“To travel is to live,” proclaimed Hans Christian Anderson. For two weeks my wife and I lived our dream of exploring Portugal’s towns, wine regions, historic spots and its popular island, Madeira. Like so many other travelers, we loved Portugal and want to go back. Here’s what we discovered:
Overall Assessment: Portugal’s compact size lent itself to discovery without overly long journeys. It’s one of the oldest countries in Europe, with a population of only ten million, but its history looms surprisingly large given the country’s small size. We found it clean, safe, attractive and full of historical sights worth seeing. We easily drove our rental car in the Douro and Alentejo regions on well-engineered highways and uncrowded country roads. We found our favorite towns, fortresses and landscapes in the less well-known Alentejo region—a place not to be missed. Prices generally seemed reasonable, and the people were friendly and polite.
Getting there: While many airlines serve Portugal visitors, check out TAP Air Portugal’s Stopover program that allows travelers, at no extra cost, to spend up to 5 nights in either Lisbon or Porto while on their way to Madeira, the Azores, Algarve or TAP’s 65+ other destinations in Europe and Africa.
Porto & Douro Valley: A surprisingly easy bus ride took us from Santiago, Spain, to Porto. Set in the heart of the historic center, Porto’s popular riverfront area, the Ribeira, was a fun place to relax in one of the many outdoor cafes and watch the sleek tour boats gliding up and down the nearby Douro River. We crossed the river to watch the sunset from a grassy hillside and to visit one of the many wineries famed for their port wines. I chose the Sandeman wine cellar for a tour and tasting which I highly recommend.
Visiting the world-famous Douro Valley outside of Porto was high on my “must-do” list, so we rented a car and explored the renowned wine-growing region known for its many wineries and steep, terraced hillsides that flank the sinuous Douro River. We visited three wineries with a delectable variety of ports and a few red wines.
Madeira: When we learned that Madeira had over one million visitors last year, we wanted to find out why. Located 300 miles northwest of Morocco, this small island (35 x 14 miles) with about 290,000 people, surprised us with its mountainous beauty and varied activities. After a two-hour flight from Porto, we began our exploration in Funchal, the island’s capital and principal tourist destination. Funchal impressed us with its clean, flower-filled parks, assorted restaurants (especially in its small but attractive old town) and shops. Many hotels, like our Hotel Carlton Pestana, had sweeping ocean views.
We soon discovered that Madeira offers a surprisingly wide range of activities, including levada walks (hikes along mostly gentle paths that follow man-made water conduits through forests and along mountain hillsides), cable car rides, four-wheel-drive island tours, dolphin and whale watching, wicker toboggan sled rides down the streets of Funchal, mountain biking, and canyoning (we had an unforgettable 3-hours of hiking and rappelling down a mountain valley and its cold, rushing stream).
Lisbon, Cascais and Sintra: When we flew back to Lisbon, we immediately headed for the upscale coastal city of Cascais for two days. This proved to be a good location for visiting Sintra and Lisbon, with easy transportation to both places. Cascais was small but peaceful and attractive. Our five-star Hotel Cascais Miragem was an art-filled oasis by the ocean, and we’ll always remember its remarkable Water Lounge with hot and dry saunas and a series of massive indoor pools lined with a unique array of jets. A wide beach-front walkway led to the small historic center of town with varied restaurants, shops and museums.
With only half a day to visit world-famous Sintra, we decided to focus on the exquisite, mountain-top Pena Palace and its nearby gardens. Anywhere else, this would have been enough, but someday we’ll have to return to see Sintra’s other must-see palaces and museums, each of which needs hours to do them justice. Getting there early is a good tip to beat the crowds.
Lisbon has become a must-see destination so, depending on the time of year, the most popular areas — like Belem — can be crowded. During our two days in Lisbon, here’s what we enjoyed most: walking along the picturesque harbor in Belem, ogling the ornate royal carriages in the Carriage Museum, viewing the old city from the top of the Santa Justa elevator, sipping sangria in the Alfama (don’t miss the nightly fado music there) and touring the hilltop São Jorge Castle that overlooks the city and the river.
Alentejo: Our three-day tour of the Alentejo region, located southeast of Lisbon and stretching to the Spanish border, proved to be the highlight of our trip. My favorite town in Portugal: Elvas. My favorite countryside: Alentejo. The most irresistible hand-painted pottery: Sao Pedro do Corval. The most morbid but captivating holy place: Evora’s Chapel of the Bones.
A traveler determined to savor Portugal’s delights would do well to spend at least three days exploring Alentejo. We drove first to Evora, an easy 1 ½ hour drive from Lisbon. After entering the town’s fortress walls, we contemplated the Chapel of the Bones’ lesson about life and death, then walked along more cheerful cobblestone streets to see the remains of a first century Roman temple.
Our drive to Elvas led us through a pastoral countryside with grassy hills dotted with cork trees. On the way, we stopped at a small town, Corval, with a cottage industry of hand-painted ceramics. The quality and beauty of the ceramics proved impossible to resist so we bought more mementoes than we had anticipated. The small town of Elvas delighted us with its magnificent Roman aqueduct, the ancient star-shaped fortress whose stony walls surround the town and its serene, picturesque streets and plaza. Our tour of another star fort on a nearby hilltop provided fascinating history lessons and a commanding view of Elvas and its serene countryside.
We spent our final night in the hilltop castle town of Monsaraz, near the border with Spain, and despite the rain, we were captivated by the vast views of farmlands and the largest man-made lake in Europe. This town added the final piece to the must-see triumvirate in Alentejo: Evora, Elvas and Monsaraz.
As we said farewell to alluring Alentejo, and the rest of remarkable Portugal, I thought of what an unknown pundit once said, “Adventure may hurt you but monotony will kill you.” My advice: go explore Portugal and have the adventure of a lifetime.
