Portugal is a beautiful place from north to south. This May, I spent 8 days road tripping around the country with Matt's family, indulging on delicious Portuguese bread, pastries and wine along the way.
Here's a look at our route...
1. Libson
We started and ended the trip in Lisbon, Portugal's vibrant and colourful capital city.
Lisbon Tourist Sites
The district of Alfama was definitely our favourite, filled with skinny streets, colourful walls and tiny shops with yummy food. I fell in love with the pastel buildings and had to find one of every colour...
We climbed up the hilly streets to capture some great views of the city. And although we didn't ride Tram 28, we had to get a picture of the famous street car!
On our first day in Lisbon, it rained like crazy. At least we still got a chance to wander around and had a good excuse to stop in many coffeeshops...
We also traveled to nearby Belém to check out the Belém Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and other nearby attractions.
Lisbon Culture
On our first night, we enjoyed some live Fado music at our restaurant in Alfama - a typical Portuguese music genre dating back to the 1820s.
And on our last day there, we had delicious Portuguese chouriço with wine. A perfect end to our time in Lisbon!
2. Sintra
As a day trip from Lisbon, we visited Sintra to explore the magical Pena Palace and surrounding castles. It's really easy to get to from the center of Lisbon - just an hour train ride away. Once in Sintra, you can catch the 434 tourist bus which takes you up the hills to the palaces.
On the day we went, the clouds were out, so it literally felt like we were walking through a dream... and thankfully we didn't get burned from the sun!
The landscape of Sintra is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I could definitely live there.
3. Coimbra
Our road trip officially began when we left Lisbon and started driving north to Ponte de Lima. On our way north, we stopped in Coimbra which is a small town home to one of the oldest universities in Europe.
The University of Coimbra is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The town centre was quite nice as well – definitely worth a walk through!
4. Ponte de Lima
This adorable small town in northern Portugal is a stone’s throw away from where Matt’s mother’s family used to live. It’s set in the hills, surrounded with farmland, and has the most charming feel.
We visited some family farms and picked fresh fruit from the trees.
Oh yeah, did we mention there were KITTENS on the farm……….?
Most importantly, the north of Portugal is home to the best pastries and the best white wine I’ve ever tasted. We went for a hunt to find the best pera (coconut marmalade pastries), and some pão de ló (a spongey yellow cake)… and we found it all. I think it’s safe to say this was one of our best days of the trip.
5. Barcelos
Barcelos is home to the lucky rooster of Portugal. If you want to find your own lucky rooster (ceramic, not alive) – you must find time to stop at the flea market in this town! We stopped here on our way south, and enjoyed all the roosters, all the pastries, and all the Portuguese patterned dishes…
6. Faro and Lagos
At last, we made it south and settled into a town near Faro. The town of Faro was quaint and full of shops. They also had nice shade covers to hide the streets from the heat…
We visited a nice (and not-so-busy) beach, Praia de Falésia, and took a quick dip in the ocean to cool off.
Lastly, we stopped in Albufeira for lunch before heading off to Lagos to catch the tide coming in at the southern point of the country.
7. Leiria
Our final stop in the whirlwind road trip was Leiria. We got a chance to go through one of the biggest caves in the country.
100% Portugal
...okay, I’m not even 1%, but after spending an amazing week in the country, I feel a bit more Portuguese than before. And I've learned a new favourite phrase… tudo é muito bom!
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