Best Beaches Near Lisbon (and Where Locals Go)
Most travel guides will send you straight to Cascais — and Cascais is great — but the Lisbon coast isn’t one beach. It’s a string of beaches and most are reachable by train in 25 to 40 minutes. After a…
Category Portugal
Portugal is one of our favourite travel destinations in Europe. The cities of Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra have their own distinct vibes and it’s easy to get in the swing of the social scenes there. The rugged coastline by Sintra is a must-visit destination for hikers, whilst wine lovers will be bowled over by the sweeping vineyards of the Douro Valley.
Where to Stay in Porto: Best Areas & Hotels (2026)
Porto is small, walkable and easy to love, which is good news when you are deciding where to stay. Almost everywhere central puts you within a short stroll of the Ribeira, the port lodges and a taberna worth queuing for.…
11 Winter Sun Destinations (That We’ve Actually Been To)
Every “best winter sun” destination list says the same thing: Tenerife, Dubai, the Maldives. They’re not wrong, those places are reliably warm, but the lists all read like a travel brochure, written by someone who hasn’t necessarily been. This one…
Where to Stay in Lisbon: Alfama, Graça & Beyond
Deciding where to stay in Lisbon shapes your whole trip: the city’s neighbourhoods are so distinct that the same holiday can feel completely different from one hill to the next. We have stayed in Lisbon three times, twice in Alfama…
Is Lisbon Expensive? How Much To Budget in 2026
Lisbon has long been held up as Europe’s budget-friendly gem, but is it still? We visited twice: once in September 2020, midway through the pandemic, and again in April 2026. Both times we stayed in the Alfama neighbourhood. The city…
Lisbon or Porto: Which Portuguese City To Choose?
Lisbon or Porto? We have been asked this question more times than we can count, and the honest answer has always been the same: Por que não ambos? (Why not both?) But if you are short on time and have…
Foz do Douro: Porto’s Secret by the Sea
Foz do Douro is Porto‘s well-heeled seaside neighbourhood at the mouth of the River Douro. Less than 20 minutes from the historic centre of Porto, it offers the beach, the breeze, and the fresh seafood without the crush of tourists…
Porto Travel Guide: Things to Do, Eat & See in a Weekend
Porto feels heartier, friendlier and more wholesome than anywhere else we visited in Portugal. We arrived after a weekend in Coimbra and Lisbon, and by the time we’d ridden a rented scooter out of the city into the Douro Valley…
Burgau: A Hidden Gem on the Algarve
Burgau is the Algarve’s best-kept secret. After finding Carvoeiro to be more like a tourist resort than the quaint fishing village we had hoped for, we feared that all of Portugal’s beaches had been overtaken by big hotels and become…
Carvoeiro: A Guide to the Algarve Beach Town
Carvoeiro in Portugal’s Algarve region is a beach town best suited to those wanting a smaller resort town with easy access to hiking, kayaking and day trips. In this short guide, we take you on a journey to Carvoiero’s best…