A Taste of Portugal

Here’s what we did!

We flew to Lisbon and spent 3 nights at the Iberostar.

Great location, easy walking distance to cafes and some restaurants and round the corner from Marques Pombal Square. The hotel has a great secluded pool at the back of the property which was a welcome respite from the warmth of the sun after a busy day sightseeing.

First things first! Breakfast Pastel de Nata and a coffee at a local café. I swear this light, custard filled pastry is the food of the gods!

We grabbed a tram and visited the 12th century Cathedral Se de Lisboa, popped over to Unesco World Heritage sites of 16th century maritime Belem Tower and the stunning Jeronimos Monastery. We visited the historic sardine canning shop, full of 1000s of different pretty stacked up cans, then we couldn’t resist snacking on the freshly grilled sardines at a roadside stall.

Barrio Alto comes alive at night with plenty of student bars, fado houses and restaurants. We were lucky to grab a Fado singer over an early evening cocktail before our delicious supper. “Baccalo” is the favourite local dish.

The next day we wandered around the Castelo de Sao Jorge and admired its stunning views before descending down to the Time Out Square for lunch. It’s like a big food court with everything from local squid and charcuterie to trademark croquettes. We sat at the long trestle tables and enjoyed a beer while our food was being prepared.

The next morning we took a guided tour to Sintra and Cascais, visiting the national palace of Pena, surrounded by its infinite shades of green. We wandered around the Moorish castle walls and the old town, stopping for an orange juice and a Travesseiros de Sintra, deliciously light flaky pastry. Sintra is just beautiful.

On the way back we stopped at Cascais, admired the 19th century villas, the pretty harbour and the swathe of golden sand. We grabbed a gorgeous gelato from Santini; it was sooo good!

Back to the hotel for some “R and R’.

The next morning on our final stop in the Lisbon area we took the metro and bus to Obidos.

This pretty medieval town, built up a steep cobbled hill, is lined with cute artisan shops and the colours of flowering bougainvillea adorning whitewashed homes were just glorious.

Nest stop – Coimbra

We transferred the next day to Coimbra, a historic university town with the most preserved baroque library, Biblioteca Joanna and its 18th century bell tower. Coimbra and the Museu Nacional. This museum is in the 12th century Bishops Palace and is over the Roman Forum. It’s an art lovers paradise with a collections including Gothic sculpture, Flemish painting and ornate furniture. The recreation of the Covnento de Sao Doingos Chapel took my breath away!

We stayed at hotel Oslo which has a great rooftop bar, is in an excellent location and really friendly.

We enjoyed some simple local fayre in the restaurant Dom Franguiot, a 15 minute walk from the hotel, as we really fancied some bbq style food; it didn’t disappoint and was so reasonable!

Amarantes

We transferred to Amarantes and had just one night for a treat at the Relais and Chateaux Hotel in Amarantes. We enjoyed exquisite dining and a wonderful stay at Casa del Casada overlooking the bridge. Amarantes is on the banks of the Tamega River and has narrow streets lined with 17th century houses and wooden balconies.

Porto

We transferred to Porto and checked into the Pestana Hotel right on the river.

Porto is much larger than I expected and we put a lot of shoe leather in, walking around the old town and hiking up to the cathedral and the cloisters. Its a magnificent Romanesque building dating from as early as the 12th century in parts. We totally loved Porto.

Everyone told us before you drink Port line your stomach! The local delicacy is the Francesina but there is nothing delicate about it! Layers of toasted bread, assorted hot meats from steak to ham and sausage, topped with melted cheese and beer. We had to share it!

Duoro

We then boarded a boat for a 3 day Douro excursion from the Villa Nova de Gaia Pier.

Breakfast on board, leisurely cruise through 2 dams, traditional lunch on board followed by wine tasting at a local “Quinta”, then off to our hotel the night before dinner. Excellent day.

The following day we visited the Sanctuary “Nossa Senhora dos Remidos”. We tasted the “Lamego Secrets” wines and delicacies and visted the cathedral, all before lunch in a traditional restaurant. Then a guided tor of Monestry Sa Joa before returning to our hotel for a traditional Duoro dinner that evening.

The next morning we were taken to Pinhao with our guide and visited the Quinta de Avessada, a famous wine estate with beautiful gardens. An obligatory wine-tasting preceded a traditional Duoro lunch which they make in iron pots. We have to confess to falling asleep on the bus on the way back to Porto.

Porto our final stop

Another 2 nights in Porto gave us the opportunity to take the cable car over the river and to indulge in some Port tasting. We learned the difference between tawny aged ports and vintage ports. Taylors and Graham’s are some oldest port cellars. The view over Port from the 1890 lodge at Graham’s is spectacular!

As it was our last couple of nights we treated ourselves to a stay at the Monumental Palace, a wonderfully elegant Art Deco hotel on the Avenida dos Aliados. It’s a majestic hotel with gastronomic restaurant and a Parisian style brasserie which spills out onto the street.

All in all a wonderful trip and well exceeded our expectations!