Portugal in 2 weeks

I finally made it to the beautiful country of Portugal! This country has been all over my social media feeds lately – it is definitely becoming one of the top European travel destinations, and for good reason! It’s a quick direct flight from North America, and the euro gets you further here than some of the Western European countries!

Here was our itinerary for the 2 weeks! We tried to do a balance between city hotspots and nature exploring! We did a mixture of trains, buses, ubers, and car rentals to get around the country. It was a very easy country to explore!

Porto: 3 nights
Madeira: 3 nights
Lisbon: 3 nights
Lagos: 3 nights
Albufeira: 2 nights

Porto: 3 nights

Top spots: Jardim do Morro, Kittie Rock Viewpoint, Chapel of Souls, Porto Cathedral, Dom Luis Bridge

We flew direct into Lisbon, so we had to take a train up to Porto. It was super easy – we caught the metro from Lisbon Airport to Oriente Train Station (3 euros and <10 mins) and then hopped on a direct 3 hour train to Porto (30 euros). You could also take a one hour flight to Porto from Lisbon, but the train was super cheap and let us stretch our legs after a long flight from Canada – would highly recommend this option!

We stayed right in the downtown core of Porto at Best Guest Hostel Porto. The location was perfect and is fine if you’re looking for something cheap – if you’re there in the middle of summer though I would not recommend staying here as the rooms didn’t have A/C.

The first night we walked up to the popular sunset spot called Jardim do Morro. It’s quite the hike to get up to the viewpoint, but it’s definitely worth it! The whole city flocks here for sunset – they have beer tents, food trucks, and lots of individual sellers walking around selling beer and ciders for a few euros! It’s definitely a vibe up here and you get a full view of the sun setting over the city and river.

Day 2 we went out exploring the city hitting all the major stops: Chapel of Souls, Porto Cathedral, Church of St. Francis, Clerigos Church and Tower, and Dom Luis Bridge. Every little side street was a view in itself! My favourite spots were the Chapel of Souls, Porto Cathedral, and Dom Luis Bridge!

If you’re looking for a hidden-gem photo spot, Kitty Rock Viewpoint is just a few steps away from the Jardim do Morro Viewpoint. It’s a little tricky to get to the top of the rock in sandals, but definitely worth the climb!

The third day we joined an organized group tour to the Douro Wine Valley through Viator. A guide picked us right up from the Town Hall in Porto – the tour included 2 wineries, lunch, and a boat tour along the Douro River. We visited Sandeman Winery (the most picturesque) and D’Origem Winery. The drive was long, windy, and quite nauseating on a hot day after drinking wine – so bring some gravol!

Madeira: 3 nights

Top spots: Ponta de Sao Lourenco, Seixal, Porto Moniz, Pico do Arieiro, Funchal

The following day we flew to the island of Madeira – the flight was 2 hours and cost ~$60 CAD. We chose to rent a car for the 3 days, as the places we wanted to see were on different sides of the island. We stayed in the middle of the island at Village Cabo Girao. The resort was super nice – but located at the top of a cliff so make sure you have a good car and a good driver!

As soon as we got out of the airport, we picked up our rental car and drove to Ponta de Sao Lourenco (~15 minute drive from the airport). This hike is rated moderate on All Trails and takes about 3 hours roundtrip. This hike was KILLER on a hot day – there’s no shade whatsoever, so if you had the option I would recommend doing this at sunrise or sunset (not mid-day like us…). Also recommend bringing LOTS of water – I ran out before we even got halfway 🙁

Day 2 we drove to the Eastern side of the island and made stops in both Seixal and Porto Moniz.

In Seixal we stopped for coffee at a beautiful family run cafe called “Snack Bar Avista Navios”- the owner’s mother invited us onto her balcony which had one of the best views on the whole island!

After coffee, we headed to Seixal Beach (or Black Sand Beach) and spent a few hours relaxing and tanning. Behind the beach, there was a really nice Lounge Bar where we had sangria and pizza overlooking the natural pool. This was a stunning spot – definitely a must do if you’re on the island!

After lunch, we drove to Porto Moniz (~12 minutes) to the famous natural pools. There was 2 pool areas to choose from – one was free (Piscinas Naturais do Aquario) and the other was 3 euros and had lockers (Porto Moniz Natural Swimming Pools). We swam in both – Piscinas Naturais do Aquario was more natural (no stairs to get in and out) but was very relaxing and picturesque. The Porto Moniz Natural Swimming Pools were busy with lots of children, but was quite rough with the waves from the ocean. Both were very beautiful and only about a 5-10 minute walk between each!

The third day we woke up early and went up to Pico do Arieiro for sunrise. It was a crazy drive up the mountain in the dark – not for the faint of heart (it was basically straight 90 degree angle up with only space for one car – I just kept praying no one was coming down). Sunrise brings the most crowds – so parking is an issue – come early or be willing to walk at least 30 mins up to the top. Once you’re at the top, there’s multiple viewpoints to take pictures! You can also opt to do the Pico Ruivo hike from here (stairway to heaven).

After sunrise, we headed into Funchal town. The downtown area was super busy and was my least favourite part of the island. We basically just took the gondola up and down and then left to spend the rest of the afternoon at our accommodation. Funchal may have nice parts, but we were more interested in the natural beauty of the island than the city center!

Lisbon: 3 nights

Top spots: Pink Street, Praca do Comercio, Alfama District, Sintra, Miradouro da Graca

We then flew from Funchal to Lisbon (1.5 hours for ~$130 CAD) and stayed at Lost Inn Lisbon. This location was perfect for touring the city by foot – definitely recommend this hostel! (& had free sangria every night!)

The first day we walked around the city and explored the main square (Praca do Comercio) and the main shopping street (Rue Augusta – and the famous arch). In this area you’ll find the elevator (Santa Justa) and the picturesque stationary tram in the Biarro Alto quarter. In the evening we hit up a few rooftop bars before ending our night on the famous Pink Street (with the umbrellas) – my favourites were Java, Noobai, and Lumi!

The second day we ventured off to Alfama District and explored the colourful cobblestones streets. The streets are veryyy steep and confusing – so don’t do it hungover like we did. My favourite spot in Alfama District was Miradouro de Santa Luzia – it’s a viewpoint that has the iconic red roofs overlooking the water!

The last day in Lisbon we took the train to Sintra from Rossio Station. The train cost about 10 euros roundtrip and took an hour each way. Once in Sintra, we hopped on bus 434 which brought us to the colourful Pena Palace. This palace itself was stunning – but paaacked with tourists. I definitely recommend booking a ticket earlier in the morning to avoid the crowds. Sintra was honestly so confusing, there’s a bajillion different castles to explore and they all need different tickets and different bus routes. We kept it simple and only visited Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira (the two most popular ones).

For our last night, we rushed back to Lisbon for sunset and went to the two most popular viewpoints: Miradouro da Senhora do Monte and Miradouro da Graca. Both were stunning and had really chill vibes – definitely a must when in Lisbon and a perfect way to end our time in the city!

Lagos: 3 nights

Top spots: Praia do Camilo, Praia Dona Ana, Ponte de Piedade, Praia Porto de Mos, Praia dos Estudantes

To get from Lisbon to Lagos, you can either take a train or a bus. The train required a transfer, so we opted for the bus as it was a direct route! The whole trip took about 3.5 hours and only cost 10 euros (so cheap!)

We stayed at Banana Beach Lagos – not a super cleanly hostel, but the location was a 10/10! It was located right by the boardwalk and between the two most famous beaches (Praia Dona Ana and Praia do Camilo). Lagos was my FAVOURITE stop on the whole trip – if you’re going to visit only one place in Portugal.. this is it in my opinion!

We split our 3 days between the 3 most famous beaches: Praia Dona Ana, Praia do Camilo, and Praia Porto de Mos.

The first day we spent at Praia Dona Ana – one of the most famous beaches in the Algarve! When we were there there was lots of seaweed on the beach and in the water which made the swimming pretty gross, but the views were still amazing! There was also a cute little snack bar at the back of the beach which had delicious sangria 🙂

The second day we walked along the boardwalk to Ponde de Piedade in the morning. Every single viewpoint is picture perfect, so we spent a few hours walking along the coast and taking pictures! In the afternoon we went to the larger beach, Praia Porto de Mos. The beach isn’t as picturesque with the rock formations, but had lots of restaurants and no seaweed along the shore.

The third day we spent at Praia do Camilo. This was my FAVOURITE beach in Lagos – it has the iconic staircase leading down to the beach! We watched the sunrise from the top of the staircase in the morning, and then spent most of the day on the sand. The beach is super small, so definitely arrive early if you want to get a spot!

In the afternoon, we lost sun at Praia do Camilo so we walked down the coast to another beach called Praia dos Estudantes. This beach has a beautiful picturesque bridge – but the water was super rocky so it was my least favourite beach in Lagos.

On the last night, we grabbed burgers and wine and had a picnic along the boardwalk at sunset (near Perttu’s Cove). This was one of my favourites nights of the whole trip – it was exactly what I dreamed of when coming to the Algarve..just watch out for the seagulls!

Albufeira: 2 nights

Top spots: Praia de Albufeira, Praia de Sao Rafael

After Lagos, we took a 1 hour train to the party town of Albufeira and stayed at Sun Lovers Hostel. This was a great location – just steps away from the Old Town and the main beach (Praia de Albufeira). The Old Town was full of bars and restaurants – the night life here was insane! We had planned to come to Albufeira so that we could to do a kayak trip to Benagil Caves, but our trip was cancelled due to the rough and choppy ocean conditions 🙁

As this was our last stop on our trip, we took it pretty easy and relaxed before heading home. We had beach days on both Praia de Albufeira and Praia de Sao Rafael. Both are beautiful beaches, but Praia de Sao Rafael had more of the iconic coastal rock formations – and these delicious daiquiris at the beach restaurant!

After Albufeira, we headed back up to Lisbon by bus and caught our flight back home the next morning! We stayed at 4U Lisbon Airport Suites right by the airport – super convenient and highly recommend staying here the night before your flight!

Hope this helps you plan your next trip to Portugal!

Thanks for reading
xx steens