What a wonder to travel off peak! D and I visited Portugal over Thanksgiving, a far cry from the summer crowds. Portugal is a country rich in culture, with an element of fairy tale mystique. Often done as a side trip from Spain, well worth a visit of its own… Within cities, Uber is an exceedingly convenient and affordable way to get around but do note that some of the historic parts do restrict cars. Many shops/restaurants are also not open on Sunday or Monday, so be sure to double check. Best drink to try is a white or rose port with tonic; refreshing and will be sure to put you in a holiday mood. Almost certainly want to bring home some canned fish; the best brands are Santa Catarina (can be found back home so we didn’t buy), Pinhais, Tricana, La Gonola, A Poveira, Nero and pick the “filetes” if possible. Unlike in HK where you are mostly only see sardines or tuna, they also sell mackerel, horse mackerel, cod etc for something different. The most authentic options would be in olive oil, spicy olive oil, tomato sauce; Can-the-Can in Lisbon is a specialty restaurant that tries to serve them in an elevated way.
Recommended Route:
Porto (2 days) -> Coimbra (1 day) -> Lisbon (2.5 days) -> Sintra/Cascais (1.5 days)
I personally prefer travelling North to South as Porto is smaller scale and builds up to the bigger sights and beauty of Sintra and Lisbon. With a car, you could also drive through Aveiro which is mid-way from Coimbra and Porto for a pit stop.
<Porto>
Porto is a city of human scale, and home to many of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter inspirations.
Sights: D&I have a habit of joining a walking tour once we arrive in a new city – we signed up for a free tour via Sandemans (tip guide directly) which will bring you through and explain the significance behind all the usual landmarks, most importantly pointing out HP references along the way. Should you prefer to walk on your own, check out Clerigo Tower, Liberdade/Aliados Square, Igreja do Carmo, Sao Bento Station (where we departed for Lisbon), Portuguese Center of Photography. Do pay the EUR5 fee to enter Livraria Lello to admire the beautiful stairs and bookcases that inspired Hogwarts. The art museums however were the real highlight – we visited Casa da Musica (for the architecture) & Serralves which happened to be showing a great show on Anish Kapoor (be sure to also stroll through the gardens to enjoy the sculptures).
Port: Need a separate category just to talk about Port. One of the biggest highlights for us was strolling along the Ribeira (in Douglas’ case, tipsy). Take an Uber across the bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia to the home of the Port cellars. We started on the slope, at Taylor’s which offers an audio guide tour (you can walk through the well signed museum without paying for it). After leaving with 2 bottles, we stopped for a cocktail on the balcony of historic The Yeatsman Hotel right next door (best view of city) before walking down the hill towards the waterfront. This was less restrictive than some of the other port houses that require bookings; other prominent names include Graham’s (has a fun bar), Sandeman (touristic but lighthearted), Kopke (Port tasting with chocolate), Calem and Ferreira. Once you get to the port dock, take some time to enjoy the breeze and head slowly across the bridge back to the Porto side. We enjoyed an insightful port tasting (ordering 6 bottles home) at boutique wine shop Portologia, but I have heard excellent reviews of Garrafeira do Carmo as well.
Food: We had a fabulous lunch at Cantina 32 where were introduced to having white port with tonic (try it, very refreshing almost like an Aperol Spritz). For another touch of HP and old age nostalgia, go for a coffee and signature French toast at Cafe Majestic. If you are feeling hungry (I was too nauseous to) try ordering a Francesinha (Brasao or Santiago Cafe). Sadly my sickness caused us to miss most of our reservations, but our top picks were for Tasco, Brasao Cervejaria Aliados, Taberna Santo Antonio, Espaco Porto Cruz, Adega Sao Nicolau. Can also look into Antiqvvm, Casa de Cha da Boa Nova, Ode, Taberna dos Mercadores, O Rapido, Antunes, Tabernha do Manel, Semea, Flow, Raiz, Cantinho do Avillez (also available in Lisbon), Tapabento, Cruel. Our hotel manager also recommended we try Gazela, Conga, Casa Guedes for snacks and Padaria Riberio, Leiteria Quinta do Paco for pastries.
Hotels: We stayed on the most central walking street Rua das Flores at a newly opened ApartHotel Myo Design House, hosted by Miguel. Very spacious with a living room and small pantry, with all the key sights within walking distance. Would request more towels though.
Shopping: Port, port, port.
<Lisbon>
Capital of Portugal and the 2nd oldest city in Europe. City is rapidly gentrifying with the cash from Golden Visas, felt very safe walking around at night which we heard would not have been the case 5y ago.
Sights: The city is organized in several key districts; Baixa which is the city center (beautiful tiling at Rossio Square), Chiado chic and higher-end where most of the top restaurants and boutiques are located, Principe Real & Bairro Alto are the bohemian quarters, Alfama the oldest neighbourhood (still filled with Jewish and Moorish influences) and of course the cultural section of Belem. Can get a bit hilly like HK in certain parts, Tram 28 (SF style) is said to be the best way to orientate around the city and if you have the patience try taking the Gloria Funicular or Santa Justa Elevator to avoid taking the stairs. Would dedicate almost a day to Belem, start with Belem Tower at 8am, line up for the famous Pasteis de Belem Portuguese tart, do the Jeronimos Monastery with its fabulous cloisters then have a late lunch at Enoteca de Belem before the MAAT museum. We stopped by LX Factory on the way back, a hipster industrial re-development area with cute shops and restaurants. Unfortunately we were only able to fit in 1 museum, the Gulbenkian Collection which was also featuring a very unique Iraqi art exhibit as Calouste G is credited for discovering Iraqi/Persian/Syrian oil in the 19th century and has deep roots within the region. Wish we had time to see the Maritime Museum (Vasco Da Gama) and Tile Museum. Another must-do which we couldn’t fit in was to enjoy some Fado; my girlfriends (and Anthony Bourdain) suggest Tasca do Chico.
Food: Where to even begin! Breakfast. Casa Brasileira is a standing/high-stool only local joint on the pedestrian street next to Rossio Square. They had the most fabulous breakfast options, don’t miss the pork shank sandwich or bifana which was probably the original Macau pork chop bao! Following Bourdain’s foodsteps – Cervejaria Ramiro is a must, order the crab, carabinero prawns, grilled tiger prawns with butter and if you are feeling adventurous the barnacles. Jose Avillez is Portugal’s most famous celebrity chef and he comes in a variety of price points; make bookings at either Mini Bar > Cantinho de Avillez > Belcanto > Bairro do Avillez for a taste. Other nice places to try; Tapisco, Prado. We chose to go more local, A Taberna da Rua das Flores and Duque (possibly best hole-in-wall find). But the one place you have to grab lunch once is the Time Out Market Lisboa – they have curated all the best restaurants to serve signature dishes in a food court style; pair your meal with some craft beer or a cocktail from Cinco. If you are curious on the long-standing debate of who is the best Portuguese nata tart (Pasteis de Belem vs Manteigaria), try out the competition but not without sprinkling on some powder sugar and cinnamon before digging in. Another Portuguese classic is cherry liqueur in a chocolate cup; visit A Ginjinha for a shot. Other cool bars include Gin Lovers & Less and Pharmacia.
Hotels: We really enjoyed our stay at ApartHotel Residentas Aurea which was on the border of Baixa-Chiado. Baixa House was another top choice of ours down the block.
Shopping: If you are shopping for sardines as gifts, Conserveira de Lisboa has a good collection of retro-label cans. Wish I had time to drop by Teresa Pavao Ceramics.
<Sintra, Cascais>
Not just inspiration for Walt Disney’s castle, we found real life secrets hidden by the Freemasons and the royals though the palace tours. Top reason to visit Portugal.
Sights: The must-sees are Quinta da Regaleira (be sure to get a guided tour, can be booked on official website), Pena Palace, Moorish Castle (only 10min from Pena), and I wish we had time to see the Monserrate Palace and Gardens. Photo-op outside Palacio Nacional de Sintra which is in the quaint Sintra town. We only managed to complete 2 in a single day, an overnight stay will certainly give you more flexibility. With a car, you can also drive Cabo da Roca for some fresh air on your way to the beach town of Cascais (where D highly recommends the Casa das Historias).
Food: Portuguese pastries are fabulous, our favourite were from Piriquita (1862) in Sintra town where we had the best sausage roll and signature Travesseriro de Sintra (Sintra Pillow – almond custard roll). From here you can also buy Queijadas cheese tarts as souvenirs (paper roll packaged versions can keep). Recommended restaurants in Sintra include Tascantiga, Casa Restaurante Petiscaria, Nau Palatina. If you are keen on cliff views away from the city center, try Restaurante Azenhas do Mar or Fortaleza do Guincho in Cascais. In Cascais would also recommend traditional seafood place Luzmar that served us an excellent grilled sea bream.
Hotels: Many B&B villa style accommodation. Villa Cascaia and Villa Vasco da Gama look like cute options.
Shopping: Just wanted to take home photos of the fairy-tale views.
Tried & Tested 