marigross

Hi all! It's been a while but I'm back to trip planning.

We will be heading to Portugal (1st time) for 3 months (89 days) Apr-June 2016. I have been thinking of starting with a month in Lisbon, then picking up a car and wandering through the country (with a detour to Seville) for the next four weeks, and finishing up with 3 weeks in Porto.

I need to line up apartments in Lisbon and Porto ASAP but I'm struggling with location within the cities, so I would really appreciate some help.

Our main interest are eating, cooking, food shopping (no other shopping), wandering, visiting sites, sitting down in cafés to people watch with a glass of wine in hand. We are not really party people so we want to be able to retire at night to a quiet apartment.

I'm a runner so proximity to a safe area to go out by myself in the morning (not in the wee hours) would be a big plus.

If someone wants to recommend a particular apartment, we need one with a great kitchen, at least one bedroom (not an open studio) and would love some outdoor space (terrace or big balcony).

Soon I'll be starting new posts for the middle portion of the trip. But I really need to get the apartment thing going now that we have air purchased.

Elizabeth_S

Budget?

marigross

Preferably around $2000 for the month as this seems adequate from what I have seen in Airbnb/VRBO, but we could flexible about it for a truly outstanding apartment. We are very practical and do not need luxury (though we appreciate it).

A great kitchen is the most important feature as this is where we will spend most of our afternoons. An open kitchen would be great but it can be independent as long as there is space to sit in the room.

Elizabeth_S

Our requirements are very similar (great open kitchen) I had a couple of apartments bookmarked (from a trip we couldn't take last year) that could have worked for you but they were both booked for April. I looked around on the listing website and it appears April is booking up quickly.

Re location - not an expert but I decided on the Chiado/Baixa area as it's flat(ter). That might be a good base for you for running?

jan47ete

We stayed in a FABULOUS apt in Lisbon. Homeaway 233888. Wonderful tile throughout, W/D, dining room, wonderful tiled, large living room, lots of windows, close to butcher, baker, don't know about the candlestick maker but the grocery was down the hill. I believe there was a govt building and large park further down that hill. Trolley stop right in front of the apt.

Any questions, Ana the owner answered promptly. We were there for a week and loved it. Take a look and I think you will love it. It does look like the photos.

sandralist

I had a wonderful experience with Rent4Days agency in Lisbon. They have apartments all over the city. I stayed in the Baixa-Chiado area on advice from others, but it was actually to touristy for me (but the apartment was great!). Next time, I would stay near the Jardim do Principe Real (which is just as convenient to the tourist sites as Baixa-Chiado but not touristy) or I would stay in Lapa, which is a beautiful neighborhood with good transport connections, but a lot of "first time" visitors would be nervous about going somewhere not the usual. But taxis in Lisbon are dirt cheap and there aer lots of trams in Lapa.

However, given your interest in cooking, I would suggest that for Lisbon you take a close look at the Cais do Sodre area right near the Mercado da Ribiera, the covered historic food market in Lisbon. (It's gorgeous). In fact, our spacious apartment was right near there on the rue Garrett. Although we didn't like the touristy area heading in the direction of Baixa-Chiado, we DID like the much less touristy area around the re-developed Cais do Sodre, and the fact that it was so easy to find trams around there, plus take a ferry to eat lunch across the river.

For Porto, I could be wrong, but I think if you want the best food shopping, you should probably stay in Vila Nova de Gaia. A lot of Porto has really been abandoned. The tourist areas have been developed, but most of them are quite touristy, and natives of the area either live in Vila Nova de Gaia or in the direction of Foz. Those are the people with money, so that's where I think you re going to find the best food shopping. However, there is an atmospheric old fish market (and I mean old) in the mornings on the west side of the area of Se do Porto (the cathedral).

You might want to ask about food shopping in Porto on the Chowhound website and where best to stay to access it.

sandralist

Just noticed your request for running. In that respect, I very much recommend the Cais do Sodre area, where you can run along the flat riverbank. Lots of runners there.

For Porto, maybe you want to be out in the direction of Foz if it suits your needs otherwise. Porto is just one huge hill, and I'm not sure Vila Nove de Gaia has a sufficiently flat area either. Plus, tram connections into the historic areas of Porto from Foz might be simpler, and likely to be more vacation rentals in that direction too.

marigross

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

luz_de_lisboa

For a month's stay I would enthusiastically recommend the Principe Real neighborhood. It is the best area to live in Lisboa - close to the center (by foot) and everything a visitor would want to see, great access to transit, residential neighborhood feel, a mix of trendy shops cafes restaurants and old traditional stores and markets, wonderful parks and praças. Easy to run to the river. Be sure to sign up for the Corrida da Liberdade, an 11K race held every 25 Abril!

sandralist

Yes -- I concur. If it is easy to run to the river from Principe Real, then give the area a close look for possible apartment rentals that suit your needs. It's a very fetching part of Lisboa, and for a month's stay it has very interesting neighborhood feel.

marigross

Thanks again!

Luz, that race sounds awesome!

marigross

What are the boundaries of Principe Real? I'm looking at apartments listed as that neighborhood but I think they might be pushing the definition.

sandralist

You might find it easier to get a definitive answer if you posted the links to the apartments and had people who know for sure tell you if it is inside or outside what is regarded as the boundaries. Besides, the boundaries may be less important than whther the particular street of location of the apartment has assets or defects whethr it is inside or outside.

But you can find something of a map at the very bottom of this blog post:

http://blancavalbuena.com/things-to-...orhood-lisbon/

You should have this website anyway if you don't already:

http://www.lisbonlux.com/lisbon/principe-real.html

and this might help

http://www.golisbon.com/sight-seeing/principe-real.html

and this (although is just one side of the bairro)

http://www.patroc.com/lisbon/map3.html

BlancaVal

Thank you Sandralist for linking my blog

marigross - you mentioned running.

I found Lisbon to be incredibly safe. I would go out daily alone and never had issues.

Principe Real is lovely, albeit on a hill. You can easily run down the hill and be on the water - a lovely place to run.

Castello is very nice, but you will have a harder time reaching the water unless you take the elevator down from the hill.

Stay away from Bairro Alto if you value your sleep. Go. Tons of restaurants and very entertaining drunk tourists, but I would not recommend staying there.

Alfama is as neighborhoody as it gets, but it can also be loud. If you find a good flat, this would put you very close to the water.

You're going to have an amazing time!