A Week in Portugal

In the grand finale of our European Adventure, we set our sights on Portugal, a country which neither of us had visited before. However, it held a unique significance for us, as my maternal grandparents had immigrated from Portugal to the United States before they met. My mother was the youngest of eleven children and as you can imagine we had quite a large extended family. My grandparents\' home was the core of the family and the entire extended family would gather there often. Though I was young, the memories of food, laughter, music and dancing endure in my mind. Those days, a cherished part of my past, have been brought back to life through this exploration of Portugal, allowing me to savor those precious memories. As we walked around the city streets, I could close my eyes and hear my grandparents talking in Portuguese; the cadence and tone of the older people in the streets talking to each other was exactly as I remember my grandparents\' lively discussions.

Our one week exploration of Portugal began in Porto, and then to the Douro wine region, a landscape adorned with terraced vineyards along the hillsides. Here, we immersed ourselves in the art of winemaking, sampled local vintages including the world famous port wine. From there we hit the beach Praia do Norte, in Nazaré in an attempt to see the big surf on our way to Lisbon.

Lisbon, the capital city, awaited us with its blend of old-world charm and modern vibrancy. Exploring historic neighborhoods like Belém and Baixa and the Praça do Comércio, we delved into the heart of Portuguese culture, indulging in pastéis de belem and seafood galore. The Portuguese have a myriad of ways to cook codfish, also known as 'bacalhau.’ No trip to Portugal is complete without sampling the bacalhau.

Our journey southward brought us to Portimão in the Algarve region, where Portugal's beaches and stunning rugged rock formations proved to be some of the best we've ever encountered—and we've explored numerous coastlines. The allure of the Algarve extends beyond its coastal beauty, reaching into its culinary offerings. From enjoying grilled sardines at beachside shacks to savoring the flavors of regional dishes like cataplana de peixe, the gastronomic experiences alone would make us revisit Portugal.

The map image below displays our route and destinations during our Portugal exploration, click any of the destinations in the list to be taken to that part of this page.

Click the above video poster image to explore our "Portugal Reasons to Visit and Travel Vlog" - In this Portugal vacation travel video guide we'll provide reasons to visit and information about how to spend a week in Portugal. Portugal is a beautiful country directly on the Atlantic Ocean that offers a lot of value for your money and it has a fascinating history and culture. From the Douro River Valley to Nazare surf beach to the scenic and historic Lisbon and then south to the incredibly picturesque beaches of the Algarve Portugal has a lot to offer.

While Portugal ranks 19th in size among European countries, covering an area of 88,889 square kilometers, its diverse landscapes beckon exploration beyond major cities. With a width of 218 km and a length of 561 km, mainland Portugal boasts 832 km of Atlantic coast and shares a 1,215 km border with Spain. To truly experience the more remote and scenic locations, a rental car becomes essential.

However, for those planning to stay within major urban hubs, navigating Portugal without a car is entirely feasible. Efficient train and bus services link key cities such as Porto, Lisbon, and Lagos, and others providing an economical means of transportation. To explore available options and plan your journey, websites like Omio can be invaluable. Check out the bus and train options from Lisbon to Porto: Omio Lisbon to Porto.

If you are considering train travel in Portugal or Europe: You may want to consider acquiring the Omio travel app. Twenty-seven million monthly users already compare and book trains, buses, flights and ferries on their phones seamlessly in Europe and beyond.

Besides our Portugal motivations from our family's heritage, here are some other incredible reasons why we wanted to visit Portugal;

• Portugal has it all: historic cities, world-renowned cuisine, beautiful country areas with natural landscapes, and some of the world’s most spectacular beaches.
• Once the world’s maritime leader and the longest-lived of Europe’s modern empires, Portugal has a complex history to explore alongside dramatic geographic landscapes, turquoise beaches, a rich gastronomy scene, and all the Port and bacalhau (salted cod fish) you can ask for.
• Portugal won the "best travel destination" award in 2018, and after you read this article of ours, you will be able to understand why!
• Nobody anywhere does custard tarts (or pastel de natas, as they’re called here) quite like Portugal. And perhaps nowhere in Portugal does them as well as Pasteis de Belém in Lisbon, which is why queues for the sweet, rich and perfectly crisp tarts often stretch along the pavement.
• Perched on the western edge of Europe, Lisbon is the continent’s sunniest capital city, boasting an average of 2,799 hours of sunshine a year, beating out Athens, which has 2,771 hours of sun a year.
• Thanks to the rolling swell of the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal is one of Europe’s best surfing destinations with a wave for every ability. Best of all, the surf breaks are relatively uncrowded.

Perhaps now you can understand our enthusiasm for spending a week in Portugal, exploring it from North to South?

• When is the best time to visit Portugal: The best time to visit is in spring (March-May), when the country is in bloom and waking after the winter. You could also go in fall (between September and October) when the sun is still shining, the weather is warm, and many of the crowds have dispersed.
• What Weather can be expected in Lisbon: In Lisbon the rainiest months of the year are December and November during which rainfall average reaches 5.039 inches per month. On the other side, driest months are August and July when the average rainfall is reduced to 0.157 inches per month.
• Which Airlines Fly from the USA to Portugal: TAP Air Portugal offers direct flights all year round between the USA and Lisbon, and United Airlines offering flights all year round from New York to Lisbon and seasonally from other US cities.
• Where is the best weather in Portugal: Portugal's location between Spain and the North Atlantic Ocean means it never gets too cold. The Mediterranean weather in the south means the popular Portuguese Algarve region sees consistently warm and sunny days. The western region of Portugal can see cooler weather due to the Atlantic winds.
• What Portuguese Wines would you suggest: The diversity of Portuguese wines, and how each region of Portugal offers various types of wine, makes answering this question difficult. Please take a look at this article that provides quite a bit of detail on each type of Portuguese wine and how wine differs with each region of Portugal. We are quite fond of Vinho Verde (a white wine) that is good with seafood, chicken or pork. We would recommend "The Douro" red wine for use with red, savory meats, grilled or roasted.
• Does the surf in Nazaré really get that large: Yes, and there is an HBO documentary titled "100 foot wave". We guarantee you will be astounded by the size of the waves that can be seen in the documentary.
• What Portuguese Food would you recommend: It is not possible to provide a short answer to this question, and there a number of websites out there that have already done a good job of itemizing what one should try in Portugal, or what various dishes are. Our favorite site, because it lists not only each dish but where to find the best examples of that dish, can be found here. For the record, we have had most of the items on that list, and we can vouch for how good they were. We have had various pastries at Pasteis de Belém and we are convinced that their Pastéis de Nata are the best we've ever had.
• What currency is used in Portugal: The official currency of Portugal is the euro.
• Is Portugal safe for travel: Portugal is extremely safe. Petty theft such as pickpocketing can occur in crowded tourist areas, but your overall safety is never a concern. Portugal's crime index is 31.5 which is 28th in comparison to all European Countries. To put that into perspective, the United States has a crime index of 49.02.
• What electrical adaptor plug is needed for Portugal? Power plugs and sockets are of type F. This socket also works with plugs C and E. The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz. You can plug in your appliances in Portugal if the voltage in your country is between 220 – 240.
• Can I drive in Portugal with US driver's license? U.S. Citizens are entitled to drive in Portugal with their U.S. issued driver's license for a period no to exceed 185 days, provided they are not legal residents. If you are staying longer than six months, an International Driving License is required. If you do not have an EU or American license, you should obtain an International Driving Permit (IDP) before you arrive.

The Francisco Sá Carneiro Airport Porto

Our flight from Madrid arrived in Porto in the afternoon and, eager to reach our hotel in the Douro River Valley, we decided to skip exploring Porto on this trip. Visiting Porto and spending a few nights in the city is undoubtedly on our list for our next visit. The airport was modern and very clean, however our focus was on getting our rental car and getting onto the road to the Douro Valley. If you are interested in this airport, here is the link to their website.

NOTE: The Airport image is the property of Pedroshin via Wikipedia utilizing the Public Domain License.

The Duoro River Valley

We picked up our rental car from Auto Europe, fired up our navigation App, and proceeded to drive to the Delfim Douro Hotel - our first stop in Portugal. The stunning views from the rooms and from the pool area were welcome after a long day of travel.

To view this beautiful drive, click here to view our Duoro River Valley page.

Praia do Norte Nazaré, Portugal

After leaving the Delfim Douro Hotel in the enchanting Douro River Valley, we made an impromptu decision to pause at Praia do Norte on our journey to Lisbon. Our inspiration stemmed from witnessing the awe-inspiring giant waves being surfed in the HBO documentary "100 Foot Wave".

 To view this beautiful beach, click here to view our Praia do Norte page.

  Praia do Norte image is the property of Otávio Nogueira via Wikimedia Commons

Lisbon, Portugal

Entering the heart of Lisbon, our next destination unfolds with charming cobbled streets, a mosaic of culture, and an invitation to explore the vibrant soul of Portugal's capital city.

To view this fascinating city, click here to view our Lisbon page.

NH Marina Portimão Resort Portimao

After exploring the vibrant streets of Lisbon, our journey led us southward to the Algarve—a region celebrated for its favorable weather and the allure of breathtaking beaches adorned with mesmerizing rock formations. Portimão served as our central hub for exploring this coastal gem. Don't miss the chance to venture to the most southwestern point in Europe—the dramatic cliffs of Cabo de São Vicente, perched on the southwest tip of the Algarve.

To view this amazing area, click here to view our Algarve page.

Portuguese Delicacies, particularly its seafood and pastries, are beyond comparison. While French pastries hold their own charm, the uniqueness and excellence of Portuguese pastries captured our taste buds in every district we explored throughout the country. Below, feast your eyes on images of some of the delectable delights we savored, including the iconic Pastel de Nata and the flavorful Cataplana de Peixe.

Pastéis de Nata - these are from Pasteis de Belém which is considered to make the best in Lisbon

More great pastries - don't remember the name, but they were awesome!

Cataplana de Peixe - a Portuguese fish stew made in a special cookware called a cataplana.

Portuguese Pastries: Pastéis de Nata and the Beloved Filhós

Pastéis de nata—those golden, creamy custard tarts with their delicately crisp, flaky crust—are perhaps Portugal’s most iconic dessert. Their story begins in the 18th century at the Jerónimos Monastery in the Lisbon parish of Santa Maria de Belém. Catholic monks, having migrated from France, brought with them culinary traditions that blended perfectly with local ingredients. At the time, convents and monasteries used large quantities of egg whites to starch religious garments like nuns' habits, which meant they were left with an abundance of egg yolks. Resourceful and inventive, the monks began using those yolks to create pastries—thus contributing to the rich legacy of Portuguese sweets.

Following the Liberal Revolution of 1820 and the subsequent dissolution of religious orders, the monks began selling their pastéis de nata at a nearby sugar refinery to generate income. When the monastery officially closed in 1834, the secret recipe was sold to the refinery’s owners. In 1837, they opened the Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém, which remains in operation today—still run by descendants of the original founders, and still the only bakery allowed to call them Pastéis de Belém.

But the Portuguese pastry tradition doesn’t stop there.

Another time-honored treat that holds a special place in many Portuguese households is filhós (or filhos, depending on the region). These are rustic, deep-fried pastries, typically made during festive seasons like Christmas and Carnival. The dough is simple—flour, eggs, yeast, and sometimes orange zest or aguardente (a Portuguese brandy)—but the result is rich with nostalgia. Once fried to a golden brown, filhós are generously dusted with cinnamon sugar or drizzled with honey syrup.

Unlike the refined, café-ready pastel de nata, filhós are homemade, passed down through generations, and often prepared in big batches by families coming together during the holidays. In rural villages and tight-knit neighborhoods, making filhós is more than baking—it’s a cultural ritual filled with conversation, laughter, and the unmistakable aroma of warm cinnamon.

Both pastries speak to different aspects of Portugal’s culinary soul: the nata, with its polished monastery roots and urban popularity, and the filhós, a humble but heartfelt symbol of home and heritage.

Click here to view the Wikipedia Article about these amazing pastries.

Now as you have read on this page that we had a rental car while in Portugal, and so you can imagine that we had to stop for gasoline, or rest rooms, etc, at various locations throughout Portugal right? At every rest stop or gas station that we visited, there would be an espresso bar. So during most of these stops we would have an espresso with a pastry, and each & every time it was absolutely delicious!

The point we want to leave you with, is that Portugal Service Station food & coffee is miles & miles better than what you can find in the USA ! Do yourself a favor and give it a try.

• Driving in Portugal is similar to driving in the USA; the freeways ("Auto-estrada") are very similar, the information signs are easily understood, and the speed limits are easy to discern. Speed limits are in kilometers per hour, multiply by 60% to derive MPH.
• Driving in any European City is a lesson in patience and bravery. Traffic in Lisbon & Belém was thick, but most drivers were disciplined.
• Driving in Portimão was straight forward, but getting to our VRBO rental from the highway definitely required use of a mapping system. We had retired our Tom-Tom mapping device, and only used cell phone based mapping to navigate everywhere.
• Portugal uses the Via Verde electronic toll collection system. There are several methods they utilize to collect toll payments. You need to make sure that your rental vehicle is equipped with an RFID unit. Click here to go to the Portugal Tolls Website to check the current rules.
• There are two types of highway toll collections in Portugal, Electronic Tolls and Cash/Card Payments. For lanes that are marked ‘Via Verde’, you need an electronic transponder in your car. If you’re renting the car, your car rental company will be able to rent you a transponder. For all other lanes, you should go through the toll booths. You should be aware that non-Portuguese debit and credit cards don’t always work in the toll machines, so you should always have some cash & coins ready.
• Driving Style - Portuguese drivers can be assertive, especially in cities, where traffic can be hectic. On highways, drivers tend to use the left lane for passing, so it’s important to move back to the right after overtaking. In rural areas, you may encounter slower-moving vehicles, so be prepared for a more relaxed pace.
• Parking - Parking in cities like Lisbon and Porto can be challenging, especially in older neighborhoods with narrow streets. Look for designated parking lots or garages for convenience. Street parking is often metered, with blue zones indicating paid parking. In rural areas and smaller towns, parking is generally easier and less expensive.

NOTE: Below are some useful links where you can find even more information about the areas we have described on this page;

• Just Traveling Thru European Travel Tips
• Just Traveling Thru Travel Planning Tips
• The Ultimate Guide to Lisbon’s Iconic Egg Tarts on the 'Eater Travel' Site
• Delfim Douro Hotel
• Train and Bus Reservations in Portugal
• The Top 10 Things To See And Do In The Douro Valley
• Google Search Results List for "Accommodations in the Duoro Valley"
• Wineries in Douro Valley area on the "Wine Tourism" site
• Lisbon History on the Wikipedia Site
• Google Search Results list for "accommodations in Lisbon"
• Google Search Results list for "restaurants in Lisbon"
• Google Search Results list for "accommodations in Cascais"

• Google Search Results list for "Restaurants in Cascais"
• Portimão Information on the "Wikipedia" site
• Portimão in-depth article on the "Algarve Tourist" site
• Portimão in-depth article on the "Lonely Planet" site
• Google Search Results list for "accommodations in Portimão"
• Sagres on the "Wikipedia" site
• Travel in Sagres Article on the "Travel in Portugal" site
• Google Search Results List for "Restaurants in Portimão"
• Lisbon City Walking Tour w/Food Tasting & Drinks from "Get Your Guide"
• Youtube Search Results list for "Portugal"
• Amazon Search Results list for "Portugal"
• Visit our Youtube Channel
• View our Portugal Image Gallery

Lisbon International Airport can be surprisingly congested, especially near Terminal 1. Traffic volume is high, signage is limited, and the Rental Car Return Center is located very close to the main terminal entrance, which can make navigation stressful — especially if you're unfamiliar with the area.

In our case, we entered the airport area via Avenida de Berlim, as we needed to refuel our rental car before returning it. The only nearby fuel option was a BP station located on the south side of Avenida de Berlim, just as you approach the airport.

All rental car companies share a common return facility, which is located adjacent to Terminal 1. However, the directional signs to the Car Return Building were not clearly visible from the BP station exit. As a result, we unintentionally exited the airport perimeter and had to re-enter to find the return area — at which point the signage became more obvious.

Key tips if you're returning a car at Lisbon Airport:

• Allow extra time for potential delays navigating the airport road system.
• Know that signage may not be visible until you’ve already missed a turn.
• Use GPS or ask the rental car company for a precise drop-off location pin ahead of time.
• If you need to refuel, plan for a possible detour back into the airport after visiting the BP station.

This area is compact, fast-moving, and not very forgiving if you miss a sign — stay alert and be prepared for last-minute lane changes.