Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I don't want anymore people finding out about how nice Portugal is until after I buy a place in Cascais. So many folks are discovering it that the home prices keep climbing & the economy is roaring back for the locals & I can't buy right now.
Can't you just say "It's no Orlando or Branson, & lot's of people can't even speak English yet"?
Cascais was pretty beautiful. We rented bikes and rode the 10K up to Guincho Beach for the day. Beautiful beach, very few people there on a weekday.
We didn't stay in town much. Hit the center of town and got an early dinner before taking the CP train back. The town seems on average a little pricier than Lisbon. It certainly had some high end shopping. Lots of resorts around there too. I'd have to go back and spend 1-2 nights to get a better taste.
We were blown away by Sintra. The natural beauty around there is outstanding. Definitely colder though. My son would love to live there, work some menial job and write books.
My God we walked a ton in Portugal, seemingly all steeply uphill or downhill.
Only been once and loved it...so much I practically have the same sentiments as Hefe lol
Glad you had a great trip. Did you find the people there so friendly?
As another poster mentioned, I also enjoyed it more than Spain (shhhh...don't tell anyone). I actually went to Spain first and spent most of my time there and ended the trip with just a few days in Portugal. Oh how I left so disappointed I didn't just make the Spain part of the trip a few days and spend the rest of the time in Portugal instead.
Highly recommend Portugal. We spent 7 nights in Lisbon in a huge apartment off of Praca de Figuiera.
Lisbon is absolutely alive and stunning. Despite eating and drinking well, I came back down a pound due to the constant uphill and downhill walking. I must have gone 250 floors in the 7 days.
We went to Sintra twice and Cascais once - riding bikes to Guincho Beach. Lovely beach and hardly anyone was there on a weekday in perfect weather.
Don't be too afraid of the young men asking if you want drugs. They aren't scary and leave you alone with one firm "no".
Food there is pretty simple overall, and tasty. Pastries EVERYWHERE.
Portugal is fantastic. As I said on the thread re: unpopular travel opinions, I like Portugal better than I like Spain (which is also great). Americans rarely visit Portugal, which is both good and bad.
I agree both are great! But if I had to choose only one it would be Spain!
Neither country really does it for me. Their food is very bland, and relatively uninteresting. They do however offer a varied geography and climate, and that's always nice when considering a holiday there.
I have only heard good things regarding Portugal whenever I speak to someone who has been. I was originally going to use Lisbon as a springboard into a tour of Morocco I had planned last year, but cancelled due to a family emergency. Maybe the cancellation was for the best because it seems I would have been upset with having so little time there. Can’t wait to plan it correctly next time around.
I LOVE Portugal and it is our retirement home when I finally am free in 30 months. But yes, Cascais is getting very pricey; nice condos in the city starting in the mid $400's now. Check out the southern coast as well, Algarve is gorgeous but, also getting more touristy every year. Love the food, the people, the climate, just a different lifestyle. Sardines anyone?
Neither country really does it for me. Their food is very bland, and relatively uninteresting. They do however offer a varied geography and climate, and that's always nice when considering a holiday there.
Really? You found the food bland? Compared to where?
In other words, what places do you find the food much better? Just curious.
The people were reasonably friendly. I found them to be lower key, quieter, reverent. I was there with my family, so most of our interactions were with waiters, shopkeepers, etc. Most of those kind of people have to be friendly to do their jobs well.
But we did have a few very pleasant interactions that stood out. Generally I felt them to be quiet and polite, but not overtly going out of their way to be extra nice.
We noticed a lot of Italian tourists there, families. Lots of Italian being spoken around us. And of course a fair amount of Brits and Americans.
We spent 7 nights, all in Lisbon. Spent one full day in Cascais/Guincho Beach, one full day in Sintra, and a half day in Sintra again. We also spent about 1/2 a day in Belem (which is technically still Lisbon, I think). Rest of the time was in the city center.
We exclusively (except once) ate at highly-rated, inexpensive/moderate restaurants. The Indian food we ate was on par with very good Indian food here in Chicago. The Portuguese food was very consistent. Simple, tasty. People who think it is bland are probably looking for really spicy food. Their food is just "normal". We did have a couple of blander dishes, but overall enjoyed the food.
The best meal we had was either Ramiro or this small take out Piri Piri chicken place that was the best chicken I have ever tasted in my life. I was audibly moaning eating it.
But most of the traditional Portuguese dishes were "very good" but not "excellent". This comes from a pretty sophisticated Chicago eater.
The wine, however, was amazing. And the Sagres beer was way better than I expected. I usually drink IPAs.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
