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Trip Reports

A late summer stroll through Portugal’s cities

by Ian Collier

Bom Dia! 2024 has certainly been Portugal’s year in the travel limelight, with a record number of visitors to this relatively small country of just 10m people. A lot of Discover Travel clients have visited in the last couple of years, and it’s easy to see why; for Europe, it’s still surprisingly affordable, prices are similar, or even cheaper than NZ and it offers something for everyone – history dating back to medieval times, fascinating culture, nice beaches, fresh seafood, architecture, wine and (of course!) port and great nightlife. It’s very friendly and down to earth – the Portugese have a very dry sense of humour and being anglophile, English is very widely spoken, much more so than in Spain. I had attempted to pick up some Portugese words before visiting, only to realise belatedly that the Brazilian version of the language I had learned on Duolingo is pronounced quite differently to the Portugese spoken in Portugal itself, which led to some bemused looks from bartenders and waiters.

We were travelling from Oporto to Lisbon for a week in mid September, and ordinarily that would be just outside of the peak tourist season, but with warming climate in Europe, it’s evident that more people are choosing to avoid the hottest summer months of July & August and choosing to travel in Sep/Oct instead when it’s a little cooler, so it was still pretty busy.

It was a rather epic journey to get there, but 5 flights and 40 hours after departing Sibu in Sarawak, Borneo, we arrived in our historic boutique hotel in Oporto, the beautifully decorated Icon Duplo Ribeira, was located on a steep street in the historical district of Ribeira, a short walk from the Douro river and the iconic Luis I bridge across to the Villa Nova de Gaia district on the south bank with its famous wine cellars. With a spectacular breakfast buffet and very friendly and helpful staff, it proved to be the perfect base from which to explore this relatively compact and fascinating city on foot, as we strolled the narrow cobbled streets past merchant houses, admiring the azulejos (typical blue Portuguese tiles) everywhere.

Oporto’s Sao Bento train station is definitely well worth a visit. Completed in 1903, it looks like it’s been imported from 19th-century Paris, but the azulejo panels of historical scenes in the front hall are very impressive. Designed by Jorge Colaço in 1930, some 20,000 tiles depict historic battles (including Henry the Navigator’s conquest of Ceuta), as well as the history of transport.

We didn’t visit the now insta-famous ‘Harry Potter’ bookshop (Livraria Lello) with it’s iconic staircase on this trip, as the queues were rather formidable, so I’d recommend pre-booking entry there if you are keen to see where JK Rowling allegedly drew inspiration for her books when she was living in the city in the 1990’s. We did see a lot of university students in the city though, dressed in their traditional uniform of a black suit and a black coat, and it’s believed that the Hogwarts’ students dress was inspired by these uniforms.

The city really comes alive at night as people promenade on both banks of the Douro and enjoying a glass of Port or chilled vinho verde (literally “green” but really meaning “young” wine) in cafes. We became big fans of this slightly effervescent fruity wine with an acidic bite, it’s a real highlight of travelling in Northern Portugal! Oporto is very focused on catering to wine lovers, with a bewildering array of wines and ports offered, including many of course from the famous nearby Douro Valley region.

Keen to see what all the fuss is about, we did take a day trip into the Douro Valley from Oporto by bus, which included a stop at the charming village of Amarante, a visit with port tastings at two wineries near Pinhao and also a short (1 hour) boat ride on the river itself. The Douro is a real micro-climate with a notably warmer climate than Oporto and it’s very pretty. River cruising on the Douro is very popular currently, and we saw cruise ships operated by Viking, Croisi, Nikko, Emerald and others cruising on the river whilst we were there. September is a very busy month in the Douro as it’s harvest season as well as peak tourist season, so it definitely pays to pre-book entrances, excursions & accommodation.

From Oporto, we took the fast (3hr) ALSA train south to Lisbon which is also experiencing a real tourism boom at present. It’s a much bigger city than Oporto, and from our delightful (fortunately soundproofed) apartment at the end of the famously lively ‘Pink Street’ nightspot in the Cais Do Sodre neighbourhood near the river we enjoyed exploring each of its historic neighbourhoods by foot. Our apartment had reciprocal arrangements with the lovely Corpo Santo historical hotel around the corner, so we quickly settled into a routine of enjoying a pre-dinner drink and a spot of people watching in the sunshine outside the hotel.

Our favourite Lisbon neighbourhoods were Chiado, Bairro Alto and Principe Real. Lisbon’s historic centre is set across several steep hills, so there’s no shortage of viewpoints overlooking the city but we certainly got our steps and heartrate up during our 4 nights in the city, mostly resisting the temptation to hop on the photogenic yellow trams or funiculars. Lisbon’s ‘death by cobblestones’ (patented rating by Discover Travel) is a solid 9/10 (10/10 in the wet!) so footwear with good grip is recommended! The most picturesque neighbourhood of Alfama was lovely, but very busy with tour groups and tourist tuk-tuks in September, as was the old town of Belem with its famous tower and Jeronimos monastery; pre-booking entrances to both are essential.

We main reason for visiting Belem though is surely a pilgrimage to the little shop selling the original ‘pastel de nata’ (Portugese custard tarts) next to the monastery. Having sampled this famous Portugese delicacy wherever possible, we agreed that going to the source was indeed the best. Then we enjoyed a stroll along the waterfront and through Belem’s lovely parks to admire the Monument to the Discoveries and a trip up the coast to investigate Lisbon’s modern side, the famous Aquarium and vast Park of the Nations complex.

We finished our stay with a ferry ride across to the southbank of the Tagus for dinner at the quirky and very waterfront Ponto Final restaurant – some of the tables are literally perched millimeters from river’s edge. We’d had to book 6 months in advance to get a reservation her, but the beautifully cooked cod and sunset views behind the 25th April bridge were well worth the effort!

Of course, there’s a lot more to Portugal than just its 2 largest cities, so if you could either join a small group or coach tour, enjoy a river cruise along the Douro or hire a car to visit other popular tourist towns between Oporto and Lisbon such as Sintra, Coimbra, Obidos, Nazare & Aveiro. Sintra in particular is struggling currently to manage the volume of visitors its fame has generated, so if you’d like to escape the summertime crowds it’s worth considering hiring a car once you leave the cities so you can get much more off the beaten track. Portugal is full of hauntingly beautiful villages, unspoilt beaches and fairytale castles. Here’s some ideas:

Less than 3 hours from Lisbon is the serene medieval village of Marvao, set 862m high on a granite crag in the Alentejo region near the Spanish border. Its history stretches back 1200 years. There’s Castelo de Vide, a former Roman spa town with dazzlingly white houses, flower lined cobbled streets, peaceful squares and a castle.

Want something even more remote? Try Trancoso in Beira Alta, an otherworldly region of hilltop fortress towns in Northeast Portugal near the Spanish border. Montesinho Natural Park is as remote as Portugal gets, time stands still here in the oak forests, rolling hills and grassy plains and you might see wolves, deer, boar and golden eagles. In the far North-West verdant region of Alto Minho, there’s Ponte de Lima, one of the oldest and loveliest markest towns in Portugal with it’s famous medieval bridge. Spectacular Parque Nacional da Peneda-Geres is Portugal’s only national park and offers 702 sq km of wooden valleys and granite mountain peaks with extensive well marked hiking trails.

Looking for a relaxed coastal holiday? How about Vila Nova de Milfontes south of Lisbon on the Alentejo coast, a hotpotch of pretty squares and sun-bleached houses. The Algarve region in the South can be very busy, but west of Faro is the sleepy villages and wild coastline of the Western Algarve, check out laidback Odeceixe, a haven for hikers, cyclists, swimmers and surfers.

So, plenty still to explore then! “Obrigado” Portugal, we’ll be back!

 

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