Location: Porto
Day 1 - 12 Mar 2022
Igreja do Carmo
Content: This itinerary is based on my own trip to Portugal taken in March 2022 and includes the cities of Porto, Lisbon and Sintra. We'll start with Porto, which is a colorful and beautiful city. If you want to see some of the best tilework in Portugal, this is the place to come! Start your first day in Porto by visiting Igreja de Carmo, one of the most photographed landmarks in the city.
Clérigos Tower
Content: Next, visit Clérigos Tower for a good panorama of the whole city. The line for tickets was rather long when we visited, but it went pretty fast.
Igreja e Torre dos Clérigos
Content: Don't leave without visiting the Clérigos Church as well. Near the exit, there's a store from where you can buy a souvenir if you want.
Luís I Bridge
Content: You can now continue your visit with the spectacular Luis I bridge. There are lots of restaurants down, near the river so if you get hungry you can take a break at one of them.
São Bento Station
Content: Sao Bento is one of the most beautiful train stations I ever saw due to its beautiful tilework and it's without doubt a must visit!
Porto Downtown Lovers Suites: Bombarda 451
Content: We booked Porto Downtown Lovers Suites: Bombarda 451 for our stay in Porto and it was the best choice. The apartments were spacious, clean, modern and a very good value for money. The location is in walking distance to the city center.
Location: Porto
Day 2 - 13 Mar 2022
Igreja de Santo Ildefonso
Content: Igreja de Santo Ildefonso is another example of beautiful tilework in Porto, so make sure to visit it. It seemed to be closed during our visit, but maybe you'll have more luck.
Manteigaria – Fábrica de Pastéis de Nata
Content: When you visit Portugal, you need to try Pasteis de Nata! In Porto we really loved the ones from Manteigaria. You can find them in several locations and while you can also eat inside, we prefered to take the sweets as a takeaway.
Porto Cathedral
Content: You will need to buy a ticket to visit Porto Cathedral, but it's worth it. You'll see some beautiful tilework here and you can also climb one of its towers for panoramic views of the city.
Chapel of Souls
Content: Chapel of Souls is next on the list: it's a beautiful little church covered in beautiful blue and white tiles.
Location: Porto
Day 3 - 14 Mar 2022
Livraria Lello
Content: Livraria Lello is a stunning bookstore located in Porto city center. But the problem is that there's usually a pretty long line outside of it. So you'll need to decide if it's worth the wait for you. We were lucky to be there at a moment when the queue was pretty small, so we barely had time to get tickets online for it. The tickets act as vouchers: if you buy a book, the ticket cost will be deducted from the price of the book.
Jardins do Palácio de Cristal
Content: We loved Jardins do Palacio de Cristal and spend more than 2 hours inside them, exploring.
Location: Lisboa
Day 3 - 14 Mar 2022
Estação do Oriente
Content: It's time to leave Porto and go to Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal. We made the trip by fast train, but you can also choose to fly there.
Location: Lisboa
Day 4 - 15 Mar 2022
Maxime Hotel
Content: In Lisbon we stayed at Maxime Hotel. The decor is a bit quirky, being inspired by burlesque (they also have a show from my understanding). I gotta admit, I booked it in a rush and wasn't paying too much attention. However, it turned out to be a good choice: it's in a good location, offers good value for money and it's clean and comfortable. So if you don't mind the decor, I recommend it.
Miradouro de Santa Luzia
Content: Lisbon has several miradors that you can visit, but my favorite one was Miradouro de Santa Luzia.
Lisbon Cathedral
Content: Next, you can visit Lisbon Cathedral, which is located pretty close to Santa Luzia viewpoint.
Restaurante Rio Grande
Content: We ate a really good lunch at Restaurante Rio Grande on the Pink street. We opted for the menu of the day and we got chicken legs in wine with rice and a side salad, soda, expresso and a dessert for only 9.90 euros. Honestly I was shocked. I don't think I ever got eat so well for so little money, not even at home.
Pink Street
Content: The pink street was once a bad famed location, but now it's quite the hotspot after it got its bright color.
Bica Elevador
Content: Sadly for us, Bica elevator was being repaired during our visit, so we didn't ride it. But we could still take photos of it.
Location: Lisboa
Day 5 - 16 Mar 2022
Rossio Train Station
Content: Start your day early because you will visit Sintra today. Easiest way to reach Sintra from Lisbon is by train, so go to Rossio Train Station.
Location: Sintra
Day 5 - 16 Mar 2022
Quinta da Regaleira
Content: There are several palaces in Sintra, but I really recommend you to visit Quinta da Regaliera. It truly looks like a magical place. There's a cafe on the premises if you get hungry while exploring.
Park and National Palace of Pena
Content: My other recommandation for a first visit in Sintra (apart from Quinta) is colorful Pena Palace and its park. You can get there by bus or by uber like we did. I don't recommend doing more than 2 palaces in one day trip in Sintra because you will feel pretty rushed.
Location: Lisboa
Day 6 - 17 Mar 2022
Santa Justa Lift
Content: You can start your last day in Lisbon by taking the Santa Justa Lift.
Carmo Convent
Content: Carmo convent was badly damaged by a strong earthquake and it is now a museum. Santa Justa Lift will take you right near it.
Belém Tower
Content: We took an Uber from the city center to Belem Tower, but you can also take the tram. The tower can be visited, though we preferred to admire it from the outside.
Ponte 25 de Abril
Content: You can walk from Belem Tower (albeit it will be a bit of a long walk) to 25th April bridge which resembles a lot with the famous Golden Gate in San Francisco. You can wait to see the sunset from here for a perfect ending to your Portugal trip. Tip: it's better to be on the left side of the bridge to see the sunset behind it, not on the right like we did.