LISBON - PORTO, PORTUGAL

I have always heard good things about Portugal being a beautiful country and inexpensive for travel. Now I can attest both are true! In all honestly, it is not a country I would run back to, but it’s definitely worth seeing at least once in your life.

The nature throughout the country is very lush and beautiful. The architecture in Sintra, near Lisbon is fascinating and unique. The river in Porto is breathtaking. But, I personally struggled with the lack of modern luxury accommodation in Lisbon and the food was primarily meat and seafood, neither of which I eat. I was with people who ate both and they loved the octopus, but didn’t think anything was over the top amazing for cuisine. (It’s definitely not Italy or France.) The shops were similar to those in Spain, inexpensive and basic attire. If you’re looking for casual clothes that are cute and not expensive, you’ll find many options.

I saw most of the attractions in the central city area so my itinerary will be the best guide to Lisbon and Porto. I did fly from Mallorca, Spain which was only a 2 hour flight.

**You can rent a car, but it’s difficult to find parking and it’s a city so you walk most areas or quick inexpensive Uber. We took a car service to Porto, which was a 3 hour drive. They have options such as; flying or train.

**As I ALWAYS recommend. Reserve your tours in advance to confirm a reservation and if they offer a self guided audio, take it! Book your tours for early morning when they open, so you avoid tourists overflowing the property and you can avoid traffic.

ITINERARY

May 28th - Fly Palma to Lisbon ( 2 hours flight) land 1:30pm

Brown's | Avenue Hotel - 20 mins drive from Airport (This hotel is a small 5 star boutique hotel and it’s the closest I could find to modern luxury in the heart of Lisbon. It was clean, the restaurant had good food and the location was walking distance to most destinations. My challenge with this hotel was, the rooms were extremely small and the decor wasn’t as modern as I am used to. They did have a full buffet breakfast included that had a large variety of options.)

The street that the hotel is on, is one block away from Avenue da Liberdade and it was my favorite street in Lisbon. It’s lined with lush tall green trees, very clean sidewalk and nice shops that leads you to Praça do Comércio area which is filled with restaurants and more shops.

I did stay in Lisbon a second time and tried the Memmo Príncipe Real. It is also a small boutique hotel with somewhat modern decor, but the rooms were also very small and although they have a delicious restaurant with a stunning view and pool, the location is somewhat out of the way and up on a hill so walking up and down is a strenuous.

Praça do Comércio (15 mins drive or 25 mins walk from hotel)

Parque Eduardo VII (10 mins walk from hotel)

The Alfama neighborhood is an excellent place to just wander and maybe get a little lost. (10 mins drive or 30 mins walk from hotel)

miradouro de santa luzia is a well known terrace in Alfama that has a beautiful view of the ocean and a breathtaking bougainvillea tree.

Café Príncipe Real Restaurante (The food was good and the ambience was very nice)

May 29th -Sintra - 40 mins drive from hotel (This was the best part of visiting Lisbon. It’s a magical region that has a spiritual vibe with Palaces that are all VERY unique and mezmorizing to explore. You need at least half of a day to visit 2 sites and a full day for 3. This area is very very challenging to get to since it’s mostly one way streets and if you do not plan your tours accordingly, you will have to drive 30-40 mins around the mountains to get back to a property that is only 5 -10 mins drive if you were allowed to go back the opposite way. I recommend getting an Uber driver who knows these streets and if you hire one for the day, that is even better! We had an Uber that we paid $200 euro to stay with us the whole day so we didn’t have any issues. **You need 1 1/2 hours - 2 hours per location)

I will give these tours in order of how you should see them based on the direction they flow along the mountain. (Palace of Pena we did not see since it was difficult to get to that day and it is the least interesting on the list of tours, but if you want to see it, it should be your first tour since it’s the first stop on the street)

TOUR 1 - Quinta da Regaleira (This medieval castle was built in 1904 has a mysterious façade and history. It has an initiation well that is said to be linked to the Knights Templar and an eerie underground tunnel cave.)

TOUR 2 - Park and Palace of Monserrate (moorish revival architecture and very beautiful!)

May 30th - Palace Fronteira 10am - English tour -10 mins drive from hotel (This was my my favorite tour of all the sites we went to see. It’s a Palace that a Royal family still reside and they allow you to walk through the common spaces in the villa and garden. Book in advance so you are able to go inside and have a tour with a guide)

Jerónimos Monastery (opens 9:30am-6pm)

(15 mins drive from hotel) (10 mins from Palace Fronteira) You can visit the main chapel (where you'll find the tomb of navigator Vasco da Gama) for free, and/or visit the monastery itself for a fee.

Rocco Restaurant

May 31st - Explore anything you didn’t see and go to Galapinhos Beach (1 hour drive from Lisbon)

JNcQUOI

June 1st - Drive in the morning at 6:00am (3 hours) to Porto (car service)

Maison Albar Hotels Le Monumental Palace (This hotel was very nice. The service was top notch impeccable and the restaurants for breakfast and dinner were delicious. The location was central walking distance to everything or a 5 mins Uber drive most areas in Porto)