April 2Apr 2 15 minutes ago, Kicksumass said: sintra day trip from Lisbon - should I drive or take the train? I’ll have a car but most comments online say to take the train, or a tour. I wasn't too confident in my ability to drive/park through the narrow streets getting there, so I had someone else drive, it is pretty darn picturesque though. Plus if you're driving, you owe it to yourself to head south afterwards and grab some lunch and explore around Cascais.
April 2Apr 2 1 hour ago, Kicksumass said: sintra day trip from Lisbon - should I drive or take the train? I’ll have a car but most comments online say to take the train, or a tour. We took an uber. The town hates tourist cars making it hard for residents to get in and out.
April 2Apr 2 Btw, you’ve not really lived if you haven’t had your asshole puckered driving down the twisty and steep cobblestone streets of Porto in a borrowed Audi.
April 4Apr 4 In Porto this week. It's very crowded with tourists and there's so much construction going on. We had a guide this morning and it was great - learned quite a bit and saw many things I missed before. Plus the guides get to skip all the lines. Driving up the coast tomorrow to the Costa Verde -- Viana do Castelo and the surrounding area -- for a day trip. This was the line in front of the famous Porto book store this morning. The guide said it's less expensive to buy a ticket to the Louvre.
April 4Apr 4 1 hour ago, Chopper said: In Porto this week. It's very crowded with tourists and there's so much construction going on. We had a guide this morning and it was great - learned quite a bit and saw many things I missed before. Plus the guides get to skip all the lines. Driving up the coast tomorrow to the Costa Verde -- Viana do Castelo and the surrounding area -- for a day trip. This was the line in front of the famous Porto book store this morning. The guide said it's less expensive to buy a ticket to the Louvre. That line is nuts and no tourist should be spending 2 or 3 hours there that could be spent exploring. You probably already know this, but that park to the right of your picture became our “let‘s chill a bit and let the kids have a break and drink Caipirinhas.” spot to rest. Also highly recommend ducking into the train station to see the amazing tile work and grab a bite at the Time Out market adjacent (charred octupus was a highlight). We also did a boat tour that I might pass on (not terrible, it’s just more fun to be on foot). Edited April 4Apr 4 by LCHorn
April 4Apr 4 Yikes! Can’t imagine how the peak summers look like. I just booked a private tour for Sintra with skip the line tickets. Most of them combine Sintra and cascais but it felt a bit rushed to me so picked one that was just Sintra. Will try to do Cascais by myself another day.
April 14Apr 14 Sintra is lovely. Cascais didn't live up to the hype, although I can see the appeal if you're an expat who wants to live among other expats, or if you want to stay at a seaside hotel that's a short train ride into Lisbon. I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to visit though. A couple places perhaps a little off-the-beaten path we went on our trip that I strongly recommend: A resort in the Algarve, Vila Vita Parc. Incredibly gorgeous resort on a clifftop with stairs down to private beaches. Great food and a ton of on-site activies, bars, pools, and restaurants. We had 5 days here but I wish we had planned a longer stay. If you're in the Algarve don't miss Rio Formosa Natural Park - a few miles of trails and wetlands along the coast with paths and a ton of nature and species. "Rustic luxury" they call it, at São Lourenço do Barrocal ranch/resort in the Alentejo region. Stunning. Easy access to Monsaraz and Evora. It's a stop for the Backroads group's cycling tour and the weather in March-April was great. Six Senses in Douro Valley. Lives up to the hype. Took a day trip to a nearby winery, Quinta do Crasto, and recommend their catered lunch. They're quite generous with the pours on their tasting. Took a small boat down the Douro afterwards by BB cruises. Stunning scenery. We had a *great* guide in Lisbon area for 3 days. He's pretty much all you'd want in a guide and by that I meant he's realistic and very knowledgeable with a lot of life experience outside of being a guide. Happy to share his details if you dm me. Edited April 14Apr 14 by Chopper
April 14Apr 14 3 hours ago, Chopper said: Sintra is lovely. Cascais didn't live up to the hype, although I can see the appeal if you're an expat who wants to live among other expats, or if you want to stay at a seaside hotel that's a short train ride into Lisbon. I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to visit though. A couple places perhaps a little off-the-beaten path we went on our trip that I strongly recommend: A resort in the Algarve, Vila Vita Parc. Incredibly gorgeous resort on a clifftop with stairs down to private beaches. Great food and a ton of on-site activies, bars, pools, and restaurants. We had 5 days here but I wish we had planned a longer stay. If you're in the Algarve don't miss Rio Formosa Natural Park - a few miles of trails and wetlands along the coast with paths and a ton of nature and species. "Rustic luxury" they call it, at São Lourenço do Barrocal ranch/resort in the Alentejo region. Stunning. Easy access to Monsaraz and Evora. It's a stop for the Backroads group's cycling tour and the weather in March-April was great. Six Senses in Douro Valley. Lives up to the hype. Took a day trip to a nearby winery, Quinta do Crasto, and recommend their catered lunch. They're quite generous with the pours on their tasting. Took a small boat down the Douro afterwards by BB cruises. Stunning scenery. We had a *great* guide in Lisbon area for 3 days. He's pretty much all you'd want in a guide and by that I meant he's realistic and very knowledgeable with a lot of life experience outside of being a guide. Happy to share his details if you dm me. Great post; you make me want to go back without kids.
June 3Jun 3 I am planning a trip with the wife and kids for next January (only time that works for us right now). Kids would be 15 months and nearly 4. If I tailored a trip for myself it would be nature-driven. For my wife, it would be food-centric. The baby is chill (for now). The 3 year-old is into animals and trains. My rough itinerary at the moment is to fly into Lisbon early Saturday and stay in the city for 4 nights. I'd use one of those days for a trip to Sintra. Then, we'd rent a car and head to the Algarve. I've been looking at some of the towns in the hills rather than staying right on the coast. Perhaps Monchique? Spend two nights there with a trip down to the coast for a little while one day. On Friday, head back to Lisbon taking a detour through the Castro Verde Biosphere (steppes of the Alentejo region), and fly back on Saturday. Any thoughts on kid-specific restaurants/activities or other Algarve towns would be appreciated.
June 4Jun 4 On 6/2/2025 at 8:13 PM, hookem2010 said: I am planning a trip with the wife and kids for next January (only time that works for us right now). Kids would be 15 months and nearly 4. If I tailored a trip for myself it would be nature-driven. For my wife, it would be food-centric. The baby is chill (for now). The 3 year-old is into animals and trains. My rough itinerary at the moment is to fly into Lisbon early Saturday and stay in the city for 4 nights. I'd use one of those days for a trip to Sintra. Then, we'd rent a car and head to the Algarve. I've been looking at some of the towns in the hills rather than staying right on the coast. Perhaps Monchique? Spend two nights there with a trip down to the coast for a little while one day. On Friday, head back to Lisbon taking a detour through the Castro Verde Biosphere (steppes of the Alentejo region), and fly back on Saturday. Any thoughts on kid-specific restaurants/activities or other Algarve towns would be appreciated. The later in January probably the better because some businesses/restaurants close around xmas/new year and I'm sure it's even more pronounced in the Algarve, given the tourists don't flock there until about May. Lagos on the coast is a decent place to spend a few hours. Very tourist friendly. Lots of shops and restaurants but not much you probably haven't seen elsewhere other than a couple art/crafts stores. We were steered to a small locals-owned restaurant called Calhou. It's conveniently located but away from the touristy areas. Would be very child friendly. For a nice walk by the ocean in a protected natural area, look at Passadicos de Loule. It seems like it would be convenient to Monchique and what makes it nice is it's a protected wildlife area and has well kept paths and a lot of boardwalks.
August 8Aug 8 Arrived in Porto and am staying in an ugly hotel with a beautiful view from its terrace. UGLY Hotel: Terrace views later. I came up out of the Metro to this… Very impressive metro exit. Then bounced into that market… On 1/27/2025 at 7:49 PM, Chopper said: Here's some Porto pics. Didn't get much and the trip was a bit borked due to lots of rain… Bolhao covered market
August 8Aug 8 I just looked up the directions to Cálem Port House. 25 min drive 22 min tram 27 min walk So I will be walking. QUESTIONS: 1) Is there a particular Port House that I should try to visit? or 2) Do I just go into whichever one a solo straggler can squeeze into w/o a reservation?
August 8Aug 8 15 minutes ago, Napoleon said: Arrived in Porto and am staying in an ugly hotel with a beautiful view from its terrace. UGLY Hotel: Terrace views later. I came up out of the Metro to this… Very impressive metro exit. Then bounced into that market… European markets are the best.
August 8Aug 8 58 minutes ago, Napoleon said: I just looked up the directions to Cálem Port House. 25 min drive 22 min tram 27 min walk So I will be walking. QUESTIONS: 1) Is there a particular Port House that I should try to visit? or 2) Do I just go into whichever one a solo straggler can squeeze into w/o a reservation? I went to a couple a few years back solo. I just walked in no reservation, no problem.
August 8Aug 8 1 hour ago, Napoleon said: I just looked up the directions to Cálem Port House. 25 min drive 22 min tram 27 min walk So I will be walking. QUESTIONS: 1) Is there a particular Port House that I should try to visit? or 2) Do I just go into whichever one a solo straggler can squeeze into w/o a reservation? Depends on the time of year and how crowded it is for reservations. The front desk at the hotel may know best. Even if you don't get a reservation there are a ton of places to drink wine along the river with great views.
August 8Aug 8 2 hours ago, Napoleon said: I just looked up the directions to Cálem Port House. 25 min drive 22 min tram 27 min walk So I will be walking. QUESTIONS: 1) Is there a particular Port House that I should try to visit? or 2) Do I just go into whichever one a solo straggler can squeeze into w/o a reservation? We went to Kopke, it was fine. I wish I liked port more but it's just too sweet. 7G Cafe is just behind the Port Houses and it's really good for breakfast/coffee/place to work or post on Surly.
August 8Aug 8 3 hours ago, Napoleon said: I just looked up the directions to Cálem Port House. 25 min drive 22 min tram 27 min walk So I will be walking. QUESTIONS: 1) Is there a particular Port House that I should try to visit? or 2) Do I just go into whichever one a solo straggler can squeeze into w/o a reservation? If you're on the Gaia side I recommend a stop at a restaurant and bar called Dona Maria. They also have a cigar lounge. Great views, deck, very comfortable and spacious, unlike the small, cramped restaurants that you find next to the river on the Porto side. Very reasonably priced, too. It's next to the Hilton. We went to a port house closer to Douro, Quinta do Crasto. They offer a catered lunch, tour and tastings. It was fun but I'm not a port lover. In Porto, the gelato shop Niva right down the street from Bolhão market is actually incredible. It looks super touristy though. There's one also in Lisbon. I also recommend grabbing a coffee and hitting up a bakery called Ogi. Their shop is basically the back door of a Michelin restaurant. I believe they open at 9 am. I've found breakfast the least inspiring of the meals available in Portugal - at least outside of the hotels, so a great bakery was a welcome find. Edited August 8Aug 8 by Chopper
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