My Love Letter To Portugal

Rachel Harris
Apr 10, 2018
3 min read

For my first blog post, I am here to describe to you the magic of my favorite place in the entirety of the world. Four times traveling to this country and I still cannot get enough, nor have I seen enough of this beautiful country. From desolate, paradise islands filled with waterfalls, wildflowers and the most wonderful people you’ll meet, to the countrysides with natural hot springs, rolling mountains, beautiful vineyards and charming towns, to the big cities overflowing with history, castles, quaint streets, sunny ocean sides and a whole lot of natural beauty to discover, Portugal quickly became my safe haven, my home away from home.

I have never been a city person until the first time I came to Lisbon. I've spent many months in Lisbon with wonderful friends who always happily take me in. My time was spent filled with delicious home cooked vegan meals, salsa dancing with strangers that ended up to be nascar drivers, watching the sunset over the beautiful and mountainous countryside, bathing in natural hot springs, hitchhiking through one of many of Portugal's islands and language swapping with the locals.

Central Portugal

The first thing I did an hour after landing in Lisbon for the very first time, was walk 9 miles on the riverside from Lisbon to Belem, a charming district outside of Lisbon. I highly recommend it for you will see wonderful views of the Abril Bridge (which is almost identical to the one in San Fransisco!), Cristo Rei, street vendors and performers and artwork!

Lisbon is a beautiful city, its even more beautiful overlooking it. Lucky for you, Lisbon has many overlooks perfect for watching the sunset. My favorite is Miraduro Da Senhora do Monte.

The nightlife in Lisbon is the best. You can find Pink Street (yes, a literal pink street) edged with bars and clubs. We ran into this one and unfortunately I cannot recall the name but it was the most charming bar. It had a piano and the wall was lined with books. My friend and I played for a small crowd...until the bartender told us to play for everybody or stop lol :-)

Castelo De Sao Jorge is a stunning medieval castle towering over Lisbon. It is a beautiful castle offering stunning view of the river and the city.

Just a short train ride away from Lisbon you can find yourself exploring a palace straight out of a fairytale. Pena Palace is located in Sintra and it is absolutely stunning and offers great views of the hilly outskirts of Lisbon.

Skip the crowd and head to Cabo Do Roca ( a very touristy place ) but the hiking trails filter out most of the tourists and if you are lucky you can have the whole place to yourself!

My favorite hike is Praia Do Ursa, before arriving to Cabo Do Roca, you will find the trail head on the side of the road to your right, its a steep 30 minute hike down, be careful on the loose rocks!

Southern Portugal

For beautiful clear water, rocky coasts and quaint cities, head to the Algarve. Head to Estúdio Vegetariano for a delicious vegan meal, go kayaking in caves or relax on the beach.

Northern Portugal

Rolling hills filled with wildflowers, hidden waterfalls, lakes surrounded by mountains and wild horses, welcome to Peneda Geres National Park.

Azores

Called "the Hawaii of Europe" and rightfully so, the desolate, pure, untouched nature, rocky, oceanside cliffs, black sand beaches and natural hot springs create the definition of paradise. Welcome to the Azores.