Our plane had just touched down in Porto, Portugal when anticipation and excitement overcame our jetlag from a very long travel day. Traveling Portugal had been on our bucket list for a very long time. “Let the adventure begin” Nancy exclaimed. We were looking forward to experiencing Portugal’s culture, history, cuisine, and natural wonders.

We decided to begin our adventure in Porto in the North, then wind our way South by car all the way to the Algarve coast . . . the southernmost coast in Portugal. Nancy planned 2–3 night stops at historic destinations along the way, ending up in Lisbon before flying home.

Although driving in the small walled cities is not for the faint of heart, we found Portugal’s major highways are among the best we have ever traveled in Europe.

Porto

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal, so we thought public transportation would best fit our plans to explore this city filled with Old World charm. We planned to pick up our car after we completed our stay in Porto.

Porto is certainly picturesque. Red-tiled roofed houses line the hills along the Douro riverbank, church towers dot the skyline, while mosaic-patterned streets line streets. The historic Centre of Porto is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Must see sights in Porto include Clerigos Church and Tower, Avenida dos Aliados (Avenue of the Allies), the Vila Nova de Gaia District, Sao Francisco Church, and strolling the Riberira District.

Douro River Valley

According to Rick Steves, the best single activity in Northern Portugal is exploring the scenic Douro Valley, and we would certainly agree. The Douro River’s steep banks are terraced with vineyards painting beautiful landscapes we will not soon forget. Although the Douro runs 350 miles, we visited the Alto Wine Region, known as the ‘heart’ of the wine growing region. Although the valley is best known for its port wines, we never tasted a dry red wine from the region that we did not like. We found Touriga Nacional, Touriga, Franca, and Tinta Roriz grape varieties riveled Napa Valley reds. We visited and sampled wines in Peso da Regua, and Pinhao, both small towns were short drives away from our B&B in Mesao Frio. The Alto Douro Wine Region is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Coimbra

Coimbra’s old town is a maze of shops, houses, stairways, and mosaic tiled streets. The old town has two parts: the Baixa (lower) and Alta (upper). Many structures date back to the period when Coimbra was the capital of Portugal from 1131 to 1255. Today, Coimbra is home to the country’s oldest and most prestigious university, founded in 1290. We were there when school was in session, so the streets were bustling with young people. We really enjoyed discovering the river scenes, large town squares, shops, and architecture in Coimbra. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2013. 

Obidos

Obidos certainly lives up to its name. . . which means “walled town”. Founded by Celts about 300 B.C., it sits on a hill with its 14^th century wall 45 feet high circling whitewashed homes, and narrow lanes. Protected from modern development, Obidos is ideal for exploring history and is filled with photo opportunities. We found the streets almost too crowded with tourists during the day, but if you stay inside the walled town, you have the place all to yourself early in the morning and later in the afternoon. We also found Obidos restaurants served some of the best food we experienced in Portugal.

Evora

This historic 2000-year-old city is in the plains of the southern province of Alentejo. We enjoyed exploring the whitewashed old architecture, museums, cathedrals, a chapel of bones, and the remnants of an old Roman temple. Evora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that you don’t want to miss when visiting Portugal.

Salema

Salema and its fine sandy beaches are at the end of a small windy road just off the main highway between the big walled city of Lagos, and the southwestern most tip of Europe, Cape Sagres, Portugal. Salema is a perfect place to take a vacation from your vacation. Here you drop out of the tourist scenes and just enjoy the sleepy fishing village, delicious seafood, and sandy beaches. We spent 4 nights in a lovely apartment overlooking the Atlantic.

Lagos

A short drive from Salema is the medieval walled old town of Lagos. . . popular with tourists, it is certainly worthwhile exploring the beautiful mosaic tiled streets, shops, outdoor restaurants, sculptures, and museums. We spent one full day exploring Lagos before returning to our apartment in Salema.

Lisbon (Lisboa)

Our last destination on our Portugal adventure was Lisbon. This bustling city is the capital of Portugal and is one of the oldest cities in world. After dropping off our rental car, we focused our exploring on the three main neighborhoods that line the downtown waterfront, the impressive city squares, and the Castelo de Sao Jorge. Although the best exploring is always on foot, the trollies and hop on-hop off buses are a great way to navigate Lisbon.  Like most places we visited in Portugal, we found the food most enjoyable in Lisboa.

Whether your travel interests include golden beaches, mountain peaks, beautiful river valleys, exploring ancient architecture, or browsing museums, Portugal offers it all. We thoroughly enjoyed exploring the landscapes, history, people, and culinary delights across this beautiful old-world country. Although we crossed it off our bucket list, a second visit is certainly in our future.

Chuck