Destination Spotlight: Portugal July 9, 2024

Why is Portugal so popular right now? When I see reports of new or emerging destinations, that is always the question. Here’s a little insight on how I enjoyed Portugal on a recent trip to Europe. I visited three top spots in the country – Lisbon, Porto, and Douro Valley – and loved them all.

One of the most famous and visited
cities in Portugal is Lisbon. The capital is
known for colorful buildings, historic
sites, and bustling neighborhoods. I
explored many of the iconic landmarks
on a great 4-hour tuk-tuk tour. Our guide
was wonderful and made sure we
enjoyed every part of the city during our
time together. We even got private
access to Pasteis de Belem, the most
popular place to get the famous pastel
de nata (egg tart). One of my favorite
areas I visited was the historic district of
Alfama with its narrow streets and
traditional Fado music houses. We had a
great local lunch on a picnic table in the
quaint streets of Alfama.

After our time in Lisbon, we took the train to Porto so we could enjoy the views along the way. With limited time, we only spent one night in Porto on our way to the Douro Valley, but we made the most of it.

After a short ride to our hotel, we wandered through the streets of Porto, including a short stop for a rooftop glass of wine and snack overlooking the city. You can wander though the streets for hours, finding local artwork on the walls, some cool restaurants, and so many places to buy local artwork, clothes, and other Portuguese mementos.

Many have heard that for wine
enthusiasts, a visit to the Douro Valley is
a must, which is 100% correct but there
is so much more to the area than just
wine. While we did enjoy our wine
tasting experiences, we also took a 4x4
off-road tour through a vineyard,
enjoyed many amazing viewpoints (not
only from the hill tops, but also along
the Douro river), pickled vegetables,
painted ceramic tiles, and enjoyed walks
along the river. The Douro Valley was
definitely one of the highlights of our
visit to Portugal.

Portugal is a great blend of so many things we enjoy throughout Europe and hasn’t been overly visited which allows some extra opportunities of exploration and connectivity to locals in the area. It’s definitely a great place to visit and on my list of places to visits again.

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