Lagos, Porto, and Lisbon: The Best of Portugal
You know that feeling when you found a great song months ago, and then suddenly it’s trendy and everyone loves it? That’s how I feel about Portugal. I seemed to go there right before it exploded, as lately it tops every travel list I see, but when I went, most people asked why I didn’t do Spain instead.
I spent seven days in the country, venturing from Lagos to Porto. Between buses and trains, the country was very easy to navigate and see in a short period of time. Here are my top places for Portugal travel and a few of my favorite things in each place.
LAGOS
To start the trip, we flew into Faro, transferred to Lagos, and began our stay at Tivoli Lagos. This was a great resort to relax on beach or by the pool, and they had the largest breakfast buffet I’ve ever seen. When venturing off the resort, I would highly recommend a kayaking excursion through Ponte de Piedade; it has amazing caverns and crystal clear water. Lagos also has a very small but cute downtown filled with mosaic buildings. I wish I had good food recommendations, but we loved the kebab vendor there so much we went both nights, and mostly ate at the resort anyways. Skybar was our favorite rooftop spot with amazing views of the town and ocean.
LISBON
Like most European capitals, Lisbon is a huge city. We did a lot of walking, but also took a hop on hop off bus tour. Although they scream tourist, bus tours are my favorite way to see a new city. One of our favorite areas was over by Belem Tower, a beautiful spot on the water, with the iconic sweet custard tarts, known as pasteis de nata, right around the corner. You can go to the original shop if you can stand the line, or try the bakery next door, A Padaria Portuguesa, that does them just as well without the wait. Other must sees are Castelo de S. Jorge, Praça do Comércio, Santa Justa Lift, and the Aqueduto das Águas.
My number one recommendation in Lisbon is not actually in the city itself, but a short train ride away. SIntra is an easy day trip featuring the iconic Palacio Nacional da Pena, not to be confused with the Palacio Nacional de Sintra. It is on the top of a mountain, so if you don’t want a hike, take the bus up. I walked up it in Keds and was ready to pass out at the top. The intricate castle with stunning mountain views made it all worth it though, and we took a tuktuk down.
PORTO
Porto was my favorite place in Portugal. This gorgeous city on the water reminded me of a combination of San Francisco and a coastal Italian village. The city is divided by the Douro River, and has great architecture on one side, and a sea of wineries on the other. We walked across the Dom Luís I Bridge and stopped at the Miradouro da Serra do Pilar for stunning views of the city. The city is known for it’s namesake wine, port, and a port wine tour is not to be missed (we went to Calem), although its too sweet for more than a tasting, in my opinion. Many of the buildings were intricately tiled, and we enjoyed simply roaming the streets and stopping for food at spots along the water. We stayed at the Rivoli Cinema Hostel, which gave us our own room with a double bed in a great, central location and a rooftop.
If you’re even considering a visit to Portugal, you should just book the flight and go!