Ultimate 1-2 Week Guide to Portugal
Portugal is a gorgeous country with friendly people and lively streets, oh and amazing food and drinks! Portugal for one reason or another is less traveled to than its neighbor, Spain. Until the secret gets spread let’s explore a less touristy, more authentic, and colorful Portugal. You will see the cities are painted bright with street art, gorgeous tiling, and the beaches are beautiful in every way from the brightly colored umbrellas on the sand to the rock formations and the teal waters. This is a trip that’ll supply you with memories to last a lifetime and pictures that’ll leave you dreaming of the enchanting Portugal.
Start off in Porto
We opted to work our way starting in Porto because it is in northern Portugal and allows us to easily work around the country to all our spots. You can start off in Lisbon as well and bookend your trip with Lisbon or take a train from Lisbon to Porto. Porto is the best first taste of Portugal- its less touristy, has a gorgeous river walk, great local shopping, and amazing food and drink including the infamous Port wine. This is still one of Derek’s favorite places we have been.
Porto, Portugal- 2 Days
Land in Porto in the morning and hit the ground running! Drop off your bags and start exploring.
→ Where we stayed: Hotel Carris, on the Ribiero. We loved being right on the riverwalk, the location and accommodation were beautiful.
Wine Tour
Take a wine tour of one of Porto’s many wineries. Porto is world famous for their Port Wines, when in Porto you can not miss a wine tour of a port winery!
Majestic Cafe
I cannot rave enough about Majestic Cafe. Majestic Cafe is the most beautiful cafe in Porto and is ranked on the top 10 of the most beautiful cafes in the world. The gorgeous cafe opened its doors in 1921 and was a place for elites and scholars to meet and talk over a cup of coffee or a glass of something stronger. To say this cafe is stunning would not do it justice. To top it off it has the best espresso and coffee I think I have ever had. You will be in awe of this Porto beauty. Majestic Cafe is located on the main walkway in the city, Santa Catarina Street. This is a great area to walk around shop and eat!
Livraria Lello Bookstore
Livraria Lello Bookstore is another beauty in Porto. It is said that this magical looking bookstore inspired J.K. Rowling as she wrote the famed Harry Potter series. Although this is a tourist hotspot, it is worth going to. You can easily buy tickets there; just hop to a store on the street that sells tickets to the store. Tickets were 10 dollars; you will get your money reimbursed if you buy a book at the store.
Old Town
Old Town is the oldest area of Porto, this will be the area around the Duoro River. This will be the area you will want to enjoy a drink riverside and see the beautiful Dom Luis Bridge. There are wonderful shops, restaurants, bars, and plenty of beautiful tiled buildings. We spent a lot of our time here, and you will want to too. Sip on a glass of Port and just look at that view!
Dom Luis I Bridge
Porto’s iconic Dom Luis Bridge sits across the Duoro River. The Duoro river gave Porto a passage to share their famous port wine with the world. The bridge and the Duoro River is a great place to walk around and people watch while enjoying the breathtaking view.
Eat Riverside
Porto is a city that is centered around the beautiful Duoro River. There are many wonderful restaurants on the riverfront which makes for a beautiful view. Just pick one at random and have a seat. You can’t go wrong. After a delicious meal, take a walk on the waterfront. We went to Ribeira 50 and loved the food and the gorgeous river view!
Clerigos Tower
The Clerigos Tower is a bell tower dating back to 1763. The Clerigos Tower is 75 meters tall with 225 steps to the top of the tower. The Clerigos is known for its stunning view of Porto. The top offers a 360 degree perspective of beautiful Porto at day or night. The tower is open until 11 p.m.
Lisbon, Portugal- 4 Days
Take a train from Porto to Lisbon, it is a 3 hour train ride.
→ Keep in mind: double check with the ticket office at the train station that you have paid the full fare. Some of the ticket purchasing is confusing. If you haven’t paid the full fare, they will kick you off the train in some random rural Portuguese town, which is what happened to us. We were short 8 dollars.
Welcome to Lisbon!
Ride Tram 28
Lisbon is a city known for their trolleys. You can not go to Lisbon without going on the Tram 28 trolly. This is an activity I would recommend doing on your first day in Lisbon, the trolly will take you through all the neighborhoods of Lisbon. This is a great way to get yourself acquainted with this majestic city. You can hop off where ever you like and start exploring!
Alfama
Alfama is known as the artisan area of Lisbon. It is a great place to wander the twisty streets and find a new treasure at any given turn. This area of town is both charming and historic area of town. There are various cathedrals and the Lisbon Castle to explore while in Alfama.
Chiado
Chiado is another charming neighborhood in Lisbon. Chiado is full of shops, bars and restaurants. It is a great place to explore the narrow alleyways and bustling streets.
Barrio Alto
Party your heart out at Barrio Alto. Barrio Alto is known for its energetic nightlife, great drinks, and live music. The bars are wonderful little nooks each with more character than the last. Take the time to hop around to the bars or even grab a drink and take your party to the streets. You will find the streets crowded with your fellow night goers. I loved the charm of the sweet bars in Barrio Alto and know you will too!
Flea Market
Feira de Ladra is a beautiful lively flea market. This is a must when visiting Lisbon. This is a less touristy location where you can shop alongside locals and find some great treasures. It has great coffee shops and restaurants along the roads that follow the flea market. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 7 am- 6 pm.
→ Coffee shop to check out: Copenhagen Coffee Lab near the flea market
We love our coffee and found one of the cutest coffee shops right by the flea market. The coffee shop was very much what we are used to in America, a trendy decorated shop with amazing coffee and snacks. They have a slow bar with pour overs and chemex. If you love coffee, save your coffee stop for when you stop by the flea marke
Time Out Market
You could wander around this market all day trying delicious foods and drinks. Time Out Market has 24 restaurants, 8 bars, and 12 shops all under one roof. Time our Market is a great way to sample on a variety of different types of foods and of course drinks. Time Out market is also a venue for concerts. It’s a great place anytime of day or even for a night out because it is open until midnight!
Sintra- Day Trip From Lisbon
Take a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon. This is a MUST when in Lisbon. Sintra is a step into a fairy tale with its idyllic castles and vibrant palace. You can easily get to Sintra by train, taxi, or uber in about 40 minutes. You will want to spend the entire day here, a lot yourself plenty of time to explore. There is a lot of walking so where good walking shoes and water for your trip. There is a store and restaurant at Pena Palace if you need a break and a quick snack.
You will want to see the Pena Palace, Moorish Castle, and the beautiful surrounding park and gardens. Sintra is truly breathtaking, this was one of the highlights of our trip!
Lagos, Portugal- 1-3 Days
Take a train from Lisbon to Lagos. Lagos will be a base to hop around and explore the gorgeous beaches Portugal has to offer.
→ Lagos is pronounced “Lah-goesh”
Lagos is a beautiful city full of incredible beaches and beautiful buildings. We chose Lagos because of it’s gorgeous walkable coastline full of limestone rock, clear water and numerous stunning beaches. Lagos is close to Lagoa where the famous Benagil Caves are located.
Church of Santa Maria
The Santa Maria Church is set in the main square of Lagos. The square has restaurants and a few tourist shops to pop in and out. The square is made of beautiful tile where the church sits on the edge. The church is simple yet beautiful, this is worth a stop when in Lagos.
Praia Dos Estudantes
Praia Dos Estudantes is a beautiful beach where a gorgeous bridge attached two cliffs to one another. We did not find Praia Dos Estudantes to be as busy as Dona Ana. This area was breathtaking as well and easy to walk from Dona Ana.
Dona Ana
Dona Ana is one of the most popular beaches in Lagos, this is great beach to start your exploration of Lagos gorgeous coastline. From Dona Ana you can continue walking down the coast and hit the various other beaches. The further you go on the more secluded the beaches are and more surreal.
Ponta Da Piedade
Ponta Da Piedade is known to be a great hiking spot complete with beautiful sandstone cliffs and grottos on beautiful turquoise clear water. This is a must do when in Lagos. The view is incredible.
Benagil Caves
The Benagil Caves are known to be one of the most beautiful caves in the world. Check out the pics above, it’s just beautiful! The Benagil Caves live up to the gorgeous pictures on pinterest and beyond. Head to Benagil Beach and explore from there! You will not be disappointed, this is a must when in Portugal. The quest to see Benagil Caves was the initial reason I wanted to visit Portugal and I was not disappointed.
We hope you have an incredible trip in Portugal! Remember to shop, stay locally, and book local guides and tours whenever possible to best support the locals and their community. Happy Travels! Let us know what new places you explored and wandered to!
For more Portugal Travel Fun, check out our Portugal Travel page, Porto Travel Guide, and our Benagil Caves (Algarve Coast) guide.