Wonderful Portugal
 

Great Day 1.
Arrived @ 12 noon tired, but full day was perfect. Hotel Fa Baixa-great location and staff. Arranged for driver to meet us. Tuk tuk tour with Joao from outkojoao.com, Lisbon tuk tuk tours recommended on this forum. EXCELLENT! Such a fund of knowledge, oriented us to Lisbon and wonderful dinner @ Merendinha do Arco recommended by Joao.

Day 2
 

First, a correction to day 1, Joao’s address is https://linktr.ee/otukdojoao.
slept late today and enjoyed a leisurely, delicious breakfast at the Hotel. Walked to the Praca do Commercio, took bus to Belem and admired the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos, entering the church (short line to get in), enjoyed a snack in the outdoor cafe of Pasteis de Belem, admired Padrao dos Descobrimentos, continued walking to Torre Belem. We then made the mistake of taking the 15e bus at rush hour. Disembarked at Cals do Sodre, had a lovely walk along the river to the Praca do Commercio and tried to decide upon dinner. Tried to go to our restaurant from last night, which we loved, but they had closed to new guests by 8:45. Decided to return to our hotel’s restaurant, as we were tired. It was fabulous and, apparently is highly rated. Food, service and ambience werre impeccable @ Sebastiao.

Day 3: visited the synagogue for an informative tour. Then, took the 24 Tram to the 28, had seats and took the complete run. Had a snack and took an Uber to the ferry to Cacilhas. Walked along the water to a fabulous restaurant, Porto Final and had a great seafood meal along the water. Took ferry back and walked to hotel, rested, and then went to the 1506 Jewish Massacre Memorial, and a final walk at Praca Dom Pedro IV. Nightcap of ginginha at the hotel after sharing another pasteis on the way back to the hotel.

"Nightcap of ginginha."

That is the way to end the evening. (:

We have slightly edited this thread's title to avoid confusion with an earlier Trip Report with the same title.

Thank you for the modification,
Day 4: another wonderful breakfast at the hotel and off to Cascais to get the rental car from Hertz. A lovely tuk tuk driver (Nelia Ramos 351 967 707 561), whom we were not using, stepped up and helped us to use Bolt and save money, hailing the driver down, too. Everyone we meet in Lisbon are very helpful. Got car and drove to Arraiolos. We wanted to see the Centro Interpretativo do Tapete, but after maneuvering the hilly, winding streets, getting a view from the castle ruins, we couldn’t find parking. Interesting town where houses have blue trim to ward away the devil. Moved on to Evora, stating at Albergaria do Calvario, lovely hotel. Took a walk to the city center and had a very traditional dinner in a small, mom and pop restaurant a few minutes walk away-TaskaFina-delicious and reasonably priced.

Glad to hear you are having a wonderful time.

What is your itinerary? Destinations and number of nights?

This is our itinerary:Feb. 28 - Lisbon-3 nights @ Hotel de Baixa
Mar. 3 - Evora-2nights @ Albergaria do Calvario Hotel
Mar. 5 - Tomar-2nights @ Thomas Boutique Hotel
Mar. 7 - Cuimbra-2nights @ Pharmacia Guest House
Mar. 9 - Foz (Porto) - 3 nights @ Duas Portas
Mar. 12 - Cascais-2 nights @ Westlight Cascais Chalet

Sounds like a wonderful itinerary. We visited only Lisbon and Sintra so we would love to return and see more of Portugal.

Day 5: wonderful made to order breakfast @ ADC Hotel, along with their other array of options. Met Sira from Evora Megalithica tours, who picked us up. We were the only ones on our tour with her, a dedicated, brilliant archeologist, who wants to make this experience informative to meet our needs and answer all our questions. Learned more about the Neolithic culture than I ever knew. Returned for a light lunch at the hotel and walked around Evora, ending up at the Capola dos Oslo’s, Chapel of Bones-sobering…. On our way to dinner at Dom Joaquim. Will report tomorrow;).

Day 6: drove to Marvao. It was foggy, but we got some beautiful views. Walked over the bridge where Jews fled from Spain into Portugal in 1492. Drove to Castelo de Vide and visited the synagogue/museum. Unfortunately, did not get to enjoy the town, as it was pouring with cobblestone, hilly streets. Got to Thomar Boutique Hotel and dried off. These villages and mountains would be wonderful in good weather!

Dinner last night at Dom Joaquim was fabulous-lamb and octopus entrees delicious, excellent service, dined for 3 hours!

virginiafish has asked us to change the thread's title to "Wonderful Portugal"

Your dinner sounds absolutely delicious!!!

Day 7: walked to the plaza in Tomar, explored, and then drove to the Alcobaca Monastery, stopping for lunch, @ Trinidad, which was delicious. We had a local chicken dish and desserts. The owner was very helpful and gracious, accompanying us to the door, warning us not to slip with the rain. The monastery was a 2 minute walk away. The self-guided tour was interesting, & the quiet and solitude fitting to the experience. It was raining off and on, and this was under cover. Drove back to Tomar and planning for tomorrow- Coimbra.

Day 8: visited the Knights of Templar and the Convento de Christo. On to the Sinagoga de Tomar and the Jewish Museum. This was well done, the docent was helpful and there was an informative video. Drove to Coimbra, checked into Pharmacia Guesthouse. (Needed to park on the other side of the river and walk about 8 minutes - flat -as it is on the pedestrian street.). Took Bolt to Coimbra University, got tickets and toured the Library and other buildings. Got tickets for the Fado a Coimbra last minute and took Bolt. Wonderful performance! Then, went to dinner at Restaurant Ze Manel, a few minute walk away, down an alley. Seven table restaurant. Waited outside for about 1 hour, but well worth the wait as he takes orders while in line, so they are ready right after you are seated. Watched my fish grilled to perfection. The ease of getting tickets, etc., is clearly because we are not in season.

Thanks!
 

Thanks for taking the time to detail your trip to Portugal .. it really helps!

Thanks for your daily adventures! Was the chapter window in the Convento de Cristo still under construction?

yes

Day 9: very rainy day…. Vacillated in a major way with weather reports and whether to go to Porto, with days of rain there, and no refund possible from Duas Portas. Decided to go to Porto. When we were approaching Porto, at 4 in the afternoon, the fog was thick on the highway, high winds, and severe weather warnings. Turned around (yes, you heard that) and started southeast. They mountain scenery was beautiful, even in the rain. We pulled off at a little town, Pedrogao Grande, to have dinner at A Taberna do Ferrao. They were opening in 5 minutes, but reservations were apparently necessary because guests were celebrating International Women’s Day. They gracious agreed to have us stay, fed us some delicious soup and appetizers that were ready and just want we wanted! They even gave me a flower. As we returned to the road, it was really raining to hard to continue. Found Convento da Serta Hotel-gorgeous, spa-like, in the beautiful area amongst Schist villages, which we may explore tomorrow. Great end to the day!

Sounds great! Serendipity has made a wonderful decision for you!

Day 10: after a wonderful breakfast, we headed for Elvas and admired the huge aqueduct, drove up to the Forte for a great view. It was too windy to stay. Drove to Badajoz, went the Alcazaba, but the museum was closed. Debated going to Seville, or other towns in Spain. Our friend Joao, who took us on the tuk tuk tour in Lisbon, reached out after seeing my question regarding this on the Spain forum, and made some wonderful suggestions. We followed his advice, and are now in Monsaraz, at Monte Alerta, a rural tourisimo hotel which is a huge farmhouse that has been in Victoria’s family for 10 generations or more. We have the whole house to enjoy and, after a delicious dinner .2 of a mile away-Gato Preto, are in front of a lovely fire in one of the many living areas which awaited us at arrival. Dinner included a local specialty of a tomato soup with eggs that was delicious. Looking forward to a few nights here, as there is lots to explore. We can see the castle lit up in the distance.

Day 11: Joao’s advice was so correct for us! We enjoyed our time in this area. Visited the Vila Medieval de Monsaraz, walking in the village, looking in at the fantastic views, and visited the very well done, informative Museu Do Fresco, with a interesting display of the history of the town in addition to the famous fresco. Had a snack, awaiting to visit the House of the Inquisiton. After waiting and calling, found out it was closed for a “reform” day?!? Went to our car and beelined to Paco Ducal de Vila Viscosa, barely making it there by the start of the last tour (one cannot tour alone). They were gracious, and one of the guides waited for us and gave us a fabulous, private tour in English. It is a grand palace full of history and artwork, better than any we have seen, including Versailles. Lovely dinner at 100 Esquadria. Joao has pointed us in a good direction for tomorrow.

Gracious...that pretty much sums up our experience with the people of Portugal.

Day 12: we left Monsaraz, stopping to see more megaliths and headed to Setubal. On the way, we stopped at the Sao Pedro do Corval, an exhibition of the many potter’s works in the area. Another suggestion from Joao. We got to Setubal, checked into the Rio Art Hotel, well located to walk into the center of town, which we did, enjoying some desserts at cafes and strolling the lovely streets. Appreciated the beautiful church on the plaza and some roasted chestnuts. Returned to the car and drove along the coast towards Portinho da Arrabida. The views of the sea on the windy road were stunning. This was also Joao’s suggestion; he has been our ultimate advisor and so kind. We had a lovely dinner at Tasca da Avenida; the fish was so fresh!

Day 13: Our last full day was wonderful. Our guide recommended by Joao was Andreia https://www.otukdojoao.com/private-t...a-obidos-more/. She made our trip to Sintra and more possible, as we would not have found it enjoyable otherwise. It was seamless. She picked us up in Cascais, dropped us off at the entrance to Quinta da Regaleira Palace. We toured and she was right at the exit waiting for us. The same ease made our visit to Sintra National Palace a joy. Then, a lovely time with Andreia at a delicious pizza lunch where she shared, and we learned much about the area, life in Portugal, etc., After lunch, she made sure to show us the highlights of the coastline including Azenhas Do Mar, Cabo da Roca, and Guincho. After our tour, we met Rabbi Eli Rosenfeld to learn about the Jewish community in Cascais. We walked back to town along the oceanfront, watching the waves and people enjoying biking. Dinner at Hifen, which had interesting dishes we enjoyed.

Day 14: Andreia picked us up for the airport. Our hotel (Westlight) graciously made breakfast fixings ready early so we could pack some breakfast to go. We had been forewarned that negotiating the airport with poor signage could be a possibility. Much to our surprise, Andreia, who had maneuvered rush hour traffic so well, parked on 15 minute parking and whisked us off, getting us to the boarding area in a blink! Home now, and so gracious for a wonderful, healthy, trip and grateful to all who helped us plan this!

Thanks for the wonderful TR! Lots of useful information!

Well, dear Fodorites, I have tested positive for COVID... I think symptoms started a few nights before we left Portugal. Stay safe; we tried, but I guess there were slips...

p.s. some people have commented after seeing some of our pictures where we are wearing parkas or down jackets if we were cold. We were fine with the right clothing to layer up. In fact, some days we did not need jackets. I would not have liked to take this trip in tourist season! We had no, if any, lines with which to deal, flexibility, and not the heat that many complain about. Easy to get reservations, etc.

I am so sorry to hear you have Covid. I hope you feel better soon. And I really enjoyed reading your trip report.

Thank you KarenWoo. A little better each day and no regrets. We needed to travel again.

Hope you are feeling better, wishing you a speedy recovery!

Thank you. Getting better each day and, thankfully, DH did not come down with it so far.

Well, DH came down with COVID too. We have such wonderful memories about our time in Portugal, with wonderful people we met, their incredible generosity, kind spirit and caring souls, that it is carrying us through getting well.

I'm so sorry you cauth that stupid vírus in my country! I hope you're feeling better, and that you husband will also go through it with no big problems!

Thank you Helena. Getting well daily. We loved Portugal!