My Mini Guide to Portugal
Sunglasses: Zara, Top: Topshop, Skirt: Topshop, Bag: Gucci
Happy Sunday friends,
As you probably know, I spent last weekend in Portugal! This time last week I was stretched out on a beach eating a Portuguese tart and listening to the sound of the sea. Unfortunately, I’m back to reality this weekend, sitting by London Fields Lido under a dark cloud and eating an apple. It’s still the weekend though right!
Here is my mini guide to Portugal and how we got the most of a weekend there. I went with my friend and roommate, Megan. With only three days, we def had to do some serious planning and running from place to place, but I feel like I really experienced a lot that Portugal had to offer. Below are the things I recommend you definitely shouldn’t miss if you ever get a chance to visit this beautiful place.
Pastéis de natas
Portuguese Egg Custards are by far the most famous food in Portugal, and you could definitely tell. There were bakeries on every corner selling them by the dozen and we soon found out why. They’re deliciously light pastries, and we made sure to have one everyday we were there. I recommend you do the same.
Palácio da Pena
A great place to visit if you don’t mind traveling outside Lisbon, is to visit Pena Palace. We visited on our first morning in Lisbon. It’s about a 30 minute drive outside in the neighboring city of Sintra. The palace is stunning and colourful, and looks as if it’s straight out of a storybook. It’s covered in intricate sculptures, hand-painted tiles, and bright painted facades. We explored every inch of it and got to see some stunning views of the surrounding city.
Bike Around Lisbon
While we thought we were only biking for four hours and ended up biking for five and a half, I still recommend it. On our bike tour, we saw so much of Lisbon in such a short amount of time. The bikes allowed us to cover a lot more ground that we might not have covered other wise including, Belem Tower, XL Factory, Time Out Market, and so much more.
Seaside Feast
You can’t go to Portugal and not eat fish. We ended up going for a fish feast after our tiring bike tour, and it was the freshest fish I’ve ever tasted. Beware of bones when you eat, but I guarantee the flavor was like no fish I’ve ever tasted before, and so worth it.
Dress: Laura Ashley at Urban Outfitters, Shoes: Target, Sunglasses: & Other Stories, Bag: Oliver Bonas
Bikini: Topshop, Bag: Olive Bonas, Sunglasses: & Other Stories
Beach Bums
The next day, we hopped on the train for a thirty minute right to Cascais, which is the nearest beach to Lisbon. I decided that I wasn’t going to go all the way to a hot country and not go to the beach for a bit. This one was lovely even though the water was freezing. We read our books, caught some rays, and napped to the sound of the waves. What more does a gal need?
Boat Tour at Sunset
One of my favorite things we did while in Lisbon, was to go on a cruise at sunset. That evening we hurried back from the beach to make our boat tour. It set off and the sun began to set as we went down Lisbon’s bustling coast. There were sail boats everywhere and the sky was turning this incredible red colour as if it were on fire for us. It was such a peaceful and magical moment.
Have you ever been to Portugal? If you have, comment down below what your favorite thing was when you visited. If you haven’t been, I definitely recommend you take a trip, as it exceeded my expectations and was such a vibrantly beautiful place that was quite affordable. I would go again in a heartbeat. Thanks for reading my mini guide to this gorgeous city. Be sure to follow me on Instagram and Facebook for more photos from the trip. Have a lovely and productive week my friends!
Georgie x
