Portugal
Portugal, in a few days
From Lisbon to the cliffs of the Algarve, day by day: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, driving times, and where to sleep at three budgets.
- Day by day
- 1 Lisbon Days 1-2
- 2 Sintra & Cascais Day 3
- 3 Évora Day 4
- 4 The Algarve · Lagos Days 5-6
- 5 Lisbon Day 7 · return
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
Day by day
Lisbon
A capital built on seven hills and rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake. Home of fado and of azulejo tiles, and the place where tram 28 and the Alfama lanes earn their reputation.
- Tram 28 and Alfama, guided2h on foot · from €25The tram that climbs the old city, then the lanes on foot with someone who knows which door leads where.
- Sunset cruise on the Tagus2h · from €35Lisbon from the water as the light goes, with the bridge and the hills lining up behind you.
- Miradouro de Santa Luzia
- Wandering the Alfama
- Mercado da Ribeira
- LX Factory
Sintra & Cascais
The summer residence of Portuguese kings, now UNESCO-listed. Romantic palaces set in a forest that holds its own mist, thirty minutes from Lisbon.
- Pena Palace, skip the lineEntry · from €20The yellow and red palace on the ridge above Sintra. The queue at the gate is the part worth skipping.
- Quinta da RegaleiraGardens · from €12Gardens built as a riddle, with a spiral well you walk down into and tunnels that come out somewhere else.
- Sintra old town
- The Cascais beaches
- Boca do Inferno
- Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of Europe
Évora
A walled museum-city in the Alentejo, lived in since Roman times. Its Temple of Diana and its Chapel of Bones span two thousand years between them.
- Old town and Chapel of Bones, guided1h30 · from €15The Roman temple, the cathedral and the chapel lined with the bones of five thousand monks, explained rather than just seen.
- Alentejo wine tasting2h · from €30The reds of the plain, drunk where they are made, with someone to tell you what you are drinking.
- The Temple of Diana
- The lanes of the old centre
- The public garden
The Algarve · Lagos
The port the caravels sailed from during the Age of Discovery. Today it is ochre cliffs and the sea caves of Ponta da Piedade.
- Benagil caves by kayakHalf day · from €45The sea caves of the Algarve from the water, which is the only way into the one with the hole in its roof.
- Catamaran and dolphins2h30 · from €40Out along the cliffs by boat, with a real chance of dolphins on the way back.
- Ponta da Piedade
- Praia Dona Ana
- The Seven Hanging Valleys trail
Lisbon
A capital built on seven hills and rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake. Home of fado and of azulejo tiles, and the place where tram 28 and the Alfama lanes earn their reputation.
- Tram 28 and Alfama, guided2h on foot · from €25The tram that climbs the old city, then the lanes on foot with someone who knows which door leads where.
- Sunset cruise on the Tagus2h · from €35Lisbon from the water as the light goes, with the bridge and the hills lining up behind you.
- Miradouro de Santa Luzia
- Wandering the Alfama
- Mercado da Ribeira
- LX Factory
Worth sorting before you go
You will want a car · The Algarve and the inland roads are hard work without one. Lisbon and Porto are the opposite: leave the car outside and walk.
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Pastel de nata: a crisp custard tart, dusted with cinnamon. The one thing you will eat every day.
- Bacalhau: salt cod, done a thousand ways (à brás, com natas, and on it goes).
- Francesinha: the grilled sandwich of Porto, meat and cheese under a beer sauce.
- Grilled sardines: the food of summer street festivals, above all in Lisbon.
- Vinho verde and port: one young, cool and faintly sparkling, the other fortified and famous.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Skip the tourist-menu restaurants in the Baixa and look for a neighbourhood tasca instead.
- The bread and olives put on your table are not free. Send them back if you do not want them.
- Tram 28 when packed is pickpocket country: keep your bag in front of you.
- Do not drive into central Lisbon or Porto. The streets are narrow and parking is a fight.
Words that help
English ↔ Portuguese
| English | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Hello | Olá |
| Thank you | Obrigado |
| Please | Por favor |
| Yes | Sim |
| No | Não |
| Excuse me | Com licença |
| Goodbye | Adeus |
| Do you speak English? | Fala inglês? |
| I don't understand | Não compreendo |
| How much is it? | Quanto custa? |
| Where are the toilets? | Onde fica a casa de banho? (BR: banheiro) |
| The bill, please | A conta, por favor |
| Help! | Socorro! |
| Cheers! | Saúde! |
The practical page
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/portugal
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.