A week in picturesque Portugal

November 23 - 29, 2019

Arrival at Lisbon

Our family of four (us and our two kids - 14 year old daughter, and 10 year old son) landed in Lisbon airport around 4:30 pm. The part at the airport was pretty uneventful - there was even a boarding bridge to get off the plane (yes, that is considered luxury in Europe), we got both pieces of luggage on time and everything was in order. After landing, we took the opportunity to get our “viva viagem cards” from the metro station conveniently located at the airport and loaded them with €10 each so that we could easily zap in and out of public transportation as required in the next few days. From the airport, we took an Uber to get to our apartment in the Baixa area, cost us about €9 for the 15-20 minute ride including traffic. Getting inside the apartment also went smooth - all the door codes working as expected. We were all pretty hungry, so after we freshened up a bit, we went out for dinner. We decided the restaurant based on good old google and yelp reviews, and the food at our chosen restaurant did not disappoint us - the food venture was off to a great start. We had amazing cod cataplana and the kids opted for steak on stone (also great quality) at the Alpendre restaurant.

After the hearty meal, we walked around the Praça do Comércio and the Arco da Rua Augusta (also referred to as Lisbon's Arc de Triomphe) area for a bit before retiring for the night, tired after the long flight.

---

Day 1: Walking the streets of Lisbon

Very first thing in the morning, we went to Martim Moniz to board the famous tram 28E. After difficulties in finding the right tram stop, we were able to locate it, asking some locals for directions. Not many people here are fluent English speakers, so my husband's (very recently acquired) Portuguese skills came in handy. We took the tram all the way to the last stop, enjoying the squeaky climb up the hilly streets, passing through the labyrinth of the tiny streets of Alfama and the different parts of the town. Once at the very last stop, Campo Ourique, we got down to start our own exploration by foot. Our very first stop was the Basilica Estrela. We entered the Basilica and spent some time admiring the intricate artwork and architecture inside and outside this neoclassical monument.

Once done, we went right outside to catch the same tram 28E, this time downhill. By now, the “early morning hour” had passed and the tram was getting packed with people. We got down at the Portas do Sol stop to enjoy the beautiful views of red roofs and cathedrals stretching into the distance towards the Tagus River below and the mountains beyond from the Miradouro (aka viewpoint).

From here, we kind of randomly rambled around the old town of Alfama, enjoying the delightful maze of narrow cobbled streets, the ancient buildings, a delightful plaza bustling with people, a panoramic viewpoint, or a trendy coffee shop… We stopped for some Pastel de Nada at one of these very busy cafes - Pastelaria Santo Antonio, collecting lots of blessings from Saint Antonio (As the posters on the wall of the pastelaria suggested).

Per the Pastel da Nata (Portuguese egg tart) lovers in our family (my husband and my daughter), this was the crispiest and freshest one they had had during the trip. After the mini treat break, we continued our walk in the labyrinths of the Alfama region for a bit, and finally decided to take the stairs that twists its way down from the Miradouro to the lower area, stopping for a bit to enjoy the cartoon comic strips that depict the history of Portugal in one wall.

The way down was very scenic, through narrow cobble-stone alleyways, and reminded us of our time in Santorini a few years back.

On the way we saw a couple of stops where elderly ladies were offering Ginjinha (sour cherry liquor) tasting for €1, we politely declined with an “Abrigado/Abrigada” (thanks in Portuguese). We had already planned to have lunch at the very busy Ribeira market food court (more popularly known as the “Timeout market”) after hearing some great reviews about this place, so we started walking towards that direction. On the way we passed sights like the Arco da Rua Augusta, Praça do Município and availed some quick photo opportunities.

The Timeout Market was a world in itself, bustling with thousands of people, mostly tourists. This is a must do in Lisboa, if you have the time. There were at least 20+ food stalls selling everything from sushi to burgers to fresh grilled seafood - it truly is the best of Lisbon under one roof.

Me and my husband shared a plate of grilled sea bass topped with grilled shrimp and squids, and with a side of rice - tasted simply amazing.

My son had burger and fries (yeah I know!) and the daughter opted for a steak sandwich - both of them enjoyed their meals and said they were delicious. Looked like we had not yet run out of gas (not sure how, with the jet lag and all), so after lunch, we decided to venture to Belém, taking the 15E tram/bus. Once in Belém, we went to see the amazing Jerónimos Monastery, where we spent a couple of hours exploring the lower and upper levels of this beautiful monastery...

It was getting pretty late, and we were (finally) getting tired, so we skipped the Torres in Belém (which was part of our original plan) and returned back to our apartment for the night, taking the tram 15E. There is a famous pastry shop in Belém known as Pastéis de Belém which we also had to skip because of the super long queue that went all the way outside the store, and we saw people waiting for who knows how long with their colorful umbrellas to protect themselves from the rain! A bit disappointed, we went back to our apartment for a small break to recharge. After some rest and video games (yes, that is a big attraction in travel, especially for my son) we headed out for dinner. The plan for today was Paella, so we looked up the best paella-place nearby and ended up in Taverna Alfacinha. To our utter disappointment, the €14.50 paella tasted simply average.

My son ordered grilled salmon and my daughter opted for the Portuguese traditional piri piri chicken, all of the dishes pretty average quality.

Disappointed, we went in search of some tasty dessert. This is when we discovered the rose-shaped ice cream cone place Amorino, which would be our new favorite gelato chain and serve us many ice cream cones over the next few days during our trip.

After satisfying our sweet teeth, we headed over to the Rossio square and Praça da Figueira for a short evening stroll and also burn off some of the calories acquired.

Exhausted after a long day, we were ready to retire for the night…

---

Day 2: Scenic Sintra

Today we woke up a bit late due to the jet lag kicking in... at about 11:00 we started towards the Rossio train station to take the train towards Sintra. The balance in the "viva viagem" card worked for this ride as well. The train ride from Rossio to Sintra is about 40 minutes, and we reached Sintra at half past noon. Once we reached Sintra, we headed out of the train station directly to the 434 bus stop, ignoring all the offers for transportation from the tuk-tuk vendors and other private companies (as suggested by our fellow travelers on the internet - always grateful to these online friends!). The ticket for the 434 bus cost €6.90 for the entire day (hop on hop off style) and the bus driver accepted cash on board. We took the bus all the way up to the last stop - the picture perfect, colorful Penã Palace, which sits atop a hill in the Sintra Mountains above the town. We bought combined tickets for the palace gardens and the moorish castle (to get a little discount). Since we were short on time, we did not opt for visiting the interiors of the palace. The Pena Palace is one of the most iconic buildings in Sintra, sitting high on a hill with its yellow and red towers and turrets.

We walked around the exteriors of the castle, mesmerized by the beautiful and vibrant colors. Around the castle is a medieval castle wall, which we walked the entire perimeter of and enjoyed the breathtaking views of the valleys.

Our next stop was the Moorish castle. From the Pena palace, we walked down the same path the 434 bus had taken to come up, keeping to the left side of the road dedicated for pedestrians. Once at the Castelo Dos Mouros (popularly known as the Moorish castle) entrance, we hiked up to the Moorish castle defensive walls and walked the entire perimeter of the walls, enjoying incredible views across the region from here, including a great angle of Pena Palace.

We took a different pedestrian only path from here down to the historic city center. By this time, we were all starving (the late breakfast could only work for so long) and we had a very late lunch (maybe early dinner?) at Sintra Terrace tapas bar, a restaurant with pretty decent food and incredible views from the patio.

Here we also met a Bangladeshi server, and had a very fun and engaging conversation with him about his life in Portugal. After the meal and some coffee, we started our foot exploration of the picturesque little historic town, visiting the charming little tile painting shops, taking pictures, and stopping in front of the National Palace of Sintra (we didn’t go in).

It was getting dark, so we decided to head back (skipping our original plan of visiting the Quinta De Regaleira due to lack of time), took 434 back to the train station, and the train back to Rossio station. At the Rossio square in Lisbon we ran into a women’s procession protesting against injustice towards women in this world, echoing the protests that was happening worldwide on this same day… Funny story: My (recently educated in the Portuguese language) husband tried translating one of the banners trying to figure out the reason for the protests and this is what he came up with - “we are inflatable women”… :) :), we later figured out that the banner actually said - “we are women, not inflatable dolls!”.

We watched the protests for a bit, showing our silent support and then headed towards home. We were too full for dinner today, so just stopped at the Confeitaria Nacional (a famous confectionery founded in 1829) on the way home to pick each of our favorite treats - My son and I got a cake each, my daughter a meringue and my husband his favorite Pastel de Nata. Once satisfied with our picks, we headed towards our apartment, planning to retire for the night.

---

Day 3: Journey to Porto via Óbidos

This was a day of travel, from Lisbon to Porto. Early morning, after breakfast, we went to pick up our rental car from Europcar. We started for Porto around 10 am. The plan was to stop at the small touristic town of Óbidos. It was raining hard at the start, luckily for us, later the rain tapered down. It was quite a challenge finding parking in Óbidos, not because the town was too crowded, but mostly because of wrong map directions in google maps. Anyway, a few u-turns later, we were able to find a good parking spot, where we left our car and started walking.

We spent a couple of hours walking the narrow-cobbled streets in Óbidos, enjoying the traditional houses painted in colorful colors, and much to our disappointment had our worst tasting lunch in Portugal at the Monte da Canasta restaurant. After lunch, we walked around a little more to discover a medieval castle that had been converted to a hotel (Pousada do Castelo) and restaurant.

We took some pictures here, since the actual hotel was closed for the season and then after walking a bit more, exploring a few more alleyways...

...returned to our car to resume our journey to our final destination, Porto.

After two hours of driving in the (really heavy) rain, we reached our apartment in the Aliados area in Porto. Post checking in and freshening up, we went to Casa da Guitarra to inquire about the Fado show we were planning to watch the next day. We made a booking for the Fado show next evening, and then went in search of dinner. Dinner was at the restaurant Cerveja ria Brasão Aliados, near our apartment, recommended by our apartment host. The restaurant was pretty up scale and busy but we managed to secure a table. My husband and I shared the traditional Portuguese Francesinha, modifying the meat contents a bit to make it “halal” enough (substitute pork with beef)...

and the kids had steak (again!).

We were pleasantly surprised to see the pretty steep price drop for food in Porto compared to Lisboa. Once done with dinner, we spent the evening walking around Porto a bit... visited the São Bento railway station, admiring the beautiful interior tile work...

and around the Aliados area.

Before heading back to the apartment, we went to the Froiz grocery nearby, got some items for breakfast and retired for the night.

---

Day 4: Enjoying Porto

This was our first full day at Porto... It was a beautiful morning... a bit cloudy, but beautiful!

Our first destination today was a violin store where my daughter (she plays viola at her high school orchestra) wanted to check out some violas, so we started towards the Oficina dos violinos and Cia, the violin store recommended to us. There she tried out a viola, originally made in England, with final touches by the luthier Miguel Mateus (who owns the store)... we also got to hear one of the most famous violinists in Portugal (Pedro Carneiro) play a few pieces on this viola... it was an awesome experience!

Heading out from the viola store, we continued our walk on the streets of Porto, visiting popular tourist areas like the Rua de Cedofeita, Igreja do Carmo...

the livraria Chardron (this library, now a bookstore was frequented by JK Rowling, when she taught English in Porto and is known to be an inspiration for her Harry Potter series)...

... Clerigos tower and church...

...the stock exchange building known as the Bolsa palace,

Rua Das Flores and finally the riverside.

It started raining by the time we hit the riverside, and we also got very hungry, so we decided to take a lunch break, giving the rains a chance to die down. We had lunch at O Muro Antigo, which turned out to be one of our favorite restaurants in Portugal. Today my husband and I shared a seafood version of Francesinha, which was part of the 13 euro touristic combination menu, which also came with bread and olives, a soda and a dessert. The kids had fried calamari and fries, all of us enjoying every bite!

After lunch, we took a few pictures at the riverside, but the kids were too tired to hike all the way uphill back to our apartment, so we got an Uber to take us back for a quick nap before our Fado show at 6 pm in the evening.

The Fado show was an amazing experience in itself... a female singer with a super powerful voice, and two guitar players accompanying her, one playing a Portuguese guitar.

After the show, we walked on the upper portion of the Dom Luis I Bridge...

for a night view of the city from the other side...

and then headed over to Escondidinho do Barredo for a light snack, which would be our dinner for the night.

We had read really good reviews about this little “hole in the wall” place, but didn’t get a spot during lunch hours, so here we are, back again... to taste the delicious octopus salad

and the Pastéis (or Bolinho) de Bacalhau - the quality of the food totally lived up to the reviews!

We were ready to call it a night...

---

Day 5: Final day in Porto

This was our last full day in Porto. The original plan for the day was to visit the Douro valley, but the weather forecast wasn’t very promising, so we decided to stay in town instead. Defying all the bad forecasts, the morning turned out to be really gorgeous with some nice sunshine in store for us.

But, we rejoiced a bit too soon, the afternoon weather in store for us wasn’t going to defy the forecast, rather challenge it! Seeing the sun, our first thought was to go to the riverside, since yesterday we didn’t get clear skies. We crossed the upper part of the bridge to go to the south side to enjoy the gorgeous views of the Porto city on the other side of the river.

Next we decided to take the gondola ride (6 euros per adult, half off for kids 12 and under) to the other side of the southern bank. The views from the gondola were stunning!

Getting off from the gondola, we had some churros and Espresso, walked the entire south bank, crossed the lower bridge to get to the northern bank, and headed over to our favorite O Muro Antigo for a second time for lunch. Today the adults shared a dish of Octopus rice, the kids had the same calamari.

Again superb quality food, in fact, even better than last time! And did I mention the views from this restaurant perched high above the river? Gorgeous!

The rains had started by now, and became quite heavy really fast. We decided to take the 2.5 euro (again half for kids) funicular uphill. This was a good time to go indoors, so we decided to use this time to visit the Porto Sè (aka cathedral). By the time we reached the cathedral walking, we were pretty drenched, even with our two umbrellas! We spent a good hour inside (10 euros per adult, half off for kids) the cathedral, hoping that the rains would die down by the time we were done.

But nope! The torrents poured even more heavily as time went by, and we started heading back home. On the way back we decided to do a small detour to another pedestrian only shopping street, where my daughter found a nice art supplies store, and we bought some stuff... By the time we reached our apartment we were just soaked! We used the dryer at the apartment to dry out our clothes and rested for a few hours. Thankfully the rains subsided a bit in the evening, and we were able to head out for dinner... we went to Pedro dos Frangos, only 5 minutes away from our apartment... where we had some really good piri piri chicken and octopus with green sauce.

After dinner we did a quick grocery stop to stock up on breakfast items and then called it a day!

---

Day 6: Aveiro and back to Lisbon

This day was our day of journey - from Porto back to Lisbon, to catch our flight back the next day. We started from Porto around 10:30 am in our rental car. On the way to Lisbon, we stopped at a city called Aveiro, known as the Venice of Portugal because of the many canals and pedestrian bridges in the city.

We walked along the main canal for a bit, and then decided to embark on a boat journey. Haggling worked like a charm, and we got the 30 euro ride for 20 euros. The boat ride was a nice 45 minute informative tour, but the rains came, ruining the experience a bit.

After the ride, we decided to take shelter in the mall... and after all it was the Black Friday sale too! My husband got a puffer jacket and my daughter bought some clothes, for a really good deal. We also had lunch at the mall food court. My daughter got this really mouth-watering seafood pasta...

and my son got a steak sandwich...

After lunch, since the rains had died down, we resumed our walk on the streets of Aveiro...

... had some desserts - ice cream for me and my daughter, and the traditional Aveiro dessert called Ovos Moles for my husband.

Finally, we headed back to our car and drove straight to our hotel in Lisboa - the Radisson blu near the airport. We checked in, dropped off the bags and the kids, and went to return the rental car at the airport. We used the hotel’s free shuttle service to come back. After we got back, all four of us went to dinner to a Chinese restaurant, Restaurant Hao Hua right outside our hotel. The spicy sizzling shrimp dish was to die for!

After dinner we reported back to the hotel to call it a day and call it a trip... need to wake up really early tomorrow to catch the flight to Seattle via Heathrow.

We will be reminiscing this wonderful trip for a long time...