December Two-Week Portugal Trip Report
 

Back from our 2-week trip to Portugal, primarily Lisbon and the Algrave, which we thoroughly enjoyed. The weather was great - sunny most days with temperatures around 17 degrees in the Algarve and slightly lower in Lisbon. Very pleasant for walking and sightseeing. First of all, I’d like to thank those Fodorites who take the time and make the effort to post trip reports as they’re an invaluable source of information and also thank you to those who answered my numerous questions. This will not be an exhaustive report but rather an overview. We’re both not-so-physically active seniors so our days were spent at a more leisurely pace.

Our plan was to fly to Faro with our DD, SIL and two small granddaughters to spend the holidays with SIL’s parents who live on the Algarve. In addition to family time, my husband and I would explore Lisbon and the Algarve.

We flew from Toronto to Faro via Air Transat as they have direct flights from Toronto to Faro. The flight was great – departed on time and the flight attendants were friendly and very helpful especially to my daughter and son-in-law who were travelling with a 3-year old and a 4-month old. Despite prebooking bulkhead seats and hoping that a bassinet would be available for the baby, upon checkin learned that due to the plane’s configuration that that was no longer possible and would be refunded the extra fee.

At Faro airport we were met with our SIL’s parents and my husband and I made plans to travel on to Lisbon. We had not prebooked tickets in the event our flight was delayed but it all worked out. We were able to books seats on a Flexbus leaving Faro Airport in a couple of hours for the 3 ½ hour trip to Lisbon. Had we gone into Faro town there would have been more options, but we were happy to wait in a café outside the airport enjoying our coffee in the sunshine. The bus arrived on time and the trip was uneventful arriving at Orient station in Lisbon. We took an uber to the Britania Art Deco Hotel for our 4-night stay.

We loved this hotel. I chose it primarily for the generous sized rooms and the location on a quiet side street alongside Avenida da Liberdade. The staff were friendly, helpful and always smiling. We had breakfast each morning at the hotel and there was a nice selection of hot and cold items. My husband really enjoyed the smoked salmon.

We explored Lisbon at a leisurely pace factoring in lots of time to stop for coffee and pasteis de nata or sipping wine and people watching. We had prebooked a 2- hour tuk tuk tour with Maria & Joao (Discover Lisbon- Tuk Tuk Tour booked through AirBnB). We made several stops during the tour with time to get out and explore Saint Vincente Church, Lisbon Cathedral and Miradouro da Sehora do Monte and Portas do Sol. Joao was a delightfully informative guide and driver.

We visited Livraria Bertrand (the oldest operating bookstore in the world according to the Guinness Book of World Records). They have lots of books in many languages and we purchased a children’s book for our other granddaughters back at home. You can ask them to stamp the inside of your purchase with a stamp noting the store’s claim to fame.

We strolled up to the Praca Marques de Pombal where there was a Christmas market in progress complete with an ice rink and then down to the Praca do Comercio where we enjoyed soaking up the sun and watching the entertainers. Then climbed the hundreds of steps to the Igreja de Sao Roque (Church of Saint Roch).

We took the train from Rossio Station to Sintra. We ubered up to the Pena Palace where we purchased our tickets and we included the shuttle bus which was an extra charge. We did not do an indoor tour. This being less than a week before Christmas crowds were small and the line-up for the timed entry into the palace was not excessive. We ubered back down to Sintra town where we wandered the town and enjoyed a late lunch at Tacho Real Restaurant. This was more upscale than our usual lunch fare but it was delicious, and we thoroughly enjoyed it! After lunch we walked to the train station to head back to Lisbon. While I know there is so much more to see in Sintra, for us this was sufficient for our aching joints and limited senior stamina 😊.

In Lisbon we enjoyed dinner at Restaurante Bonjardim, The Fam Kitchen (which was a stone’s throw from our hotel; note they accept cash only) and Ristorante Casanostra where we were greeted warmly (despite arriving late for our reservation due to an Uber driver dropping us off several blocks from our destination). Our pasta dishes were delicious, and the staff were friendly.

After 3 1/2 days in Lisbon it was time to say goodbye and we ubered to the airport to pick up our rental car from Auto Europe. After a few wrong turns we finally got on the right path; crossed the Vasco de Gama Bridge (at 17.2 km it is the 2nd longest in Europe) and headed for Evora.

Our plan was to stop in Evora to see the Chapel of Bones (what better way to spend a Sunday morning?). This was an eerie and chilling reminder that our time on earth will come to an end. A rough translation of one inscription reads ‘We bones lying here are waiting to be joined by yours’. After visiting the Chapel we had a coffee in the nearby square, picked up some wine in an adjacent wine store and carried on to Tavira on the Algarve.

We arrived in Tavira about 2 ½ hours later where we were greeted warmly by our SIL’s lovely parents and our DD, SIL and granddaughters. This will be our home for the next 4 nights.

After a lovely Christmas with family, we left Tavira and headed west towards the Spanish border to Vila Real de Santo Antonio to visit the largest nativity scene. Taken from their website ‘…impressive 240 square metres, the nativity scene is a labour of love crafted from over 20 tons of sand, 4 tons of stone powder, and 3,000 kilograms of cork…. The result is a meticulous recreation of the nativity scene….’. The exhibit was incredible and so very detailed and at 1Euro entry was completely worthwhile.

Leaving Vila Real de Santo Antonio our next stop would be Lagos where an Airbnb in the historic old town would be our home for 5 nights. It had a lovely outdoor patio where we enjoyed reading and refreshments when we needed a rest. We really liked Lagos town. The coastline is dramatic, and the town itself offers a lovely waterfront with a wide boardwalk and marinas. We spent lots of time wandering the narrow and often hilly streets.

We drove to Sagres which is an easy 40-minute drive. We toured the Sagres Fortress which is the most south-westerly edge of Europe. We really enjoyed our visit here. There are impressive views and a well-constructed winding pathway. There were numerous fishermen standing chillingly close to the edge of the cliffs where one wrong step could result in a fall of several hundred feet onto the rocks below. A few times they were successful in landing small catches but to be honest the reward did not see worth the danger. They’re either foolhardy or perhaps very desperate. Leaving the fortress, we drove along the coast looking for a place for a late lunch and settled on Chiringuito Praia Da Mareta Resto Bar where we enjoyed a casual lunch on their patio overlooking the beach.

While in Lagos we also enjoyed a boat trip along the coast to the grottos of Ponta da Piedade. The scenery was spectacular and the captain was very skillful in handling the boat despite swells that were quite high at times. He took us into several grottos and tunnels which was a unique experience.

Also drove to Ponta da Piedade to see the sunset. A great spot with the lighthouse and wooden boardwalk.

Spent an enjoyable couple of hours on a sunny afternoon at the Campimar which is a very casual bar on the Praia de Porto Mos.

On the spur of the moment, we drove to Albufeira. Had we done some research beforehand I’m sure we would have enjoyed it more but the areas that we saw were very touristy – lots of bars which looked lively even at mid-morning lol.

As far as dining, we really enjoyed Royal Indian Cuisine and in fact we were disappointed on our last night in Lagos as we planned to return there but sadly it was closed. As we were tired and hungry we opted for Restaurante Italia which was nearby and open. I confess we were not optimistic on entering as it appeared to be pretty empty; however, there was an area at the back that was quite busy. The menu is huge (another bad sign) but surprisingly we each thoroughly enjoyed our meal; a pasta dish for me and veal gorgonzola for DH. Service was excellent and friendly.

The following morning, we headed back to Tavira to meet our family and SIL’s parents for a delicious lunch at Mira Restaurante Tapas & Wine before leaving for home the next morning.

All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable holiday!

Thanks for posting Kiddo.

Thanks so much Mel. It was my first attempt at a trip report. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading your trip reports!

Lovely trip report! Hope you enjoyed Evora and got to do some other things there beside visiting the Chapel of Bones but I see you were en route further. Evora is a foodie place and we had some lovely meals while there. The Pena Palace in Sintra is such an interesting building to explore, both the interior and the exterior and Sintra itself is a lovely place to visit. We did this as a day trip also but if I did it again, I would likely stay overnight.