Essential Portugal; 2 Week Travel Guide & Itinerary (Porto, Lisbon, Algarve, Sintra + Douro Valley)

If you're planning a trip to Portugal or thinking about it, I just got back from a two-week trip and I'm going to go over my full itinerary because I think it was the perfect trip for first-time visitors. We saw a lot of the highlights with a few of the hidden gems sprinkled in. We covered some of the country's most famous spots from the historic beauty of Porto to the sun-drenched beaches of the Algarve and lots in between. So I'm going to share where we stayed and for how long, what we did, what was worth it and what wasn't worth it, and also what I would do differently the next time I go back. I'll start with an overview of our schedule. We flew into Porto and stayed four nights, then went to Lisbon and stayed four nights there, and then we went to the Algarve and stayed four nights there, and then flew home from Faro. Many people buy round-trip flights to Lisbon, which is usually the most affordable and convenient option. However, I'm so glad we planned our trip this way because we didn't have to do any backtracking or have any wasted travel days. I highly recommend doing it this way if you can. We were able to do this because I actually found premium economy flights that were cheaper than economy seats. So my Daily Drop Pro membership is definitely worth it. I'll leave a link below if you want to check it out for yourself. All right, so we started in Porto and basically the way our schedule worked out was that we had about two and a half days to explore the city. I loved Porto so much. It has this amazing mix of vibrant history, old-world architecture, almost medieval-esque, and the food and wine scene is chef's kiss. Speaking of that, we took a food tour on our first morning, which was definitely the way to go. We loved strolling the iconic neighborhoods like the Ribeira district with its colorful narrow streets. There's so many great viewpoints to explore, lots of great wine bars. The Mercado do Balão was fun to visit. This is the original open-air market where you can browse all kinds of vendors. You can get a glass of wine while you shop and peruse. It's just a fun and lively atmosphere even if you don't plan to buy anything. And of course, you have to visit the old port wine cellars. Do some tours, some tastings. It's really fun. Then on our last day, we took a day trip to the Douro Valley, the birthplace of port wine. For me, this was a highlight of the whole trip. It's such a scenic part of the country. Absolutely breathtaking. We found this great small group tour and our guide was actually a Somalier. He brought us to two wineries that were totally different from each other in the best way. We went on a boat ride along the Douro River and then checked out some awesome viewpoints of the valley's terraced vineyards and gorgeous landscapes. Honestly, this is a must-do if you come to Porto. Non-negotiable, I would even say. Next time I come back to Portugal though, I'm definitely saving at least two or three nights for the Douro Valley. It was beautiful. We booked this trip on Get Your Guide, so I will leave a link in the description below or you can also scan the QR code. In Porto, we stayed at an apartment hotel called Vitoria's Terrace Apartments. It had really good reviews and I know why now. It's in the perfect location right on the edge of the old town area. So perfectly walkable to everywhere but nice and quiet at night. The view from our balcony was actually better than one of the hidden gem viewpoints that was just down the street from us, so that was pretty cool. And the couple that runs this place are so kind and friendly. They gave us all kinds of recommendations for places nearby. Like we went to a photo show that was two minutes away and it was an unforgettable evening. There's this awesome little hidden gem terrace bar called Rooftop Flores. Go there for sunset bevies. And there's also great restaurants within five or ten minutes. I really liked Cantina 32. Oh and I cannot forget Francesina. This is a Porto specific food. It's just something you have to try. It's bread and two or three kinds of meat. And there's cheese and an egg on top and a tomato beer sauce. We found awesome ones at this restaurant that I cannot pronounce, but their whole menu looked great as well. Overall, I think two and a half days in Porto was enough. I would absolutely stay three or four days if I had more time, but I think you do need at least one and a half to two full days to really experience the city plus a full day dedicated to the Douro Valley. On day five, instead of taking the train straight to Lisbon, we actually hired a driver and then that way we were able to turn the transfer day into a full sightseeing day. And this is honestly one of the best decisions of our trip. I'll leave the link to Viator where we found our guide and driver. He picked us up from our hotel in Porto at 9am and then we arrived in Lisbon by 6pm where we made three stops along the way. First, we stopped in Aveiro which is known as the Venice of Portugal because of its canals and colorful boats. It's a pretty little town as well with lots of beautiful buildings in Art Nouveau style. It's also known for a traditional sweet called Ovo Xmolex. Not sure how to pronounce it, but something we learned was you always have to try the local pastry when you're in Portugal. Our next stop was Nazaré, a coastal town famous for its massive waves that attract surfers from all over the world. Usually from November to February is where you can see the highest waves on Earth, sometimes reaching as high as 30 meters. While we weren't visiting in big wave season, the viewpoints overlooking the ocean and the beach are absolutely breathtaking and definitely worth the stop. The village itself is also quite picturesque and the pink marble cathedral was definitely one of the highlights. Finally, we stopped in Obidos, a small medieval town enclosed by castle stone walls that you can actually walk on top of. I loved this little town so much. Its cobblestone streets, flower-lined alleys, historic charm, little shops, it was just so adorable. And it's also known for its cherry liqueur, ginja, which is served in little chocolate cups. And there's little ginja stands every 20 or 30 feet. They're only about one or one and a half euros per shot, so I definitely recommend trying out a few. I would have loved to spend at least half a day here in Obidos. Next time, maybe even stay in the castle, which is now actually a four-star hotel. So if you only have time for two stops, I would probably skip Aveiro. And if I only had time to visit one place, I would definitely choose Obidos. We then arrived in Lisbon, where we checked into our hotel and stayed for the next four nights. We stayed at this apart hotel called Ando Living. Once again, I booked it because of the amazing reviews, and they were totally right. This hotel was in the perfect location in the Baixa neighborhood. So we were within walking distance or easy public transport to all the main attractions in the old neighborhoods. It was also nice and quiet at night. It was so clean, new and modern, reasonably priced, and the little welcome package of wine and goodies was a lovely touch. And literally around the corner was the Green Street area, which is three blocks of little authentic bars and restaurants that open up in the evening. It's kind of similar to Pink Street, but the better, more authentic hidden gem among locals. So then we spent the next two full days exploring Lisbon. On our first day, we took a half-day tuk-tuk tour. This was a fantastic way to get introduced to the city. Our guide took us through Lisbon's famous neighborhoods, Alfama, Baixa, Barrio Alto, and Teatro. Lisbon is also filled with viewpoints, or miradouros, and our guide took us to some of the best ones for the best views of the city. He also took great photos of us, which turned out to be some of my favorites from the whole trip. We finished our tuk-tuk tour in Belém, home to the Belém Tower, built to defend Lisbon against possible attacks and invasions. And it's one of the most unique monuments in Lisbon, and there's nothing quite like it in other European cities. As well, there's the Jerónimos Monastery, which is a gorgeous Portuguese Gothic building that was built in the 17th century. This is also home to the birthplace of the famous Pastéis de Belém, the original recipe of pastel de nata. Everyone said these were the best of the best, the Portuguese custard tarts, and yes, I can confirm they are in a league of their own. We booked this trip through Get Your Guide, so I'll leave the link below to the one that we booked, or you can scan the QR code. I also just want to say that none of this trip was sponsored. We paid for everything ourselves, from the hotels, to the guides, to the drivers, to the restaurants, everything. Lisbon is a great city to just wander, get lost, take in the sights, snap some fun photos, and stop for food and bevies along the way, and that's exactly what we did. We really liked the Carmo Rooftop Bar for sunset as well. And if you like espresso martinis, you have to visit Casa do Pastel de Nata Licor for a special Lisbon twist on this yummy cocktail. We also took in another Fado show. The old neighborhoods here in Lisbon is where this originated. Fado is a traditional style of Portuguese music, characterized by mournful tunes and lyrics, often expressing a sense of longing, nostalgia, or sadness. I would say catching a Fado show is a must-do. We chose to do dinner and the Fado show at Bohemia LX, but you can also find smaller venues and stop in and have maybe a glass of wine while you listen to the beautiful music. All right, now here are a few things that I thought were a little overrated in Lisbon. First was the timeout market. To me, this was just a food court. But perhaps if you're in town for only a few hours, maybe from a cruise and you want to try a bunch of different Portuguese foods, this would probably be a good stop. I also wasn't crazy about Pink Street. Maybe I'm too old. It was loud, busy, and full of influencers. And waiting in line for the Santa Justa lift. It was really cool to look at. It's very interesting architecture for sure. But you can actually find stairs to go up for free or you can also get a great view of it from the Carmo rooftop. I probably could have used an extra day in Lisbon, but because we saw Porto, which I kind of preferred the more laid-back vibe there, two days was enough for me in Lisbon. I will say Lisbon was very busy when we were there in mid-October, so I can't even imagine how busy it gets in the summer months. Our last day in Lisbon was dedicated to Sintra, a fairy tale town nestled in the hills about 45 minutes from the city. This is one of the most popular day trips from Lisbon and a place that you absolutely have to see with your own eyes. There are several stunning palaces to visit here and you won't have time to see them all in one day, so you will have to choose. We visited two of the most famous palaces, starting with the colourful Pena Palace, which looks like something straight out of a storybook. It's got colourful towers and eclectic architecture. We then toured the intricate Quinta da Reguleira, a romantic estate with beautiful gardens, underground tunnels and the famous Initiation Well. We booked a private tour and this was absolutely worth every penny because Sintra is huge. There is so much more than just a few palaces to visit. Our guide not only brought us everywhere, but came with us and explained all the history and all the stories behind everything we were looking at. I am so glad we hired a guide. This whole area is breathtaking but also quite overwhelming, especially with the crowds. There were so many people without a guide that were kind of just aimlessly wandering around and a lot of them were constantly trying to listen in to what our guide was sharing with us. So I'll leave a link to the guide that we booked. If you book with him, let him know Ali Smalls sent you. And if he's not available, I also left links for a couple other highly rated guides and tours. For our final leg of the trip, we took a 45-minute flight from Lisbon to Faro, a city in the Algarve. We got ourselves a rental car and then drove to Carruero, our home base for the last four nights. We chose Carruero because it's centrally located, which made it really easy to explore the other towns, beaches and hiking trails along the Algarve coast. The town itself is super charming with its whitewashed buildings and a beautiful coastline. We stayed at a six-suite guest house bed and breakfast called Quinta do Uribe. When I tell you it's one of the best accommodations I have ever stayed in, I am not exaggerating. It's run by the sweetest family who are so kind and full of great recommendations for what to do in the area. Each morning, guests are treated to a massive breakfast spread and any type of coffee that you want. There's a large heated pool with all kinds of room for sunbathing, plenty of common areas to hang out and relax in, and all the rooms have private patios with kitchens. I will 100% be booking a vacation just to stay here again. We only had four nights and I wish we had 10 more. One thing we quickly realized after getting to the Algarve was that four nights was nowhere near enough. But here were the highlights for us in that time. One of our favorite spots was Algar Seco. This is a spot with incredible rock formations and natural grottoes all along the coast. You can take some amazing photos and even explore all the little hidden caves. It's only five minutes from the hotel as well. We also hiked eight kilometers of the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail, which offers some of the best coastal views in all of Portugal. The trail runs along the cliffs above the ocean, passing by scenic viewpoints, hidden coves, and secluded beaches. This is a must-do and was a highlight of the whole trip for me. Another highlight was kayaking to the Benagel Caves. We were able to get so much closer than the bigger boat tours. We took a guided tour and we saw so many other caves while we kayaked along the coastline. Highly recommend doing this, but it's definitely a bit of a workout so be prepared for that. We spent some time visiting some of the most famous and beautiful beaches and postcard views near Lagos and Albufeira. Each beach in the Algarve has its own vibe and so exploring a few of them really adds to the experience. There's also a lot of cute towns and villages all over. I really loved Ferragudo, an adorably picturesque town with whitewashed houses built in the hillside and flowers all through the streets. Also a great spot for souvenir shopping. Overall, it was an amazing trip and I think 12 days was a good amount of time to cover a lot of ground without feeling too rushed, especially because we made the most of our travel days. I went on this trip with my mom and sister and we all took one carry-on bag and one personal item each and that was definitely the way to go. These are the bags that we used here that fit on all the airlines that we flew. I'll leave links to the bags but I also made a video talking about them more in depth. And we also used sling bags. I used the large sling from Nomad Lane, my sister used the metro sling from Manos and my mom used her belt bag from Lululemon. Each of these were perfect size and really nice and secure so I'll leave links to those as well. I also put this itinerary up on my travel blog with a little more detail if you want to find out more and keep checking back because I'm going to be adding more posts about Portugal. I'm also working on a Portugal pocket guide that will be full of all my tips and research and recommendations so I'll announce that here on my channel when it's ready. I hope you found this video helpful. Let me know in the comments when your upcoming trip to Portugal is. Thank you so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one.