Portugal | Lisbon + Porto

Three words: Portugal in February. It was the best decision we could have made for our week abroad this Winter, to explore Portugal in its off-season. But, really, I don’t think there is ever truly an off-season for Portugal. It was just a little less crowded with super mild weather. Lots of sun and only a wee bit of rain (mainly in Porto our first day).

Portugal is everything I could have ever wanted and more. Since returning, I’ve often joked that the country felt like the fun little sibling of Spain and Italy. It’s super laid back and welcoming with zero pretentiousness, but with the same Mediterranean je ne sais quoi of those amazing countries. The Portuguese people are some of the nicest we’ve ever met – incredibly inviting, excited that you’re there to experience their country, and eager to tell you about its history (which we love). From what we’ve heard as well, Portugal is an ideal travel destination for families. Groups with strollers often get to skip lines at museums and such, and we also saw people helping strollers up or down the millions of stairs. Overall, the familial vibe is top-tier across both cities we visited. Portugal is also very affordable – nothing we experienced was very expensive, which would make a family trip even more appealing.

Getting There & Trip Duration:

Our trip was a total of 8 days and 7 nights, split between Porto and Lisbon. We landed in Lisbon on a Friday then immediately took the train to Porto, knowing that a smaller town would be better to experience on a weekend and larger city would be better on weekdays. Getting to Porto took a total of ~4 hours from Lisbon airport to Porto hotel, with a train change in Lisbon’s city center.

What to Pack & What to Wear:

First of all, everything we experienced in Portugal was fairly casual. No one was very dressed up, unless you specifically book a more formal dinner (which we did not). Layers are your best friend. I very much stuck to a formula during our days in both Porto and Lisbon – jeans (denim or black) and a simple t-shirt with a colored sweater layered over that I can easily take off to have over my shoulders when it gets warm (or when you climb a massive hill which is often). I needed my trench more in Porto than in Lisbon, but it was nice that I had that for the entire trip. When it comes to footwear, prioritize comfort. The hills are no joke. I brought sneakers (2 pairs) and flats (1 pair) and ended up only rotating through my sneakers the whole time. Needed that cushion for those inclines! Overall, I always revert to the capsule wardrobe when we travel to Europe. I keep the separates very classic and simple with the ability to mix and match as the week goes on.

What to Eat & What to Drink:

I think everyone knows Portugal for its wine. From port to vinho verde, you cannot go wrong with stumbling into a local wine shop for a few glasses. When it comes to food, it’s honestly kind of funny. Portuguese food is like a combo of every cuisine, and we ate such a variety of really excellent food. The “lore” that we learned is that the Portuguese go to visit other countries and bring back that country’s food and call it Portuguese food. Of course, they have several of their own traditional dishes like Bacalhau (salted cod), custard tarts called Pastel de Natas (eat as many as you can), and their delicious pork sandwiches called Bifanas. It’s very seafood-heavy since it’s such a coastal country. Yes, we tried sardines but later learned that it wasn’t sardine season so I’m blaming my less-than-ideal experience on that and will try them again next time we go.

Porto:

• We are absolutely in love with Porto. The smaller towns always steal the show for us! I recommend just wandering the streets and getting lost. It’s not a big town so you likely won’t get too lost, but the windy roads and charming alleys are just perfection. Shop the local shops. Pop into wine bars everywhere, they’re just so fun. The major vineyards in the Valley actually have their cellars in Porto too, so you can try all the wine without going to the Valley (although you must – more on that below).
• We stayed at the Hilton Porto Gaia, which was on the quieter side of the river and a little further from city centre. But it provided really great views of the city! Getting around the city from this location was not difficult. We did Uber from time to time (especially if we needed to get somewhere at a specific time) but walked a lot more.
• The Douro Valley cannot be missed while in Porto. We did this day trip via Viator. We drove out on a bus, stopping midway in a charming town for snacks/bathroom. We first visited a stunning vineyard and learned about growing port wine grapes (super old vines). The grounds were beautiful. I was surprised how much I enjoyed tasting port wine. Then did a boat tour and was blooowwwnnn away by how beautiful the entire valley is. Truly unlike anything I’ve seen. Then we went to another winery for a delicious lunch and more tastings before heading back to Porto. 
• If you’re looking for a fun night out in Porto, definitely check out the area called Rua das Galeria de Paris. We popped in and out of bars here on Saturday night, each one being super lively with great music and top tier vibes.
• Our Porto Google Maps is linked here.

Lisbon:

• We stayed at an IHG hotel called Convent Square which was very central to everything we wanted to do but also very busy. Our hotel was around the corner from the second largest Zara in the world, so you can imagine this neighborhood was filled with people. Next time, we hope to stay in the Graça neighborhood instead.
• Wine Bars:
  • Vino Vero: If you remember seeing my Instastory of this wine bar in Venice (and how obsessed we are), then you’ll be happy to know they opened another one in Lisbon. So we had to go! It was the exact same vibe as their Venice shop with friendly & knowledgable employees and overflowing with locals. We ordered a cheese board as well as a delicious (and massive) bifana they called “The Big Sexy.” And that it was.
  • Locals & Nomads: One of the sommeliers at Vino Vero recommended our next stop be at the wine shop called Locals & Nomads down the road. It was near closing time for them, but nevertheless the owners and their friends were still enjoying wine outside and allowed us to overstay our welcome. The owners (a lovely couple from Russia named Nadya and Slava) had just purchased this wine shop only four months prior after studying wine in Georgia.
  • Graça do Vinho Wine Bar: We stumbled into this one and what a delight it was! A charming little nook with delicious wine and fun music.
  • A perfect evening would be to watch the sunset over the city from a viewpoint called Miradouro da Graça then stroll to one (or all) of these wine bars after (within about a ~5-8 min walk from the viewpoint).
• Restaurants: All of our saved restaurants are in the linked Google Maps so I won’t go down a full list of spots that are easily searchable there. But I will say that we had an amazing dinner at a quaint Italian spot called X. Highly recommend.
• If you’re into walking tours, we did this one on our first full day in Lisbon and loved it. I always find the free tours to be the most engaging since they’re working for tips haha but we really saw majority of the city, hitting all the history hot spots and learning so much. 
• Ride the tuk tuks! They’re so fun.
• If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I really love thrifting and antiquing, especially in Europe. If you’re also into flea/antique markets, then you must go to Mercado de Santa Clara. This market is only open on Tuesdays and Saturdays, spanning so far with all kinds of vendors. I went crazy. Luckily, there are lots of restaurants and food stalls trickled throughout it as well, so my husband was easily occupied and allowed me ample time for browsing. Bring a tote bag!
• Day Trips:
  • If you have a chance to do a day trip from Lisbon, we went to Sintra and it was soo cool. An easy, ~30-min train ride from Lisbon, it didn’t take over our full day, although you certainly could make a full day of it. The total trip for us was about 8am to 2pm. Here’s what we did:
    • After arriving via train, we hitched a tuk tuk ride up the mountain (there are several vendors hanging outside the train station for this reason) to the gates to the National Palace of Pena. We knew we’d be walking a lot around the palace and gardens, so getting a ride up was a great idea.
    • We purchased tickets upon arrival to the grounds. We did not purchase an insider look at the palace, as our tuk tuk driver said it wasn’t worth it. We only purchased tickets for the grounds. From there, it was a short (but uphill) walk from the gates to the incredible hilltop palace.
  • Cascais is another popular day trip that’s also not too far away. Apparently it’s a super dreamy coastal town. We will absolutely go there the next time we’re in Lisbon.
• Our Lisbon Google Maps is linked here.

For more on our trip to Portugal, be sure to check out both highlights on my Instagram! They’re titled “Lisbon” and “Porto.” Have a specific question for me? Leave a comment or shoot me a message! Obrigado!