PORTUGAL Road Trip: From the Algarve to Porto...and a few stops in between

July 26, 2016 • 3 Comments

Albufeira, Algarve, Portgual

PORTUGAL, I LOVE YOU!

Things always happen for a reason. Fate, if you will - a chain of events that inevitably lead you to where you're supposed to be - and it seems my travel fate brought me to Portugal - which is exactly where I was supposed to be this summer.

Very rarely I've come across a country that I could see myself living in. Sure, no one ever wants to come home from vacation, but Portugal has got it all - historic cities, incredible beaches, seafood galore, friendly people, fabulous (and cheap) wine - why would I need to live anywhere else?

Y'all know it'll take me forever to go through all the photos from this trip (I still haven't gone through all the ones from Spain in March!). So here's a quick peek of the 11-day itinerary > 4 days in the Algarve, 4 days in Lisbon, 2 days in Porto and 1 day in the Douro Valley (with plenty of exploring along the way), and a few photos to appease some peeps.

Perfect for road tripping through Portugal!

View from our apartment in Albufeira DAY 1: Enjoying the view from our apartment in Albufeira

DAY 1: Praia dos Pescadores, Albufeira DAY 1: Praia dos Pescadores, Albufeira

DAY 1: Yes folks, that is an escalator that takes your lazy-ass down to beach level

DAY 1: What's the first thing we do? Drink wine. 6 for 4 euros. Pretty good start to this vacation!

DAY 2: Praia do Beliche, Sagres DAY 2: Praia do Beliche, Sagres (I won't show all the beaches in this post..... but stay tuned....!)

DAY 2: Cabo de São Vicente (Cape of Saint Vincent) - the southern tip of Europe

DAY 2: View from Fortaleza de Sagres DAY 2: View from Fortaleza de Sagres

DAY 2: Celebrations in Old Town Albufeira the night Portugal won the Euro Cup

DAYS 3 & 4: These days were spent vegging out on Praia do Inatel

DAY 5: Lovely Lisbon! #travelkeepsmesane DAY 5: Lovely Lisbon! DAY 5: Lovely Lisbon!

DAY 6: Checking out Sintra Palace DAY 6: Checking out Sintra Palace

DAY 6: A Tapas kind of lunch in Sintra DAY 6: A tapas kind of lunch in Sintra

DAY 6: Hanging laundry out to dry - see, it's like I live there already!

DAY 7: Visiting the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) in Évora

DAY 8: In GINJA heaven - Óbidos DAY 8: In GINJA heaven - Óbidos

DAY 8: A quick stop in Coimbra on the way to Porto

DAY 8: Porto! My fave city #travelkeepsmesane DAY 8: Porto! My fave city

DAY 9: Porto! My fave city

DAY 10: Port wine tasting in Vila Nova de Gaia (Porto)

DAY 10: A quick lunch (and more Port wine) before heading to the Douro Valley

DAY 9: The Douro Valley #travelkeepsmesane DAY 9: The Douro Valley DAY 10: The Douro Valley

DAY 10: View from the Quinta we stayed at

DAY 10: Owner, Caesar of Quinta de Marrocos, letting us sample many...many... different kinds of Port wine

DAY 11: Back for one more night in Porto, but first a stop in Matosinhos for the freshest and tastiest grilled seafood

DAY 11: What a view of Porto (from Vila Nova de Gaia, above all the Port wine cellars)

Photos taken | written by JENNIFER MAHON

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Keywords: albufeira, algarve, coimbra, douro valley, evora, lisbon, matasinhos, obidos, porto, portugal, portugal road trip, road trip, seafood, sintra, travel photogaphy, vila nova de gaia

Comments

Anna Sophia(non-registered)

Good article and amazing photos. I really love Portugal. I know Porto very well but the last years we went to Algarve. I´ve decide to take a look on the countryside and I find out another Algarve. Amazing gastronomy all organic food, wine tourism, tradition, culture, genuine persons...
I can recommend Casa da Tita <a href="http://casadatita.pt/">Rural Tourism in the Algarve</a>
Regards.

Rahul Yadav(non-registered)

Great post! I was thinking about a roadtrip in Portugal, and now I’m even more sure I need to do it! Thank you.

Citytrip(non-registered)

Nice hotspot. Only went to Lisboa, but want to go back to Portugal! It's amazing!

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