TravelMattie AlderinkPortugal, travel, Lagos, Lisbon, Porto, europe

A ONE-WEEK HIT LIST FOR PORTUGAL

TravelMattie AlderinkPortugal, travel, Lagos, Lisbon, Porto, europe
A ONE-WEEK HIT LIST FOR PORTUGAL

PORTUGAL! GET THERE! Honestly, I went to Portugal because I found $374 round trip tickets and I had ZERO idea what to expect. The country blew me away!

For spending one week in Portugal, I recommend breaking your trip down into 3 main parts. I spent 2-3 nights in each location and I didn’t feel shorted on time! The perfect amount to see a location and move on.

Where should you go?
1. Lisbon
2. Porto
3. Algarve Region (our base was Lagos)

HONESTLY…the word “itinerary” is probably too strong for this because I do really feel like you should be able to create your own adventures through places and I don’t want to box you in! Hit my IG DM’s if you want suggestions…BUT. Here are my absolute “CAN’T MISS” spots and some important notes on each of the places!

LISBON

To do—

  1. Santa Justa Lift (elevator + observation deck)

  2. Pink street

  3. Tram 28 route (to Alfama)

  4. Alfama

    1. Viewpoint — Miraduoro de Santa Luzia

    2. Viewpoint — Miraduoro das Portas do Sol

  5. Praca do Comércio (main square)
    - You need to see it, It’s the main square. I wouldn’t spend a whole lot of time here, though. Your best bet to get away from groups of tourists is to go into the actual neighborhoods…a lot of the areas where I have food and coffee recs. Those are the stunning winding streets!

  6. Castelo de São Jorge 

  7. Jeronimos Monastery

  8. Wander the winding streets of neighborhoods

    1. Alfama

    2. Bairro Alto

    3. Baixa

    4. Chiado

  9. GoKars

    - Quite possibly my favorite activity we did in Portugal! You can rent these for an hour and you take them on the actual street (lightly terrifying when that GPS doesn’t fully compute), BUT we laughed so hard the entire time and it’s a great way to see the sights. A guide speaks through the speakers to tell you what you’re seeing so it’s like a little tour! 10/10 would recommend.

  10. Day trip to Sintra

    - We did this on our way to Porto — if you’re a history buff, I would recommend. It’s a beautiful palace. A little hard to find, honestly thought I was going to get kidnapped (didn’t) but we did not do it the right way. So do your research on where to park and how to get into the “park” from there. While I do think this is beautiful…I wouldn’t spend an entire day doing it. Some of the other things we did on our trip were more fun.

Coffee—

  1. Copenhagen Coffee Lab

  2. Hello, Kristof

  3. Comobå
    - this was one of my FAVORITE food and coffee stops the entire week! 

  4. Cafe Janis

  5. Neighborhood Lisbon 

Eats—

  1. Dear Breakfast (b)

  2. Heim (b)

  3. Time Out Market (l)

  4. Flora & Fauna (l)

  5. Break. (b or l)

  6. Dallas Burger Joint (l or d) — v vegan friendly

PORTO

To do—

  1. Wine tasting at Graham’s Port Lodge…or one of the TONS of tasting rooms in the city. Try Port wine!!

  2. Walk the Douro River (walk across footbridge to get to Gaia)

  3. Sao Bento Train Station

  4. Dom Luis Bridge for sunset
    - this is an absolute MUST. It’s simply stunning!

  5. Livraria Lello & Irmão  (bookstore in central Porto)

  6. Praça da Ribeira is the city’s most lively area

  7. Cais da Ribeira

  8. Palacio da Bolsa 

  9. Mosteiro da Serra do Pilar (viewpoint)

  10. Funicular Railway

    1. 8 AM-10 PM every day of the week. On Fridays and Saturdays, the railway runs until midnight. Price: 2.50 EUR

  11. Wine tasting in the Duoro valley
    - this is NOT an afterthought. The Duoro wine valley is stunning. Rows and rows of grapes, vineyards tucked EVERYWHERE. This was one of my favorite things we did on our trip!

Coffee—

  1. Fabrica Coffee Roasters

  2. Zenith (you can also brunch here)

  3. Nicolau

  4. 7G Roaster

  5. Mercador Cafe 

Eats

  1. Manna

  2. Gazela (l) — famous Portuguese hot dogs! MUST try.

I wish I had better food recs here! Truly we meandered the streets and ate at random spots so I don’t have much!

LAGOS (Algarve Region)

To Do— 

  1. Ponta Da Piedade
    - Do this in the day time, and get up early again to do this for sunrise!!

  2. Camilo Beach

  3. Praia dos Estudantes

  4. Lagos old town — wander the streets! Pop into the tiny shops. Sip a coffee and sit on a patio.

  5. Coastal walk — you can hike, you can wander…go everywhere!

  6. Benagil cave 

  7. Explore ferragudo
    - This is a nearby carless town that you park outside of and walk around. It reminds me of Santorini! Loved every second!

*NOTE : This coastal region of Portugal is gorgeous. It’s very surf-inspired, and if you’re there in the warmer months, and have the margin in your budget, I would 100% recommend surfing, paddle boarding, kayaking, or taking a boat out! I was there in October and the weather was beautiful enough to sit at the beach but I didn’t have the finance for a surf lesson!

Coffee—

  1. Coffee and waves
    - Go for the açai bowls, stay for the coffee!

  2. Black & white
    - Australian-owned, excellent service and INCREDIBLE coffee.

Eats—

  1. Gelato stands — they’re everywhere, can’t go wrong! Find your fav flavor!

  2. Green Room (Mexican + tequila) — did NOT expect to like Mexican food in Portugal but it’s fire.

  3. Nah Nah Bah — OKAY IMMEDIATELY RUN. GET A RESO. SPRINT. Nah Nah Bah was the best meal I had all trip. Their Nah Nah chips I truly have dreams about.

  4. The Garden