Portugal: Lisbon Area & Algarve
Portugal. It’s a mythical place. People are friendly, everyone talks, the green and rich landscape with the decaying houses create a romantic relaxed milieu, music on every corner… And you are on the edge of Europe. For all of you who enjoy endless sandy beaches, warm welcoming culture, music (also rock music), fine seafood and excellent meat dishes – you might need to visit Portugal more than once. Obviously, Portugal is also known as a surf paradise and that’s indeed what it is. One thing though, water in July was freeeezing cold.
We spent two weeks in Portugal last July. Our group of 11 decided to combine both culture and beach – therefore, we had two Airbnbs, one in A dos Cunhados at Lisbon area and one in Portimao, Algarve. Two weeks was just enough time to get a grasp of Portugal and the Portuguese people, and for that reason, all of us are planning on going back soon.
Our travel journey, budget and practical tips
Peniche
A small surfers paradise. The whole landscape was dominated by surfers vans, surf shops and surfboards.
Sights: Cabo Carvoeira Lighthouse, Fortalexa de Peniche
Sintra
Tip: If you decide to walk down from Sintra back to the town (recommended), at the end of the route you can find this adorable small tapas place Tascantiga
Cascais
Tips: Visit Boca do Inferno, eat at Cafe Galeria House of Wonders ,that serves vegetarian lunch, freshly made juices, smoothies and delicious desserts.
Lisbon
Pastel de nata, street market, music everywhere, colourfull tiles, buzzing nightlife, charming cafés and restaurants…
Tips: Breakfast sandwiches, eggs, muffins or just a cup of proper coffee at Tease
Setúbal
Visit Praia De Galapinhos
Albufeira
Gran via Tapas Bar
Portimão
Tips: Kayak tour by awesome Algarve Freedom Kayaks – Delicious food and very fine selection of regional wines at Lusana Restaurante – Fish, locals and great service in O Velho Novo, Ferragudo – Best staff and tapas at Tapa Latina
Sagres
Another surfers paradise..
Praia do Tonel
Lagoa
Praia de Benagil
Budget
Flights: Amsterdam – Lisbon; July, high season: TAP Portugal 250€
Stay: Airbnb Lisbon Area – 231€ p.p. / a week & Algarve area – 209€ p.p. / a week
Food and eating out: Eating out was cheaper than in the Netherlands of Finland. From the supermarkets, Lidl was the most budget-friendly choice and all Lidls we visited were very well equipped and had a large assortment. The restaurants averaged from 6-12€ per main dish and tapas was 2-5€ per dish.
For all activities, including restaurants, cafes etc. we spent around 800-1000€ p.p. / 2 weeks.
Practical information
Rental car from Drive on Holidays
We booked through rentalcars.com to ensure that we can have a full insurance and will not be scammed at the desk. If you take a full insurance through rentalcars.com, it means that in case something happens, it will be handled through the website instead of the actual rent company. We had 0€ own risk and we were covered fully, this added the daily price by 10-15 euros but was totally worth it.
Highlights
- Our amazing Airbnb hosts in A dos Cunhados
- Fish at the Lisbon Area, meat in Algarve: We noticed in the car that the landscape started to change when approaching Algarve, and surprisingly, the number of cows raised a lot. The first local told us, that the Algarve area is famous for its meat, whereas, in the Lisbon area, fish is the thing…