7 Nights in Portugal

Portugal has so much to offer, the food, the people, the architecture and the natural beauty are all unmatched. You could, without a doubt spend two full weeks in this beautiful country and still leave much to be desired. This short guide will give you a taste of what Portugal has to offer in a way that is manageable as a family.

We flew JFK to Lisbon via TAP and arrived at around 10:45am. We stayed in Lisbon for the first 3 nights to avoid adding on another long leg of travel immediately. We stayed in the Rossio area of Lisbon which was a great launching pad to the rest of the area. I would highly recommend this area as there is plenty to do within walking distance, and there is great access to public transit.

Day 1

We arrived to our Airbnb at around 12:30pm. Our host allowed us to drop our luggage, freshen up and rest a bit before we made our way out to explore. We then headed to the Alfama area and walked around. We ventured to the top of the Tower of St. George’s Castle where we were able to enjoy a glass of Port Wine and take in the views of the city and the sea from the top of the bell tower. We wandered through the neighborhood and found a lovely spot “Mercearia Castello” to have some small bites and cocktails while watching wild peacocks. It was in a quiet but relaxing corner of town that was a perfect place to decompress after a day of travel. We made a stop at the supermarket on the way back to our flat and were shocked we were able to purchase diapers, wipes, a nice bottle of wine and various fruits and breakfast items for less than 20USD.

Day 2

We walked to the Santa Justa area first and stopped to explore the Carmo Convent and then continued toward the ocean to the Baixa area where we wandered around before having lunch on pink street Then we walked to the tram stop and took the tram to the top of the hill to see the Monastery of Sao Vincente de Fora which had wonderful views of the city. We walked to Terrasse Alfama and had a drink with a view before heading back to the airbnb to freshen up before dinner. For dinner we had one of the best meals of our lives at A Nossa Casa in Bairro Alto. We could not recommend this restaurant enough, the food was incredible and they went out of their way to make us comfortable and welcome with our sleeping baby.

Day 3

We planned to use this day for a day trip to Sintra and Pena Palace, which would have been lovely. However, there were forrest fires in the area at the time and the park was closed. Sintra is an easy train ride from the Rossio area as you can take the green line straight from Rossio to Sintra. Then, once there, you can purchase tickets to a “hop on hop off” bus (the 434). The fourth stop is Pena Palace. Our plan was to take the bus and arrive at 9:30am to beat the crowds, explore the palace and then have lunch in the city center before taking the “Hop on hop off” bus back to the city center and take another bus to Cascais to spend the afternoon in the beach. Instead, we took the train from Rossio to Cascais and had a relaxing day at the beach. Old town Cascais has winding network of typical Portuguese streets paved with black and white tiles arranged in various patterns. We then rented a couple of beach chairs which allowed for shade and a place to sit on the beach. We made our way back to Lisbon and back to Bairro Alto to have dinner at a traditional Fado.

Day 4

We traveled from Lisbon to Porto Via high speed train departing from Oriente Station at 8:09am and arriving to Porto Campanha at 11:05am. We then transferred to the local train station and rode to Trindade to arrive to our Airbnb. This neighborhood was in the financial district and quite a hike from the riverside, however, there were plenty of restaurants that were walking district and Trindade station was very easy to transfer to many destinations from. Across from Torre Dos Clergios there is a park that has music and serves drinks. This was a perfect spot for us to have a drink before dinner and allow our one year old to play outside in the grass. There were amazing sunset views from the park as well as cushions and tables to sit on.

Day 5

We made our way to Vila Do Conde beach via the Metro on the Red Line (line B) from Trindade. You will need to buy a zone ticket and swipe it before entering the train to activate. There are plenty of attendants at the ticketing station who are very helpful as the system is a bit confusing. Vila Do Conde was a bit off of the beaten path, but so worth it. There were ancient aqueducts lining the path from the train station to the beach. We went to Praia do Turismo and rented beach chairs where we were able to take advantage of a nap while we relaxed in the sun.

Day 6

We took the train to the Douro Valley which is truly majestic and a spot that cannot be missed if you are spending time in Porto. You can take the Linha do Douro via the IR train from the Sao Bento Station which was about a 10 minute walk from Trindade where we were staying. We then got off the train at the second stop-Pinhao where we visited Quinta Do Bomfim. The train was an antique but was suprisingly a comfortable ride through the valley. Quinta do Bomfim was a wonderful experience, we did the tour as well as the picnic lunch. They were extremely welcoming to us with our one year old and made sure we were in an air conditioned area where he was comfortable and able to run around. The “picnic” included several courses which were all delicious as well as a bottle of wine. I cannot recommend this visit enough. We then stopped at the Vintage House hotel and had a drink on the patio which had amazing views of the valley.

Day 7

We used this day to explore the waterfront area of porto. We had lunch by the river and walked through the various street vendor stations before making the trek to the other side of the river. There was an elevator for the first stretch of the ascent to the top, but after that we were left to walk up various hills and flights of stairs to get to the pedestrian bridge. If you have a young child, I would strongly recommend a carrier for them and a compact stroller that is easy to fold and carry (we use the babyzen by Yoyo which is great for this as it has a built in strap). Once you make your way to the other side of the river, you can take the gondola down. There are several shops and restaruants on the waterfront as well as many port wine cellars where they hold the barrels to age. We did a tour and tasting at Cockburns who were again extremely welcoming to us with our one year old and went out of their way to make our experience pleasant.

Day 8

We rented a car so that we could stay somewhere closer to the airport for the way home. I spent hours scowering the internet to see if I could find a stop on the high speed train between Porto and Lisbon and had no luck so we decided this was the best plan for us and I am so glad we did. I stayed at the airbnb with my son while my husband took an uber (extremely easy to find) to the airport to pick up our rental. He then drove to pick us up and we made the hour drive to Aveiro. We stopped at Costa Nova to see the striped houses and walk the beach before having lunch on the water. We stayed in the most charming Airbnb which was perfect both inside and out. Unfortunately due to a passport issue my husband had, we had to depart a day early and were only able to spend one night in Aveiro, but we easily could have spent another.

Day 9

Sadly, this was our day to depart. We took the 2.5 hour drive from Aveiro to Lisbon.