Read here about 5 great things to do in Portugal.
The country is so diverse. There is something for everyone.
What to do in Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and a very beautiful city. Besides the many attractions in this city (Tram 28, Castelo de São Jorge, Elevador de Santa Justa, Torre de Belém) one of the best things is to just stroll around in the old city to discover some beautiful houses and lovely small alleys. And don’t forget to watch the ground to see some nice street ornaments. Find out here, what to do in Lisbon.
How to get there for your travel planning
You can reach the international airport of Lisbon with many airlines. The “Aerobus 1” connects the airport with the city centre (Rossio, Praça do Comércio).
Lisbon can be reached by train from Paris and Madrid.
Places to see in Sintra
Sintra is a historical city with a picturesque Moorish castle to visit. Besides exploring the centre of Sintra you can visit the palace “Quinta da Regaleira” that was built (or extended) by a businessman and has an eccentric architecture. Furthermore the Moorish castle needs to be visited. And you shouldn’t miss a ride on the historic tram route from Praia das Maçãs to almost the centre of Sintra.
How to get there for your travel planning
Take the train from Lisbon.
What to do in the Algarve
My personal favourite of the things to do in Portugal is to explore the Algarve area in South Portufal and to enjoy the countless beautiful beaches amongst many other attractions. The best is to rent a car and drive around in the Algarve. Explore as many beautiful beaches as you like, enjoy the food, night-life and history in the cities and go for a hike in the area of Monchique. Find out here about the things to do in Algarve, Portugal.
How to get there for your travel planning
Fly into the airport of Faro and rent a car. A minimum of 5 days is advised to explore the Algarve. You can also take the train from Lisbon.
What to do in Porto
Porto, a historic city with a beautiful old centre, already existed in Roman times, hence it has a lot of history to offer. At least since those times it has always been inhabited. The attractions to see are the historic city centre, the ribeira (river front), one of the bridges spanning the river for a good sight onto the city, a river tour and last but not least a visit to a port wine cave.
How to get there for your travel planning
Porto can be reached by plane. The Aerobus connects the airport with the city. You can take an international train to here from Paris and Madrid. And there are a lot of domestic train connections to Porto.
Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês
It is the only national park of Portugal and convinces with the beauty of its nature. The park offers hiking-trails and a few camping sites to its visitors. It consists of a lovely mix of lakes, waterfalls, hills and forests. A former village in the park area called “Vilarinho da Furna”, that now lies flooded in a barrier lake, can be seen when the water levels of a dam with the same name are low.
How to get there for your travel planning
The best option is to go with a rental car and then head to a park information office in either Braga, Terras de Bouro or a few other places. Braga can be reached by train or bus.
Comments
2 responses to “5 great things to do in Portugal”
Dear Sven
Thanks for your compliments. Yes, I did it! 🙂
I live in Bangkok now inbetween my travel periods.
Yes, the Azores is a place that I’d like to go too one day. And you know, that most of the weather in Europe starts there, so I hope you did nothing to cause a storm or anything? 😉
Thank you and my best wishes to you
Charles
Hi Charles,
cool blog, you really did it – turning away from banking and into full time travel.
I just returned from the Azores and can well recommend it as a travel destination: rich nature, abundance of vulcanos in all sizes, differing flavor for each Island (I was on 4) and so off the map.
Best regards
Sven (Schwerzenbach)