Rocky coastline off the coast of Portugal.
 

The Best of Portugal

You know that feeling when you found a great song months ago, and then suddenly it’s trendy and everyone loves it? That’s how I feel about Portugal. I seemed to go there right before it exploded, as lately it tops every travel list I see, but when I went, most people asked why I didn’t do Spain instead.

On my first trip in 2016, I spent seven days in the country, venturing from Lagos to Porto. Between buses and trains, the country was very easy to navigate and see in a short period of time. My second trip was almost a decade later in 2025, where I started in the magical Azores Islands, then made my way back to a few old favorites; Lisbon and Sintra.

Here are my top places for Portugal travel and a few of my favorite things in each place.

Lagos-portugal-travel.JPG

LAGOS

We flew into Faro, transferred to Lagos, and stayed at Tivoli Lagos. This was a great resort to relax on beach or by the pool, and they had the largest breakfast buffet I’ve ever seen (or had at the original time of writing).

When venturing off the resort, I would highly recommend a kayaking excursion through Ponte de Piedade; it has amazing caverns and crystal clear water.

Lagos also has a very small but cute downtown filled with mosaic buildings. I wish I had good food recommendations, but we loved the kebab vendor there so much we went both nights, and mostly ate at the resort otherwise. Skybar was our favorite rooftop spot with amazing views of the town and ocean.

Lisbon-portugal-travel.JPG

LISBON

Like most European capitals, Lisbon is a huge city. It’s spread out, hilly, and there are a million things to do.

There are so many amazing places to eat and drink in Lisbon. I recommend using The Fork to make reservations ahead of time. Copenhagen Coffee is a great spot to start the morning, with locations all over the city. Grano Pasta Fresca is a newer spot with amazing homemade pasta. Vitaleggmina does a good brunch with lots of veggies if you feel yourself in need of a mid-trip health kick. Rooftop at The Art Inn Lisbon was good for food and drinks with a view.

One of our favorite areas was over by Belem Tower, a beautiful spot on the water, with the iconic sweet custard tarts, known as pasteis de nata, right around the corner. You can go to the original shop if you can stand the line, or try the bakery next door, A Padaria Portuguesa, that does them just as well without the wait.

Things to do in Lisbon:

Sintra-portugal-travel.JPG

Sintra

My number one recommendation in Lisbon is not actually in the city itself, but a short train ride away. Sintra is an easy day trip, however I highly recommend spending a night or two there to escape the city. Also, if you happen to be looking into a destination wedding in Portugal, Sintra has some amazing spots.

We stayed in two hotels during a recent trip (as we went for a wedding!). Note that there are restrictions on driving in the town, and even if you arrive by Uber, you may need a pass. Make sure to download WhatsApp ahead of time as that is how these boutique hotels often communicate important info ahead of time.

For a small town, we had a lot of good food. We ate at Casa Piriquita, Hambúrgueria da Ferraria, Garagem Cafe, Pizzeria Do Carmo, and DizTinto Restaurant Wine Bar.

Sintra is known as a fairytale town for a reason. There are numerous castles, mansions, gardens, and more to explore. After two trips, I still haven’t even been in all of them.

  • Jardim Correnteza - great overlook and view of the town and surrounding castles

  • Quinta da Regaleira - long lines but beautiful, massive grounds to walk around. Go early and head straight to the inverted tower; we didn’t get to see it due to long lines.

  • Palacio Nacional da Pena - this tends to be the most popular castle, so if you go, arrive first thing in the morning and buy tickets ahead of time. It’s also on top of a mountain, so if you don’t want a literal hike, take the bus up. I walked up it in Keds and was ready to pass out at the top. The intricate castle with stunning mountain views made it all worth it though, and we took a tuktuk down.

  • Moorish Castle - amazing views but not much of an interior castle, lots of hiking and stairs to get here

  • Park and Palace of Monserrate - smaller building but really pretty interiors and beautiful gardens

  • FlaminGO jeep safari - great way to see the city of Sintra and surrounding area, as well as beaches. They also leave from Lisbon.

  • National Palace of Sintra - small but very pretty free garden; we didn't go in the actual palace


PORTO

Porto was my favorite place in Portugal (the first time around). This gorgeous city on the water reminded me of a combination of San Francisco and a coastal Italian village. The city is divided by the Douro River, and has great architecture on one side, and a sea of wineries on the other. We walked across the Dom Luís I Bridge and stopped at the Miradouro da Serra do Pilar for stunning views of the city. The city is known for it’s namesake wine, port, and a port wine tour is not to be missed (we went to Calem), although its too sweet for more than a tasting, in my opinion. Many of the buildings were intricately tiled, and we enjoyed simply roaming the streets and stopping for food at spots along the water. We stayed at the Rivoli Cinema Hostel, which gave us our own room with a double bed in a great, central location and a rooftop.



SÃo Miguel - Azores Islands

Just a quick five hour flight from Boston is the magical Azores Islands. Sometimes referred to as the Hawaii of Europe, this group of islands in the middle of the Atlantic has something for everyone. Hot springs, beaches, hiking, gin bars…and many other activities at little to no cost.

Renting a car is a must on São Miguel island. Costs are low and pickup at the airport is seamless; driving around the island is one of the best things to do. Look for ‘miradouros’ on Google maps, and explore views like mountaintop lakes and pristine beaches.

Otherwise, for things to do, you can mostly hop around and explore different hikes and sites. The hot springs and whale watching excursions are really the only things you need to book ahead of time. There are tea and pineapple plantations with free tastings that require no booking ahead of time to do a self guided tour.

The most important thing to know for visiting the Azores? The weather can change at the drop of a hat. Wear layers and be prepared to shift your plans, or wait 15 minutes to see if the weather changes. My number on tip is to use SpotAzores and check the cloud and fog coverage before driving to the mountaintop lakes - I didn’t find out about until halfway through, and unfortunately, we missed a few lakes because it was SO foggy ALL day.

Food and drink: Incredible brunch and coffee at Cascara Coffee, waterfront dinner at Cais da Sardinha, delicious, affordable sushi at Haibu, local beers at Azores Brewing Company, tasty drinks (and cute cats) at The Gin Library, tapas (and more gin) at Ta Gente, and roadside pizza with a view at Cafe & Restaurant Moagem.

Notes on some local foods: In the town of Furnas, they have a traditional dish that’s baked in volcanic soil. If you want to try this, make a reservation ahead of time for lunch. If you don’t, avoid eating lunch there as it is very busy and restaurants have limited menus. One local food item I do recommend trying is the queijadas di latte - I actually prefer it over the classic pastel de nata!

Where to stay: We stayed at the Azoris Royal Garden and it was incredible. Large, clean rooms, a spa, two pools, multiple restaurants, and a central location downtown. There are small boutiques and luxury resorts across the island, so it’s really about your preference and desire to drive around for evening meals.