"Wonderful Portugal" Top 5 Page for this destination Portugal by Bwana_Brown

Portugal Travel Guide: 23,438 reviews and 52,752 photos

Marvao - from its Castle walls - Portugal

During the last two weeks of May, 2004, my wife and I had the most wonderful vacation in Portugal as we rented a car and tried to take-in as much of the country as we could. In the end, two weeks is not nearly enough time to do justice to this amazing country! It may look small on a map, but it is so packed full of history and amazing sights that you could keep coming back forever and still miss some great stuff!

Normally, I'm not that keen on big cities but Lisbon is one of the few (London, San Francisco and Montreal) that I could spend some time in very easily. We had allowed some settling-in time to adapt to the time zone and cultural differences, but our 3-4 days in the city did not allow us to even scratch it's surface!

After that, we picked up our rental car and hit the road for the next 10-days to see what else this great country had to offer. We were not disappointed! Check out my General tips for a map of our route, but we initially headed south and drove counter-clockwise around the country. Our route took us from Lisbon (also nearby Sintra and Belem) to Algarve, Evora, Monsaraz, Marvao, Monsanto, Covilha, Guarda, Lamego, Geraz do Minho, Pinhao, Praia de Mira, Obidos, Ilha da Berlenga and finally Distrito de Lisboa as we completed the 1550-mile (2500-km loop).

We saw beaches, mountaintop castles, rugged mountains and not-so-rugged mountains as well as some amazing architecture. The Portugese people were so friendly, the scenery was wonderful and the road system is fantastic! I've arranged my 'Things to Do' Tips generally in the order of our trip as we went from one location to the next.

This is a vacation that we will always cherish!

Pros and Cons

Pros:People, culture, scenery and historic sites
Cons:The food is a bit bland, but so what?
In a nutshell:One of the Best Places I have ever visited

Last visit to Portugal: May 2004
Intro Updated Jul 20, 2007
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Reviews (80)

Meal 'Starters' Local Customs (11)

One of the dining customs that we had not experienced before dealt with small tidbits placed on your table to tide you... more travel advice

Fresh Seafood Restaurants (9)

By this late stage of our trip, we were less than 2 hours from Lisbon, in the very nice seaside town of Peniche, from... more travel advice

Map of Our Road Trip Favorites (4)

We had planned our trip from Canada by reading the tips of various VT members (especially 'Canadienne' and 'Micas_pt')... more travel advice

Get Yourself a Good Road Map! Favorites (4)

We bought (E10 or US$12) this now battered road map at a tourist information shop in Sintra, during our first full day... more travel advice

Transportation (9)
See All Speed Boat to Berlenga Islands
Warnings Or Dangers (5)
See All Minho Guardrails
Off The Beaten Path (6)
See All Highest Peak in the Algarve

Things to Do (28)
See All Sintra Forest
Hotels (8)
See All A Nice Find
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Comments (39)

BruceDunning Jun 11, 2010 at 1:19 PM Report Abuse

This place has many nice looking castles and forts, both my favorites on trips. Your detail explanations are great.
ranger49 Jan 9, 2010 at 10:34 PM Report Abuse

I have long wanted to see more of Portugal. You have whet my appetite even more with your comprehensive account of this great tour - certainly took me far from the snowy wastes of Wales!Will be back for more.
Trekki Jan 9, 2010 at 1:25 AM Report Abuse

Oh wow, you really did tour through Portugal!! I love these little villages, especially Monsanto, and the mountains and Alentejo with the cork oaks! And could have a Portugese coffee right now :-))
jumpingnorman Feb 10, 2009 at 3:35 PM Report Abuse

We plan to see this Monument of Discoveries when we visit Lisbon this September --- but I don't think we'll see the other wonderful places you have in your tips (sigh)! Thanks for sharing, Norman
Luchonda Dec 7, 2008 at 12:09 PM Report Abuse

Sintra is indeed a top destination Greetz
angiebabe Jul 19, 2008 at 11:35 AM Report Abuse

Marvao is where I went on my very 1st visit to Portugal racing from Albequerque to M then down thru Evora to Seville's April Fair for all nt photos of crazy Spanish revellers!been back since.exactly how I feel about the xlnt DK guides to go with the LP!
HORSCHECK Jul 16, 2008 at 12:46 PM Report Abuse

Glenn, fabulous overview with brilliant photos of this fantastic country. It mus be a great feeling to drive over the magnificent Vasco da Gama bridge.
evilprebil Jul 22, 2007 at 4:38 PM Report Abuse

Thanks for the comment! :) -You have such beautiful pictures/tips on Portugal, which is great since it is so unknown to North Americans! I was very impressed by the depth of each tip. Best Regards, Happy Travels!!!! E
mustertal Jul 20, 2007 at 12:36 PM Report Abuse

What a great trip, I'm thinking of going to Portugal next year.You paint a wonderful picture.
dabidc Apr 28, 2007 at 7:20 PM Report Abuse

Who needs a guide book when they have Bwana Brown on VT. Excellent tour, searching out the fascinating places to visit, great restaurants and throughout ,some wonderful photos. Now about fixing rocks, can you help me on Okotoks page? Ha Ha.