we are going back in time a few months to that time i went to portugal back in the spring. i fully intended to publish this in april or may and then got sidetracked by life, so here i am, 4.5 months later, to give you some tips that might help make your portugal visit more fun and fruitful.

cash comes in handy, especially if you rent a car. nearly everywhere we stayed and ate accepted cards, but cash came in handy when paying parking fees on our journey as well as for those delicious breakfast tarts that are ridiculously cheap. i withdrew €100 at the airport when i arrived, and it lasted nearly the entire week until we needed cash for our final dinner [their card machine was broken] and ben had to run to the atm.

get out of the cities. yes, lisbon and porto were beautiful, but so were sintra and peniche and the other places we stopped along the way. if you have the time and someone with an international driving license, i highly recommend renting a car and spending a few days roaming around the country. the people are wonderful, the scenery is great, and the country is small enough that our longest drive was only about 2 hours.

be prepared to walk. a lot. the best way to get around most of the places is on foot. the hills are no joke, so get ready to feel it in your glutes, but i promise it’s worth it.

give yourself some time off. we saw some beautiful cathedrals and museums, but honestly some of my favorite moments were when we stopped in a cafe for a few hours to have a drink, chat a bit, and people watch. we each had one thing we really wanted to do, and otherwise we went with the flow and enjoyed being on holiday.

portugal is a wonderful country, and one i would love to return to. there are more palaces in sintra to see, more wine to drink, and more cliffs to explore. one day.

xx