Exploring Portugal: Food, Beaches, and Travel Tips

I know you’re booking that Portugal trip. Since it’s travel Tuesday—do it!

It seems like everybody is talking about Portugal right now. From the good weather to affordability, it earns its accolades as a vacation and remote worker hotspot. I spent 10 days visiting 13 Portuguese cities and towns. Here are a few quick highlights from my trip:

Pasteis de Nata had me in a chokehold for 10 days and nights. No, for real. I ate 3 (or more) every day. (Remember: This is a judge-free zone!)
Meat and potato meals seemed more prevalent than the variety of seafood that I expected.
Tipping isn’t mandatory but welcomed. Just don’t go overboard and tip American style at 20% and up. It might make a server’s month, but overall hurts the citizens of the country.
If you like colorful, old-world architecture and waterfronts the views are magnificent.
The terrain is hella hilly and full of cobblestones. Difficult for anyone with physical issues.
As a beach lover my favorite towns of the 10 that I visited were Cascais and Nazaré.
It’s easy and affordable to take public transit from Lisbon to beaches in Cascais.

The Food

Pasteis de Nata is a simple looking custard tart. But taste just one and you’ll want it forever. I ate them with breakfast every day and bought them at local shops for snacks when I could.

Sea bass seems to be the popular fish on menus. I’d heard Portugal was known for sardines. I was surprised I didn’t really see it at the places I ate. I was even more surprised that a variety of seafood wasn’t the primary menu item on every menu. Sea bass was everywhere. It could have just been the places where we ate with the tour group and for meals on our own. I’d say the country is more meat and potatoes or stews than seafood in general.

Admittedly my palette leans toward simple yet flavorful Japanese food, the complex flavors of Caribbean, Thai and Indian food. After trying conch fritters at different spots in Portugal, I remained disappointed none tasted like the Bajan version I’m used to. I did enjoy the chickpea curry from a restaurant in Nazaré. It had the right amount of spicy kick and flavor for me.

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Getting around

If you have physical issues it can be difficult to fully enjoy the beauty of the country. It’s hilly and requires a lot of walking to get to the vantage points for for those picture-perfect views.

The cobblestones are beautiful—until you slip. Forget about wearing cute shoes if you’re not used to walking on cobblestones. One friend wiped out on the way to dinner in chunky heels. Thankfully she was okay! But it was a scary moment. On rainy days I imagine it’s even more treacherous. I opted to mostly wear my very mindful but not demure Teva sandals.

Traveling with a group tour on a coach bus might help to visit multiple places more easily. I was dealing with a hip injury and this method helped me a lot. Taking a combination of public transit, rideshare or taxis also reduces walking slightly.

But hold on tight!

Portuguese drivers go FAST up and down tight, windy roads. In Lisbon, I used Bolt which is like Uber. Service was fast and affordable and cheaper than a taxi. The app translates to Portuguese for the driver on its own so you don’t have to worry about it. The highest tip amount recommended on the app was about $2.00 from a variety of distances to and from my hotel. The lowest was 50 cents! I did get charged $1.20 4-minute wait fee when the driver got stuck behind an accident trying to get to our location.

I especially like that getting to the beach is a 40 minute train ride from Lisbon. And the train ticket was just 5 euros round trip. At home I can’t take a passenger train round trip anywhere for $5. And there is no train to the beaches at all which is a two-hour drive from where I live. A friend and I rented a cabana for all day. The fee included two chairs, a table with umbrella and towels for 20 euros.