Portugal is always a good travel destination for Europeans, but also for those arriving from the other side of the Atlantic. It has incredible sites and among its historical and cultural treasures there are also beautiful beaches.
I consider that a recommended itinerary should include Lisbon, Braga, Porto and some of the beaches near the capital. Of course, with more time and money we could cover more places, but I believe that the beauty of these destinations will leave us a good impression of the country. Do you like my proposal? So let's discover Portugal together.
Lisbon
The capital of Portugal it's a city to explore on foot. If you like to walk you will walk at your leisure. The oldest parts are the most picturesque and you will get tired of wandering around narrow cobbled streets. Square Praca do Comercio It is a huge public square, on the banks of the Tagus River, a charming destination for when you are tired and want to relax and just watch life go by.
To soak up the local art you can visit the Arta Urbana Gallery, a street full of street art where every self-respecting artist leaves his mark. The graffiti They are also decorating the trams so typical of the Portuguese capital, so in addition to traveling in one you can take photos of them.
In Lisbon a good museum is the National Tile Museum whose entry costs only 5 euros, and if you go on the first Sunday of each month, entry is free. It also has a free audio guide that you can download from your mobile, a great application that helps you visit the permanent collection. This site is open from 10 am to 6 pm, average, and if you like other museums you can buy a combined ticket to visit, for example, the National Dress Museum, National Theater Museum, National Pantheon, National Museum of Ancient Art, Chiado Museum, among others.
One can eat in any bar or cafeteria, they abound everywhere, and beer and coffee are the most common drinks (do not stop asking for a gallon, espresso with foaming milk). There are also many family restaurants to have something stronger for lunch and even if you like markets you can visit the local market and see the amount and variety of fish it offers. Then they are the same fish that they serve you in restaurants or if you rented an apartment then you do your shopping and cook at home. The best is the one in the Cais do Sodre district, the Ribera Market.
At night you can always go out to bars or enjoy the Fado music, well traditional. There are many places where you can enjoy it, along with a good plate of Portuguese food. There are more touristy places than others so it depends on what you are looking for.
Oporto
Porto is a historical city that is on the banks of the Duero and the sea. It is the second most important city in the country and the great advantage is that it's a cheap city. Portugal in general is, but Porto is cheaper than Lisbon, from accommodation to food. Porto is one hour and twenty minutes from Lisbon by plane, but by train you must calculate three hours and twenty minutes. By bus it will be between four and five hours.
If you are in Vigo, Spain, you can easily cross by train on a beautiful little trip that will leave you at San Bento Station for a price of between 15 and 20 euros. This station is truly something to see, with its roofs, its old platforms and its white and blue tile murals. A beauty.
Its historic center, RiversideIt is a beauty to go for a walk and explore. Then you will have to take the tram, the bus or the metro if you want to go a little further. It is a site World Heritage where you should visit the Sé Cathedral with its golden and beautiful interior, the murals themselves San Bento Station or the Church of Sao Francisco, for example. The Andante ticket is a good option because it works for all three modes of transport. The one-day pass costs 7 euros or 15 for the three days. It offers unlimited trips and you move safely without having to look at what area you are in.
Porto's trams are a classic and there are several historical lines that are very popular. However, keep in mind that the Andante ticket does not work for them. Tickets for these trams are bought on board and cost 2,50 euros. If you like trams there is the Electric Car Museum whose entry costs 8 euros and you enjoy trips for 24 hours. On the other hand, there are also markets here and these places are great to do some gastronomic shopping: olives, local sweets, cold cuts, cheeses, fresh fish. The best is the Bolhao Market. If instead you like books they say that la Librería Lello & Irmao is one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world.
Porto also has many open and green spaces: there is the City park, Pastelerira Urban Park or the elegant gardens of the Crystal Palace with great views of the city and the Douro. And speaking of the Duero, walking along its shore is a great and very touristy walk because it allows you to contemplate the Porto bridges, its classic bridges. The most famous is the one designed by Gustav Eiffel, the D. María Bridge, a pure iron railway bridge, but there is also the double-track Pomte Dom Luís.
Lastly, don't stop eating and drinking that Porto is also famous for its cuisine and its wines. Do you like tourist cards? Is the Porto Card That has a rate from 6 euros for a day. It goes up to 13 euros if you add the use of unlimited transport.
Braga
Braga It is the third largest city in Portugal. It is a city full of churches and cobbled streets so when the bells start to ring the sound stays in the air for a long time.
You can visit Braga on a day trip but being so beautiful it is worth staying a little longer. The fact that it is a city with a lot of university population, there is the University of Minho, it makes it a site with cheap bars, cafes and restaurants and a lot of cultural life. The train from Lisbon takes three and a half hours while a bus from Porto takes two hours.
Here are museums and there are the ruins of the Roman Baths of Alta da Cividade, for example. They are ruins of the second century and the first Sunday of each month the entrance is free. If not, it doesn't cost more than two euros anyway. A bargain. Also from Roman times is the Fone da Idol, a Roman fountain inside a public building. If you don't want to get into museums then you can walk up the hill and get to know the Church of Bom Jesus Do Monte. The climbing is fantastic, with stairs, mosaic terraces, dioramas and many fountains.
I would not leave the Sé Cathedral, the oldest in Portugal and the Raio Palace, Baroque in style and with a charming façade covered in tiles.
Excursions from Lisbon
Less than an hour away there are a handful of beaches that are very accessible and will help you escape the heat a bit. You can reach most of them by train. tamariz It is a beach that is in the Estoril spa, for example. It is not the cheapest destination but it is only half an hour from Lisbon, it has a casino and even a Monaco castle. Another recommended beach is Costa da Caparica, on the south bank of the Tagus River.
This destination has a lot of nightlife and you can get there by bus from Lisbon, taking it at the Plaza de España terminal. Guincho It is another coastal destination with sand and trees and cliffs and caverns. The current is strong so there are waves and then there are always surfers and windsurfers. It is reached by train from Lisbon to Cascais, and from there by bus. And finally it is Ribeira das Ilhas, a little further: an hour and a half from the Grand Campo Grande terminal.
I forgot to Sintra? No, if you don't have a lot of time to explore around Sintra you should be considered. There are Moorish castles, mountains and incredible landscapes.