PORTUGAL – a travel diary.

Portugal.
Vibrant and colourful. Such a lively country, with so much diversity on offer.

We were passing through Portugal in pretty high summer. So needless to say, there was some pretty steamy nights trying [and sometimes failing] to sleep in the van. But the vista’s and landscapes were worth it. Some of our favourite wild camping spots we found here.

It was one of the more affordable countries to pass through and you can experience so much different scenary. From colourful cities, lego-esque palaces to lush national parks, ochre cliffs and desert-like landscapes.

Oh and the pastel de natas. hmmmm sweet heavenly pastel de natas.

PORTO

This was one our favourite cities, but again, perhaps I’m swayed by other factors in visiting the other cities. We only spent one day/night here before moving on, bound for the beach.

The colourful cityscape lining the river was breathtaking. Especially when looking down from the bridge.

The best way to experience this city is just to wander. Across the bridge, maybe spot some of the local kids jumping off to cool down in the river. Wander along both sides of the river and stop for sangria as often as needed [which is a lot… it can get really hot.


Also there was a few places we didn’t make it to, but looked amazing. I feel like everywhere in Europe/the world tries to claim ties to the Harry Potter Franchise. But Harry Potter or not, the Livraria Lello bookshop did look breathtaking

EAT

Casa da Horta
This was a fun little place we found to have dinner. It is a cultural and environment association that runs a low-key vegan/vegetarian restaurant with produce sourced from local farmers.

If you’re lucky enough to be there on Friday night, you can try their vegetarian version of the typical Porto dish Francesinha. Basically a sandwich with sausage and cheese and soaked in a tomato/beer sauce. Its pretty freaking delicious [the non-meat version was at least].

NAZARÉ 

We didn’t stay here, just merely passed through to check out this incredible vista and also see the place were some of the largest waves in the world exist [unfortunately we weren’t there quite at the right time to seem them].

Being in the van, we never really took notice of what day it was. So we ended up here on the weekend, and couldn’t even get a park near the beach in order to go from the swim. But to be honest, looking down from above was one of the prettiest views I saw on this trip.

We passed through the old town, near the lighthouse which was alive with cute cafes and market stalls. I wish it was a quieter day so we could have stayed longer.

ÓBIDOS

Again another little town we passed through one day. A charming little town with cobbled streets, traditionally painted houses all encompassed by a medieval wall that you can walk around and see the town from above.

Adorable little cafes and shops, it was such a picturesque little town to stop and take a stroll through.

PENICHE

Probably not a town I would recommend passing through unless you surf. We stayed here for 5 nights and it was pretty magical camping directly cliffside overlooking the ocean. And we had some pretty fun surfs. However the town itself was nothing incredible [comparatively to other places], so again… unless you surf and are desperate to get a wave, I would suggest spending your time in some of the other more lively towns.

We did find some cute little vegan cafes and a surf hotel that had GREAT hummus and sweet potato fries [always nice to mix up the meals in the van].

SINTRA

This was such a cute little town, again we simply passed through for a day and wandered around before heading up to Pena Palace at sunset.

It’s been a little overdone now, but it is hard not to smile or experience joy when visiting this colourful, fairytale inspired castle. We only paid for the garden pass, which is all you need to roam around the outside of this beautiful place. I’m not sure if its worth the extra money to go inside.

From the palace, you do get a beautiful view overlooking the countryside, and the drive up to the top of the hill is an adventure in and of itself.

LISBON

Tom and I have such a skewed experience of cities. I feel like at this point in the trip, we were getting a little over sight-seeing in terms of buildings and most of the joy in exploring cities is to be out and about, eating and drinking. Which again, you get little over doing when you are travelling just as a couple [and are trying to stick to a budget].

So again, Lisbon, was simply a day trip for us.

One of the downsides of travelling in the van, is for safety reasons, parking and often low-emission zones, you have to park a fair way out of the city.
Which is what we did.

And of course, as we are on the bus, only 5 mins down the road – Tom asked the question “did I lock the van?”. Now when you are travelling with your whole life in a vehicle, this is not something you want to tempt fate with. So we got off, and started the trek back. But for some reason the bus took a different route back, which ended up being at least 20mins.

The van was, in fact, locked.

No harm done, we’ll just catch another bus right?

1 1/2 hrs later… The bus FINALLY comes and we are on route to Lisbon.

I was over this city, before we’d even got there. Admittedly, not Lisbon’s fault at all.

But after we’d grabbed some food and a drink – definitely head to Ao26 – Vegan Food Project for some delicious vegan eats, we wandered around this beautiful city.

I feel like out of all the cities, Lisbon is the most colour coordinated. So vibrant, I do wish we had been there with friends to soak up a bit more of the city.

NATURE PARK OF ARRÁBIDA

A must go. I wish we’d stayed longer.
Tucked away, almost as if it has it’s own climate. We drove along the winding road, through what felt like a cloud. We had no idea what was waiting for us at the bottom, but boy, was it magical when we got there.

This part of the coast is just heaven. Cacti lined cliffs and crystal clear turquoise waters. Everyone raves about the Algarve coast, but this is where some SERIOUS magic is.

There is also conveniently a shuttle bus that stops off at the various beaches stretching the coast.

Just heaven.

ALGARVE COAST

Okay, so I also loved the Algarve coast. It’s pretty damn magical with its breathtaking ochre cliffs and rock formations, and water a deeper shade of blue, but equally beautiful.

We spent roughly 5 days perusing the coast line, exploring all the little towns and coastal nooks along the way.

Note, the water is FREEZING. But it’s so hot, that you’re kind of okay with it.

MUST SEE’S

Camilo Beach

Pictured above, it is surrounded by the quintessential ochre rock formations. It is a beautiful spot to head to at sunrise and wander [carefully] along the cliff faces and watch the sunlight light up the rocks.

Vale Covo Beach

Another incredible spot to head to. Best at sunset, preferably with your love and a glass of red. Again all the rock formations along this stretch of coast are breath taking

Benagil Caves

We simply swam the 100m or so around the cliff to get to the cave vs paying the excessive amount to hire a kayak or SUP, or even more so a boat tour. It’s a pretty incredible sight to see this cave carved out of the rock.

Faro Old Town

Picturesque, aged sandstone buildings, streets overflowing with blooming bougainvilleas. We loved wandering through the streets here for the afternoon. Mel & Limão was a cute little vegan cafe we found to have lunch. The vibe was very low-key, but the owners was so kind and the food was DELICIOUS.

ADDED EXTRA: PEGO DO INFERNO

Just before we crossed the border into Spain, we stopped into this beautiful little waterfall tucked away seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

As much as I love the ocean, there is something about fresh water that is so rejuvenating.

It was a treat to stumble upon this little piece of magic. The water is naturally a beautiful green shade, which is juxtaposed against the vibrant red rocks.

If you’re passing through, I definitely recommend venturing in… just maybe try not to break your tailbone… like I did… in month 2 of a 5 1/2 month road trip… I do not recommend.