1 Week in Portugal 🇵🇹 The Ultimate Travel Itinerary 2025

Visiting Portugal for the first time can be an exciting and fascinating experience. But you may be overwhelmed to choose which Portugal do you want to see. The bustling capital city of Lisbon, the authentic raw power of Porto, the medieval castles in the rural countryside, or sunbathing on one of the many beautiful beaches along Portugal's vast coastline. People have been messaging me and commenting that I need to make a video on the best way And this is exactly how I would do it. This is some guy named Dave in Portugal, and I've made over 50 videos about this wonderful country. And if you're planning a trip to Portugal, you won't want to miss this video. It was very difficult to pick and choose what to see if I only had one week in Portugal because there is just so much to see, and I put together this itinerary based on what I believe you can't miss here in Portugal, so you can still have the time to slow down and enjoy yourself. After all, the slow pace and quality of life here is what makes Portugal so special. In this episode, we will be visiting iconic neighborhoods, charming palaces in picturesque villages, and one of my favorite cities right now in all of Europe. Firstly, let me start off by saying you will not need a car to get to the destinations that will be mentioned in this video. It is of course possible to rent a car, but it will not be mandatory. And in this video, I am not going to include the southern region Algarve, mostly because I believe that if you're going to come to the Algarve, you should make a trip there by itself. It is much better to have a car in this region, so you can explore all of the remote areas and remote beaches that you won't be able to get to by bus or Uber. I have an entire video on Algarve, all the way from the west to the east coast of it, so check that video out if you're looking to travel there. But before we start, I would like to invite you on a trip of a lifetime. To come on a 9-day, locally guided tour of Portugal with yours truly, I will be tagging along the journey with you. Stay tuned to the end of the video to find out details on how you can sign up. There will be limited spots available. Portugal to me is like a fine wine. It may be a bit dry and sour at first, but with time it rounds out and develops into Don't be so quick to judge the Portuguese food because it is possible that you may not have the palate for it yet. There's a reason why some of the best chefs and food critics around the world praise and love Portuguese food. My best advice I could give someone visiting Portugal for the first time is to try and leave your stressed out energy at home, put your phone down, and enjoy your surroundings. And who knows, you might just have yourself a great time. The vast majority of tourists will be flying into the Ombro do Gato airport in Lisbon, so today this is where our journey begins and ends. After the long flight, you may be jet-lagged and I recommend staying in or near the charming neighborhood of Príncipe Real. This area has some of the best restaurants in Lisbon and is a perfect place to call your home base. I personally wouldn't recommend staying in the very touristic areas of Lisbon, but And let's face it, apartments in Southern Europe are not known for their sound isolation. If you're not tired from your long trip, there are plenty of places that you can walk to have dinner in this area that are very, very much worth it. This is the first plaza you're going to want to see. The Praça do Comércio is arguably one of the most famous places in Lisbon. And this is one of the first places you should come down to see to get a sense of the city located on the Tejo or Tagus River. From here, there are many cafes lining the Baixa district. If you want to stop and have a drink, that is the touristic thing to do on your first time visiting Lisbon. But beware, a lot of the restaurants and cafes in this area are tourist traps and will certainly be charging you a price accordingly with not-so-quality ingredients. I suggest that you kind of get lost in this area and enjoy yourself because there is so much to see and take in. This is the place you want to be a tourist and absorb the fact that you have just arrived in beautiful Lisbon, Portugal, or as the locals call, Lisboa. One of the biggest headaches I had while traveling to new countries was being able to be connected to my friends and family, as well as using data for navigation on my phone without racking up ridiculous international roaming charges. Luckily, Airlo, the sponsor of today's video, has solved that problem. Let me show you how simple it is. Airlo is an eSIM that you can download as an app or sign in from a desktop computer. I wish that I would have known about Airlo when I first came here to Portugal as I had to wait in a long line to buy a SIM card at the airport and it took me over an hour to be on my way. With Airlo, there are over 200 countries and regions to choose from, which Airlo is perfect for world travelers like myself. They offer a local eSIM, which would be for if you're visiting only one country, a regional eSIM would be for if you're planning a trip across a specific region like Europe, and a global eSIM if you're traveling around the entire world. You can even still receive calls and SMS on the original number from your home country. The great thing is that you don't need to keep track of a physical SIM card, the only thing you will need is an unlocked phone compatible with eSIMs. It only takes about a minute or less to set up Airlo on your phone and most destinations allow you to set up your eSIM from home before you reach your destination, so when you land at your destination, you can switch on your data and be connected to the world and ready to start exploring. I used Airlo recently on a trip to Switzerland and had service while skiing in the Swiss Alps. There is a link in the description below for you to download the app and get $3 off an eSIM purchase if you use the code DAVE3. Thanks to Airlo, traveling is better. Now, back to the video. Alfama is one of Lisbon's oldest areas and I recommend coming here for the sunset and the evening. In my opinion, one of the best places to see the sunset is atop the Castelo São Jorge. From this view, you can pretty much see the entire city. It's beautiful to see the bridge in the background with the boats sailing out to sea and pretty much the entirety of Lisbon. Then I would highly recommend seeing a Fado show. My favorite place to visit is O Corrido. This is a perfect introduction to Lisbon because you will be able to hear Portugal's famous Fado music and enjoy some of the traditional Portuguese food. This is not a tourist trap, it's a small Fado house ran by a husband and wife and they feature some of the best Fado musicians currently in Lisbon. Trust me, this will be one of the highlights of your trip to Portugal. All Fado is dominated by the sentiment known as saudade, a word that cannot be precisely defined in English but is roughly translated to a deep yearning. On day three, I would highly recommend taking a day trip to Sintra. For me, if there was one place you must experience on your first trip to Portugal, it is Sintra. The National Palace of Pena is probably one of the most photogenic locations in all of Portugal and arguably one of the most famous. The views and beauty of this unparalleled area will give you a glimpse into the captivating and rich history of Portugal. Then I recommend coming back into Lisbon for the evening and spending a night out on the town. For the early evening, I recommend visiting Belém. Here you can see the Tower of Belém which is considered the gateway into Lisbon. Nearby, you can also try the famous Pastel de Nata, which has been claimed by many as the best pastel de nata in Portugal. Although it is very debatable. Then in the late evening, I recommend heading to Caixto Sodre, which is an area that has many restaurants, bars and clubs if nightlife is your thing. The timeout market is a bustling place with many tourists that has food stalls and features tastes from all over Portugal. I will have to say this is quite the tourist trap, but can be fun for your first time if you're looking to meet people and try Portuguese food with training wheels. Now I'm going to give you two options for day 4. A day trip to Coimbra or Nazaré on the way to Porto. To get to either of these locations, you can take a Flixbus from the Set Rios or Oriente bus station in Lisbon. Simply go to the Flixbus website and type your destination and you will see the available times. Flixbus allows you to carry or stow one large suitcase under the bus and bring one small carry on. They also allow you to add extra bags if needed. The buses are pretty comfortable and the most affordable way to travel throughout Portugal. The great thing is that there are buses every couple hours going from Lisbon to Porto and there are routes available with Coimbra and Nazaré as stops. Just make sure you buy tickets with the correct connection times accordingly. You can also rent a car and if you're going to go this route, I recommend using Get In Car Rental Solutions, a company affiliated with Enterprise. Just make sure that you always get the maximum insurance coverage option. Personally, I think that Coimbra is one of the most important cities to see on your first trip to Portugal. It is such a beautiful city with so much and in my opinion is one of the most romantic and authentic bigger cities in Portugal. But because of the HBO series 100 Foot Wave, it made Nazaré one of the most famous destinations to visit in Portugal. If you would rather go see where Garrett McNamara surfed this massive wave for the first time, Nazaré is a really cool fisherman village where you can have some incredible food, especially seafood. If you're there in the summer, they have a huge beach you can lay out on and try some of Portugal's best fish. However, it is important to note that the big wave season is November to March. But personally, I believe a trip to Coimbra is much more worth it and here's why. Coimbra is home to Portugal's oldest library and it is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, I can't show you video or pictures of it because there are no photos or videography allowed, which is why you need to go visit it in person. Coimbra is also home to one of the most tragic medieval love stories, Pedro and Inês. This Romeo and Juliet type story took a dark turn when Pedro, the prince of Portugal's father Afonso, the king of Portugal at the time, had his love Inês sentenced to death. You can visit the garden where Pedro built streams of water to send little boats and love letters to his love Inês. Coimbra is a very cool city with many great restaurants. I would highly recommend a stop here on the way up to Porto. For your first time staying in Porto, I would recommend staying in Cedofeta. This area is centrally located and will be in walking distance to many of the things you will want to see while in Portugal. The great thing about Porto is that nowhere in the city is more than a 20 minute Uber ride away. After arriving at night, you can explore the Cedofeta area and go down by the river to get a feel for the city. I would recommend spending your next morning checking out Mercado do Bolhão. There are a lot of good coffee places here and options for breakfast. This is a great time to walk through Rua Santa Catarina, which is one of the busiest streets in Porto and in all of Portugal. You want to get there before the crowds arrive in the afternoon. Then I would recommend taking a trip to Parque do Sacalves. This is a beautiful garden with sculptures featured throughout. There is a treetop walk that is very peaceful and beautiful. This is one of my favorite places to visit in Porto, especially on a nice day. And of course, you will have to try Porto's famous francesinha, a sandwich inspired by the French croque monsieur, but loaded with Portuguese linguiça sausage, steak, ham, and lots of cheese. It is smothered in a special beer sauce with spices, tomatoes, and many other secret ingredients safeguarded for decades. This sandwich is definitely not for people on a diet or vegans. The next day, I recommend going on a boat on the Douro River. This is an experience you can't miss. I recently was invited on a boat to tour with the yachtsman Douro and was very surprised how affordable it was for a private boat ride for up to 10 people. There is a link in the description below to check them out and book your tour today. Then you must go to the other side of the river to visit Vila Nova do Gaia. This is where all the famous porthouses are that make the world famous port wine. You can book tours to see where the wine is fermented and learn about the process and history. The world of wine is also located on this side, which is an incredible museum all about wine. Hey, now this is my type of museum. Porto has so many amazing places to see, and if you want to see a more in-depth video, check out my 48 hours in Porto to see 23 must-see places in the city. At the end, finally, I personally would recommend taking the 3-hour and 15-minute bus back to Lisbon the night before, so you can stay close to the airport for your flight out the next day. Are you interested in going on a 9-day tour to see the best of mainland Portugal with me, some guy named Dave in Portugal, next April 2025? Would you like to visit Portugal's best cities like Lisbon, Porto, Évora, and the beautiful sunny Algarve region? Well I am teaming up with EF Go Ahead Tours, a group travel company with 55-plus years experience currently offering over 200 tours around the world. This Portugal tour will include hand-picked accommodations, on-tour transportation, some delicious meals, a dedicated tour director with you the entire way, and local guides to show you the sights. Everything has been expertly vetted to assure you will be getting the VIP treatment. This tour will give you a taste of every region in Portugal. We will be exploring the charming Porto, currently my favorite city in Europe, tasting some of the best wine from Portugal's famous Douro region, exploring the oldest university in Portugal, learning about how Portugal exports half of the world's cork supply in Alentejo, and exploring the beautiful sunny beaches of the Algarve region. The best part is that there are interest-free payment plans available that will help you spread the cost if not the worry. There is a link in the description below to sign up today. Signing up is easy and you can reserve your spot for as little as a $300 deposit. You can also call EF Go Ahead Tours' helpful team directly to book your tour over the phone. If you want your trip to Portugal to be completely stress-free and taken care of, then sign up today for a trip you won't forget. There will be limited spots available on this tour, so you'll want to be one of the first people to sign up to secure a spot. Due to restrictions, this tour will only be available for U.S. and Canadian citizens. And that is my one-week, seven-day itinerary to Portugal. There are so many things to see in this wonderful country, and you can live here for years and continue to see exciting new things every day. There are Portuguese people who have lived here their entire life and still have so many unchecked boxes of things they want to see. If you want to see more content about living in Portugal or the rest of Europe, make sure to hit the like and subscribe button because I'll be posting videos like this every single week on this channel. This is some guy named Dave in Portugal, and hopefully, we'll see you next time. Now, if you're currently in Portugal right now, you probably know how cold this pool is.