Most Lisbon visitors stare across the Tagus at the south bank and never cross it. Seixal is what’s waiting on the other side: tidal mills from the 15th century, a river bay that you can kayak at sunrise, and a historic centre that sees more local families than tourists on any given afternoon. The ferry takes twenty minutes. It’s worth it.
Three days in Lisbon is just enough time to fall properly, irreversibly in love with this city. I’ve done it more times than I can count — and every single trip still surprises me. This day-by-day itinerary covers Alfama, Belém, Sintra, the best places to eat, how to get around without losing your mind, and everything in between. This is the Lisbon I know personally, not the Lisbon you find on a generic checklist.
Hotel da Bolsa sits right in the heart of Porto’s historic Ribeira district, steps from the Palácio da Bolsa and the Douro riverfront. It’s charming, characterful, and full of Porto personality — but it’s not for everyone. I stayed here on my last visit to the city and came away with very clear opinions about who will love it and who might want to look elsewhere. Here’s my honest take.
Forty minutes from Lisbon, Sesimbra feels like the Portugal that time forgot to overrun with tourists. It has a working fishing port, a medieval castle on the cliff above the town, and seafood restaurants where the fish was in the water this morning. I’ve taken eight friends here. All eight came back on their own the following year. Here’s the guide I give them before they go.
Sesimbra is one of the most underrated places on the Portuguese coast — a fishing village in a sheltered bay with the Arrábida hills behind it and the clearest water on the mainland coast. The Four Points by Sheraton sits right on the bay, which is the best thing about it. Here’s what a stay is actually like and whether it’s the right choice for your trip.
Two nights in Lisbon sounds tight — and it is. But with the right approach, 48 hours can give you a genuine taste of the city: the viewpoints, the monuments, a fado dinner, a morning market, and enough time to actually sit somewhere and breathe it all in. Here’s the itinerary I’d give my best friend.
Most people don’t think of December as a Lisbon month. They’re wrong, and I’ve quietly been benefiting from that misconception for years. Fewer tourists, lower prices, Christmas lights on Rua Augusta, the best fado season of the year — December in Lisbon is genuinely special. Here’s everything you need to know to make the most of it.
The Portugal that most visitors see is coastal. The Portugal that most Portuguese people love is inland — the Alentejo plains, the Douro valley terraces, the northern mountain villages, the cork forests of the eastern Algarve. This guide is for the traveller who suspects there’s something better than another beach. There is.
The Douro Valley is one of Europe’s most spectacular landscapes — terraced vineyards dropping to the river, schist rock, port wine estates going back centuries. The Aquapura sits within it on a converted 18th-century estate, with a spa, wine experiences, and the kind of views that make it genuinely difficult to leave. Here’s what a stay is actually like.
The Algarve is the southern edge of Portugal and arguably the most varied coastline in Western Europe: limestone sea stacks and hidden grottos in the west, long tidal lagoons and island beaches in the east, and everything in between. I’ve been coming here since I was seven years old — first dragged by my parents, now here by pure choice. This guide covers the beaches, the towns, the food, the hikes, and everything you need to plan a trip worth remembering.