Portugal
Lisbon & Lagos
Lisbon
Where to Stay (Lisbon)
Lisboa Prata Botique Hotel ♡* : We stayed at this hotel in the Baixa neighborhood. Location was perfect for seeing the sites and easy to walk to the neighborhoods with great restaurants/bars. It was very central to the sites in Lisbon and right by the big port/Terreiro (plaza facing the river). This hotel was very cozy/homey and also had great breakfast in the morning. Other great neighborhoods that would be good to stay in are Chiado or Bairro Alto. All 3 neighborhoods are next to each other. Barrio Alto is better for restaurants/going out. You can’t go wrong, the city is pretty small.
Where to Eat (Lisbon)
Artis Wine Bar : This was a great local spot with excellent food and a wine list. I distinctly remember their octopus being phenomenal. More of a low key spot, we loved it.
Chafariz do Vinho Enoteca ♡♡ : This was my favorite restaurant we went to in Lisbon. It is built in the old Lisbon aqueduct where the entire city used to go to get their water. Its very cool. They have great tapas (or as they call in Portugal, “petiscos”), and an awesome wine list with affordable prices. They had a great Vinho Verde (which is a white sparkling wine which is a local Portuguese wine, definitely try it whether its here or another restaurant/wine bar!)
Barrio Alto Neighborhood: There are a ton of old school/traditional Portuguese tapas restaurants around the Bairro Alto neighborhood. I wish I documented some of the places we went to but the two above the are only names I actually remember!
Pasteis de Nata ♡♡ : While you are in Lisbon, EAT ALL THE PASTEIS DE NATA. They are these little Portuguese egg/custard tarts and are phenomenal. The best place to get them is Pasteis de Belem , which I will forever regret not going to! Belem is about 15-20 minutes outside of downtown Lisbon and wish I made the trek out there!
Things to Do (Lisbon)
Pena Palace (Sintra) ♡♡ : I highly recommend taking a day trip to Pena Palace in Sintra (easy 30 min train ride). It is a massive palace situated at the top of a mountain overlooking Sintra & Lisbon. I recommend getting tickets ahead. It is beyond gorgeous and you can tour both inside and outside the palace. Once you get off the train in Sintra from Lisbon, its a bit of a walk to the base of the mountain where the castle is- I recommending taking a tuktuk to the top. Some people hike it but its up to you. Sintra itself is a very cool town, you can spend the whole day seeing other sites,eating in their cafes/restaurants and shopping. I would al
Restaurant/Cafe (Sintra near the train): When you get off the train- about a block towards the palace, there is a great cafe called Cafe Saudade. They had great baked goods, desserts, sandwiches and quiche. Perfect spot to stop on your way from the train into town or on your way back to Lisbon
Castelo de S. Jorge : This is a great spot to visit during the day while touring Lisbon. You can walk to the Castle from most neighborhoods. It is at the top of the hill which has awesome views! A lot of the castle is now ruins (as it dates back to BC). We saw some giant peacocks there as well which was super cool! I would allow about an hour here.
Fado Show : Definitely check out a Fado show while in Lisbon. Its a type of music native to Portugal. We went to Clube De Fado after dinner for wine and dessert. We enjoyed the music and atmosphere there. Be prepared to wait a bit to get seated once you arrive.
Wine Tours: There are a ton of amazing vineyards and wineries right outside of Lisbon. We had booked a tour on Viator to visit 3 vineyards however, the company last minute cancelled on us due to the driver getting sick - we were super bummed and leaving the next day so we never got to go unfortunately. Definitely find one that makes Vihno Verde and/or Porto wines.
Castelo/Alfama Neighborhoods : These two neighborhoods are really beautiful with great views of the water as they are situated up higher than the rest of Lagos. We had an awesome lunch and dinner in these neighborhoods looking over the ocean - I can’t remember their names but we definitely enjoyed them.
Lagos
Where To Stay (Lagos)
Tivoli Lagos : We stayed at Tivoli Lagos which was a nice hotel with a pool and a spa. It is close to the downtown area with a ton of shops/restaurants etc and right by the train (if youre coming from Lisbon, its a 10-15 minute walk from the train station). The service was great, rooms were a little dated, decent spa and nice pool (looking online, it looks like some of the rooms are a bit more updated now). I wish we had stayed a bit closer to the beach (this hotel is a 20-25 minute walk to Estudiantes & Pinhao Beaches). If i were to go back, I’d spend a little more to be closer to Pinhao Beach.
Things To Do (Lagos)
Beach: We went to Praia dos Estudantes Praia do Pinhao Beach both days - its incredibly gorgeous with amazing rock formations. There was a restaurant right above Estudantes Beach called Mar Restaurante Bar which is a perfect spot to stop for lunch while at the beach. It has a big patio situated above the beach on the cliff looking over the ocean which is pretty amazing.
Boat Ride/Rock Formation Tour ♡♡ : If you walk just past the beaches (Estudantes & Pinhao), there was a dock area with a few local fisherman on these little 12” boats offering tours. I believe it was 12 euro each and he took us on a private tour all around the tip of Lagos through the rock formations / caves and told us about all of the formations. He spoke little English and some Spanish and were able to communicate via Spa-nglish-ese. It was the highlight of our time in Lagos. Note: I wouldn’t recommend going on the big tour boats. They get over crowded and aren’t personal from what I hear. You also can’t go inside of the rock formations on the big boats, only the little boats like we were on!
Sagres (Southern Most Point of Europe) : I did not do this while in Lagos however, ive heard its really cool to go to Sagres, which is the tip of the Iberian peninsula and the Southern Most Point of continental Europe. In ancient times, it was referred to as the “End of the World”. It is only about 30-40 minutes from Lagos.
* ♡ = a favorite
♡♡ = a must do