Lisbon and the Algarve, Portugal

We spent 2 days in Lisbon – a city of narrow hilly lanes, cobblestoned streets, wide open squares, tiled buildings and fresh seafood. Here are some of the things to do –

Walk down Avenida Da Liberdade – The main shopping street, this avenue has wide, tree lined promenades. There are restaurants as well as branded stores, and in the evening there are live music acts in some of the squares. This was probably my favourite street in Lisbon. The cobblestoned walkways have a nice grey and white design.

St. George’s Castle – Castelo De Sao George. This is a trek up numerous steps and meandering uphill lanes. We got lost trying to get up there, even using Google maps! Once you reach the top, its EUR 8.50 to enter the castle, where you get good views of the city. The way down has many souvenir and interesting handicraft stores.

Belem Tower – A small fort that was constructed to protect Lisbon from seafaring raiders. It’s on one end of the seaside promenade and makes for some good photos. It is a UNECSO world heritage site.

25th April bridge – Looking at it, the first thing you think of is the Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco. It was actually built by the same company with the same design. It is the longest suspension bridge in Europe. On the other end of the bridge is a statue Cristo Rei – another replica, this one of the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio.

Cycle down the seaside promenade – there are many bike rental stores near the promenade. One hour rental costs EUR 7. We took ours from bikeiberia.

Aqueduct – Looks like a huge bridge crossing thee city. It is actually an aquaduct, in the old days it used to bring water to different parts of the city. It is possible to go up on it and take a walk.

Marques Pombal Garden – Its got sculpted maze-like hedges, and if you walk uphill to the top where the fountains are, you get a great view of the city.

Bairro Alto – a nice area in the evenings… lots of nightlife and restaurants. If you want to hear some of the local music Fado, this is a good place. A lot of the old building in Lisbon have tiles on the front. Besides looking pretty, they had some practical uses too, including keeping out the damp and ensuring buildings stayed cool in the warm weather. Tiles were a Moorish influence brought in the 15th century.

Local things to eat – The famed Portuguese egg tarts pastry, called Pastel De Nata. The best are from the bakery Pasteis De Belem near the Belem tower. Grilled sardines is another local favourite, all over the city you will see fish shaped memorabilia being sold.

 

ALGARVE

After our city break, we decided to head to the Algarve for 3 days of sun and sand. The southern coastal region of Portugal is known for its breathtaking cliffs, sandy beaches, coves and inlets. The Algarve has many beach towns – Lagos, Albufeira, Faro, etc. We decided to go to Portimao, a 2.5 hour drive from Lisbon.

Portimao – A small touristy little town on the Praia De Rocha beach, (known as PDR) Portimao is a great weekend escape. The sand is soft and warm, though the water is a little cold even in August. You have to pay EUR 10 per day for the sun loungers, or bring your own umbrella. The beach has a boardwalk lined with restaurants, and the town main street is full of touristy shops, restaurants, hotels, there’s even a casino.

Cycle to the marina – A good way to get around is on cycle. We headed down the the marina via the promenade. It’s quite a lively scene even at night as all the crowd shifts from the beaches to the streets. The marina has some beach style clubs that are frequented post 11pm.

Go-karting – If you’re itching for some adrenaline after all the chilling on the beach, you can head to the Algarve international racetrack for some go-karting! Its a half an hour drive from the beach. This track is one of the best in Europe and holds the Rotax championship every year.

Caves – Something we wanted to go see but didn’t make it were the Benagil sea caves in Lagoa. Many tour companies offer half day trips and you enter the natural cave formations by boat. This is what is looks like:

Useful words – ‘Ola’ is hello and  ‘Obrigado’ is thank you in Portugese.