Sintra was one of the highlights of my Portugal trip. Seriously, I loved it. I regret tons not staying for one night versus just visiting for the day from Lisbon. It is a magical place likely due to the combination of nature with attractions that were just so incredible and unique. It’s truly out of a Portuguese fairy tale.
So, either if you are visiting for the day or spending one night I’ll walk you through how to best enjoy it.
Lisbon was the first stop from my Portugal nine day trip. As soon as I got out from the metro in Chiado, I fell in love with the city! The colors, the light bathing the atmosphere, the tiles. I think it’s impossible not to love Lisbon. Anyways, in this post you’ll find everything about Lisbon: what to do and eat, where to stay and how to get around.
As soon as you get to Lisbon, take a free walking tour to get a grasp of what the city has to offer, the main sights and some insider tips from the tour guides that live there. It will help organise how you’ll spend the rest of your time in the city, and you can ask all the questions you want.
Simple, Madeira is known as the “island of eternal spring”! The reason it’s known that way is that Madeira’s subtropical climate makes it a great destination to visit all year round. August and September are the hottest months when temperatures reach around 26 degrees centigrade but it’s a popular spot to seek out winter sunshine as temperatures hover around 19 degrees in January and February. So if you want to avoid the crowds, visit on those months! But it’s not only the weather, Madeira has been deemed the Hawaii of Europe. There’s a lot to do, the main thing being hiking which is the best way to enjoy the breathtaking scenery.
Madeira is part of Portugal but this island is closer to Africa than it is to Europe. It is a four-hour flight away from London and Paris. I took a direct flight to Madeira from London which I found using Skyscanner and there are direct flights from Europe’s main cities.
Renting a car is a good way to get around Madeira but not absolutely necessary. Tours are cheap, so if you stay in Funchal you can just take day tours and explore Funchal on foot. Some hikes are accesible by bus as well.
Aveiro is one of the cities I visited between Lisbon and Porto in my 8 day trip around Portugal. Aveiro is a very beautiful city with enough things to do for a full day. I stayed in Aveiro for one day and two nights but one day and one night would have worked as well. You can also visit it as a day trip from Porto via a tour like this one here. See all things to do, where to stay and how to get to and around Aveiro in this post.
Ok, I’ll admit that this was the reason I visited Aveiro. And it was Instagram heaven as I expected. These striped houses by the beach make the freshest photos ever. An important thing to note is that Costa Nova is not in Aveiro but getting to it is very easy either by car or local bus.