“Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience.” – Francis Bacon
To be completely honest, I never really knew much about Portugal. My knowledge of the country was limited to Ronaldo, seafood, and that it was geographically next to Spain. My ignorance is what made me choose to travel to Portugal. I wanted to learn more about the country, its culture, history, and people, and I’m pleased to report that I did. When planning our trip, my husband and I decided to rent a car so that we were free to explore the country. With the help of reddit, travel blogs, and Rick Steves, I selected the towns and cities we visited based on our interests in beautiful scenery, history, and food.
Lisbon (4 nights)
What to do: For me and Brandon, what we liked doing best in Lisbon was just wander the streets of the different districts. Our favourite viewpoint was at Castelo de S. Jorge, while we spent most of our time at night in Baxia/Chiado. LX Factory is a fun street of independent shops, bars, and resturants. Belem is a short uber drive away, and there you can see Belem Tower, get commanding views of Lisbon atop the Monument of Discoveries, and get lost in the cloisters of Jerónimos Monastery. Attending a Fado performance is also a must!
Where to stay: Lisbon is a bigger city with many districts that have their own unique vibe. If you want to stay in the centre of it all, I recommend Baxia/Chaido. For an old town romantic feel, Alfama is the way to go. Belem was great to visit, but for me it’s too far from the heart of Lisbon. We loved our stay at The Lisboans Apartments.
Where to eat: Portugal is all about these custard parties called pastel de nata, and for a reason – they are delicious. The two most popular spots are Pasteis de Belem and Manteigaria (the latter was our favourite). The best dinners we had were at Sea Me and the Time Out Market. To be honest, every meal we had in Lisbon was top notch.
Sintra (day trip from Lisbon)
What to do: Castles, castles, and more castles. There are many palaces situated in this small town, so unless you’re planning on staying overnight or more than one day, I would stick to visiting three. We chose Pena Palace, The Castle of the Moors, and Quinta de Regalia because they were very different from one another.
Lagos (2 nights)
What to do: It’s all about the beaches in Lagos. There were so many to choose from! We spent most of our time at Praia Dona Ana, which had stunning rock formations that created a gorgeous view. The town itself is very lively, especially at night, so it’s quite enjoyable to just wander, drink, eat, and people watch. Brandon and I really wished we planned to stay in Lagos longer, by at least one more day. It’s very relaxing, fun, and picturesque.
Where to stay: If possible, try actually staying in the town of Lagos itself. This makes it a lot easier to access restaurants and nightlife. The closest beach was a few minute walk from our Air B&B, while others were a 15-25 minute walk away. I personally like the idea of being in the middle of all the action.
Where to eat: The town loves its food trucks, so there are lots of options for quick bites. Every restaurant seems to be highly rated, but our favourite was Casa do Prego.
Monseraz/Evora (2 nights)
What to do: To be honest, there isn’t much in Evora. Though we enjoyed our stay, I would have definitely reduced our visit to one night rather than two. The top attractions for us were the Chapel of the Bones and the megalithic sites outside of the city. The city is very quiet and pretty much shuts down after 8:30pm. Monseraz is about 45 minutes east of Evora and is worth the travel. It’s a small town atop of a hill, complete with a castle. The views were incredible, and the town itself was very authentic.
Where to stay: Evora is a smaller city, so no matter where you stay all the attractions are within walking distance. In the summer it is usually very hot in Evora (hotter than all the cities in Portugal), so make sure you choose accommodations with air conditioning. We stayed in an Air B&B built into the aqueduct, which was a fun and unique experience.
Where to eat: Our first night in Evora was capped with very friendly service and a delicious dinner at Tabua & Barro do Naldo.
Next week I’ll be posting about the second half of our trip – stay tuned!
