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125 Comments

  1. What is the best town to stay in to use as a base for exploring Peneda-Geres national park?

  2. Hi Julie, I will be travelling to Portugal and Spain in June or July 2019. Our small group of 3 are eager to travel the Douro River (one way) beginning from Porto and then finishing at a location where we can catch a train on to Santiago de Compostela. We thought a 3 day trip down the river would be sufficient but could stretch it to 4. Are there any companies that would cater for this type of trip? Most seem to be longer tours and return you to Porto.

  3. Hi Julie,
    My wife and I will be in Portugal for 2 weeks in early June. We love the outdoors and hiking, but also beautiful cities. We are thinking about a couple of days each in Lisbon and Porto and then we are looking at several days in the National Park Peneda-Geres. Could you suggest a nice balanced 2 week trip for us? Many thanks……..Richard

  4. Hello Julie,

    We arrive July 9 in Lisbon for a wedding which will take place on July 14 at the Quinta in Sintra. We want to experience the wineries or farms and views of the ocean are important to us so we’d love your suggestions or where to go for 2 nights.. We will join family on July 11 in Lisbon for two nights and are looking for great accommodations for about 6 people. We will then go to Sinta…right now we could stay in one of the rooms at Quinta, however, I’m not certain we want to do that and need your opinion on that too. We would be looking for a room or a house for 4 people from July 12-15.

    Additionally, we know it will be very busy, however, we would love to have any suggestions of local activities or events we should be aware of in either Lisbon or Sintra. We would like to rent ebikes, we’re open to other ideas for activities, site seeing…Thank you. Sharon

  5. Hi Julie,
    I am planning to visit Peneda Geres National Park. I want to do Hiking only in this Area. So, could you please recommend good place to hike in this area. I am looking to stay in same hotel for entire 5 days and commence hike and return to same hotel everyday for overnight stay. I want to do about 15 -20 km daily with moderate to difficult route. I will have car with me so I can drive to start place and park it and finish it same place and go back to hotel. Also if you know some good hotel with easy access to hiking trails then please send me the informations.
    It would be really grateful and appreciated if you could send me itinerary for daily hike trails.

  6. I’ll be in Portugal w my sister ( healthy in our late 50’s) big walkers and adventures.. we will be 3 days in Lisbon ,,, then picking up a car driving to Obidos , 1 night , then up to Porto., 2 days in Porto then back to fly out of Lisbon .. mis October .. looking for great location to stay in Porto and some driving around Douro valley

  7. I’ll come in Portugal for 2 weeks.
    3 days Algarve ( Portimao), than Evora, Coimbra, Porto (4 nights) and the last 4 nights In Lisbon..
    Could you tell me your ideas regarding what I can see on these towns and on the road. I have been rent already a car.
    Thanks.

    1. Hi Dan, if you search my blog, you’ll find lots of ideas for most of the places you’ve mentioned. One of the things I haven’t yet written about but thought worthwhile was the Portimão Museum.

  8. Hi Julie
    I am visiting Lisbon for a week and would like to visit literary/artistic haunts. What other places nearby can i visit for day trips.The main food and beverages to try there. Also let me know a few commonly used phrases to get by in Lisbon. Thank you
    Rgds
    Jugneeta

  9. Hi Julie,
    Coming from Canada with family for about a 10 day stay in Portugal this October. Main destinations: Lisbon, Porto, Algarve and Douro Valley. Intend to drive to the Douro Valley from perhaps Porto?!

    Any thoughts/recommendations on what all to do and places to visit.

    Definitely looking forward to good food and wine!

    Thanks!

  10. How should I travel from Lisbon to Porto?

  11. Hi ,
    Thank you!
    Next week i am going to Evora for my 70th birthday.
    I would like to visit 3 villages close to Evora in which I can see crafts men.
    Can you help me?
    Thank you Esti

  12. Not clear on how we communicate Julie. Doin post on the blog or do we email?

    1. Email is best, Frank 🙂

  13. I am arriving in Lisbon July 29 and staying 2 nights – trying to figure where to go next via rail, bus, boat or air. Want to go to Porto and Seville. Leaving on August 9th. Hoping to find direction from your blog! Thank You!

  14. Hi Julie,

    I found your website through Tim Leffel’s book, “A Better LIfe for Half the Price”. I am very excited to dive into your beautiful blog.

    I am currently taking some time off (call it a Gap year, sabbatical etc) and traveling. I have been in Bali since early June and then I am heading to England in late July and visiting a friend in Switzerland early Aug. I was trying to decide where to go next and Portugal popped into my mind. I am an American citizen with Portuguese roots. My father was born on the island of Terceira, which I visited in 1997 and my mother is Brazilian with ancestry from Terceira as well. I have never been to mainland Portugal and it intrigues me to visit.

    I am considering spending an extended period of time in mainland Portugal (1 month+) as I am traveling more for rest and relaxation balanced with sightseeing. If you have any recommendations on a good city for me to look into for accommodations that could serve as a base point to explore from, please let me know. I love being near water and would fancy being in a coastal city if it is economical and I love having access to yoga, healthy food, quiet and quaint areas with great wi-fi and public transportation is a plus. I speak a little Portuguese but I haven’t used it in years and it is very, very rusty. However, I would love to learn the proper way to speak and brush up on the language.

    I am starting from a blank sheet of paper here and I am open to any ideas and suggestions you might have.

    Many thanks to you in advance and thank you so much for sharing your experiences here in your blog.

    Blessings and hugs,
    Tania

    1. Hi Tania, Have a look at Viana do Castelo in the north of Portugal. Or possibly Aveiro.

  15. Heading to Portugal in August. I’ve been there a few times but this will be the first time going with my 2 1/2 year old daughter. Any tips on kid friendly activities? We will be spending most of our time in Nazare.

    1. Hi Melissa, I’m afraid that travelling with young kids is not an area I have experience in. I’d suggest going to São Martinho do Porto – the beach is sheltered so the water is calm and slightly warmer than in Nazaré.

  16. Hi Julie
    Heading to Portugal with friend, backpack & hiking boots 9July to 3 August. Summer timing not ideal BUT….
    Keen for inside info on where best to hike in height if summer! My first visit to Portugal having done Camino Le Puy to Santiago 12 mths ago. Not wedded to more Camino necessarily, gorgeous scenery, coast, culture, food, wine, local interactions, no sprawling urban trudge. We will be carless, modest accommodation.
    Thanx in advance.

    1. Hi Annie, you could look into the Rota Vicentina Fisherman’s route along coastal Alentejo and Western Algarve…http://en.rotavicentina.com/ Hopefully, you’ll get some pleasant sea breezes.

  17. Hi Julie we are heading to holiday near Braga next week and we hope to make s few trips to the National Park we have a hire car. We will probably take the drive and shorter hike options but we would love to visit water falls I think I saw images of swimmers in lakes and waterfalls in my research can you recommend places where we can swim?

  18. HI Julie…… Just now discovering you–where have I been? LOL! Just had our first ten-day adventure in Portugal, hovering largely around Lisbon, but also including four days in and around the Palmela/Setubal/Arrabida area, and a day and a half in Alcacer do Sal. We hope to come again next year, but starting up in Porto to include Guimaraes, Braga, and Coimbra on our way down to Palmela to meet up with our new-found friends. Speaking of which, a big shout-out to the staff at Castelo de Palmela, who were wonderful…especially Fernanda Cebolinha. They made us feel like family, which seems to be the Portuguese Way. We’ll be coming in via Porto, as we’re starting out in SE England to visit other friends along the way. An opening question then: the pousada looks wonderful up in Guimaraes, and I’m thinking of spending at least a couple of nights there, making it a base to explore the town and also Braga. Would it be more efficient to do this from Porto as a pair of day-trips? Guimaraes intrigues me, and I’d hate to rush it.

    1. Hi David, Glad to hear you had such a wonderful experience on your previous trip to Portugal and are already planning to return. In answer to your question, I think an overnight in Guimarães is worth it. You could do Braga as a day trip from there instead of Porto – it’s only 20 minutes by bus.

  19. Hi Julie, my wife and I will stay in Porto in June for a week and plan 2-day driving trip, can you recommend destinations combining nature and old towns around Porto for 2 days? Thanks, Shlomo

    1. Sent you an email 🙂

  20. I would like to move from the U.S. to Portugal. Recently, I started learning European Portuguese as I prepare for the move. I have been a fan of fado for many years which is what originally turned my eye towards your amazing country. I have dreams of walking the streets of Lisboa as the sunsets… Meu coração está em Lisboa… Mas eu não sou… A saudade é intensa… aiiiii

    I see several people comment in your blog saying they are moving to Portugal. But I am confused in that everything I read says you can only live there 3 months out of six, and that you have to be there six years in order to become a citizen. No where have I seen a path that allows me to just move there permanently even though I have the resources to live a modest life there.

    I would greatly appreciate if you can point towards sources that would clarify what is needed to move to your country permanently.

    Also, thank you for you wonderful site and blog.

    Muito obrigada
    GraceAnn

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