This summer we went to visit Portugal. Given the distance we opted for the fly and drive formula, and it's clear that the later you buy your plane ticket the more the flight will cost you, which was our case: we 'woke up' in June and the Portugalia flight departing from Bologna and arriving in Lisbon cost us EUR 400 each return (you can do better). For the car we chose a Fiat Bravo with Hertz at EUR 524.82 for 10 days.
We plan to arrive in Lisbon, stay 6 days, then pick up the car, head to Porto, stay 3 days and then down to the Algarve. For this, through an agency we booked the package with flight, car and 2 nights in a 4-star hotel (EUR 490 for a triple for 2 nights) in Lisbon, just to settle in and look for accommodation on the spot. legend: do be seen; must not be missed; can be skipped; to be avoided
7 August
Departure from Bologna at 21:00, lovely day and a splendid view from the plane; we arrive at Lisbon airport at 22:00 local time (+1 compared to us). Keep your eyes open out of the window on arrival, because Lisbon from the plane is splendid, with the Tagus river (Tejo) and its ups and downs. With a comfortable public bus we arrive near the very central Hotel Mundial and already breathe the calm air of this city, which at first impression seems aloof and reserved.
LISBON / LISBOA
8 August After an excellent buffet breakfast just outside the hotel we already come across some squares pointed out by the Routard guide (our bible). Rossio square and Praça da Figueira. We notice the distinctive paving typical of Portugal, and the famous azulejos, the ornamental tiles that cover much of the buildings. We pass by the nearby Igreja de Sao Domingos, old and full of character, we stop and photograph the old Rossio station with its Manueline facade, we come across the elevador de Santa Justa lift that takes you up to the upper city, the Bairro Alto (we are in fact in the Baixa, the lower city). We walk along the Rua Augusta until we reach the arch that leads down to the port, giving access to the Praça do Comercio.
With the aim of getting up to the Castelo de Sao Jorge, we walk along Rua da Alfandega to observe the Casa dos Bicos with its diamond-shaped facade; behind it is the Se, the Lisbon cathedral, with its big pyramid facade, in the historic Alfama district, the oldest in the city. Near the Se there is also the Igreja de Santo Antonio (not particularly interesting for those who aren't devout). We pass by the Miradouro de Santa Luzia, whose balcony offers a wide view over Alfama, and finally reach the Castelo de Sao Jorge (family ticket for 3 people EUR 4.50), from which you enjoy a beautiful panorama of the city; the little streets and the village around it are also pleasant to explore. To return you can take the tram, but we preferred to go down a steep alley that led us straight to Rua Augusta.
In the evening, dinner at Tigelinha, a bit tricky to reach through the narrow streets, comparable to one of our trattorias with home-style cooking, very small but simple, cheap and above all tasty. Sopas, Bacalhau in many different ways and Sardinhas are the house specialities (25 EUR for 3). Then, before heading to the hotel, a small glass of ginginha, the cherry-based liqueur, and off we go...
9 August
This morning we take the tram at Praça do Comercio to head towards Belem to the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos. It's beautiful, full of bas-reliefs and decorations in the typically Portuguese Manueline style; it's no coincidence that it's a UNESCO heritage site. The visit takes us 3 hours and after a quick lunch inside the modern museum building we walk to the nearby, very famous Torre de Belem. The panoramic view is one of the most famous in the world and the view over the Tagus is very beautiful. A couple of km from here towards the centre is Casa Pasteis de Belem, which makes Lisbon's most famous pasteis - if you're here you simply must try them! They are puff-pastry tarts filled with baked custard, with a unique flavour. The pastry shop produces the pasteis continuously, so you can always enjoy them warm.
After the snack we visit the interesting Museu dos Coches (free with the lisboacard) displaying royal and other carriages. Tonight is our last night at the hotel, so we look for a cheap option to stay another 3 days. We choose the Chiado area, where they tell us there are more possibilities; we find Pensao de Camoes 2 stars, a rather strange place (it seems carved out inside a healthcare facility, but precisely for that it convinces us), a room with 3 beds, a tiny bathroom, it's cramped but fine for us (4 nights x 3 people 360 euros).
10 August
After settling into the new pensao, we take the metro for the first time to head to Oriente. A very modern district built for Expo 98, the Parque das Nacoes. Here it's pleasant to stroll along the avenue with its lovely fountains, leading on one side to the cable car (EUR 5.50 each) with a view of the Vasco da Gama Bridge and on the other to the Oceanario (EUR 10 each) and the Science Museum (Pavilhao do Conhecimento) (EUR 6 each). The Oceanario impressed us with its modernity and beauty, and we also liked the Pavilhao do Conhecimento, one of the best we visited, in our opinion. (Combined ticket Oceanario, Teleferico, Pavilhao do Conhecimento EUR 16.50). In the evening we dine at Chiado near Praça Luis de Camoes in a simple trattoria at the foot of the elevador da Gloria funicular, the usual bacalhau or sardinhas.
We sleep little at night because we realise we're in an area of nightspots where they sing fado, their folk song, and there's activity until morning... this morning it seemed like such a quiet area... anyway, we're on holiday and we make the most of it.
11 August
We take a walk around the Bairro Alto, also called Chiado, a district that's distinctive because it's higher than the Baixa and connected by funiculars, lifts and escalators; it's also the district that was worst hit by the very strong earthquake that occurred in the mid-eighteenth century, causing thousands of deaths - a visual reminder of this can be seen in the ruins of the Igreja do Carmo. In the afternoon we visit the Estufa Fria, a botanical garden inside Eduardo VII Park where, in the shade of the trees, we shelter from the scorching heat.
12 August
A day at the beach at Estoril, we go by train from Cais do Sodre station - trains leave frequently - it's a lovely sandy beach with clean water for our first swim in the Atlantic Ocean!
Day 113 Aug 2009
Sintra, Porto and Evora
13 August
Visit to the city of Sintra about 30 km from Lisbon. We go by train from the Rossio station and arrive after about 45 min., as soon as we arrive at the station we immediately take the bus (3.7 € for 3?) (driven among other things by a madman along the narrow and steep road that leads to the hill) that takes us to the Palácio da Pena°° which was the summer residence of the sovereigns of Portugal. This too is a Unesco heritage site and indeed it's worth the visit, it mixes all styles: Arabic, Gothic, Manueline, Renaissance, Baroque and then we go to enjoy the panorama from the Castelo dos Mouros which however are only the remains of the original castle. The city center is also lively and nice, worth visiting are the Palácio Nacional°° with its two enormous conical chimneys.
PORTO
14 August Today we move north toward Porto from which we plan to make excursions to other interesting places in the north. After picking up the previously booked car and after about 300 km we arrive at the information office to find accommodation. The very kind and friendly young lady quickly finds us accommodation at the hotel America° 1.5 km from the center with private parking (€ 225 triple x 2 nights). As soon as settled we set off with the visit of the city and visit the Romanesque Cathedral of the Sé°°. We dine at Casa Pereira in rua Cimo da Vila, 64° a casual place but suitable for refueling. In the evening we stroll through the beautiful Ribeira°°.
15 August
After an excellent buffet breakfast, with good typical sweets we return to the historic center which is recognized as a Unesco heritage site, to complete the previous day's visit. We pass by the Bolhao° market to do the shopping and visit the Church of dos Congregados°, the nearby and characteristic São Bento° railway station whose interiors are decorated with the typical azulejos that make it interesting. Then we face the staircase of 240 steps of the Torre dos Clérigos°, the tallest tower in Portugal, from where you enjoy a panoramic view of the city, then we make a sandwich stop in the Cordoaria gardens. We go down toward the São Francisco°° church (3 € each), with interiors with very rich and dazzling gold decorations.
In the afternoon we go to the riverside opposite across the Douro to Vila Nova de Gaia to visit one of the many cellars, we choose Calem° (€ 2 each) from which we buy half a dozen bottles of port°° tawny and ruby which we judged excellent after the appropriate tastings. We leave the interesting visit a little tipsy from the various tastings and cross the Douro again from the famous Ponte Dom Luis°° from which we witness a series of reckless dives by the local kids. We eat at Adega São Nicolau^^ (expensive and from which we leave dissatisfied).
BARCELOS, BRAGA, GUIMARAES
16 August Today we take the car to make an excursion into northern Portugal in the Minho region. After about 62 km we arrive at Barcelos, a pretty town famous for the multicolored rooster, the Portuguese symbol. Here we visit the ruins of the ancient ducal palace° from whose terrace you enjoy the view of the city, then we go to the tourist office and then visit the Igreja do Senhor da Cruz° and the Igreja do Terco°. We're hungry and so we find a rotisserie where we buy a frango (roast chicken) excellent with chili. We settle in the gardens by the Cavado river and gulp down our meal with memorable voracity and gusto, it's in fact an episode we always remember fondly also for the beauty of the landscape we were in. After lunch we take the car again to go after 22 km to Braga, a beautiful and lively university city with Baroque architecture.
The tourist office is on Avenida da Libertade, then we pass by Largo São Paulo°, by Largo de Santa Cruz° and then praça da Republica°°, we flank the so-called Castle of Braga°° to stroll along rua do Souto° which leads to the Cathedral° in Baroque style and built on Romanesque remains and further on the arch of Porta Nova. Around 17 we finished the visit of this small city and go 25 km away to Guimaraes a city whose historic center is a Unesco Heritage site. It's dominated by a castle and the palaces of the center have a particular "Anglo-Portuguese" architectural style. After picking up the city map from the tourist office or in Praça de Santiago°°, we go into the narrow and picturesque streets of the historic center, Rua de Santa Maria°, Largo do Toural°, which is small and can be visited in a couple of hours.
LUSO, BUSSACO
17 August In this season it's very hot and on television many fires are reported and so we decide to move to a quiet and cool place, we choose Luso and Bussaco. We leave Porto, a city we liked very much, to go back a little further south and continue the excursions of the Beiras region. Luso is about 110 km from Porto, it's a spa town with a spring that here in Portugal is very famous and people come from all the hinterland to stock up on the excellent water that comes out of it. Since at the time we arrive the tourist office is closed we go to a grocery store to ask if they know someone who can provide us accommodation. The very kind owner takes us to a friend of hers who rents us a beautiful apartment (€ 40 per night). Happy with the accommodation we immediately set off to visit the Bussaco° forest (Mata do Buçaco).
There's a very green and luxuriant park with paid entry (€ 2.5 total) located on a hill at the top of which is the Palacio Hotel do Buçaco°°, today a luxury hotel with surreal architecture where it's said that Orson Wells' film Citizen Kane was shot. In the evening we participate in the characteristic festival held in this period with a folk music concert and sale of typical products. We dine decently at Tony (€21.65 for 3) right opposite our apartment. At night we rest very well, cool and silent...
COIMBRA
18 August Starting from our apartment and after stocking up abundantly with water from the precious spring today we head to the sea at Buarcos° 70 km away, a beautiful and wide beach, with fine sand and clean sea. The shoreline and the sea with icy water and enormous waves impress us. Since we're close (56 km) we visit Coimbra (tourist office) which however is half-deserted (everyone's at the sea! because of the scorching heat), however the center positioned on a hill and surrounded by walls is very nice. In particular we stroll in Rua Visconde da Luz°° and go into its side streets crossing among various ups and downs the church of San Bartolomeo°, the Arco de Almedina°°, Praça do Comercio and the Sè°.
EVORA
19 August With the goal of reaching the Algarve we set off and make a stop at Evora about 300 km away from Luso. Evora°° too is a Unesco Heritage site and so it's definitely worth a visit. We find accommodation at the Hotel of the Ibis° chain (€ 70 per night), which we judged to have a good quality/price ratio, among other things located a stone's throw from the city center. As soon as settled we set off with the visit of the very characteristic and well-kept city. In Praça do Giraldo°° there's the tourist office from which we pick up the appropriate maps of the city. We pass by Praça do Giraldo°° characteristic
Lisbon: Casa dos Bicos
Day 220 Aug 2009
Algarve
ALGARVE (Lagos, Sagres)
20 August
Passing through the desolate landscape of the Alentejo after about 300 km we arrive at Lagos (tourist office not reachable by car). Cheerful and pleasant seaside resort surrounded by walls in the Algarve°° region. Here we stayed at the Residencial Cidade Velha^ previously booked via the internet (25 € each = 75 € per day = 300 € total). The center is all pedestrian with very narrow streets and after unloading the luggage we're forced to abandon the car at the municipal parking lot which fortunately is free. The room assigned to us is decent but nothing special, and the morning after we realize that unfortunately breakfast isn't as substantial as we like! In the afternoon we go on foot to the municipal beach^ accessible via a ferry that crosses the canal that separates the center from the beach area.
The beach is clean but we understand that for the most beautiful beaches we'll have to move by car. In the evening we dine at Casa Rosa^ an address provided to us by one of the many guys paid to lure tourists, but all in all we were fine because after eating it was possible to play with some board games available in the venue.
21 August
Another day of rest at the beautiful Praia de Camilo°° in Costa d'Oiro with fantastic snorkeling passing under natural caves, beaches and hidden and inaccessible coves.
22 August
Today we go to the southernmost place in Portugal, Sagres°°. The mythical promontory is punctually windy and with an impetuous sea and in fact it's a destination for surfers, and it's a succession of coves overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Then we move on to the next Cabo de São Vicente°°, where there's the little market, where we buy the typical blue wool sweaters, and various stalls where we refresh ourselves, here there's an 80-meter-high promontory with a lighthouse, the view is beautiful.
Going back to Lagos we go out of pure curiosity to the Lago (Barragem) da Bravura that we noticed from the maps, in the evening we dine at an Indian restaurant Kohi Noor° a bit expensive but very good.
23 August
Unfortunately our holiday is about to end, we have to go back to Lisbon to return an unpresentable car to the rental and then take the plane to go back home! It was a beautiful experience in this nation with simple and genuine customs, the local people are very friendly but reserved, the landscape is breathtaking and definitely worth all the effort made. Of course we raced quite a bit and this is our only regret because some places would have deserved a more careful and more relaxed visit but on the other hand the vacation days and the budget flew by...
NOTES: Weather: very high temperatures average around 30-40 degrees with scorching sun, fires and state of alert in the central regions, never a day of rain, although on the coast a continuous breeze gives much relief. Language: Portuguese being a Romance language is similar to Italian and by training your ear you can understand it quite easily, otherwise English or Spanish
Total cost of the holiday for a family of 3 people (2 adults + 13-year-old son): flight: bologna/lisbon round trip € 1200.00 3 people car rental: € 525.00 10 days hotel in lisbon: € 490.00 2 nights guesthouse in lisbon: € 360.00 4 nights hotel in porto: € 225.00 3 nights house in luso: € 80.00 2 nights hotel in evora: € 77.00 1 night guesthouse in lagos: € 300.00 4 nights total 3 people: € 5,100.00
(to be honest this expense is completely outside our standards, in fact being more careful you can save more on the flight and the accommodations)
If you want advice, impressions and various or if you want to leave us your comment contact us at our e-mail address: alpatom@libero.it
We recommend the guides that gave us the indications on the places to visit: City Book Lisbon, Routard Portugal.
0 reader comments