Portugal
After nearly month in Spain I was ready to explore a new country. Instead of writing about every city individually, I decided to put all of my Portugal adventures under one blog! I’ve kept seeing articles that Porto is gaining popularity among European travelers, so I was really excited to see what all the buzz was about. Over the next few days I fell in love with the hilly city of Porto, and honestly thought it was the best city in Portugal; even more than Lisbon! Porto was a colorful city full of delicious Port wine, beautiful tile covered walls, breath taking sunset viewpoints, and lively nightlife. My favorite part of Porto was of course the river walk. Both sides of the river offer incredible views throughout the day, and sunset. Down below the famous Porto bridge is an array of restaurants offering fresh seafood and of course delicious port wine. Now, I’m not a wine guy, but this stuff was delicious! Just keep in mind it’s much stronger than normal wine. Port wine averages 18% alcohol and was a quick and fun way to catch a buzz.
Of course my favorite thing to do in any new city is to wonder around and see what I could find. I discovered beautiful artistic tile work, a common sight in Portugal, as well as some amazing street art. If you’re looking for an amazing view of Porto from above you should check out Clérigos Church. This historic church tower provided the best views of Porto, and you could see clear out to the ocean! The Porto Cathedral was also a really pretty building to check out. There’s cathedrals built all over Europe and they’re always so pretty, so be sure to see as many as you can! I was so mesmerized by the tile work here in Porto, especially the Church of Saint Ildefonso. It seemed like almost every building had something unique on it; even the train station was covered in tile work!
Jardins do Palácio de Cristal is a beautiful park in town and is a really cool place to hang out and enjoy some peace. The park is home to a small population of peacocks who are super friendly! You can even get close for some great pictures, which was really cool. Although you could watch the sunset from here, across the Porto bridge at Miradouro da Serra do Pilar is the most popular spot to see it. Personally I liked watching it from Lorenzo&Mor Sunset viewpoint. A super local spot with access to cold beer and delicious food. Speaking of food, if you’re in Portugal you absolutely have to try pastel de nata; a famous egg custard tart pastry that is super sweet and flaky! Probably my favorite snack I’ve had yet!
I stayed at Onefam Ribera, really close to the Porto side of the bridge. Onefam hostels are known for their good times, and the events, pregames, and bar hop were always super fun. As with most of Europe, there’s different nightlife for everyone. For a chill bar just to meet people and hang out I’d say Delirium Café Porto or Adega Leonor were pretty good places. If you’re looking for more of a club vibe then I’d check out Moreclub, which was super fun, or Stage 79, which has great karaoke!
I was a little sad when it was time to leave Porto. I really enjoyed its laid back vibe and was really glad I made it my first stop in Portugal. I boarded the train and headed for Lisbon, a city I’ve been told I would absolutely love and consider moving to. Although Lisbon was a pretty city, and I was sick while there, I really didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I did Porto. Nonetheless I checked into my hostel, Goodnight Lisbon, and enjoyed their free sangria hour! I met a lot of cool people at this hostel and the location was perfect. Right down the street from the water, and a quick 15 min walk to the bars of Bairro Alto or the famous Pink Street!
The best view of Lisbon comes from the hills on the side of the city; mainly from Castelo de S. Jorge. I recommend you get there early because when I left the line was crazy! The castle grounds provide amazing views of the city, as well as colorful peacocks and a really nice small museum. I really liked checking out the castle, and while walking up I went through a street art alleyway where I got some cool pictures.
The Lisbon Cathedral was another cool place to check out, but my favorite part of the city was the neighborhood of Bairro Alto. This neighborhood has some beautiful architecture and was the home to some super fun nightlife. For the best experience in Lisbon I suggest seeing my friend Prem at Adega do Ribatejo. He’s the owner, cook, bartender, and always has a smile on his face. I was so glad some new friends from the hostel took me to his bar because it was super fun! A pack of cards and some drinks lead to some pretty fun drinking games and memories I soon won’t forget. Pink Street is another place for nightlife, but is much crazier and pretty crowded. Personally I preferred the bars of Bairro Alto much more, but if you want to go to a club, Pensão Amor was pretty crazy! This bar took over a former brothel and still has some interesting sights inside to have a good laugh about.
Ok, so this is going to be controversial, but I didn’t like Lisbon nearly as much as I thought I would. Why didn’t I like Lisbon? Well first off the hordes of dealers everywhere were super annoying. I get that every city has that but this was by far the worst I’ve ever seen. The city itself was pretty, but not nearly as much as Porto. The nightlife also felt very small and crowded. I felt like I saw everything Lisbon had to offer in a couple days and once again, compared to Porto I just didn’t like it as much. Still a nice visit, I just preferred Porto more!
After Porto and Lisbon I was looking forward to relaxing and taking it easy in the coastal town of Lagos. After a short and sleepy bus ride from Lisbon I stepped off into the warm and breezy town filled with brick streets and hidden alleys. I decided to stay at JJ’s Place, owned by local legend Jay. The hostel was run by some really cool volunteers and was definitely a younger fun crowd. Great hostel super close to the beach and the famous ‘chicken shack’, Churrasqueira Praça d'Armas, home to the local specialty Piri Piri BBQ chicken; so good!
Most of my days were full of spontaneous beach trips, which usually involved me hoping the fence and climbing down to this beach that was closed off, but totally worth it! The other beaches were nice too, especially Beach Estudantes in the evening! I got some of the best pictures and just enjoyed sitting on the beach as the sun set. Simply said; I fell in love with Lagos! The city was beautiful, the water was so clear, and the people were great. The chill beach vibes were felt heavily, and I was there for it!
If you visit Lagos I also highly recommend you rent a scooter and take a day trip to Luz. This breath taking town is right next to Lagos with jaw dropping water and delicious beachside cafes. This town was much quieter than Lagos and was definitely worth the trip! Of course you should also hike or scooter to the end of the beach at Ponta da Piedade too for some amazing views from the cliffs. Although I never did it, this would also be the best place for sunrise.
It was a sad moment when I realized that my time in Portugal was coming to an end. I loved this country a lot. The people were amazing, and every city I visited was so unique and different in their own ways. Although my time in Southern Europe was coming to an end, I was grateful for all the experiences I had and very excited to go up north and continue my trip! Until next time Portugal, thanks for the memories.