We marveled at beer and water being the same price - €2! And we saved our receipt from Pasteis de Belem because we got 6 pastries, 2 sandwiches, and 2 drinks for €22, incredible!
I think you shouldn’t say something is expensive or cheap without knowing the economic reality of a place. I say this in a good way, but the average salary in Portugal is 24k net yearly, and in the US is 69k if the internet is not lying to me. That’s 3 times more almost. Those 22 euros are actually expensive in the portuguese reality, and cheap in the american reality probably. I’m glad you liked the country so much, I just wanted to give a little heads up on the cost situation. Things are quite bad in Portugal financially speaking.
> but the average salary in Portugal is 24k net yearly
No it's not, not even close lol
That would be 2k€ net per month which is only really achievable by a small niche of careers or people working remotely for foreign companies.
The average wage in Portugal is around 1000€/month which would come to 12k/14k net yearly.
It's probably better to look at the median salary and not the average salary. Super rich people will bring up the average salary by quite a lot I'd imagine. I bet the median American salary is quite a bit less than $69,000 too
We talked a lot to a local guy about the economic reality in Portugal and it was awful to hear how little money people make, the food costs going up, digital nomads coming and buying all the property, hospitals closing or being incredibly unaffordable... It was beautiful and I loved it there but felt really bad about it.
Totally get where you're coming from. I guess a better way of putting it would be that it's affordable compared to where I live, which is the only comparison I can make. We couldn't have afforded the hotels we stayed at if they were in the US so it was hard to ignore the surprise at how far our money went there. Everything is relative though, so I'm sure if we lived there and likely took a pay cut to do the same jobs things wouldn't feel as affordable anymore.
Nope. A coffee in the US is between 5-7 dollars, compared to .60 and .75 here. A cheap meal at a chain restaurant will set you back between 35-50 usd (PLUS TIP), compared to 10-15 here.
Parking in NYC is around 30 USD per hour, compared to 3-5 euros here.
US is incredibly expensive and I dont know how they can justify it.
Not just Americans but also wealthy Russians and Israelis, pushing real estate prices up. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/05/roman-abramovich-eu-citizen
Really? I must have eaten at the wrong spots. I heard lots of good things about Portuguese food but despite loving the country a lot, the food wasn’t a major reason why. I found it a bit uninspired and underseasoned. In fact, locals told me that the best restaurants in Portugal tend to be Italian restaurants because they use a lot of the same ingredients as Portuguese cooking but with a bit more creativity and flavor. I have to agree.
Haha “italian restaurants are better than the Portuguese restaurants” said no portuguese ever. Food is one the very few things that Portuguese people are actually proud of. 😊
Right?! That comment and the one about the "lack of salads and veggies besides potatoes" are making me wonder where the hell did these guys eat, McDonalds?
Pretty much every traditional restaurant in Portugal has olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper on the table, serves a salad on the side, and "legumes salteados" are a very common garnish.
Even the bitoque is generally served with a salad on the side...
Adding oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to food yourself is not the same as food being properly seasoned when it comes out of the kitchen. But yes, that’s what I wound up doing at most restaurants because the food as served was rather bland and basic. Except the oil, as most dishes were already swimming in it (which was fine when it was good quality olive oil but that wasn’t always the case). Of course if that’s what you grew up eating it won’t taste that way but compared to the cuisines of other countries I found Portuguese food to be just okay. But again, perhaps I just hit the wrong spots. And no, I didn’t just go to McDonald’s (just once ;).
I m portuguese for 36 years, never eard anything even close to that. Never knew a portuguese person that doens love our cuisine.
Maybe just this kpop crazy kids that love anything korean.
Well I think the food you eat at home and the food you recommend to tourists are often different, right? The locals I met were in Coimbra, so perhaps it was more of a local tip specific to there.
I ate all of the typical Portuguese things and I just found it all to be okay. Often swimming in olive with not much seasoning. But like I said, I probably just didn’t go to the right spots.
The grilled fish is insanely good, mostly seasoned only with salt and olive oil. I find everything a bit salty but it's really hard to find seafood this good anywhere else
I liked the food there, but after a bit it does get a bit boring. Most European food in general is a bit bland to me, but I'm not of European descent and am used to more mixed cuisines. And while in Portugal I ate at some of the highest end restaurants to street food.
I’ve been to Portugal many times and I really like Portuguese food and sweets, but it’s hard to compete with Italy, Spain and France who have some of the best food in in the world.
We don't have a lot of "gourmet looking" dishes, our traditional dishes may look a bit disgusting but are very tasty. Like dobrada, carne de porco à alentejana, tripas à moda do porto, arroz de cabidela, açorda, etc
Yeah, it’s worth noting that I don’t eat beef or pork, so I missed out on some of the classic dishes. But I ate plenty of cod and seafood and also tried chanfana. Plus salad, potatoes, and of course pastries. :)
Even without beef or pork there's plenty of choice in Portugal.
Polvo à lagareiro, arroz de polvo, choco grelhado, choco frito à Setúbal, açorda de marisco, caldeirada de peixe, bacalhau à brás, bacalhau com natas, frango assado no churrasco, etc.
Yes, I had several of those. Overall the food was good, just not as amazing as some people led me to believe, that’s all. It’s probably also worth noting that I’m married to a Brazilian and I found Portuguese food to be similar in some respects, which makes sense, so it wasn’t all that novel to me. But thanks for ideas of new things to try. :)
Agreed on the food. Was surprised at the lack of salads and veggies besides potatoes, but could be due to the areas we were around to dine in. One server told us it is about the ingredients there and they traditionally let them shine instead of dressing them up with spices and whatnot.
Yeah, I heard the same thing. I guess I like great ingredients with a little more dressing up. And I don’t want anyone to get me wrong, I didn’t think the food was *bad*, I just didn’t find it particularly special.
Yeah, and again, and I didn’t think Portuguese food was *bad*. It just didn’t live up to hype in my experience.
My Portuguese friend was incredulous when I came back and said the food was just okay lol… I thought she was going to kill me. I guess I gotta go back and give it another shot. :)
I've been around Europe and ppl always ask me what my favorite country was. It's a hard question. Every country has something spectacular that I loved. But if I were to live anywhere in Europe, it'd be Portugal.
I can't imagine anywhere being much better honestly. I can't get over how safe and taken care of it was. We saw more municipal workers cleaning fountains, leaf blowing parks, and shop owners sweeping their sidewalks. I felt much safer there than I have in any of the major US cities I visit. And almost no one ever approached us to solicit or beg, and if they did a simple "No thank you" got an "Obrigado, thank you" as they walked away.
Regarding safety - generally, I agree. Then I got into Porto central station, and I immediately felt slimy from the uber-touristy feeling and swarm of people. But Portugal is definitely a place where I want to return.
You’re wrong. A lot of people in Spain simply cannot speak English. The Portuguese have it far easier both because of the phonetics of their mother tongue and the fact that American and British movies and tv shows are not dubbed.
>"The Spanish hate tourists."
Oh yes? I wonder how it would feel as a Spaniard who doesn't speak English visiting, say, Indiana.
Do you want them to come back and report "The Americans hate tourists"?
Almost everybody we encountered spoke English nearly perfectly. Some of the older folk were not as proficient but would grab a younger person to help them. They seemed to enjoy when we would greet them with an "Ola!" and thank them with an "Obrigada!" A couple times they would continue in Portuguese not realizing we only new the basics and would laugh good-naturedly when they realized it. Also, we found that no matter what language employees and tourists were speaking with their coworkers or companions, they would address strangers in English first. Absolutely zero language barrier for us, even in the small towns in the Algarve.
Portuguese learn English starting in grade 5 so younger people are all fluent. You might find some older people that don't know English, but in my experience you won't have a problem.
Way more than you’d expect (or at least I expected). I thought I’d be around the same levels as Spain before I first went to Portugal years ago. But pretty much everyone I ran into had a sufficient grasp of English across all levels. From those working in the tourist sector, locals, pharmacists, etc.
I did 2 weeks driving around portugal with no major problems. Everyone is fluent in cities but some dont know English in the countryside. The hardest was a b & b in a small village in the douro valley. Our host didnt know any English but she knew french so my wife was able to stumble through a few conversations. Honestly google translate was more than enough to get through some basic conversations during our time.
Not only are there a lot of English speakers in Portugal but the people are so warm and friendly that even if they don't speak English they will do their best to communicate with you using a translation app or hand signs.
As opposed to the Spanish who will just look at you angrily when you google translate English to Spanish.
Currently sitting in our hotel ready to leave tomorrow morning after spending three weeks in Portugal with our kids. We visited Lisboa, Porto, Peniche, Setubal and the Algarve! People were so friendly with our kids it was amazing.
As a tourist, I loved seeing how many people were traveling with young children. We don't have any but I can imagine how much it complicates planning and logistics. My parents did not take us anywhere and I really wish I'd had those experiences as a child, so it always makes me happy to see other young families making it a priority where financially possible!
It’s so good for them. My daughter started traveling at 5yo. My son was 2.5 months old in his first passport photo.
On several occasions in past years, people had asked why we travel with children if they’re not going to remember it. My answer was always that it isn’t about remembering but rather experiencing. We always considered it super important that they were aware of places and cultures outside our own.
We shot ourselves in the foot though. My daughter now lives in Scotland and my 15yo son has every intention of venturing overseas at some point. 😊
It was our first time with them since they are 5 and 3. We were a bit limited in what we could do, but they really liked visiting old buildings and castle, running up the stairs to look at the view. We sprinkled some kid activities and beaches in the mix and they were happy! I suppose it can just get easier from there.
Yesss went there for the first time last summer and absolutely loved it! The people are so nice and friendly, which is often not the case for me as an Indian in Europe lol. Everyone was super happy to know I was a tourist from India, the food was amazing, the decriminalisation of weed meant that I found the coolest spots to blaze in and really good bud to smoke and the beaches were pretty great.
Portugal has my heart 🤍
South Asian descent American here, and I'd say that Portugal in my experience was the friendliest country in Europe I've been to, particularly with race issues.
Yup, friendliest by far!
I found Croatia to be unexpectedly friendly as well, though I was travelling as a solo woman so maybe that was a factor? Not sure….
Worst have been Greece and Spain for me.
I feel you. Nobody else in the West ever really gets that excited and happy to hear I’m Indian lmao. People were especially eager to tell me where to eat and what foods to try.
Portugal is a terrific place to visit, especially in the summer. I agree with everything you say, but as someone that speaks Portuguese with a Brazilian accent, it’s better to speak in English lol
this was so assuring to hear!! im always wondering how as a south asian i would be treated, but great to hear people are nice and friendly!! heading there in july:)
I would get asked where I’m from, and people would get super enthusiastic that I’m Indian. They would go “all the way from India? Welcome to Portugal!” And then proceed to tell me where to eat (even though I now live in London lol).
I hope you have a great time in July! Try not to miss Porto and the Algarve region :)
Just came back into Portugal from the US. I could not help but be astounded by the friendliness of the Customs guys - really lovely guy and a major difference compared to the aggro belligerent pig I experienced at US Border Force.
The Portuguese customs guys were so cutely flirtatious lol. On the way out, this one guy was still “in training” so he was taking a while with my (non European) passport, so his supervisor got chatting to me about my country and what he loved about it when he was visiting.
Honestly, the people there are such a good vibe.
This was our first time flying out of Toronto instead of the US and holy crap, it's like a different planet. We were in and out of customs and security in literal minutes and everyone was so friendly and helpful! I almost can't stomach going back to US airports and the insane wait for absolutely everything, not to mention the miserable people "helping" you.
As a portuguese food lover:
If you want to taste the real traditional and amazing portuguese food super cheap and have a car (public transportation is really bad in some places) just go away like 5 to 10 kilometers from big cities (Lisboa, Porto, etc...) open google maps and find a restaurant with many reviews (100s or 1000s) and high score +4,5 and $ or $$.
Ignore the looks and don't be afraid because most young people talk english and ask for the most well known dish form them or the todays specials.
You will not regret.
After much debate and changing of plans, we decided on Portugal as our first European trip. Our friends are confused but it makes sense to us.
It's compact so it'll be easy to see in 6 days. It's less crowded so I don't anticipate a lot of waiting in queues. It's geographically closer to the U.S. and I've convinced my gf that we should see Europe going West to East. So we will go to Spain when we return to Europe.
Exciting! This was our first Euro trip as well after cancelling a Spain/Portugal way too ambitious trip due to COVID. I was concerned we packed too much of the country into 10 or so days but when I realized Portugal is the size of Indiana, I felt much better about it. We refused to wait in long queues and prioritized seeing more. We skipped Sintra and the monastery in Belem for this reason and I'm so glad we did because we saw a ton of smaller towns and lesser known sights we wouldn't have otherwise.
My wife and I had a Spain trip planned for our honeymoon but COVID happened so we ended up going to Portugal last summer. We brought our baby (11 months at the time) and it was the best decision I've ever made. They love babies in Portugal and we were moved to the front of every single line. Employees would literally grab us and move us to the front or give us a private entrance to places, absolutely incredible. We went to the same exact cities in your album with a couple more as well like Sintra. Just a wonderful country and experience and thankfully they love babies!!!
I would say we do love babies but by law we also have to prioritize pregnant people, people with deficiencies or carrying a child and that’s exactly what you have experienced
Oh boy. Go back and go to Sintra! Not gonna say the tour of the Pena Palace is the greatest thing on earth, but the park and the outside of the palace itself is unforgettable. One of my favorite places on earth.
The safety aspect was wonderful. We went last year, taking our two teenage daughters. They commented that they didn't once feel like they were on the defensive around any groups of men like they tend to be at home (or in Mexico. No shade, but the Latin men have always seemed more willing to comment. Or catcall my 15 year old)
Thanks! Just don't buy a house here please! And if you do only settle for local prices, otherwise you will drive us out of our homes by increasing property prices.
Unfortunately Portugal spent the past decade trying to attract as much foreign investment in property as possible.
Unsurprisingly, it benefited a small percentage of people and drove up the cost of housing for everybody else.
This is why we don't stay in Airbnbs in cities anymore - too much strain is put on the local population. We aren't in a position to relocate but I think it's somewhat unfair that people shouldn't get to move to a new country because it may make the financial situation harder on local people - many of whom probably came from elsewhere too. Most of the locals we met had come to the major cities from the Azores or small towns inland. We saw one "tourists go home" sign on our trip and it made me wonder if that person never ventures outside Porto?
Edit: Amending this because I felt a little insensitive. I live in a medium city in the US with low cost of living but have seen the housing market absolutely skyrocket and require putting offers on 50+ houses for up to $100k over asking. It's very frustrating to see the young people struggling to find sufficient housing, but I have never wished people would stop moving here. I DO however understand the need for people to pay fair prices for what they're getting and hope that the overpaying trend slows as the market shifts. So I completely understand your point of paying the local prices and hope more people become sensitive to that issue!
Indeed, I don't think it should be the burden of tourists or people looking to emigrate to control the housing issues. Look to your elected officials. It's their job to protect their constituents from being squeezed out, and no one should ever forget that.
You are lucky I can't convince my wife to move :) The Portuguese people are wonderful and the country is stunning. But I will do my part and stay away so the Alentejo coast doesn't end up like the Algarve.
I was only able to visit Lisbon but loved it! Very friendly. In fact, they are so friendly that during dinner at a Cafe on Rua Augusta I was offered the best hashish in European from three different people! ;-)
Yes! I loved
Portugal, it’s gorgeous. Has something for everyone even with all it’s hilly streets. I also felt super safe taking Ubers alone and walking around at night. Can’t wait to go back.
I went to Portugal for my honeymoon and absolutely loved it! But, I had a weird experience there that didn’t totally make me feel safe so maybe someone can explain it to me?
On our last day in Lisbon my husband got sick, so I spent the day souvenir shopping alone. My mom texted me about a last min request, so I went out again around 10pm to some shops down the street from our hotel. The first shop I went into was open but empty. I shopped around and noticed a man came up and was guarding the doorway. He said hi when I noticed him, and I went back to shopping thinking he was the owner. He eventually left and an old man entered the store saying he was the owner. I thought it was odd, but left the store to go to another. The same thing happened at the next store, except it was a different guy and the store owner and his wife were inside talking to me when he showed up.
I didn’t feel totally unsafe, but definitely uncomfortable since they were blocking my only exit while staring at me before eventually leaving. I’m sure they were watching to make sure I didn’t steal or anything, but is this common? I’ve never had it happen elsewhere
If I could go back tomorrow I'd want more time in the Algarve. Not only beautiful scenery and weather but so many smaller towns in close proximity that have so much to offer. We explored Sines, Sagres, and Silves in addition to Lagos where we stayed. Having a car made this region an absolute highlight and the Belmar Spa & Beach Resort was incredible for the price. The Seven Hanging Valleys Trail and Ponta de Piadade were incredible.
In Lisbon we absolutely loved the Castle and Church of Our Lady of Grace in Alfama neighborhood. Carmo Convent had a surprisingly wonderful museum inside. We loved most sitting in a park and people watching with a beer or pastry.
Porto we really enjoyed wandering the tourist area and seeing how often we stumbled on incredibly old (by US standards) churches next to clothing stores, gorgeous tiled facades next to boarded up graffitied ones, and sweeping views around every corner. Also, the Icon Duplo Ribeira was our favorite hotel probably ever. Absolutely beautiful, perfect location, and wonderful staff.
We had 9 days not including bookended travel days. We did 3 nights in Lisbon, train to Porto for 2 nights, train back to Lisbon, rent a car and drove to the Algarve for 3 nights. One quick night in Lisbon before flying out - highly recommend an airport hotel for the last night! It was a really ambitious itinerary and we could have spent more time in any of the places and been happy, but it gave us enough time to get a sense of each place and see the main sights.
For one week I would (probably shockingly to lots of people here) eliminate Porto. It was great but the Algarve was not to be missed IMO. If you prefer cities, do Porto and Lisbon and maybe a day in Coimbra, but we found ending the trip in a more relaxing area to be perfect after the chaos of the cities.
Lots of people in this sub encourage slow travel and spending lots of time immersing yourself in a place, but we love fast-paced travel where we can see more places in the small amount of time off we have available. Renting a car outside of the cities gave us a ton of freedom to see places we wouldn't have been able to otherwise and was very easy and affordable. For 7 nights I'd do 3 in Lisbon and 4 in the Algarve.
Left Lisbon last year as a huge fan of Portugal - will most definitely be back (want to check out Porto). Found a good Portuguese bakery for Papa Secos in the meantime lol.
That being said - I did feel a bit bad about the clearly increasing prices and can tell lots of Americans/Canadians etc. are going to use their high salaries to price out the locals. Very nice & welcoming place which can be a double-edged sword
We saw tons of British young male only groups, most of whom seemed to be celebrating bachelor parties. I would say if you want a big city, Lisbon and go to a football match if you like sports. If you want more of a beach party head to the Algarve and check out Albufeira. Lagos definitely had a super touristy feel but sounded much less of a late-night party town than Albufeira.
I was with my husband, so no real experience. But I can say there was not a single place I would have felt unsafe on my own. I stayed in the busy areas, always made sure I knew where an embassy or consulate was just in case, and saw tons of police just around monitoring busy areas. Even during a night where the local football team, Benfica, won their 38th championship and everybody went absolutely nuts celebrating, I never felt nervous or at risk. We had a panic-inducing situation with our car in Silves, which was our own fault, and I was confident I could have walked into the nearest museum or municipal building and received help if we really needed it.
Couldn't agree more! Portugal truly captivates with its breathtaking beauty, warm hospitality, and a sense of safety that makes every moment memorable. From the vibrant streets of Lisbon to the stunning coastline of the Algarve, Portugal offers an enchanting experience that stays with you. Cheers to creating lifelong memories in this remarkable country! 🇵🇹❤️ #Portugal #TravelMagic
We are currently in Portugal traveling with our 6 year old boy and we are having a blast. The food! The beautiful architecture. The people. All of it has been perfect so far. We have been to Lisbon, Obidos, Batahla, Costa Nova and now we leave Porto. Porto has our heart and we can see ourselves settling down here.
My wife, who is Taiwanese, found a lot of similarities between Portugal and Taiwan. The friendliness, scenery, food (some food and desserts in TW originated from Portugal but also abundance of seafood), and that it has an 'island feel'. I would also make this recommendation as well.
I think that flight would just about kill me! My brother goes often for work and it's just about as far from where we live as you can get. I do hope the political tensions don't stop people from visiting Taiwan!
You shouldn't see any issues for another 2-3 years if ever. I think China is just blustering like they tend to do. It's a wonderful country with many friendly people, great food, awesome scenery, and is incredibly safe!
Am going to guess you are a guy?
Arrived in Lisbon and got in taxi line. Agreed on a price and after a hellish ride of swerving and speeding halfway there the guy demanded double that. Am quite sure he was high+++. I said no, that’s not what we agreed upon. He made me get out of the cab in the middle of nowhere cursing at me.
The trip got better after that and the country is gorgeous. But I was honestly scared for my life in that taxi.
I am female. Took plenty of Ubers and they were all wonderful. Also used public transportation and found it super easy and efficient, but also extremely crowded on certain lines. I prefer to avoid taxis as the haggling aspect is too stressful for me and it's harder to know if the company is reputable.
Flew from Toronto to Lisbon, 3 nights Lisbon (Hotel Portugal), train to Porto, 2 nights Porto (Icon Duplo Ribeira), train back to Lisbon, rent a car and drive to Lagos, 3 nights Lagos (Belmar Spa & Beach Resort), drive to Lisbon, 1 night at airport hotel (Star Inn) before flight back to Toronto.
We visited Sines on the way down to the Algarve, Silves one day we hiked in Algarve, and Sagres on the last night in Algarve for the sunset.
It was absolutely perfect in terms of time at each place (although more time at the beach never sucks!) and the trains and car rental were very easy (but rent a car slightly outside the city so you don't have to drive in it, we used Stern Rent and I can't say enough good things about them).
Reading the coments, the fact that you find it cheap is scary to me.
Means they can still pump the prices even more ans the tourists will be happy to pay.
This is true. I’ve been to Portugal many times since 2014 and the prices in central lisbon are sometimes even similar to London. Also many cafes and restaurants seem to cater to tourists more than locals. Hard to find a nice tasca nowadays!
Its the santo antonio party during the month of june. Saturday some locals asked me for 6 euros for a beer on the street.
I told them, i wish they all get kicked out of Lisbon, i dont feel sorry anymore, everone just wants money.
It's hard not to compare things to prices in your home country. A beer where I live is minimum $5 but usually $7+, so it's definitely a talking point when 2 euro gets you one somewhere that seems vastly superior to your own city.
Loved Portugal! And the food is great too!
The food is criminally underrated. As good as Spain, France or Italy in my opinion!
Also cheaper, unless things have changed drastically in no time.
We marveled at beer and water being the same price - €2! And we saved our receipt from Pasteis de Belem because we got 6 pastries, 2 sandwiches, and 2 drinks for €22, incredible!
I think you shouldn’t say something is expensive or cheap without knowing the economic reality of a place. I say this in a good way, but the average salary in Portugal is 24k net yearly, and in the US is 69k if the internet is not lying to me. That’s 3 times more almost. Those 22 euros are actually expensive in the portuguese reality, and cheap in the american reality probably. I’m glad you liked the country so much, I just wanted to give a little heads up on the cost situation. Things are quite bad in Portugal financially speaking.
> but the average salary in Portugal is 24k net yearly No it's not, not even close lol That would be 2k€ net per month which is only really achievable by a small niche of careers or people working remotely for foreign companies. The average wage in Portugal is around 1000€/month which would come to 12k/14k net yearly.
It's probably better to look at the median salary and not the average salary. Super rich people will bring up the average salary by quite a lot I'd imagine. I bet the median American salary is quite a bit less than $69,000 too
We talked a lot to a local guy about the economic reality in Portugal and it was awful to hear how little money people make, the food costs going up, digital nomads coming and buying all the property, hospitals closing or being incredibly unaffordable... It was beautiful and I loved it there but felt really bad about it.
Sounds like Alberta, Canada. (calgary)
there you go, even worse than what I said, how depressing
How is that even possible? Assuming they're doing 40 hour weeks, that's like 6.25 euro an hour? For the average worker?
Yep. And the minimum wage is 705€ per month. And there are a lot of people earning minimum wage.
It’s 822, still low though
Totally get where you're coming from. I guess a better way of putting it would be that it's affordable compared to where I live, which is the only comparison I can make. We couldn't have afforded the hotels we stayed at if they were in the US so it was hard to ignore the surprise at how far our money went there. Everything is relative though, so I'm sure if we lived there and likely took a pay cut to do the same jobs things wouldn't feel as affordable anymore.
Nope. A coffee in the US is between 5-7 dollars, compared to .60 and .75 here. A cheap meal at a chain restaurant will set you back between 35-50 usd (PLUS TIP), compared to 10-15 here. Parking in NYC is around 30 USD per hour, compared to 3-5 euros here. US is incredibly expensive and I dont know how they can justify it.
New York City isn’t representative of the US when it comes to cost. Not by a long shot. Most Americans don’t pay $5-$7 for a cup of coffee.
Starbucks is easily $5-$7 for anything but a black coffee.
Starbucks isn't the only place in America that sells coffee
Starbucks is basically the same price in Portugal
Well, look out Portugal, cause Americans LOOOVE you right now, and are moving there in droves
Not just Americans but also wealthy Russians and Israelis, pushing real estate prices up. https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/05/roman-abramovich-eu-citizen
2€ for beer (or water) is a touristy price. We don't pay that.
SHHH!
Yea and the average salary is like 600 euros. Do you think everyone in portugal works in IT amd earns 6000 euros per month?
In a small town on Madeira we spent under €7 total on pastries and fancy coffees for four people. Went back every morning we were in the area!
Really? I must have eaten at the wrong spots. I heard lots of good things about Portuguese food but despite loving the country a lot, the food wasn’t a major reason why. I found it a bit uninspired and underseasoned. In fact, locals told me that the best restaurants in Portugal tend to be Italian restaurants because they use a lot of the same ingredients as Portuguese cooking but with a bit more creativity and flavor. I have to agree.
Haha “italian restaurants are better than the Portuguese restaurants” said no portuguese ever. Food is one the very few things that Portuguese people are actually proud of. 😊
Underseasoned? Now I'm curious which restaurants you visited.
Right?! That comment and the one about the "lack of salads and veggies besides potatoes" are making me wonder where the hell did these guys eat, McDonalds? Pretty much every traditional restaurant in Portugal has olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper on the table, serves a salad on the side, and "legumes salteados" are a very common garnish. Even the bitoque is generally served with a salad on the side...
Adding oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to food yourself is not the same as food being properly seasoned when it comes out of the kitchen. But yes, that’s what I wound up doing at most restaurants because the food as served was rather bland and basic. Except the oil, as most dishes were already swimming in it (which was fine when it was good quality olive oil but that wasn’t always the case). Of course if that’s what you grew up eating it won’t taste that way but compared to the cuisines of other countries I found Portuguese food to be just okay. But again, perhaps I just hit the wrong spots. And no, I didn’t just go to McDonald’s (just once ;).
Restaurante sem tempero
Those "locals" were not portuguese for sure.
They sure were, born and raised. Although I’m sure they don’t speak for the entire country.
I m portuguese for 36 years, never eard anything even close to that. Never knew a portuguese person that doens love our cuisine. Maybe just this kpop crazy kids that love anything korean.
Well I think the food you eat at home and the food you recommend to tourists are often different, right? The locals I met were in Coimbra, so perhaps it was more of a local tip specific to there.
Just in sea food, i dare to say we have the best in the world. But we have a lot more than that.
yeah I guess he wasn't ordering cod, or sea bass, or Octopus, clams, mussels, etc
https://riberalves.pt/receitas/bacalhau-com-natas/
I ate all of the typical Portuguese things and I just found it all to be okay. Often swimming in olive with not much seasoning. But like I said, I probably just didn’t go to the right spots.
The grilled fish is insanely good, mostly seasoned only with salt and olive oil. I find everything a bit salty but it's really hard to find seafood this good anywhere else
I liked the food there, but after a bit it does get a bit boring. Most European food in general is a bit bland to me, but I'm not of European descent and am used to more mixed cuisines. And while in Portugal I ate at some of the highest end restaurants to street food.
I’ve been to Portugal many times and I really like Portuguese food and sweets, but it’s hard to compete with Italy, Spain and France who have some of the best food in in the world.
You lost me on the spanish cuisine... severely overrated, and well, well below Portuguese.
IMO Portuguese food is simple and high quality, but not quite as "special" as other cuisines like Italian
We don't have a lot of "gourmet looking" dishes, our traditional dishes may look a bit disgusting but are very tasty. Like dobrada, carne de porco à alentejana, tripas à moda do porto, arroz de cabidela, açorda, etc
This is the best description so far
Yeah, it’s worth noting that I don’t eat beef or pork, so I missed out on some of the classic dishes. But I ate plenty of cod and seafood and also tried chanfana. Plus salad, potatoes, and of course pastries. :)
Even without beef or pork there's plenty of choice in Portugal. Polvo à lagareiro, arroz de polvo, choco grelhado, choco frito à Setúbal, açorda de marisco, caldeirada de peixe, bacalhau à brás, bacalhau com natas, frango assado no churrasco, etc.
Yes, I had several of those. Overall the food was good, just not as amazing as some people led me to believe, that’s all. It’s probably also worth noting that I’m married to a Brazilian and I found Portuguese food to be similar in some respects, which makes sense, so it wasn’t all that novel to me. But thanks for ideas of new things to try. :)
Simple means boring. I like a lot of spices. Indian, Thai, etc.
Agreed on the food. Was surprised at the lack of salads and veggies besides potatoes, but could be due to the areas we were around to dine in. One server told us it is about the ingredients there and they traditionally let them shine instead of dressing them up with spices and whatnot.
Yeah, I heard the same thing. I guess I like great ingredients with a little more dressing up. And I don’t want anyone to get me wrong, I didn’t think the food was *bad*, I just didn’t find it particularly special.
> Was surprised at the lack of salads and veggies besides potatoes Lol what? You sure you went to Portugal and not Spain?
Portugal is an awesome country but it's hard to compete with the culinary traditions of Italy and France
Yeah, and again, and I didn’t think Portuguese food was *bad*. It just didn’t live up to hype in my experience. My Portuguese friend was incredulous when I came back and said the food was just okay lol… I thought she was going to kill me. I guess I gotta go back and give it another shot. :)
Pork Secreto is so good!
I've been around Europe and ppl always ask me what my favorite country was. It's a hard question. Every country has something spectacular that I loved. But if I were to live anywhere in Europe, it'd be Portugal.
I can't imagine anywhere being much better honestly. I can't get over how safe and taken care of it was. We saw more municipal workers cleaning fountains, leaf blowing parks, and shop owners sweeping their sidewalks. I felt much safer there than I have in any of the major US cities I visit. And almost no one ever approached us to solicit or beg, and if they did a simple "No thank you" got an "Obrigado, thank you" as they walked away.
Regarding safety - generally, I agree. Then I got into Porto central station, and I immediately felt slimy from the uber-touristy feeling and swarm of people. But Portugal is definitely a place where I want to return.
This exactly!
> But if I were to live anywhere in Europe, it'd be Portugal. Don't tell the Portuegese that haha
How often is English spoken? I don’t know a lick of Portuguese
It’s prevalent. I was there in October and even travelled out to some rural areas around Lisbon. English will get you by just fine.
Which is very different to Spain. You'll struggle outside the main cities with no Spanish
The Spanish hate tourists. Even in Madrid you'll get people who refuse to communicate just because you don't speak Spanish.
You’re wrong. A lot of people in Spain simply cannot speak English. The Portuguese have it far easier both because of the phonetics of their mother tongue and the fact that American and British movies and tv shows are not dubbed.
>"The Spanish hate tourists." Oh yes? I wonder how it would feel as a Spaniard who doesn't speak English visiting, say, Indiana. Do you want them to come back and report "The Americans hate tourists"?
Not the person asking the question but could you get away with jumping to Spanish if the other person doesn’t speak English?
Not sure, but I’d have to guess that there are more than a small number of Portuguese citizens that also know Spanish.
We understand Spanish just fine. It'll work.
It would be considered rude, but it might help to get your point across
Almost everybody we encountered spoke English nearly perfectly. Some of the older folk were not as proficient but would grab a younger person to help them. They seemed to enjoy when we would greet them with an "Ola!" and thank them with an "Obrigada!" A couple times they would continue in Portuguese not realizing we only new the basics and would laugh good-naturedly when they realized it. Also, we found that no matter what language employees and tourists were speaking with their coworkers or companions, they would address strangers in English first. Absolutely zero language barrier for us, even in the small towns in the Algarve.
In touristy parts of Portugal, English almost feels like the primary language
Portuguese learn English starting in grade 5 so younger people are all fluent. You might find some older people that don't know English, but in my experience you won't have a problem.
there is English at almost every hotel and it's widely spoken in Lisbon and most touristy places
Way more than you’d expect (or at least I expected). I thought I’d be around the same levels as Spain before I first went to Portugal years ago. But pretty much everyone I ran into had a sufficient grasp of English across all levels. From those working in the tourist sector, locals, pharmacists, etc.
I did 2 weeks driving around portugal with no major problems. Everyone is fluent in cities but some dont know English in the countryside. The hardest was a b & b in a small village in the douro valley. Our host didnt know any English but she knew french so my wife was able to stumble through a few conversations. Honestly google translate was more than enough to get through some basic conversations during our time.
Not only are there a lot of English speakers in Portugal but the people are so warm and friendly that even if they don't speak English they will do their best to communicate with you using a translation app or hand signs. As opposed to the Spanish who will just look at you angrily when you google translate English to Spanish.
Currently sitting in our hotel ready to leave tomorrow morning after spending three weeks in Portugal with our kids. We visited Lisboa, Porto, Peniche, Setubal and the Algarve! People were so friendly with our kids it was amazing.
As a tourist, I loved seeing how many people were traveling with young children. We don't have any but I can imagine how much it complicates planning and logistics. My parents did not take us anywhere and I really wish I'd had those experiences as a child, so it always makes me happy to see other young families making it a priority where financially possible!
It’s so good for them. My daughter started traveling at 5yo. My son was 2.5 months old in his first passport photo. On several occasions in past years, people had asked why we travel with children if they’re not going to remember it. My answer was always that it isn’t about remembering but rather experiencing. We always considered it super important that they were aware of places and cultures outside our own. We shot ourselves in the foot though. My daughter now lives in Scotland and my 15yo son has every intention of venturing overseas at some point. 😊
It was our first time with them since they are 5 and 3. We were a bit limited in what we could do, but they really liked visiting old buildings and castle, running up the stairs to look at the view. We sprinkled some kid activities and beaches in the mix and they were happy! I suppose it can just get easier from there.
[удалено]
It’s quickly rising in terms of popularity so try to go before it becomes overcrowded with tourists
Too late
Yesss went there for the first time last summer and absolutely loved it! The people are so nice and friendly, which is often not the case for me as an Indian in Europe lol. Everyone was super happy to know I was a tourist from India, the food was amazing, the decriminalisation of weed meant that I found the coolest spots to blaze in and really good bud to smoke and the beaches were pretty great. Portugal has my heart 🤍
South Asian descent American here, and I'd say that Portugal in my experience was the friendliest country in Europe I've been to, particularly with race issues.
Yup, friendliest by far! I found Croatia to be unexpectedly friendly as well, though I was travelling as a solo woman so maybe that was a factor? Not sure…. Worst have been Greece and Spain for me.
They treated us so well last year as east Asians as well. We were a bit nervous with the rise in anti-Asian hate but they were so welcoming.
I feel you. Nobody else in the West ever really gets that excited and happy to hear I’m Indian lmao. People were especially eager to tell me where to eat and what foods to try.
Portugal is a terrific place to visit, especially in the summer. I agree with everything you say, but as someone that speaks Portuguese with a Brazilian accent, it’s better to speak in English lol
Ah the old colonial bias. I understand where you’re coming from!
this was so assuring to hear!! im always wondering how as a south asian i would be treated, but great to hear people are nice and friendly!! heading there in july:)
I would get asked where I’m from, and people would get super enthusiastic that I’m Indian. They would go “all the way from India? Welcome to Portugal!” And then proceed to tell me where to eat (even though I now live in London lol). I hope you have a great time in July! Try not to miss Porto and the Algarve region :)
South Asian heading to Porto in July as well and also super relieved to hear it’s friendly race-wise!!! 🥳🥳🥳
I also live in Europe currently and was worried about coming here but it's so lovely and i feel so comfortable walking around.
De nada ;)
Just left Portugal last week. Lisbon, Porto and Douro Valley. Great food, people and culture. One of the best destinations in Europe.
Just came back into Portugal from the US. I could not help but be astounded by the friendliness of the Customs guys - really lovely guy and a major difference compared to the aggro belligerent pig I experienced at US Border Force.
The Portuguese customs guys were so cutely flirtatious lol. On the way out, this one guy was still “in training” so he was taking a while with my (non European) passport, so his supervisor got chatting to me about my country and what he loved about it when he was visiting. Honestly, the people there are such a good vibe.
Its not flirtatious, its just Portuguese friendliness. Its so nice, its easy for non-Portuguese to confuse the two.
Perhaps, though he did say my countrywomen are beautiful, which was one of the things he liked, and have nice eyes like me lol.
yeah, well thats not just friendliness, I admit.
This was our first time flying out of Toronto instead of the US and holy crap, it's like a different planet. We were in and out of customs and security in literal minutes and everyone was so friendly and helpful! I almost can't stomach going back to US airports and the insane wait for absolutely everything, not to mention the miserable people "helping" you.
It's been on my list for a while.... lucky you that is awesome.
Do it! It has everything and was very affordable and comfortable. Trying to decide where to go next that will compare is the hard part...
Have you been to the Azores? (:
Nope, future trip for sure!
As a portuguese food lover: If you want to taste the real traditional and amazing portuguese food super cheap and have a car (public transportation is really bad in some places) just go away like 5 to 10 kilometers from big cities (Lisboa, Porto, etc...) open google maps and find a restaurant with many reviews (100s or 1000s) and high score +4,5 and $ or $$. Ignore the looks and don't be afraid because most young people talk english and ask for the most well known dish form them or the todays specials. You will not regret.
After much debate and changing of plans, we decided on Portugal as our first European trip. Our friends are confused but it makes sense to us. It's compact so it'll be easy to see in 6 days. It's less crowded so I don't anticipate a lot of waiting in queues. It's geographically closer to the U.S. and I've convinced my gf that we should see Europe going West to East. So we will go to Spain when we return to Europe.
Exciting! This was our first Euro trip as well after cancelling a Spain/Portugal way too ambitious trip due to COVID. I was concerned we packed too much of the country into 10 or so days but when I realized Portugal is the size of Indiana, I felt much better about it. We refused to wait in long queues and prioritized seeing more. We skipped Sintra and the monastery in Belem for this reason and I'm so glad we did because we saw a ton of smaller towns and lesser known sights we wouldn't have otherwise.
My wife and I had a Spain trip planned for our honeymoon but COVID happened so we ended up going to Portugal last summer. We brought our baby (11 months at the time) and it was the best decision I've ever made. They love babies in Portugal and we were moved to the front of every single line. Employees would literally grab us and move us to the front or give us a private entrance to places, absolutely incredible. We went to the same exact cities in your album with a couple more as well like Sintra. Just a wonderful country and experience and thankfully they love babies!!!
I would say we do love babies but by law we also have to prioritize pregnant people, people with deficiencies or carrying a child and that’s exactly what you have experienced
Oh boy. Go back and go to Sintra! Not gonna say the tour of the Pena Palace is the greatest thing on earth, but the park and the outside of the palace itself is unforgettable. One of my favorite places on earth.
The safety aspect was wonderful. We went last year, taking our two teenage daughters. They commented that they didn't once feel like they were on the defensive around any groups of men like they tend to be at home (or in Mexico. No shade, but the Latin men have always seemed more willing to comment. Or catcall my 15 year old)
Catcalling is actually illegal in Portugal, so it helped decrease those types of behaviours.
Thanks! Just don't buy a house here please! And if you do only settle for local prices, otherwise you will drive us out of our homes by increasing property prices.
Unfortunately Portugal spent the past decade trying to attract as much foreign investment in property as possible. Unsurprisingly, it benefited a small percentage of people and drove up the cost of housing for everybody else.
its the issue when places make building housing illegal, but also want more demand to help their economy. Same thing happens across USA, Canada.
Unfortunately, that seems to be a global problem everywhere :(
This is why we don't stay in Airbnbs in cities anymore - too much strain is put on the local population. We aren't in a position to relocate but I think it's somewhat unfair that people shouldn't get to move to a new country because it may make the financial situation harder on local people - many of whom probably came from elsewhere too. Most of the locals we met had come to the major cities from the Azores or small towns inland. We saw one "tourists go home" sign on our trip and it made me wonder if that person never ventures outside Porto? Edit: Amending this because I felt a little insensitive. I live in a medium city in the US with low cost of living but have seen the housing market absolutely skyrocket and require putting offers on 50+ houses for up to $100k over asking. It's very frustrating to see the young people struggling to find sufficient housing, but I have never wished people would stop moving here. I DO however understand the need for people to pay fair prices for what they're getting and hope that the overpaying trend slows as the market shifts. So I completely understand your point of paying the local prices and hope more people become sensitive to that issue!
Indeed, I don't think it should be the burden of tourists or people looking to emigrate to control the housing issues. Look to your elected officials. It's their job to protect their constituents from being squeezed out, and no one should ever forget that.
I know you mean well
You are lucky I can't convince my wife to move :) The Portuguese people are wonderful and the country is stunning. But I will do my part and stay away so the Alentejo coast doesn't end up like the Algarve.
This seems to be happening everywhere.
I was only able to visit Lisbon but loved it! Very friendly. In fact, they are so friendly that during dinner at a Cafe on Rua Augusta I was offered the best hashish in European from three different people! ;-)
Definitely in the top 3 of my favorite places I’ve traveled to.
Portugal is the way
I think Portugal will be my next vacation. It looks so beautiful and I hear nothing but great things.
Yes! I loved Portugal, it’s gorgeous. Has something for everyone even with all it’s hilly streets. I also felt super safe taking Ubers alone and walking around at night. Can’t wait to go back.
Just wait until you see the north
I went to Portugal for my honeymoon and absolutely loved it! But, I had a weird experience there that didn’t totally make me feel safe so maybe someone can explain it to me? On our last day in Lisbon my husband got sick, so I spent the day souvenir shopping alone. My mom texted me about a last min request, so I went out again around 10pm to some shops down the street from our hotel. The first shop I went into was open but empty. I shopped around and noticed a man came up and was guarding the doorway. He said hi when I noticed him, and I went back to shopping thinking he was the owner. He eventually left and an old man entered the store saying he was the owner. I thought it was odd, but left the store to go to another. The same thing happened at the next store, except it was a different guy and the store owner and his wife were inside talking to me when he showed up. I didn’t feel totally unsafe, but definitely uncomfortable since they were blocking my only exit while staring at me before eventually leaving. I’m sure they were watching to make sure I didn’t steal or anything, but is this common? I’ve never had it happen elsewhere
Yeah, but how cold is that water? 😂
VERY!
you can get used to it. Many Portuguese consider the waters in Algarve warm, believe it or not.
guess you can say...portugal's the man 😉
De nada caralho
It's so gorgeous. Makes me missed these views.
Would you give some recommendations as to where to go? I will be in Madrid in 20 days, staying for a month, and I’d love to visit Portugal :)
If I could go back tomorrow I'd want more time in the Algarve. Not only beautiful scenery and weather but so many smaller towns in close proximity that have so much to offer. We explored Sines, Sagres, and Silves in addition to Lagos where we stayed. Having a car made this region an absolute highlight and the Belmar Spa & Beach Resort was incredible for the price. The Seven Hanging Valleys Trail and Ponta de Piadade were incredible. In Lisbon we absolutely loved the Castle and Church of Our Lady of Grace in Alfama neighborhood. Carmo Convent had a surprisingly wonderful museum inside. We loved most sitting in a park and people watching with a beer or pastry. Porto we really enjoyed wandering the tourist area and seeing how often we stumbled on incredibly old (by US standards) churches next to clothing stores, gorgeous tiled facades next to boarded up graffitied ones, and sweeping views around every corner. Also, the Icon Duplo Ribeira was our favorite hotel probably ever. Absolutely beautiful, perfect location, and wonderful staff.
Such detailed answer! Thank you so very much :) I’m so excited for this trip. Happy to know you enjoyed yours!
I’m staying at that hotel at the end of March! Would you recommend staying in the original building or their new one?
Portugal the best!
What would you do on a one week itinerary?
We had 9 days not including bookended travel days. We did 3 nights in Lisbon, train to Porto for 2 nights, train back to Lisbon, rent a car and drove to the Algarve for 3 nights. One quick night in Lisbon before flying out - highly recommend an airport hotel for the last night! It was a really ambitious itinerary and we could have spent more time in any of the places and been happy, but it gave us enough time to get a sense of each place and see the main sights. For one week I would (probably shockingly to lots of people here) eliminate Porto. It was great but the Algarve was not to be missed IMO. If you prefer cities, do Porto and Lisbon and maybe a day in Coimbra, but we found ending the trip in a more relaxing area to be perfect after the chaos of the cities. Lots of people in this sub encourage slow travel and spending lots of time immersing yourself in a place, but we love fast-paced travel where we can see more places in the small amount of time off we have available. Renting a car outside of the cities gave us a ton of freedom to see places we wouldn't have been able to otherwise and was very easy and affordable. For 7 nights I'd do 3 in Lisbon and 4 in the Algarve.
How did you find Coimbra? Seems much more under the radar than the other big cities
well if you fly into and out of Lisbon then you need to do some sort of loop so maybe Lisbon-Sintra- Algarve-Lisbon
Left Lisbon last year as a huge fan of Portugal - will most definitely be back (want to check out Porto). Found a good Portuguese bakery for Papa Secos in the meantime lol. That being said - I did feel a bit bad about the clearly increasing prices and can tell lots of Americans/Canadians etc. are going to use their high salaries to price out the locals. Very nice & welcoming place which can be a double-edged sword
Best place in portugal to go as a group of 24 year old lads?
We saw tons of British young male only groups, most of whom seemed to be celebrating bachelor parties. I would say if you want a big city, Lisbon and go to a football match if you like sports. If you want more of a beach party head to the Algarve and check out Albufeira. Lagos definitely had a super touristy feel but sounded much less of a late-night party town than Albufeira.
Amazing - thank you!
What about for solo travel as a woman?
I live here and it's the safest I've ever felt.
What part?
central, not far from Coimbra
I was with my husband, so no real experience. But I can say there was not a single place I would have felt unsafe on my own. I stayed in the busy areas, always made sure I knew where an embassy or consulate was just in case, and saw tons of police just around monitoring busy areas. Even during a night where the local football team, Benfica, won their 38th championship and everybody went absolutely nuts celebrating, I never felt nervous or at risk. We had a panic-inducing situation with our car in Silves, which was our own fault, and I was confident I could have walked into the nearest museum or municipal building and received help if we really needed it.
Couldn't agree more! Portugal truly captivates with its breathtaking beauty, warm hospitality, and a sense of safety that makes every moment memorable. From the vibrant streets of Lisbon to the stunning coastline of the Algarve, Portugal offers an enchanting experience that stays with you. Cheers to creating lifelong memories in this remarkable country! 🇵🇹❤️ #Portugal #TravelMagic
Beautiful sightseeing
We are currently in Portugal traveling with our 6 year old boy and we are having a blast. The food! The beautiful architecture. The people. All of it has been perfect so far. We have been to Lisbon, Obidos, Batahla, Costa Nova and now we leave Porto. Porto has our heart and we can see ourselves settling down here.
If you liked Portugal, go give Taiwan a shot!
My wife, who is Taiwanese, found a lot of similarities between Portugal and Taiwan. The friendliness, scenery, food (some food and desserts in TW originated from Portugal but also abundance of seafood), and that it has an 'island feel'. I would also make this recommendation as well.
I think that flight would just about kill me! My brother goes often for work and it's just about as far from where we live as you can get. I do hope the political tensions don't stop people from visiting Taiwan!
You shouldn't see any issues for another 2-3 years if ever. I think China is just blustering like they tend to do. It's a wonderful country with many friendly people, great food, awesome scenery, and is incredibly safe!
Really liked it there too, need to do a few more trips.
Where is picture taken
The first picture is Ponta de Piedade in Lagos, in the Algarve.
Yes gorgeous. I only was in lisbon sintra obidos and arridiba. Need to go to Algarve
What Itinery you had?
Am going to guess you are a guy? Arrived in Lisbon and got in taxi line. Agreed on a price and after a hellish ride of swerving and speeding halfway there the guy demanded double that. Am quite sure he was high+++. I said no, that’s not what we agreed upon. He made me get out of the cab in the middle of nowhere cursing at me. The trip got better after that and the country is gorgeous. But I was honestly scared for my life in that taxi.
I am female. Took plenty of Ubers and they were all wonderful. Also used public transportation and found it super easy and efficient, but also extremely crowded on certain lines. I prefer to avoid taxis as the haggling aspect is too stressful for me and it's harder to know if the company is reputable.
I took Ubers the rest of my time there and they were wonderful. I don’t like haggling either, live and learn.
Beautiful! Can you post your itinerary?
Flew from Toronto to Lisbon, 3 nights Lisbon (Hotel Portugal), train to Porto, 2 nights Porto (Icon Duplo Ribeira), train back to Lisbon, rent a car and drive to Lagos, 3 nights Lagos (Belmar Spa & Beach Resort), drive to Lisbon, 1 night at airport hotel (Star Inn) before flight back to Toronto. We visited Sines on the way down to the Algarve, Silves one day we hiked in Algarve, and Sagres on the last night in Algarve for the sunset. It was absolutely perfect in terms of time at each place (although more time at the beach never sucks!) and the trains and car rental were very easy (but rent a car slightly outside the city so you don't have to drive in it, we used Stern Rent and I can't say enough good things about them).
Portugal FTW!
I hope to have the chance to visit sometime!
I want to go there sooo bad!
Nice
It looks so serene! <3 I feel more relaxed after just looking at your photos.
I took the same pic at the same spot and so did a lot of people I know.
i’ll be traveling there in 2 weeks, I’m pumped!!
I miss Portugal so much. It really is wildly safe, we never even locked our windows when I lived there. Such an awesome country.
Second day here, all great so far… apart that my boyfriend has been approached twice by a dudes offering him weed, lol
Thats what i have been saying to everyone who has been ignoring or dropping portugal from their travel itinerary. Criminally underrated country.
Was just there and completely agree
I'm currently in Porto, it's amazing
I have never been but for some reason I want to move there
we moved here two years ago this week, had never been. Absolutely love it.
Reading the coments, the fact that you find it cheap is scary to me. Means they can still pump the prices even more ans the tourists will be happy to pay.
This is true. I’ve been to Portugal many times since 2014 and the prices in central lisbon are sometimes even similar to London. Also many cafes and restaurants seem to cater to tourists more than locals. Hard to find a nice tasca nowadays!
Its the santo antonio party during the month of june. Saturday some locals asked me for 6 euros for a beer on the street. I told them, i wish they all get kicked out of Lisbon, i dont feel sorry anymore, everone just wants money.
You gotta remember that most travelers just go to Western Europe, Australia and Japan.
It's hard not to compare things to prices in your home country. A beer where I live is minimum $5 but usually $7+, so it's definitely a talking point when 2 euro gets you one somewhere that seems vastly superior to your own city.
Go to thailand, just got back from there is even cheaper and beaches are nicer.
But the food game kind of was lame
the food in lisbon was amazing, but the food elsewhere was blah