Portugal Travel Guide

What would you like to do in Portugal?

Algarve Beach

On our last trip to Portugal (which was very exciting), we explored Lisbon and Lagos. In Lisbon, I needed to tense up a bit to match the energy of this city and indulge in its great entertainment. After Lisbon, it was a real pleasure to make way to Lagos, in the Algarve where I was able to recharge in total relaxation.

Next time we travel around Portugal, we may go to the Algarve to do the complete opposite. The Algarve is really filled with a ton of active things to do, outside of lazing on a beach, from sailing, horseback riding, scuba diving, car racing and a lot more!

Check out our Regions articles and growing Vacation Ideas to get some ideas that would fit your Portugal travel plans.

What would you like to see and do in Portugal and why?

Boa viagem – good journey!

Aguide2Portugal

Portugal Travel Stories

Portugal Travelers, tell us your story!

Share your trip to Portugal through your stories! Just send us a comment, we’ll review it and share it with other travelers!

Enjoy and Discover Portugal!

aguide2portugal team

The Banks of the Rio Douro in Porto Portugal

Should Portugal Travel be on your list, the banks of the Rio Douro in Porto should be experienced! These banks tell a story from the time Portugal was conceived and its story transitions into its wonderful culture of today.

 To begin its story, Portugal lies on the western most part of a peninsula, the Iberian Peninsula. In early times as far back as the 6^th century BC, the people inhabiting this peninsula were known as the Iberian people.

Cale was the name of an ancient settlement prior to 200 BC along the Douro River and among the beautiful Douro valley that exists today. It would later become Portus Cale (port of Cale) by the Romans. From the name Portus Cale, the region of Portucale was born and from this region the country and name Portugal originated around the 12^th century.  

During early times, the Rio Douro was used to transport the great Porto wine of the Douro valley by the Rabelo Boat. Today, when you travel the banks of the Rio Douro, the famous and uniquely designed river boats are still active on this great river.

When you travel Portugal, you soon realize that fish is an important part of the Portugal Culture. More, a trip along the Rio Douro will deepen this cultural awareness. The banks of the Rio Douro would show that fishing is a passion amongst the people of this great place.

 The great banks of this river also tell a story of magnificent structures built by the Portuguese people. One of the many great structures built to please is the Luis 1^st Bridge. It is a breathtaking site in both the daytime and evening. Like many great structure of Portugal, lighting is positioned to show its highlights throughout the night. That said, night-time can be a great time for sight-seeing.     

To add, the great banks of the Rio Douro are a great entry point to the old city of Porto, an easy way to explore up the mouth of the Douro valley or outwards towards the delta. From the delta, there are great beaches, golfing and surfing to experience.

If you have the opportunity to go travel Portugal, Porto is very pleasing. More, if you get to the great banks of the Rio Douro, while enjoying a simple walk, a wine cellar tour, a cafe or restaurant along the Douro, try to imagine a bit of history while experiencing the present culture.  

The aguide2portugal team

Source:

1.     Wikipedia, History of Portugal, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Portugal

2.     Photo credits: aguide2portugal team and Mike Heath

TAKING THE METRO IN LISBON – A TRAVELER’S DELIGHT!

The Metropolitans de Lisboe is an underground train system (metro) offering Lisbon traveler’s history, art and a fantastic way to get around.

The history of the Lisbon metro goes back to the late 1940’s, where its planning began, and in the 1950’s, where its first operations started. During its first year, the metro had transported more than 15 million people. Today, the metro has over 40 stations with plans to exceed 50 stations having about 40 km of railway – that’s a lot of getting around!  

As part of its great development, the Lisbon Metro has been designed to make its public space very enjoyable with its blends of art works. Each station of the metro has different art concepts with variations of tile works, sculptures, and paint works that create a very fun and inviting metro travel experience.

In Lisbon, the metro is a great way to travel throughout the main points of the city and outer boundaries, and it’s very cost effective. To begin, many of the metro stations are set up for a variety of mobility needs such as escalators and lifts, so travelling the metro can be enjoyed by many types of travelers with different needs.  Operating hours are from 06:30 to 01:00 at the main stations and 06:30 to 21:30 at the secondary stations – check ahead for different hours on national holidays. Payment for use of the metro can be done by getting a metro ticket or a combined ticket (good for other types of transport). Each station has automatic ticket vending machines and for fewer than 2 Euros you can travel the rail lines with limited station changes per credit amount. The tickets that you purchase are re-useable, so hold on to your tickets for additional credits!

If you’re not just wondering around aimlessly and you want to get to a specific area of Lisbon quickly, the Lisbon Metro is a great choice. And, as a traveler, you can appreciate some fantastic artwork while considering the history of this great transportation system.    

Happy travels

The aguide2portugal team

Metropolitans de Lisboe, “the company”, “the customer”, “the metro”, http://www.metrolisboa.pt/Default.aspx?alias=www.metrolisboa.pt/eng  (accessed Nov.2. 09)

The Old City of Porto

A walk through the old city of Porto is like a step back into the 12^th century and a must to do for Portugal travel.      

This ancient part of the city lies on the North side of the Rio Douro and has maintained its early footprints. Porto is part of one of two cities where Portugal originated from in the 12^th century: Porto and Gaia. One of the oldest monuments is the Porto Cathedral built in the 12^th and 13^th century and still remains as a breathtaking symbol of the past.

The steep stone stairs within this old city will take you into a maze of ancient old streets between monuments. Here you will find little shops and apartments where many people live and work. If you are lucky, you will catch a local Portuguese band playing in the streets with its music echoing perfectly within the steep maze of buildings.    

Near monuments such as the Santa Clara Church, you can get a great view of the Rio Douro and outwards towards the delta of the Atlantic Ocean.

The old city extends all the way down to the Banks of the Rio Douro. Along these banks, you will find many shops and great restaurants with views of the river boats going up and down the Douro and under the Dom Luis 1^st Bridge. The Dom Luis 1^st Bridge is an arch bridge built in 1886 that spans the Douro River from Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia. It is an incredible site both during the day or night that blends well with the old city.  

Altogether, a walk through the old city of Porto is a Portugal travel must to do!  

Travel tip: Grémio los Leitoes is a restaurant in the old city on Silveira road. On any given day, you will enjoy a wonderful and warm atmosphere along with pleasing Portuguese Gastonomy. Furthermore, if you book a table here on a Saturday, you can catch some of the best Fado performances in town.     

The aguide2portugal team

Welcome to the Portugal travel blog

Welcome to our Portugal travel blog. We look forward to adding posts about Portugal travel and we invite you to share your Portugal Travel experiences and comment on our posts. Also, if you are trying to find answers relating to our Portugal travel guide, ask away and we will do our best!      

Best travel

the aguide2portugal team