Travel stories | Lisbon to Porto, Portugal
Travel stories | Lisboa, Évora, Sintra, Coimbra, Guimarães, Porto
Our first time visiting Portugal. All I can say is be prepared for a lot of walking, steps, hills and heat! We had no choice but to travel in the height of Summer as Adam has a teaching break in mid June/July. But we both agreed to travel next time in Spring/Autumn/Winter.
What to wear | keep it simple, light and practical. The less you take … the more you can buy! I recommend a light weight windproof raincoat, comfortable good looking sneakers (Adidas Tokyo) and colour palettes to make it appear you have a ‘big’ wardrobe.
Where to stay | Our travel agent (Maria Slater Travel, Canberra) helped us to choose accommodation based on our budget. I won’t give up her secrets as she’s worked hard to find them. We did stay at some 5 star places and wow! we felt very fancy smancy. If your budget allows it - then do it!
Where to eat | okay, Portuguese people like to eat at normal hours so often restaurants are closed by 10pm. They also prefer their own meal vs tapas. But they do make great dishes to share. I have to say that the food, service and ambience in Portugal was probably one of the best experiences overall.
Lisbon - Brunch, lunch or dinner - hands down Agora; lunch at CAM’s Table in the Gulbenkian.
Évora - Do Largo for healthy eating, brunch or lunch it hit the spot! Dinner at Cartuxa Enoteca was perfect - the focused attention and love of food + wine made it a special dining experience.
Sintra - best brewed beers at Craft Beer & Bread. It looks little at the front but out the back is a shared ‘mercado’ style experience of wood fire pizzas, home made quiches, wines etc. It’s away from the crowds - so keep it a secret ;)
Coimbra - our first tastings at wine bar + shop. Bruno our sommelier did not let us down. He nailed our differences (I like white/rose and Adam likes only reds).
Porto - Nola Kitchen was perfect for healthy food, flat white and a change to traditional Portuguese meals. Sometimes you just want a good salad, avocado on toast with eggs or yummy lemon cake! A very good hot chocolate and mini homemade caramel donut at Alice in Brewland and great service. Outstanding hot chocolate at Chocolataria Equador.
Santiago del Compestela - This was in Spain and our last destination to fly to London. Adam found his beer heaven. We found a lovely little cafe - Mori Cafés Especiais - Rhin. Best flat white and toasted chicken sandwiches! We bought two glacian specialty cakes to go and they were divine with our cup of tea back at the hotel.
What to do | Okay, I said this is my Spain story and it applies here for Portugal. I’m a walker and while I’m pretty fit even I had to slow down. The heat was hard to handle. We had temps up to 41 degrees and rarely below 29. So, lots of water and returning to the hotel for several rest periods (in air conditioning).
Shopping | I bought a couple of handmade ceramic pieces at Oxala in Evora, a sweet vintage porcelain dish in Sintra, a gorgeous dress and long skirt in Porto and maybe a few things in between ;) As we are doing carry on (1 bag each) we did bring a small sports bag to pack our clothes in. All breakables go into my shell carry on suitcase. Forget posting things back. Both countries charge a bomb!
Parks to admire or simply cool down |
Biester Chalet, Sintra - if you love a fairytale chalet and botanical gardens - this is the one for you!
Botanical Gardens, Coimbra - perfect if you love herb gardens, big trees, greenhouses and so much more.
Jardim Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon - an unexpected find when we visited the Gulbenkian. Perfect for picnics, reading a book, kids running around, bird lovers and more.
Garden of Santa Barbara, Braga - a small, pretty formal garden for a nice little stroll.
Hidden Gems | Gosh! So many unexpected gems. Where do I start? This is just a short list out of many amazing places we were so lucky to visit.
Lisbon - MUDE - I found this design museo by accident and best thing I did. I love fashion, design, furniture and this was a showstopper! The Vivienne Westwood exhibition was held in a bank vault and looked fabulous against the shiny gold drawers.
Évora - 6000 nativity sets!! We lucked in seeing a sweet exhibition at the Church of St Francis.
Coimbra - the University is worth visiting mainly for the Joanina Library. You can’t see it individually without your program ticket. We saw a lot of frustrated visitors joining queues without their ticket. Our ticket included the Chemistry Lab - great for kids to immerse; Cabinet of Curiosities - another great one for adults + kids; Physics cabinet - incredible!; Academic museum; Chapel; Palace of Schools - Joaninia Library - stunning!
Santiago del Compestela - Museum of Galacian People - best anthropologic centre! It was full of objects, tools, costumes, ships, ceramics, paintings, architectural drawings/houses and the most humblest of churches seen in our entire trip. If I did the Camino walk this is where I’d go to reflect on history, culture, social sciencs and the arts - all of which has led us being here today.
Finally, if not going through your travel agent, make sure you go to official sites to book tickets online. Unfortunately, scammers are so sophisticated they replicate websites and it’s hard to tell the difference. I recommend you go through the official website of Portugal as they then re-direct you to contact information. This is my personal thought and I sincerely wish you all the best with your travels.
Anne xx
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