Not underrated, not overcrowded—Portugal exists in a perfect in-between. A country where history whispers through tiled walls, sunsets stretch a little longer, and the sea breeze carries stories of explorers who once set sail into the unknown.
You don’t rush through Portugal. You drive, you walk, you pause.
And Then, There’s Madeira, I haven’t been there yet. But if I could fly anywhere next, it would be to Madeira.
Lisbon: The City of Trams, Stories & The Best Nata in the World
The plane touches down, and the golden light of Lisbon greets you before you even step out.
You rent a car—a small Fiat, because in Lisbon, streets are narrow, and life moves best when you can squeeze through. But you don’t drive here just yet.
🚋 You take Tram 28, letting it rattle through the old streets, past pastel-colored houses with laundry hanging from tiny balconies.
📚 You step into Livraria Bertrand, the world’s oldest bookstore. Books line the walls, their pages carrying centuries of stories, waiting to be picked up and taken home.
🚉 At Cais do Sodré, you find yourself running with the locals—trying to catch the train just as the doors are closing. You don’t need to be anywhere, but the thrill of it makes you feel like you belong.
And then—food.
🍮 Time Out Market calls you in with the smell of fresh pastries. You take a bite of Pastéis de Nata—warm, flaky, with the right balance of sweetness. You try not to finish it in one go. You fail.
You walk a little more. Lisbon is made for walking—uphill, downhill, through staircases that open into sun-drenched squares.
By evening, you pick up the car and head north.
Porto: The City of Sunsets & Slow Sips
The road from Lisbon to Porto is smooth, but you stop whenever something catches your eye. A roadside café, a beach town, a viewpoint with no name.
By the time you reach Porto, the sun is already dipping.
🌅 You climb to Celestio, the best sunset spot in town. The Douro River glows in the golden light, the city’s rooftops bathed in soft orange. You don’t check the time. You just sit.
📚 The next morning, you step into Livraria Lello, the bookstore that inspired J.K. Rowling’s Hogwarts. The wooden staircase twists like something out of a dream, and for a moment, you wonder if the books might start floating.
🍷 In the afternoon, you find yourself by the river, sipping Port wine. It’s stronger than you expect, but the locals tell you to drink it slowly, like everything else in Portugal.
And so, you do.
Faro: A Town That Breathes With the Ocean
South now, to Faro—where the land meets the sea, and time slows down even more.
🌊 You wander through the old town, where the scent of salt lingers in the air.
🚤 A boat takes you to Ilha Deserta, a tiny island with no crowds, just endless sand and waves that seem to stretch forever. You walk until the footprints disappear behind you, the Atlantic whispering at your feet.
🐠 Dinner is by the water, where fresh seafood is grilled to perfection. No rush, no background noise—just the sound of waves and the taste of the ocean on your plate.
Portugal Stays With You
As you drive back, you realize—you never really rushed, but you never felt still.
Portugal moves at its own rhythm, somewhere between the past and the present, between land and sea.
You carry the sunsets, the winding streets, the taste of cinnamon-dusted nata.
And you already know—you’ll be back.