First, a huge "Thank you!" goes out to the many posters whose information helped me plan extensive, mainly solo, travel to Italy, Ireland, Spain, Belgium, The Netherlands, and France. My adventures have been much more enjoyable thanks to all of the tips, trip reports, and nitty-gritty type information available on this forum. I've read the forum for years but never posted, until now.

I spent 7 weeks in Portugal beginning in mid-December 2007. The trip was done solo except for a week over Christmas & New Years when a friend joined me in Lisbon. I want to mention up front that I don't like to rush from sight to sight, or city to city. I prefer visiting one or two sights a day and spend much of my time looking in small shops, walking, sitting in cafes, etc. I rarely buy a souvenir, but do occasionally buy clothing, a purse, etc., though mainly I just love browsing. I enjoy savoring a new place and soaking up the visuals, the sounds, the smells; those often indefinable characteristics that make it unique.

I plan where I'll be and reserve accomodations ahead of time, though I only book where I can cancel with no fee, just in case I discover a place that calls to me. It does happen. I research thoroughly before I leave and go armed with good maps and a short list of what I absolutely want to see. Mostly I just wing it. I also take my laptop on longer trips.

I try not to spend less than two nights in any town and 3 is better. I allocate much more time for larger cities like Paris, Rome, Lisbon. I use trains and occasionally buses as I don't like the hassles involved with driving, parking, etc., especially when I don't speak the language. Also I often enjoy doubling back to a city, especially a fair-sized one because I feel more comfortable the second time around and seem to enjoy it more. None of this is intended to imply that people who enjoy busy days and moving around are missing out--it just doesn't suit my personality, therefore I don't cover many sights that are "must-sees".

As far as accomodations go, I prefer smaller hotels (8-40 rooms), though I do stay at larger ones sometimes. I've found better service, security, and comfort at smaller establishments. I won't stay way out, but with a limited budget I prefer to walk for 15-20 minutes, or take public transportation into the main tourist areas rather than spend significantly more to be front and center . An advantage of this is that the restaurants further out are often superior and much less expensive, and less crowded.

The abbreviated report:
I visited Lisbon, Porto, Viana do Castelo, Braga, Coimbra, Setubal, Sintra, Cascais, Faro, Lagos, and Evora. Right off the bat I have to say that I loved every minute that I spent in Portugal. The people were wonderful. I've read that some have found them slightly dour, but that was not my experience at all. They were helpful, friendly, and very polite. Portugal is also a great bargain as accomodations, public transportation, food, and drinks are all very reasonable.

Lisbon is a vibrant capital city full of history, beautiful buildings, and fascinating little streets. The metro there is efficient, inexpensive, and very user friendly--so are the trams. Over the holidays the streets were full of beautiful lights and the Chiado area glowed. I stayed at two hotels in Lisbon--The Botanico and The Dom Carlos Liberty. I enjoyed and recommend both. The staff at both hotels went out of their way to be accomodating and helpful from recommending good restaurants to explaining how to go from A to B to C. Both hotels provided very good breakfasts, comfortable rooms, and free wifi.

A fun, quirky place to check out is the Pavilhao Chines, a bar at the top of the Barrio Alto. What sets it apart is that it is bursting with kitschy collections--including GI Joes, little trucks, flamenco fans, Queen Victoria memorabilia,...almost anything you can imagine and more fun, what you can't.

A highlight of my time in Lisbon was ringing in the New Year in the main town square. There was Brazilian and Portuguese live music, a large, happy and peaceful crowd, and great fireworks. And afterwards there was walking through the Barrio Alto and the private party at the Brazilian Club which my friend and I accidentally crashed. It was a blast.

Another great memory is Christmas lunch/dinner at the Hotel Lisboa Central. It was a buffet and the food was very good, however I did do a double take when I went to help myself to some meat saw a pig's head staring at me. Had a good laugh over that.

There are plenty of good quality, reasonably priced restaurants in Lisbon if you wander off of the main tourist streets. I had excellent Portuguese cuisine there as well as Italian. The coffee was excellent all over Portugal as were the pastries. The cafes were wonderful throughout.

Sintra is gorgeous and magical. It is well worth seeing and you can do a daytrip from Lisbon.

Porto is very different from Lisbon. At first glance it appears more closed, and in some areas a little run-down, but after spending some time there I really enjoyed it. It is very hilly with some great neighborhoods to explore. The local cuisine is different in the north and Porto has many fine local restaurants. I stayed at the Hotel da Bolsa which enjoys a prime location near the Old Stock Exchange and the waterfront. It was comfortable, had a great location, and efficient staff.

I enjoyed every city that I visited, but I want to make a special note of two. Braga was a beautiful small city. I stayed at a small hotel called Bracara Augusta and it was outstanding. The restaurant attached to it (it opened first and then the family opened the hotel) was fantastic. Absolutely top-notch Portugese cuisine. The family who own and manage the hotel are warm and hospitable and when I return to Portugal I will make a point of returning to Braga and this hotel.

Then there was Evora, perhaps my favorite place in Portugal. It is magical with its Roman ruins, medieval walls, little shops, beautiful churches, and the Bone Chapel. I stayed at Residencial Riviera there and it was lovely. There was a small restaurant just around the corner from the hotel, Cocina San Umberto, down a narrow street and the food was outstanding.

That's an abbreviated report. I had a great time and would return to Portugal in a heartbeat. Right now I'm in the process of planning a long solo trip for this autumn to France, Central & Eastern Europe, and I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions. Thanks again.

Michele

Michele. Thank you so much for your wonderfully written report.

I envy that you were able to stay in Portugal for such an extended amount of time. It is a country that we have dome to love.

I have never found any of its citizens dour. In fact, they all had infinite patience with us. Everyone was polite and helpful and I am sure they thought we were rather dense at times but never showed it.

Sher,
I agree. I found the Portuguese people very kind, helpful, and patient. Many of them speak four or more languages. It was nice travelling in the winter months as there weren't many tourists about except in Lisbon. I truly believe that Portugal is one of Europe's best kept secrets--there is so much history and culture there. I loved it and will return; there are plenty of places left for me to see and some that I want to revisit.

Thanks for reading my report.
Michele

Thank you so much for your trip report. I'm going to bookmark it for future reference.

One question I always seem to ask people who have been to both Spain and Portugal--how do you think they compare?

Portugal is on our list of countries to visit in the near future so this report is timely. I appreciate the report - I may have some questions a bit later...

Of course, everything is subjective.

Our first trip to Europe was only ten years ago...we were late bloomers.

At that time we visited Spain and France. From then on we only do one country at a time trips.

Anyway. We loved Spain. But we have only been there once.

We have been to Portugal twice in the last three years.

I don't want to be unfair to Spain because we really only saw a small part of it around Barcelona and the Costa Brava.

Of course, this really doesn't answer your question about differences. I guess one just calls to us more and I cannot explain why.

Sher,
Thanks for the response. You're right of course--it's all very subjective, but still it's encouranging to me to hear of people who have been to Spain and love Portugal even more.

Artlover,
If you are asking how to they compare in the sense of which do I prefer, well that's difficult. I've visited the Andalucia province several times, Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, & Toledo. I would have to say that Andalucia--Seville, Cordoba, Ronda, Grenada--is one of my favorite places on earth. I love the blend of cultures, the people, the architecture, food, etc. I also really enjoyed Barcelona. The two countries are more different than similar in my experience but I think if you enjoy Spain you'll love Portugal too.

Portugal like Spain has distinct regions and in each one there were noticeable differences. One thing that I loved about the Portuguese is that wherever I travelled local people talked to me--in cafes, in restaurants, in the hotel lounge, etc. They were genuninely curious about where I was from, why I chose to visit their country, and what I thought about it. I think that travelling in the off season brings the added benefit of people having more time and more of an inclination to chat.

In Braga I was invited to have drinks and desert with the owner of of the restaurant/hotel with his family. At a small family restaurant in Lisbon I was assured by Paula, the owner that if I didn't enjoy her recommendation she would bring me something else. Everywhere I travelled people went out of their way to be kind to me. So as much as Andalucia stole a bit of my heart, I have to say that the people in Portugal did too.

Go and see for yourself, you won't regret it.
Michele

Micheleas-Thank you for your report. We will be in Portugal in September & I am getting ready.
You are right this site is a wealth of information-a pre thank you all for any help I have gleaned from you.
I noted the restaurant in Evora-we will be staying at 4 different Pousadas in the Aletejo area with one night in Evora.
Thanks again Chris

michaeleas,
Thank you so much for your reply and encouragement. I plan to take you up on it. Also, do you happen to recall the name of Paula's restaurant? My name is Paula also and I'd love to try it and meet another Paula!

Artlover,
I checked my journal and the name of the restaurant is Mal Amanhado on Rua Alegria. It is a small restaurant with good Portuguese cuisine. I ate there twice and the fish was excellent as were the mushrooms with garlic. My friend had venison one night and said it was wonderful. The restaurant fills up with locals so go early or make a reservation.

There is also a good place to have a drink or a quick bite in the same area--Taberna Iberica, Praca de Alegria 66. It is a tapas bar and drinks/beer were good as was the tapas. We also ate at an excellent Italian restaurant up at the top of The Barrio Alto on New Year's Eve--really, really good and very reasonable prices. I'll try and remember the name of it.

Lisbon has some very good local restaurants but like anyplace there are plenty of mediocre ones around the main tourist areas. Go back 4-6 blocks and you can find some real gems.

I did enjoy the cuisine in the Alentejo and north (Braga, Porto, Viana do Castelo) more than in Lisbon and The Algarve.

I do think that you'll enjoy Portugal. It's different from Spain but to me that's a prime reason to go. If you have any other questions just ask & I'll help if I can.
Michele

Michele,
Thanks so much for the information! I am putting in my Portugal file and now am really looking forward to going.