Say Olá to Portugal!
Portugal is one of our favorite countries in Europe…and it’s not even on most people’s travel radar yet!
Ultra affordable by Western European standards, Portugal has fewer crowds than its next door neighbor (Spain), and just as many beautiful places to visit.
The Algarve in the south is a package vacation hotspot for UK tourists and northern Europeans, but there are still many authentic and interesting towns. Central Portugal is the country’s wine and agricultural heartland, full of sweeping green, ancient Roman ruins, and beautiful towns. Head north, and you’ll find a unique character and culture to the places and people.
Posts About Portugal
- Where to Stay in Lisbon — Find the best area to stay in Lisbon, no matter your travel style. We’ve enlisted the help of an expat in Portugal to outline Lisbon’s best neighborhoods to stay in.
- If you need some help deciding Where to Go in Portugal, we’ve outlined 23 beautiful places we think you should consider.
- Obidos, Portugal, is a lovely little town that makes a perfect day trip from Lisbon or Coimbra. Check out this post about Our Day Trip to Obidos!
- We spent one month house-sitting in a tiny village in central Portugal called Arrouquelas. Read about our experience getting off-the-beaten path in Portugal!
- While house-sitting in the Algarve, we did loads of different day trips, driving from east to west across southern Portugal. One of the most beautiful trips was Driving to Beja and Mértola.
- Silves, Portugal, is a lovely little castle town in the Algarve, that’s worth your time if you’re in the region.
- Tavira, Portugal, was our favorite town in the Algarve. Lacking the crowds of Albufeira, we found it to be pretty and authentic, and worth a morning, afternoon, or full day of your time. We also visited Albufeira, which you can read about here.
- Castro Marim and Vila Real Santo Antonio are two other interesting spots in the Algarve, with Vila Real showcasing the Pombaline-style urban architecture that has saved Portugal from destruction in many earthquakes, and Castro Marim offering beautiful views.
- If you want to see a typical Algarve village, Alte is a lovely spot to do it. All of the houses have the picture-perfect Algarve chimneys, and the whole village is very photo-worthy!
- We drove to Sagres, Portugal, while we were staying in the Algarve, and learned all about Portugal’s age of exploration. Read about our trip to A Fort at the End of the World in Portugal’s extreme southwest.
- If you’re travelling in the north of Portugal on a bit of a budget, check out where we stayed, and our opinions of Collector’s Hostel in Braga and Tattva Design Hostel Review in Porto.
- If you want to check out some Fado Music while in Portugal, read this post about our experience, and where to go to see Fado in Lisbon.
- A quick musing on something we found a bit different about Portugal, as compared to Canada. A quick musing about drinking a beer at the grocery store.
- Another personal musing about Portugal’s Pretty Little Details, and the lovely Azulejos tiles.
- Our very first house-sitting gig was in a lovely home in Portugal’s Algarve region.
