Portugal 2023

After we arrived in Lisbon, we rented a car and drove south to the Algarve coast. We chose Carvoeiro, a  quiet small town with a beach and access to the Seven Valleys trail, as our base for the beginning of our trip.

Exploring the coastline was the primary focus and we could spend weeks more here. An EARLY morning kayak tour put us in the Benagil cave with  only a few others, as opposed to the large groups of boats later in the day. I would highly recommend this, however, they have now banned kayaks from entering the cave, only allowing the bigger boats. 

As we hiked the Seven Valleys, starting in Carvoeiro, we explored the cliffs, the valleys and beaches along the way, ending up at Praia Mahina, a larger beach. Somehow, we found the secret beach (Praia do Burn, pictured here) by hiking through a tunnel, and we made sure to check that tide was going out!

The rugged beaches and quaint beach towns along the Algarve coast are all worth a longer visit in the future.

We drove back to Lisbon from the Algarve coast, with a pit stop in Evora, a UNESCO world heritage site. This medieval walled city is home to the largest cathedral in Portugal (completed in 1250), a Roman Temple, the Chapel of Bones, Sao Francisco Church, an 11 mile aqueduct and many more things we didn't have time for in our few hours we had to explore.

After retuning to Lisbon, we dropped our bags at the Airbnb and headed back to return the car to the airport. We then ubered back to the Airbnb. Even that minimal time with a car in Lisbon was a stressful adventure!!! We are still wondering if traffic tickets are coming our way!

With no car, we used our feet a lot BUT it is not a flat city, Lisbon is the city built on seven hills! Everywhere you go is up or down a hill!!! There are many barrios (neighborhoods) and we stayed in Chaido (near Baixa) and it ended up being a great location. 

One afternoon our feet needed a break and we took a tuk tuk tour. We loved it and got to see views from the top of a couple of the hills, sampled some ginjinha, saw some beautiful churches and places we wanted to go back and check out! Even if you don't love tours, it was fun, educational and we will definitely do another one in the future. 

A highlight of Lisbon, was a day trip to Sintra! We headed out super early, via Uber, to avoid the lines and heat and it was definitely worth the early alarm and cost of the 40 minute Uber to be at the entrance when it opened. Sintra is a charming town packed with attractions. From The Palacio Nacional de Pena, one of Europe's finest palaces, to The Quinta de Regaleira, a Neo-gothic mansion with amazing gardens, to the Castelo dos Moros, the ancient ruins of a Moorish castle, it seems like it can't be a real place. It is truly magical and breathtaking AND exhausting!!! And there is even more to explore in this little town. We took the train back to Lisbon.

We wandered the barrios of Belem, Alfama, Baixa, Chaido and Bairro Alto, shopped for tiles and cork, explored the Castelo de Sao Jorge and ate pastel de natas everyday. It may sounds simple but we enjoyed the simplicity of sangria in a local plaza to rest our feet, as we decided which way to walk next.

One tip for Lisbon: buy tickets for the attractions before you arrive at them. Most of the times you can avoid the long lines by buying ahead.

1. Kayaking to Benagil Caves
2. Exploring the Algarve coast
3. The Palaces and Castles of Sintra
4. Food!!! Especially the pastel de nada and tosta mista
5. Walking through the beautiful city of Lisbon and taking in its history
6. Taberna da Rua das Flores: Portuguese tapas restaurant in Lisbon, no reservations, cash only and one of our top restaurants ever! Note: No reservations, they open at 6 pm and a line forms prior to opening. If you are very lucky, you will get the first seating and be seated right away but make sure your whole party is there or they won't seat you. Or  you might be given a time to come back for a later seating. 
7. Tuk Tuk tour of Lisbon

Lodging

Airbnb in Carvoeiro: on R. dos Pescadores

Airbnb in Lisbon: Chaido neighborhood

Transportation:

Lisbon to Carvoeiro: rental car

Lisbon: walking, metro, train, uber and tuk tuk

Carvoeiro Restaurants:

Levels Carvoeiro

Boneca Bar

Resturante de Tapas da Vila

Lisbon Restaurants:

Taberna da Rua das Flores (AMAZING, see above)

Time Out Market

Bars in small plazas

Pastel de nata (especially at Pasteis de Belem)