Considering Portugal

[BEERMAN]

We have been spending a lot of time at our cabin in West Virginia, temperature finally going above freezing this week.

As we watch the 10 inches of snow melt we are planning our spring trip, Portugal 10 day road trip is current plan. We have never been. I’ve read great reports on this forum and watched many YouTube’s. Best direct flights for the buck go to Lisbon. We are attracted to Porto more than Lisbon from what we have seen? But we don’t usually invest a lot of time in larger cities.

I read that the economy is down and homelessness is tripled? Are there any increased safety concerns in these larger cities? We live just outside of Washington DC and have necessary street smarts, just curious if recent visitors noticed problem areas?

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Pauline]

I spent only a week in northern Portugal but I really liked that area. We flew into Porto but did not visit the city (we should have). We stayed north of Porto in Viana do Castello for a few days and then outside Guimarães for a few days.

I liked the towns on the river, Ponte de Lima and Ponte da Barca.

The towns were charming, there are good historic sites, the cafes are great, restaurants good, and people friendly.

In case you missed any, here are our Portugal trip reports:

Spain & Portugal Trip Reports

Trip reports and travelogues for Spain and Portugal.

www.sloweurope.com

Travel notes for Portugal:

Spain & Portugal Travel Articles

Travel notes and articles for Spain and Portugal. Articles posted must be approved by the Admin before they are published.

www.sloweurope.com

 

[BEERMAN]

Thank you, I have been reading through your reports! The Algarve looks deserving of at least 3 nights but the north has so many beautiful choices too, Sintra area intrigues us...and the Duoro Valley. I'll look at Ponte da Lima and Barca tonight.

 

[Cda]

I have been wanting to go to the SE at the beaches. I hear that is a great area.

 

[Colo]

I know one place I really want to visit in Portugal is Nazaré.
I know it depends on the time of year, but the last few weeks evidently have been very good!

Riding the Big Waves

 

[Pauline]

We were in Portugal in July and went swimming in the sea. It was unbelievably cold. Much colder than the south coast of England. Beautiful beaches but burrr!

The Algarve sounds interesting to me too. I’ve heard lots of good reports of that area.

 

[BEERMAN]

So....I did title this "Considering"? My wife's aunt unfortunately passed away recently and her celebration of life is scheduled during the timeframe we were looking at. Fortunately, we didn't purchase flights. Looking at other later dates we are finding airfares almost double and some more than double to Lisbon. We are thinking Portugal should probably be delayed until we can properly plan. This doesn't mean we are not traveling this spring, trying to find a window of time for our daughter and fiancé to go somewhere with us in May. Thank you for all the info, it's all safely stored on my bucket list ;-) Now I'm working to complete my 2024 Italy reports!

 

[Melanie]

We have been spending a lot of time at our cabin in West Virginia, temperature finally going above freezing this week.

As we watch the 10 inches of snow melt we are planning our spring trip, Portugal 10 day road trip is current plan. We have never been. I’ve read great reports on this forum and watched many YouTube’s. Best direct flights for the buck go to Lisbon. We are attracted to Porto more than Lisbon from what we have seen? But we don’t usually invest a lot of time in larger cities.

I read that the economy is down and homelessness is tripled? Are there any increased safety concerns in these larger cities? We live just outside of Washington DC and have necessary street smarts, just curious if recent visitors noticed problem areas?

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Sounds like a great plan! Portugal is perfect for a spring road trip.


If you're more into smaller cities, Porto is a great choice — charming, walkable, and less hectic than Lisbon. Starting in Lisbon for flight deals, then heading north could be ideal.


Yes, homelessness has increased, especially in Lisbon, but overall, Portugal is still one of the safest countries in Europe. Just stay alert in touristy areas — same as DC.


Enjoy the planning — and definitely check out the Douro Valley or Nazaré if you can!

Melanie
https://www.bagagelocker.com/

 

[amymac]

Porto’s high on my list too! I’ve been loosely planning and came across this really solid 2-day itinerary that helped me picture how to explore without rushing—it made the city feel super walkable and relaxed (found it on pinerary.com/trip/two-days-in-porto, which has been a handy planning tool lately).

Totally hear you on the safety concerns. I’ve seen similar mentions, but most recent travelers say it still feels safe with normal street awareness—nothing that felt out of the ordinary, especially compared to DC.

Curious to hear how your trip turns out—Portugal looks like a dream!

 

[BEERMAN]

Porto’s high on my list too! I’ve been loosely planning and came across this really solid 2-day itinerary that helped me picture how to explore without rushing—it made the city feel super walkable and relaxed (found it on pinerary.com/trip/two-days-in-porto, which has been a handy planning tool lately).

Totally hear you on the safety concerns. I’ve seen similar mentions, but most recent travelers say it still feels safe with normal street awareness—nothing that felt out of the ordinary, especially compared to DC.

Curious to hear how your trip turns out—Portugal looks like a dream!

Unfortunately, we were not able to travel abroad this spring. We did spend a week in North Myrtle Beach and another in Destin Florida (Outstanding beaches!) , so we did get some vacation time!! Portugal will remain high on the future list after we return to Italy this Fall.