Portugal

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  • zaq2

    Awesome. here is my plan.
    I arrive to Lisbon and stay there for 5 days.
    I'd love to see Porto and other great places north of Portugal, but I only have 3 weeks. So I decided this time I'll explore south.
    So I'll be traveling all the way south in a rented car.
    The stops I'll be making:
    1. Sines
    2. Sagres
    3. Lagos
    4. Albuferia ( 3 days )
    5. Faro
    6. Tavira ( maybe )

    after that I am heading to Spain:
    1. Huelva
    2. Seville
    3. Tarifa
    - I'll take a day trip to Morocco: Tangier
    back to Seville,
    maybe stop in Badajoz,
    after that back to Lisbon and will stay few more days there.

    I am excited to visit Portugal.

    • Nice break!microkorg
    • nice!Krassy
    • Nice! The route down the west coast from Cadiz to Tarifa is beautiful. Badajoz, from vague memory, is a 'bit' barren.detritus
    • just need to stop half way to Lisbon from Seville.zaq
    • Albufeira though? You sure?!
      I loved that place when I was a 12-16 year old, but as an adult..?
      detritus
    • you suggest avoid that? I do not knowzaq
    • Read some reviews - it's decades since I was last there. 'The Strip' is full of Northern Euros getting shitfaced. Coast is quite nice though.detritus
    • got it, thankszaq
    • You're heading to all the most crowded tourist spots.dmay
    • Faro / Tavira = skip those. Olhão better. Fuseta beach not bad - long, no shade, but no rocks, good for a swim.shapesalad
    • I am open for recommendations in the Southzaq
    • skip Sines. all of these little places are excellent: Pessegueiro / Vila Nova de Milfontes / Zambujeira do Mar beach / Arrifana / Praia Da Bordeira ...shapesalad
    • ... Praia da Cordoama. Inland these are worth a stop: Aljezur / Monchique / Alteshapesalad
    • If you drive from Lisbon to Sines, go to Setubal and cross the Sado bay to Troia using the ferry and drive by the coastdmay
    • Lagos is ok as base for Burgau / Praia Dona Ana.shapesalad
    • https://goo.gl/maps/…dmay
    • book your car with these guys, collect it from the BP petrol station opposite airport: https://www.echorent… They are well priced and don't scam.shapesalad
    • I ♥ QBN.
      Thank you guys, you are awesome
      zaq
    • If you need any specific info when you're here, help, translation, just bump this tread ;)dmay
    • I'd suggest making a stop for the day at the Alhambra in Granada. It's one of the coolest places I've ever been - will blow your mind!davey_g
    • shapesalad knows what he's talking about. I also visited Sines and was extremely disappointed. As for Albufeira I would totally avoid it.oey
    • do as Dmay says cross from Setubal but don't do it at night, it's fucking confusing all those horrible resorts and golf places in Troia.oey
    • +1 Davey_G - Granada in General is beautiful. Also, Ronda's worth a visit.detritus
    • Get your tickets for Alhambra before heading there... also great buys on leather all in the south of Spainrobotron3k
  • shapesalad4

    You could get a camper van and go along the Atlantic coast above Sagres. Some nice surf vibe quiet towns and beaches. It's a protected area. Beautiful wild beaches and nice countryside.

    Algarve area would be hell at that time of year. Too many tourists of a certain type. And isn't nice anyway. Lagos would be the furthest west you'd want to go from Sagres.

    If it's your first time to Portugal you'll want to at least see Lisbon and Porto.

    The small towns and villages might not offer enough to keep you interested. Nazare is good, some of the worlds biggest waves, but too touristy and lacking a vibe. Aveiro is small and could be ok, but a week would be enough. There's a Airbnb in an old film directors house that could work for you as place to work remotely too.

    Coimbra is small, but pretty old university town with really old library. Bit touristy the library. Inland so no beaches. Along the river that passes the city it's lovely and has a Paris feel.

    Lisbon and Porto have plenty of coworking spaces. Also Lisbon has some excellent libraries that have high speed wifi, power sockets and good desks. Safe too. And free. One has a lovely old room with a city/river view. Lisbon also has some beaches within an hour and enough cultural things to keep you busy. Plenty of meetups, and a digital nomad meetup. Everyone speaks English. Watch out for burglars.

    • shapesalad, this is awesome. Do you live there?zaq
    • Yeah. But not sure for how much longer. I'm planning on making an ebook/blog with all the info I've discovered about Portugal.shapesalad
    • awesome. It would be great if you can start that within the next 2 monthszaq
    • ^ I'll do my best. And post link hereshapesalad
    • +zaq
    • I loved the Algarve (June). It's worth going there just to hike the sandstone cliffs.allthethings
  • CincodeMayo1

    Going in November. If I can only do one day trip from Lisbon would you recommend Sintra or Cascais? Or somewhere else? Or just stay in Lisbon? I think we'll be there for 3 days.

    • Or is it worth making the trek to Porto for a full day (leave early AM - train back late)?CincodeMayo
    • I enjoyed Cascais more than Sintra.zaq
    • I haven't been to Porto, but I would spend at least few days there if I go.zaq
    • Porto needs more than a full day, and the train trip takes you +-3 hours each way.dmay
    • zaq went to Sintra on a sunday, maybe in november in a week day you don't get as many touristsdmay
  • zaq1

    6th day in Portugal. What a lovely country.
    It has been overwhelming so far. Each day is a unique experience.
    So far:
    Lisbon, great old city. It has its charm with narrow streets, cafes and history.
    Cascais, a day trip from Lisbon, definitely worth it.
    Sintra, great castles, but too many tourists.
    Setubel, we stayed nearby in a castle in Palmela. That was a unique experience.
    Drive along the shore south of Sines was spectacular.
    Right now in Monchique in the mountains:

    Thanks everyone for recommendations.

    P.S. I feel it's time for me to share my story here when I return https://www.qbn.com/topics/67335…

    • Be prepared, next 2/3 days are going to be super hot, over 40°C (104°F)dmay
    • ^oey
    • < nice to read...enjoy the rest of your stay!oey
    • enjoy some Vinho Verde during the heat!uan
  • shapesalad2

    @Zaq The coast all the way between Sine > Sagres is wonderful. Take you time driving down there exploring all the little coastal towns and beaches. if you can stay perhaps at Vila do Bpo for a few nights, you can drive and explore all that coast line + sagres too.

    Lunch at Praia da Arrifana, here is nice https://goo.gl/maps/jTAKE1pspPx (streetview out of date there) And you can take some surf lessons there too.

    Praia da Cordoama, a wild windy beautiful place to feel the force of the Atlantic crashing into Europe - probably my favourite beach alone there. Hardly anyone around, nice walk along beach, and at the end you can take a little swim where the waves are not so aggressive:

    Praia Da Bordeira, again feel the force of the Atlantic. You wade across a little estuary and climb up some little sand dunes to get to the beach. And there's some little mini walks you can do to the left. Sometimes see a flock of birds landing in the estuary. Really nice spot for a sunset:



    ^ photos taken in May2018

    • *you = your!shapesalad
    • I need to proof read more...shapesalad
    • beautiful shots!!zaq
    • shapesalad, thanks again for the valuable info. I just got a chance to place all these points on the map and update my trip.zaq
    • You should definitely do a blogzaq
  • shapesalad2






    • It's a wonderful series...shapesalad
    • thanks a lot. I already watched a couple of movies about Portugal.zaq
  • shapesalad2


    • thanks, staying in Setubal instead of Sines.zaq
  • oey1

    What are your hobbies?
    Maybe that can help, like surf?

    Coimbra, Sintra, Aveiro, Braga are not so big and nice to visit.
    Porto is awesome if you're into an alternative city and it's very peculiar.

    Lisbon is totally urban, big but also awesome.

    For graffiti check Olhão (Lisbon and Porto as well)
    For surfing you can hit Nazare´, Peniche and Baleal among other great beaches.

    Be aware of the fire season and get some info and check what's happening around the places you want to visit.

    If you head south to Algarve get some info cause there's lots of places with hordes of tourists from Britain, Germany, Netherlands...

    So Lagos is nice and Olhão as well.
    You can check Sagres.

    If you're driving just do it bu the coast with some inner regions specific visits.

    I don't know if you plan to visit the islands, Madeira and Azores.
    If so then that' will be great.

    Specific places and spots I can give much info as I left 10 years ago and when I vist there's always a new spot.

    For screen print there's Oficina Arara, great collective.

    I'll come back to you with some more info!

    • thanks, just updated my list with Sagreszaq
    • cool!oey
  • dmay2

    Braga is a beautiful small city near Oporto, with some coworking spaces.

    Great small cities nearby, Guimarães, Viana do Castelo, Ponte da Barca, Ponte de Lima, the Peneda-Gerês National Park.

    The northern part of Portugal is not as warm (25 - 30 °C) as the southern part but is a lot greener and has a lot to see.

  • shapesalad2

    Coimbra.

  • Projectile2

    I just moved to Lisbon a few months ago. It's an amazing city, but I'm more interested in the beaches etc.

    FREE CAMP. When road tripping through Portugal I always have a tent (you can probably sleep in your car too). Next to most of the more remote and gorgeous beaches there are always a few campervans with others just free camping. You can spend the day on the beach, go grab some dinner nearby and then set up for the night. It's totally safe and saves all the hassle of booking places, checking in and out, and means you can plan as you go. Obviously book airbnb's for the cities but give yourself a couple of unplanned days to get from one to the next.

    Around Lisbon, check out Sintra, Ericeira (for surf) and just explore the city both day and night.

  • SimonFFM1

    For travelling advice, QBN is a very good source. I really like the locations given here. In the past years, I was several times in Portugal for photo projects and it really is a beautiful country. Driving is fun, too, because there are not so many people living in Portugal (compared to Germany where it's always crowded).

    • Hope it stays that way, low population. It makes it calm and peaceful.shapesalad
  • wordssssss2

    Been here for the past three weeks. First two and a half were in Arouca south east of Porto. Quite beautiful with nature being its primary draw. Geoparks, mother rocks (large stones that give birth to tiny rocks) they only exist in a 1km square part at the top of a ridge, Trilobite museum - that kind of stuff. Spent many days lazing by a river swimming and reading. Went to Lisbon for a night and told our waiter where we were staying and he found it an interesting choice. Next part is by the sea in Porto. Quite lovely. Beautiful country. Mountain roads are crazy.

  • zaq0

    shapesalad, how is your blog coming along?

    • errr.. soon.. planned it out, written drafts for a few posts, got a url... just need to get some time to finish it.shapesalad
    • ^ hehe... "some time..."OBBTKN
  • canoe1


    • From The Wire Tapper series, The Wire magazine... fell in love with Fado thanks to that great magazine.canoe
  • OBBTKN1

    A cheap apt. in Lisbon or Oporto and move by car from there?

    • There is a qbner living there...OBBTKN
    • You could ask him... if qbn had a PM system fo their usersOBBTKN
  • shapesalad1

    @zaq

    I'm not going to make a blog, seems there's already plenty said about Portugal/Lisbon, this one is good:

    https://www.indietraveller.co/li…

  • shapesalad1

  • cock-a-doodle-doo0

    taken from one of the recommended documentaries topics.
    well worth watching.

    • I saw that and though, it's happening everywhere, worse in London - trying being an English man in London, where's the Morris dancers and may poles?shapesalad
    • ... I can't type.shapesalad
  • zaq0

    The picture a post above was taken in Monchique.
    A day after I left a massive fire has started because of the heatwave. http://theportugalnews.com/news/…

    I hope they end the fire soon, it's a wonderful place.