MONUMENT. At first it sounds like a hefty price, but when SIX different Ubers cancel on you because they don’t want to drive up the mountain….YOU WILL WISH YOU HAD PURCHASED ONE.
Be aware of the weather - bring a REAL rain jacket. Not a “water resistant” rain jacket. We ended up visiting Sintra on a rainy day and definitely felt the effects of our “water resistant” jackets. Not so water repellent after 30 minutes.
Once you get to the top of the mountain for Palacio de Pena (an hour walk or a 15 minute Uber), I’m pretty sure Castelo do los Mouros is right around the corner. We saw plenty of people walking between those two sights! I wouldn’t advise trying to walk up or down the mountain from the center of town, though. Unless it happened to be a gorgeous day (otherwise it would be incredibly slick).
Make sure you allot enough time to see your sights! I wish we could have stayed a bit longer, but after seeing a couple of places - we moved on to Porto!

PORTO

Ah, Porto. Portugal’s second largest city behind Lisbon - known for their PORT wines! FUN FACT: After the earthquake of 1755, the Portuguese Prime Minister needed to acquire funds to rebuild the city. He did this by mapping out a SPECIFIC area (Douro Valley) where only “PORT” wines could be made - supply vs. demand. And TA DA! The Port Wine region was born!

Porto is about a 3.5 hour drive from Lisbon. We were trekking in a mini van (dangerous business in Europe). I’d make sure your rental car has a toll tag, otherwise your journey might double in time. Porto has a completely different vibe from Lisbon (although we LOVED both). Its a city on a hill AND a river. You get the best of both worlds, here. We were able to accomplish seeing / self-touring most of the sights on our list in one day, which was incredibly surprising to us all (we didn’t dilly dally at each sight). However, there were a couple of favorites on our list!

-Igreja de Santa Clara. This church will not pop up first in any search. BUT, it should. We few, we lucky few happened to STUMBLE upon this incredible church by ACCIDENT. We thought we would just “peek in for a second” and then ended up getting the whole historical background by one of the tour guides who works for the church. The inside of the church is carved out of wood. COMPLETELY MADE OF WOOD. And, honestly, it was one of the MOST intricate pieces of woodwork I have EVER seen. And by “piece” I mean the WHOLE INSIDE OF THE CHURCH. It was formerly a convent, designed to be perfectly symmetrical, and is currently undergoing the process of a renovation. We were so lucky to see it when we did!

-Igreja do Carmo. Mostly famously known for the blue tiles.

-Jardins do Palacio de Cristal. BEST VIEWS OF THE CITY. AND FOR FREE. We almost paid a chunk of Euros to visit the top of Clerigos Tower, and I’m so glad we opted for the Jardin instead! The grounds are beautiful, they have plenty of benches (because it’s one of the more western most points of the city), and GORGEOUS views.

As mentioned, we hit most of our points of interest within the day. All while managing to stop for an extended lunch and then an espresso! After exploring Porto, we dedicated one full day to a wine tour of Douro Valley. When in Portugal, eh? YOU MUST visit Douro Valley while in Portugal. I think it would be sacrilegious to miss it. Our tour guide graciously picked us up early in the morning, drove us through the mountains, and we popped out on the other side with views of the some of the most beautiful landscapes in Europe. We visited one Port Wine maker (I made a purchase here! Tawny Port) and one olive oil / wine maker. Both stops were smaller businesses, which I appreciated. Being independently owned and operated gave it more of an intimate feel. (I will also confess to purchasing a bottle of red wine). The views of the valley ALONE would be worth returning for…

ERICEIRA

SURF CITY, PORTUGAL. Our Lisbon-based food tour guide recommended this small beach town to us for our visit. And, upon arrival, we were INCREDIBLY grateful for the recommendation! The main part of town is painted in white and blue, so it gives off a bit of a Grecian feel. FUN FACT: Ericeira was actually named Europe’s first Surfing Reserve, so the town has a serious “So-Cali” vibe (but without the price tags). We spent one night in our beach destination, dining on incredibly fresh seafood, sipping on sangria and enjoying the sunshine on their “South Beach” while watching the surfers do what they do best.

POINTS TO NOTE

We encountered a bit of grumbling when we didn’t have exact change (or close to) for a couple of points of interest and places to eat. If you’re pulling euros beforehand, be sure to get them in SMALL BILLS.
Lisbon, Porto and Sintra were all walkable, but hilly. I only ever wore my converse and Birkenstocks. LOTS OF WALKING. Also, be sure to stretch after the long days - my calves have never been so sore.
Bring a jacket if you plan on visiting in the spring months. We visited in early May and the temperatures rose to 79, but then dipped into the 50s. I was grateful for a jacket in the mornings/evening! Layers are VIP.
THIS BACKPACK ended up being the superstar of the trip. I was able to fit my DSLR, a Go-Pro, my water bottle, a couple of pouches and all of my daily essentials into this backpack without it being super bulky! It ended up being my favorite purchase for the trip.
If you’re looking to save a little bit of cash, eat in! We did a couple of meals/snacks via the local supermarkets and ended up loving it. A bottle of wine would cost you about 4 Euro. And that’s on the mid-high end. HOWEVER, we’d all admit that we ate very well on a reasonable budget.

Our last night was spend in Lisbon before an INCREDIBLY early morning flight back to the USA. Exhausted and happy - I think our entire group was just in AWE of the country we had just traversed (in a mini van). The hills of Alfama. The history of Belem. The “smackyourselfintheforeheadwelearnedthisinhistoryclass” facts about Portugal that SURPRISED us (maritime power, influenced many of the world’s great nations TODAY, the UK adopted the idea of afternoon “tea” from Portugal, etc).

Portugal is a HUGE part of our living history. The Portuguese are a proud and friendly people. An AirBnb host that literally maps out a “to do” list for you and your friends by hand, a food tour guide who takes time to write out a personalized email of recommendations for food AND places to visit, a wine tour guide who educates on the beauty of Portuguese traditions, and a waiter who sings Fado to your group during dinner (AKA around 10:30 PM).

We loved our visit to Portugal. It was a trip for the books! I will be sure to return.

Me smiling because of the gorgeous views in Douro Valley

Porto (from the OTHER side of the river)

A traditional Portuguese meal at A Tasquina