Portugal is an often overlooked destination on Europe trips, perhaps because it is not too European. It’s true, it’s not. It’s unique and truly cosmopolitan.
The Portuguese connected the oceans and the continents, and took the best from everywhere they went. They liked the Golden Gate bridge, the Rio di Janeiro statue, Dutch ceramics and Arabic art, the cod fish in the northern seas, … – they brought it home and made it their own, in their own unique way.
In this trip, Swiss bunny, Swiss bunny mummy, and I walked >90 km, climbed >180 floors, and drove >700 km, and this is what we saw:
Day 1: We took a sunrise flight to Lisbon, took a bus from the airport in peak office rush hours (HORRIBLE, don’t do it) to our airbnb, gulped down a Pasteis de Bacalhau (cod fish pastry) (because Swiss bunnies don’t eat much), and marched right into a 3 h walking tour. It was super interesting. Really recommend it. Especially if you like to work out on stairs.
We walked through alleys of history in the Alfama (an Arabic derived name) and Moreira districts, places where Fado (traditional Portuguese music) was born, to get some stunning views like these!
And yet, Lisbon is a relatively new city. In 1755, a big earthquake (estimated 9 on the Richter scale), hit Lisbon, followed by a tsunami, followed by large fires. Almost all of Lisbon was destroyed except for a few buildings, such as this house.
Porto has its port wine to boast but the Lisboetas pride themselves for their Ginginja, a cherry flavoured wine and their rattling tram no. 28.
The next day, we went to Sintra, a small town right outside Lisbon. It’s nice and pretty but very touristy.
One of the most iconic sites in Sintra, is their Pena palace .. a very eccentric looking building, which is barely 100 years old and has a Disneyland castle feeling to it. It seemed to be very popular with young girls, who had just outgrown Disney and discovered that the real competition was on Instagram. They seemed more interested in getting their pouts and butts out right, rather than the real attractions.
We also went to see the Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra and its famous well of initiation.
Well of initiation 
The property is very cool with its grotto caves and tunnel systems and all. But once again a bit too theme park-ish, too made up. But don’t get me wrong – we still had a wonderful day in Sintra!
That evening we went to eat at a very popular seafood rice restaurant (Uma) in Lisbon and bumped into a very cool street brass band (black people are the best). They were so good! The public was going crazy; everybody was dancing. I swear I felt something move inside of me. But then Europe you know, they cannot allow fun. The police came and told them to f-off. The public booed at them (police) and gave the band a very long ovation goodbye. It was all very exciting.
The next day we began our mega road trip. Instead of taking the highway to Algarve, we decided to check out the west Atlantic coast a bit. On hindsight it was a great idea because we were exposed to some jaw dropping scenery, but also not such a great idea because these places deserved much more time! Seriously look at them.
We made Portimao as our base in the Algarve. Portimao is a quiet-ish little Portuguese town which has not been taken over by the tourist craze yet, or so it felt. We began our Algarvian trip at the Benagil and the surrounding caves. They are really spectacular! The fantastical arches, shapes, and alleys – all carved out by just wind, water, and sun – just wow. We walked part of the seven hanging valleys trail (essentially from the Benagil beach to the Praia da Marinha and back). It is a fantastic walk and every step is a frame, literally, with golden cliffs and the massive deep blue of the Atlantic. And I used to think the Durdle door was cool!
The next day, we went to the Praia dos Três Irmãos, and did the Alvor board (read: bored) walk. It is a walk along the beach and the marshes behind it. A place perhaps more enjoyable in high tide because the marshes essentially act like a sea water filter for the water reaching Alvar, and the whole place looks like a kidney with many rivulets, or so we were told. We were there between the tides and it was just OK, great time for picking clams though. I preferred them cliffs!
So in the evening we walked the Ponta da Piedade trail and caught a spectacular sunset. The cliffs changed their colour from golden to orange to red, and cast some dramatic shadows as the sun went down. We also saw a Bollywood movie shooting! Quite an exquisite location. If you had to choose just one place to go in the Algarve, come here.
The next day, we walked to the Praia da Rocha, to the viewpoint of the three castles, There were no castles. Just rocks in the middle of the ocean and a strong imagination of whoever named it so. It was nice.
But it was already time to head back to Lisbon. 😦 This time we took the highway and saw some crazy south European driving. It is quite incredible that the Portuguese wear their masks properly (above the nose, unlike many Swiss or French), but then drive like that.
Back in Lisbon, we checked out the Lx Factory. It is THE place for rich hipsters but it is great that young designers get a chance to display their work. That evening we ate at the Timeout market in Lisbon. It is a huge food court, somewhat like Singapore’s food markets, just a bit more upscale, and way more hyped.
The next day, we explored Belem with the same walking tour guide (Kleiber). The tower of Belem is quite nice, a fantastic example of Manuellian architecture, and so is the cathedral.
We obviously also HAD to try the original Pasteis de Nata in Belem, THE most famous Lisbon snack – a bite sized pastry filled with custard. But we had been eating those everywhere about Lisbon and the original fell short of our high expectations. The shop in Belem still manages to sell more than 20000 Pasteis de Natas every single day!
And that was it, the end to our week trip to Portugal! Here is a drawing to commemorate the tiles, the waves, and the sea!
Skip the beaten track. Go to Portugal. It may not be quintessentially European but I promise you, it will be something different to any place you might have ever been.
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