Portugal 2020!

[GeorgeC]

Around the region of Lisbon I can recommend Cascais especially the part around Boca do Inferno till Guincho, there are about 7 kilometers where it is possible to jog, run, or ride a bicycle always observing the sea as a background, 20 kilometers above Cascais there is the Sintra village, there is no train to Sintra but taxis are very inexpensive you can use radio taxis lisboa in every part of Lisbon region. In Sintra main attractions are Palaces, at the top of the Serra de Sintra there is the Pena Palace with a fantastic view over the region, however I recommend visiting the palace only in summer, the rest of the year the mountains of Sintra usually have clouds, excessive humidity and fog. Right in the center of the village there is another palace, the Palace of Sintra which is the oldest palace in the village. Around that zone I can recommend everyone to try “os travesseiros” at Piriquita, a regional sweet from the village.

At night I would recommend to dinner in Ericeira a small fishing and beautiful town at 25 kilometers from Sintra there are many good restaurants with fresh fish I can recommend César which have a good view to the sea, or Toca do Caboz. Also don't forget to taste "os Ouriços" the regional sweet from Ericeira.
These are my three favorite places right after the city of Lisbon. Obviously speaking of places near Lisbon. There are also Mafra (near Ericeira) and Obidos (although it is a little far from Lisbon).

 

[Nemo2]

Obidos (although it is a little far from Lisbon).

A few years back we took a train to Óbidos from Lisbon, (about 85km if I recall), not a bad day trip - got there before the crowds, left when they started arriving.....Óbidos station is unmanned though, (not that that is/should be an issue).

 

[brett]

We were in Lisbon a number of years ago. One day we took the train to Sintra, then bussed to Cascais via Cape Roca. Then back to Lisbon on the commuter train.

Is there no longer a train to Sintra?

We have spent time in the Algarve and travelled as far as the Douro Valley. Portugal is high on our bucket list for a two or three week trip to Lisbon and the northern part of the country. Very friendly people. We would combine it with a Morocco trip.

 

[f35phixer]

we had done Viking River of Gold, with a three day stay in Lisbon... Loved it, will go back for sure.

I can not believe no one recommended the below dish, that's what I ate every night, YUMMY!!!!
Christ my mouths watering right now !!!!!!!!!

Bacalhau
In just about every Portuguese restaurant, travellers can find bacalhau (dried and salted cod). The traditional dish comes with its own nickname – ‘the faithful friend’ – and the Portuguese are quick to remind you there are more ways to prepare bacalhau than there are days of the year. You can find it as bacalhau à brás, a mound of tiny fried potatoes, cod, onions and scrambled eggs; or you can tuck into bacalhau com todos, a plate of boiled cod and vegetables and sliced hard-boiled eggs.

 

[NW-Bound]

...
Is there no longer a train to Sintra?
...

The train was of course still there in our trip in 2019. That's how most people do daytrip to Sintra from Lisbon. It got more and more crowded each year, I think. Of course it did not help that we were there during the May Day Holiday (I totally forgot about this until I saw the workers marching down Ave Almirante Reis in celebration).

I was glad that I drove from Lisbon to Sintra, against all travel book advices, and avoided the long lines at each train/bus transfer. However, I left early at 6AM, and even found nice and free parking spots within a few hundred feet to the entrance of Pena Palace.

With the car, at the end of the day, I drove from Sintra to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe, then took a coastal road back to Lisbon. Had a wonderful day, despite a lot of driving around in circles in Sintra due to twisty roads, missing turns, and getting lost.

 

[explanade]

Did you stay in Lisbon with a car? Near the center?

I've seen that train out to Cascais running along the coast. Looked spectacular.

 

[NW-Bound]

Yes. Last year, I made a long car trip starting from Barcelona, going across the Pyrenees to southern France, then going west to the Basque country, and Asturias, before going down through Portugal.

Having a car required me to plan out in advance where to park it for every visit, and also to rent only Airbnb homes that had a parking spot. The car can be a liability, but opens up a lot more freedom in movement.

In Lisbon, other than the day trip to Sintra, I kept the car parked in the basement, and walked and took the metro. Yes, the Airbnb was right in the center of Lisbon, within walking distance to Martim Moniz Square to take the famous Tram 28 right at the start of the route.

 

[explanade]

Ah, that's good that you found Airbnb with parking, though often apartments in compact city centers of European cities don't have that luxury.

I've paid $25 a night for parking before.

 

[NW-Bound]

Just to find an empty spot to pull over while waiting for the Airbnb owner to show up was an ordeal.

I occasionally had to park illegally, but stayed in the car while keeping an eye out for the police.

 

[explanade]

Yeah exactly, even if you have a parking spot, waiting to meet up with the owner to let you in the first time is kind of stressful.

But the locals tend to park, even double park in some cases, for a few minutes without much worry. I assume parking enforcement isn't that aggressive though some places will have a lot of signs explicitly spelling out which hours are okay and which ones are not. In that case, you figure they enforce pretty aggressively.

I was watching a French series about international espionage. And there are Syrian security forces going around Paris like they owned the place, so they'd park their big Mercedes in what should be very crowded areas. Instead they just pull up to a curb and park there. Probably for filming the show, they got the permit to have certain areas cleared of other people and cleared a spot along the street where it would normally be usually occupied.

 

[brett]

We typically do one way rentals. We like to drop off a car in the city. No need for it.

We picked up a car in Toledo but could not take it to Portugal. So, we dropped it in Seville after touring for ten days. Spent a few days in Seville then took a bus to Faro and picked up a car. Toured the Algarve for a few days and then dropped the car as we entered Lisbon.

 

[Chuckanut]

I am planning a trip to Portugal myself. So, I thought it would be a good idea to resurrect this thread and ask others have any new experiences to share. I've about 3 weeks which includes flying there and back.

 

[Chuckanut]

IDH has been told in the past to completely rearrange our plans to another country that he spent months researching because she knew a “better” place—he is nicer than I and patiently listened to her.

I am very cautious when people I don't know well start giving me travel advice for a foreign country. One never knows what their real interests are.

When a friend tells me he will have his cousin Hubert contact me since he recently spent 10 days in Lower Slobovia, I cringe. One person was into shopping in a big way and new all the great streets to buy high priced designer stuff. Another visited museums, never seeing the cities and countryside. Others are hooked on 'adventure travel' and spend their time zip-lining around the world, rock climbing or golfing. Nothing wrong with any of this but it's not my cup of tea.

 

[COcheesehead]

We thought our time in Portugal was some of the best travel experiences we had in Europe. Portugal is not a rich country and outside of a few “rich” areas you’ll see poverty. So keep that in mind.
We hiked in the Douro, took in some of the wineries in the area. Toured ancient Roman settlements, had fun in Lisbon, though that was our least favorite location. It could have been almost any big European city.
Porto is a gem with lots of good, but simple foods especially seafood. Tons of history and a more old world feel. All of the Port houses are located there so if you can’t make it up the Douro, you can at least taste the fruits of the vineyards in town.
If you do make it into the Douro, a UNESCO world heritage area, try and stay here. We loved it.

https://www.quintanova.com/en/

 

[foxcreek9]

We are headed there for a third time soon. Driving around the middle third (between Lisbon and Porto) this time. Picking the car up in Lisbon and dropping it off in Porto, then taking the train from Porto to Lisbon to fly out.

 

[stephenson]

All - I may have not completed my summary of our time in Portugal - been carrying for sister. I'll try and find it ...

Quick summary - travel group of 6-8.

Porto - flew into, fun along the river, fun port tasting, fun tuk tuk tour, effective subway from airport to hotel near the river. Three nights was plenty.

Met friends and drove to Viana do Castelo - way more fun than Porto - touring, incredible food everywhere - nice people everywhere. Stayed at Pousada de Viana do Castelo, on top of hill overlooking everything - nice resort like place, but dated and worn - would consider staying more in town. Toured every day - fun, great food in great little towns with great people. Five nights.

Drove to Pinhao and stayed at the Quinta de la Rosa. OMG this was my favorite place - right on the Duoro - could watch the tour boats cruising by, great food (not as many restaurants), though. Just wonderfully relaxing. Five nights.

Drove to Coimbra and stayed at the Orpheus Universidade–UNESCO Heritage. Busy college town - cute plazas, but way too touristy for me. Four nights - two would have been plenty.

Drove to Nazaré and stayed at Hotel Mar Bravo (breakfast good, not. good dinner place). Sleepy beach town on the shoulder of the season, with old hill town up above. Lots of touristy beach restaurants with great food. Up on the hill where our friends stayed had great restaurants - more local. Four nights.

Took Flix bus to Lisboa's Oriente station - bus was nice, station was pretty overwhelming, a bit dirty transport hub (we are adventurous and I love public transport because you get to understand your host country). Stayed Blue Liberdade Hotel right off one of the metro stops. Incredibly hilly place, Lisboa. Big city. Tuk Tuk tours, OFaia at Rua da Barroca 56 for some touristy fado singing and music - reservations needed, small place, nice dinner in front of small stage area. Three nights and left via airport for Munich and Salzburg.

Portugal? OMG wonderful. The nicest people, great food of wide variety, wonderful small towns (the best food was in small towns). Minimize time in Porto and Lisboa. Rent a car and hit the road.

Sintra? Nah - too touristy. Too everything.

Tomar! "Castelo dos Templarios" - OMG yes.

Finally - Portuguese LOVE it when you butcher their language - spend some time learning a few basics, listen to the pronunciation carefully (it is CERTAINLY not Spanish) - ten hours on Duolingo will change the way you think about Portuguese and the wonderful people!

 

[Zona]

Portuguese LOVE it when you butcher their language - spend some time learning a few basics, listen to the pronunciation carefully (it is CERTAINLY not Spanish)

We did a 3 month trip in fall/winter 2021 and I found this to be true. I told a cabdriver in halting Portuguese “I’m so sorry for my bad Portuguese”, and she turned around and said with a smile —in English—“Oh, you speak Spanish very well!” [emoji38] In general I found the Portuguese to have great senses of humor and a friendly attitude to visitors with an interest in their country.

You hit several of my favorite towns (Coimbra, Tomar, Nazare). We liked Braga and Pinhao/Douro Valley a lot, too. Both were easy train day trips or overnights from Porto. Sounds like you had an amazing trip!

 

[jesaco]

The Portugese are the friendliest people of all the countries I have travelled. We walk at all hours even after midnight and we always felt safe. very easy to go around

 

[braumeister]

Portuguese LOVE it when you butcher their language!

I think they get a kick out of it because some speakers of the language are almost unintelligible to one another.

When I was learning Portuguese in an intensive six month course, we had three principal instructors. One was a native of Portugal, one a native of the Azores, and one a native of Brazil. Three utterly different takes on pronunciation of the same vocabulary. It was a real eye opener.

Even in the same country there can be amazing differences. A Brazilian from the far south will sound very different from one in São Paulo or one from Rio. The difference is far greater than the various regional accents in the US.

Bottom line: Just be friendly and don't stress about language.

 

[HarveyS]

I am planning a trip to Portugal myself. So, I thought it would be a good idea to resurrect this thread and ask (people I don't know well) have any new experiences to share. I've about 3 weeks which includes flying there and back.

I am very cautious when people I don't know well start giving me travel advice for a foreign country. One never knows what their real interests are.

 

[brett]

We done three trips to Portugal.

Beautiful country with extremely friendly people. Much more friendly that Spain, in our experience.

First trip was by car. Through the Algarve and toured to Lisbon/Cascais for five days. Second trip was into Porto and the Douro Valley for a 7 days with a rental car. We spent a few nights in a vineyard family B&B high up looking over the river. It was hard to find. Six couples there for a special dinner. Each from a different country...Australia to US to Italy from all walks of life. etc. The family served us, wonderful roast pork. Endless amounts of very nice red plonk and lots of laughs.

Last trip, this past May/June was six days in Madeira followed by 4-5 weeks on the mainland. Trained from Lisbon Airport to Evora for a few nights. Then to Obidos, Coinbra, and Nazare (decided to skip Lisbon because we spent 5 days there last trip). After Nazare... Portimao, Lagos, Tavira, and Faro. Flew home from Faro.

Our advice...lots to see in Portugal Take your time. Lots to see. The regions are very different from each other. No need to see the entire county and rush through. Pick your spots. Fabulous, inexpensive Douro red wine available at all of the grocery stores.

We typically stay well away from the large international chains that can be so antiseptic. We much prefer smaller, family run hotels or B&B's. Language has never been an issue.

Get a recent guidebook, spend some time. I recommend a very loose schedule so that you can make changes on the fly as it were. We changed three nights in Libson for three nights in Nazare (on the coast) because we liked it so much and we were tired of cities and towns. On the Algarve....Lagos and Tavira are our favorite. I would pas on any of the ones inbetween.

 

[yakers]

Went there last year with Road Scholars and added some extra days for Lisbon & Fatima. Liked it so much we are going again this year with a group of friends. Pretty much liked everything. Now drinking a lot more port

 

[Chuckanut]

We changed three nights in Libson for three nights in Nazare (on the coast) because we liked it so much and we were tired of cities and towns. On the Algarve....Lagos and Tavira are our favorite. I would pas on any of the ones in between.

You mentioned two beach towns I am thinking of - Tavira and Nazaré. We probably will spend 3 days in one beach town taking a vacation from our vacation. Our schedule is still very flexible. Which of the above two would you choose?

 

[Jenna]

Nazare is nice! Tavira was not as nice IMHO. But we may have not seen all of it. We stayed at Marriotts and loved our time in Albufiera even though the actual beach front town was tacky touristy. The resort was wonderful and we were upgraded to a 2 story villa beach view. It was a great jumping off point to all things Algarve. The breakfast was fantastic....even fresh honeycomb every morning. The staff was so wonderful and free parking. The beaches are on par with Southern CA. We found an amazing steak place within 15 minutes of the hotel and we ate there 6 nights in a row. High Quality Steak, sides, wine, coffee, and dessert for under $80 for 2. It was busy every night and the service was excellent.

 

[explanade]

Never been but Nazare is famous for huge waves. It draws surfers from all over the world.

There is an HBO docuseries and the way they shot it with long lenses, there's like a little cliff that juts out towards the beach and they set up a viewing platform.

But the way they shot it, it looks like a giant wave is crashing down right on top of that viewing platform.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14126234/mediaviewer/rm4249950209/