Tag Archives: Portugal

Five things to do in Lisbon for under €5

December 7, 2017 Beth Leave a comment

So, you’re in the capital of Portugal. You did a day trip to Sintra, you’ve spent a beachy day at Caiscais, now you’re looking for some things to do in Lisbon itself. Here are my top five things to do in the city:

1) Free Walking tour

I am not sick of writing it, I am not sick of doing it, free walking tours are the best activity one can do in any city. SANDEMAN’s New Europe free walking tours are some of the best free walking tours I have ever done (and I proudly say this with no compensation from the company). The tour guides are so well informed about the history of the city, and so clearly love this place, it is hard not to fall in love yourself. They work on tips, so you decide how much the tour was worth at the end. I generally stick to €5-€10, because I am on a crazy budget, but you tip whatever you feel!

Cost: €5 (-€10 if you’re not a cheapskate)

2) Get the view of the city from St George’s castle

You can take an elevator for €7 up most of the way to this observation deck, OR if you find the monastery, there is a little pathway beside it on the right. Follow the path and you will find the top of the elevator. You just saved €7, my friend! You still pay €3 to walk up the stairs all the way to the top of the lookout point and the view is spectacular. I would say it may even be worth €7 for the elevator as well as the €3, but then you will drink those two beers you bought with that €7 and you’ll thank me.

Cost: €3 if you take the shortcut!

3) Get Lost in Alfama

The streets of Alfama were built to make enemy soldiers get lost. It was some of Lisbon’s greatest defense! I can see how one could get lost… Turn a corner, and you’re at a dead end. All of a sudden, the only way to get home is by climbing a super skinny, dark, steep staircase. Streets are only as long as 100m until they turn or end. Go, wander, bring some water just in case. You can continue making your way uphill and find the Miradouro das Portas do Sol Observation Deck for a view of Porto you won’t quickly forget!

Cost: Free. €1 if you buy a shot of Ginginja…

4) Eat dinner at Time Out Market

The Time Out Market, located a quick walk from old town, is a restaurant market full of many different vendors selling many different food and drinks! It’s the perfect night out, because everyone can get something different! I had delicious croquettes from Croqueteria Está Aquiz, tried some Oysters from Monte Mar, and split a bowl of Poke from the Hawaiian fusion place. Come here to drink beer, eat a delicious meal, and people watch.

Cost: Whatever you want it to be!

5) Eat a pastel de nata at Manteigaria

A Pastel de Nata is an incredibly delicious, creamy, custardy Portuguese pastry. In Lisbon you can get one from any bakery, but the best Pastel de Nata is from Manteigaria. When you are walking through the streets of Lisbon and you hear a bell toll, no, it is not a church bell (well it might be, there are a lot of churches in Lisbon) it is the bell of bakery Manteigaria signifying you that a fresh batch of Pastel de Nata has just come out of the oven! RUN there. Do not walk. The most amazing custardy tart awaits you!

Cost: €4.50 for two tarts, a coffee, and a tea

Looking for some more inspiration? Read about my day in Lisbon here!

Heading to Porto? Check five things to do in Porto here!

Europe

Five Places to eat in Porto, Portugal

November 27, 2017 Beth 1 Comment

I like to think of myself as the queen of budget traveling. Finding good quality, artisinal places to eat can be hard, especially when one is on a budget as low as mine. But it’s not all ketchup packets and crackers! I do still eat out and enjoy a meal on the town every once in a while.

Looking for a delicious meal out in Porto? Here are my favourite five places to dine:

1) O Diplomata for a big, pancake breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so kickstart your metabolism with a huge stack of homemade pancakes from O Diplomata. Here, one can decorate their pancakes with various toppings, fruits, sauces, and even ice creams! You can’t go wrong with the perfect pancake and whatever topping you choose!

2) Base for cocktails and beanbag chairs

The best time for a cocktail is anytime. We were tired from walking up and down the many hills in Porto, and needed a place to rest our weary legs and enjoy an ice cold beverage. Base is a super hip cocktail bar, nestled in a park in the middle of the city. Here, you will find grassy knolls, bean bag chairs, and homemade crate furniture. Sit under an olive tree and order a cold one!

3) Tapabento for an unforgettable twist on Portuguese classics

IMG_5381_72 — Image from the Tapabento website

Tapabento is the perfect place for a delicious dinner. It is definitely not the cheapest meal I’ve had in Porto, but it is absolutely the most unforgettable while still being reasonable. The fois gras toastie changed my life, and I will be chasing that cucumber ice cream forever.

4) Brick for the perfect shareable meal

46F77F80-5742-4C8E-A184-44D804623077 — Pic by our lunch date @jm_brewpub

It’s fun to eat rich and decadent food while on holidays, but sometimes your bod needs a break! Brick is the perfect place for a healthy, shareable meal. The toasties are to die for. Order a few rounds of each and you’ll walk out satiated and jubilated! Try the pork cheek toastie!

5) Ro for Ramen something different.

Portugal has some delicious classic dishes, yes, the Francesinha changed my life, but sometimes when you are traveling you want to taste something a little different. Right in the middle of the coolest area in Porto, is Ro, a ramen place! Enjoy a delicious bowl of steamy, hot ramen, and wash it down with their signature red sake sangria!

6) Zenith for a bonus breakfast!

If you’re like me, you enjoy breakfast so much, you list two breakfast places in your “Five Things” article about where to eat. I couldn’t go without mentioning Zenith’s incredible twist on eggs benedict. They bread their poached eggs, serve it with avocado and crispy serrano ham. Paired with a breakfast cocktail, you can’t go wrong!

Full of food and looking for something to do? Check out Six Things to do in Porto here!

Heading to Lisbon next? Let this story inspire you!

Europe, Travel Tips

Six things to do in Porto, Portugal

November 23, 2017 Beth 2 Comments

Going to Porto?

Porto is a totally beautiful city in the north of Portugal. Built alongside the huge Douro river, with views of the ocean, Porto is a perfectly picturesque place in Portugal you won’t want to miss (pardon the alliteration, but I couldn’t resist).

Here are SIX things you can do in Porto:

1) Learn too much on a free walking tour

As always, I am a huge advocate for free walking tours (Madrid, Valencia, Florence…). The best way to see a city is to walk around it, and on a free walking tour, you get stories and fun historical facts to accompany the views. Your tour guide works on tips, so you decide how much they deserve at the end of the tour. I tend to tip €5-10 (because I am traveling for an extensive period of time and have a SUPER tight budget), but it’s up to the attendees what they pay. I like that.

We did our tour with Porto Walkers, check their website here!

2) Indulge in a Francesinha sandwich

How could you go to Portugal and not eat the Portuguese food? About 50 years ago the Francesinha sandwich was invented at a cafe in Porto, and now, has become a staple dish in the city. Vegetarians and vegans look away! This is a sandwich of bread, meat, sausage, bread, meat, and sausage, wrapped in melted cheese, topped with a fried egg, served floating in beer sauce, with fries on the side. Oh. My. Gosh. It is amazing! Trust me you are probably going to want to share this sandwich. I ordered sauce on the side so I could decide how submerged I wanted my sandwich.

Cafe Santiago on R. de Passos Manuel serves an authentic Francesinha for €9.

3) See Porto from a different angle

Porto is a beautiful and super colourful city. They say the buildings along the river were painted bright colours as an attempt to cheer up the women whose lovers and husbands left on the fishing boats for weeks and months at a time. My favourite view of Porto is actually from Gaia, the city across the river. It is said that the best thing about Gaia is the view of Porto from the Serra do Pilar. You can either walk across the top level of the Luis I Bridge, which is dazzling, OR walk along the bottom level and make the trek up the hill on the other side. For a view of Porto you won’t forget, head here.

4) Go to the beach!

Porto is right on the Douro river, and very close to the Atlantic coast. Matosinhos is a beautiful little beachy neighbourhood that is only a 15-20 minute metro ride away from Porto. Here, you can try your hand at surfing some perfect beginner waves, have a beer on the patio of Lais de Guia, or just buy a bottle of wine and some olives at the nearby Pingo Doce, and bring it to the sand to watch the sunset!

5) Find out how Port Wine is made (and then drink a bunch)!

Porto, and more specifically, the Douro valley, is the home of Port Wine. In fact, in order for wine to be classified as Port Wine, it must come from the Portuguese side of the Douro valley! The grapes are grown and processed at the vineyards, about 100km away from the city of Port (see next thing to do), and the wine is brought to the wine lodges in the city to age. Porto Walkers does a great Port Wine tour for €20 a person. You’ll see three wine lodges and taste seven wines. This is absolutely the best bang for your buck!

For more information, check out the website here!

6) Go to the Douro Valley (where Port Wine grapes are grown)!

Now that you know where the Port Wine is aged and stored, it’s time to check out the vineyards where the grapes are grown! When looking at going to the Douro Valley from Porto, there are so many options online for tours you can book — a big bus takes you to the valley, you do a tour and a tasting, maybe hop on a boat and cruise down the Douro river — and the cheapest one goes for about €100 per person. The other option, is to hire a personal driver to take you and yours out to the valley for a private day. This is what we did. We booked through Maia Tours (their website here) and Ricardo gave us a personalized tour. We didn’t want to do another Port cave tour (we had done so many with Porto Walkers), and were more interested in lunch and multiple tastings, so he made that happen. He called a few wineries and made all the reservations for us. We were able to sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride! For the day with Ricardo, it was only €250 (€62.5 each for four people)!

Bonus activity:

Eat Port Wine ice cream at Porto Cruz!

In Gaia, amidst all the Port Lodges and wine tours, is Porto Cruz’ ice cream shop. Here, you can sample an incredible and delicious 10 year tawny Port mixed into a perfect sorbet. I promise you will not be disappointed!!

Need more? Check out Five Places to Eat in Porto here!

Europe, Travel Stories

Patio Sitting in Lisbon

September 16, 2016 Beth 3 Comments

Steph and I decided go for an adventure! We walked through the heat down to the centre. Steph confessed she had a wish for a big, cold glass of fresh lemonade. I hoped we could make it happen, but we weren’t optimistic. We took the shortcut through the metro, wandered through the streets until we found the monastery,and took the secret pathway beside it. It spit us out half way up a lookout point. We paid the €1 to walk up the stairs all the way to the top. The view was spectacular. I love climbing to the tops of things and looking out. It’s the best. We did a photo shoot and stayed up there for as long as could stand. We were both sweating alcohol out of our pores, and with nowhere for shade, we were overheating.

We walked back to Alfama to meet up with our friends. As we walked and talked, a kiosk caught my eye. LEMONADE! As if. AS IF there is lemonade! It was like a dream come true. We bought two cups and were the happiest girls in Alfama.

Processed with VSCOcam with g3 preset — Steph and I as the happiest girls in Alfama

The giant group of us (seven) wandered around the streets, searching for a dinner place. The problem with looking for a dinner place with seven, really easygoing people is that we will never find a place, because everyone’s, “easy.” As we weaved in and out of the streets, we spotted a BBQ at the end of a skinny lane. Perfect! Pateo 13 (Patio 13). We walked up and Yuri asked the man if we could sit at the free table outside. We sat down and the crazy yelling began. The waiter was talking to Yuri in Portuguese, and kept yelling sporadically at the man at the BBQ. I kept telling Yuri to order wine. He wasn’t responding to me. I talked over the yelling Portuguese, and said to Henrique, “can you order two bottles of red wine?” He didn’t react to me. Am I invisible? Rebecka and Kevin were just laughing! Everyone was yelling! It was CRAZY! I finally grabbed the waiter’s attention and said, “can we have two bottles of red wine, please?” The waiter laughed and yelled something at Yuri, who laughed along with Henrique. Holy moly! I just wanted wine. All of a sudden, we were ordering! The waiter left and I asked Yuri if he had ordered wine. He said, “don’t you worry. I would never leave you wine-less!” I smiled. Sure enough, the waiter came back with two bottles of red wine. Phew!

We had some great conversation. I don’t remember it all, but I remember laughing pretty much the entire time. Henrique said something about “cockfish” and we all laughed. He meant codfish of course, and this we all knew, but couldn’t help to laugh. The food was great, the wine went down too quickly, one bottle, two bottles, three bottles, then we left. We mostly left because the entire patio had closed down and we were being shooed by people hanging out of windows, clearly trying to sleep on this Sunday evening. Yuri knew of a little bar we could go to for more drinks. It was called Tasca, and it was here we sat outside around a table, and ordered another bottle of wine. Next thing we knew, a man came outside of the bar holding a bucket with a rope in it, attached to a stick. He placed the bucket down, held the stick in place, and began playing it like a bass. WHAT?! A man with a guitar joined him and they began playing music. I can’t believe he is playing a bucket with a rope and a stick. I don’t know when it happened, but the guitarist asked the crowd if anyone plays the melodica. Rebecka offered Kevin, the professional pianist, and his skills. The guitarist handed Kevin the melodica and we all waited with bated breath. Sure enough, Kevin rocked it. I think everyone, the musicians, the audience, and even Kevin were surprised at how good he was. “I’m salivating everywhere”, he said.

The bar closed down and we all parted ways. I fell asleep on a cloud that night in Lisbon.