Portugal
If you're looking for hiking along coastal cliffs, beautiful old architecture, crashing ocean waves, bustling narrow city streets, miles of coastline, vineyards, river tours, mountain villages, castles, golden sandy beaches and panoramic vistas, Portugal has all that and more. There's so much variety packed into this small country that is about 350 miles long and 135 miles wide. Visitors are allowed to stay for up to 90 days without needing a visa, and there's plenty to see if you want to stay that entire time.
Some things we love:
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Hiking along beautiful coastal cliffs
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Kayaking in coastal caves
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Walking on cobblestone patterns
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Miradouros (viewpoints)
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Wandering old narrow streets
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Pretty small villages
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Red tile roofs & white architecture
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Riding the trains, trolleys and buses
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Gorgeous coves & beaches
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Stunning blue water
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Less expensive destination
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Amazing day trips
There are three main areas you can use as a homebase for exploring
Transportation:
In Lisbon and Porto you don't need a car as there is ample public transportation to get around using buses, trams, ferries and tuk-tuk's. There are also great day trips on the train (especially from Porto). In the southern part of the country you will want a car to explore outside of the city you are staying in.
Language barriers:
We found that almost everywhere we went we could communicate in English enough to accomplish what we needed, with Google Translate helping out occasionally.
Best Time to Visit:
We were here between mid-April to mid-July, starting in the south and then moving north, which meant it was shoulder season so we avoided the summer crowds. The weather was very comfortable. Mid-April to mid-May in Lagos started in the upper sixties and ended in the 70's consistently which was perfect for outdoor activities like hiking. Mid-May to mid- June in Lisbon was mostly 70s but had some days that were hotter. Mid-June to mid-July in Porto was mostly 70s but had some had some days that reached into the 80's and higher. There are lots of places that don't have air conditioning so make sure you check on that if you're arriving in those hotter months. September would probably be a nice month as well. The rainiest part of the year is Oct-March.
Travel Tips
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Pack good walking shoes as everywhere you go in this country you'll be walking on uneven cobblestone.
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Carry some euros with you. Although most places accept credit cards there are also many that don't and require euros.
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Pack some tissues and a few 50 cent pieces for the bathroom (they often don't have toilet paper).
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Pack clothing layers that can be easily changed and carried with you as the weather is very changeable and varies a lot from sun to shade.
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Use a bag or purse that has a zipper or can be fastened closed for security.
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Pack a water bottle unless you want to pay for water.
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Have a Plan A & B (and maybe C) for where you want to eat because often the stated hours don't match what's on Google maps.
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Bring collapsible grocery bags with you or save the ones you get charged, the first time you shop, so you can re-use them.
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If you are dairy intolerant buy a few mini sized bottles of milk that works for you and pack one each day in your bag. Then you are prepared to still be able to order that coffee drink you want. Many places don't have any dairy free milk options available.
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Bring primary and backup credit cards that have no foreign transaction fees and a good exchange rate and then always opt to pay in Euros instead of dollars (the point-of-sale exchange rate if you pay in USD is consistently terrible). We use Chase Sapphire Preferred as our primary credit card, which also provides rental car insurance.
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Bring a primary and backup debit card with low or no ATM fees. We use Capital One 360 and Charles Schwab. The Schwab debit card actually reimburses ATM fees worldwide (although you won't see that until the end of each billing cycle).
Southern Portugal
The southernmost area of Portugal is called the Algarve and is very popular because it's typically the sunniest and warmest. It's known for it's orange colored limestone cliffs, gorgeous beaches surrounded by blue water, citrus groves and fishing towns. There are lots of places to hike along the coastline and find quiet places, at least in the off season when we visited. Next to Lisbon this area is the most popular with tourists and can get crowded in the summer months.
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We stayed in Lagos and made day trips to Portimão, Tavira, and Monichique.
Central Portugal
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and provides a completely different experience. It's a bustling large urban area filled with interesting neighborhoods, very narrow steep streets and lots of hills with miradouros (viewpoints). It offers plenty of areas to explore on foot, bus, tram or funicular with it's fascinating mixture of old and new architecture. You can also use the train or ferry for day trips if you want to venture out of the city to visit the towns along the coast.
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We stayed in Lisbon and made day trips to Cascais and Cacilhas
Northern Portugal
The north offers rivers, historic medieval cities, narrow hilly streets, beautiful architecture, mountains, vineyards, and very friendly people. Porto, with its Cais da Ribeira, the riverfront road running alongside the northern side of the Douro, is filled with restaurants, bars and shops and the starting place for several different river excursions. There are a number of beautiful villages and areas, like the winemaking regions of the Douro Valley, that can be visited on the train as day trips.
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We stayed in Porto and made day trips to Braga, Douro Valley, Guimarães, and Viana do Castelo.
