We recommend spending a few days exploring Lisbon. It's easy to get around by walking, metro or Uber. During prior trips we have stayed on the north side of Bairro Alto and just north of the main Praca do Comercio in the heart of downtown.

Some of our favorite activities:

- Praca do Comericio is the main square, with the Tagus River on the south side which is beautiful and definitely worth a stroll along the waterfront. Plenty of spots to stop and have a drink or bite to eat.

- Sunset wine boat cruise along the Tagus River

- Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara is the hilltop above Bairro Alto neighborhood, and has great views of the city with cafes and food trucks

- Bairro Alto neighborhood is the lively going out area at night

- Chiado neighborhood for shopping and restaurants (If you like Delirium beer like we do, the Delirium Tremens Cafe is a great place to stop for an afternoon drink)

- Time Out Market for food/drinks (think Union Market but bigger)

- Leonetta for pasta

-Pica Pau for great Portuguese food

- Belem Tower: touristy but very cool if you're into history

- Jardim do Alto de Santa Catarina for a great sunset view of the water/bridge. Bring a bottle of wine and snacks.

- Eat a pastel de nata every day

Our venue town! A small beach town, with lots of restaurants, hotels, and a large casino.

Things to do:

-For our runner friends: there's a boardwalk path along the beach that's about 2 miles total. You can also walk this and there are places to stop and eat/drink along the way

- Garret Estoril (Pastelaria Garrett) is located right across the street from the Palacio Estoril Hotel - local favorite for pastries, espressos.

- Praia do Tamariz is a very popular beach and happens to be right in front of our venue. Can get crowded but lots to do with a boardwalk packed with restaurants and bars.

- Casino Estoril: you need to bring your passport with you the first time you come here to register for an entry card!

- Take an Uber or walk to Casa de Guia for lunch, shopping and great views, especially at Palphita Cafe

-Piazza di Estoril: for yummy Italian right by the Casino

This is where the famous and colorful hilltop castles/mansions are located that you see on postcards.

https://www.parquesdesintra.pt/en/parks-monuments/park-and-national-palace-of-pena/

The roads are very narrow here with heavy traffic, so we recommend taking an Uber or tour bus if you decide to add this to your trip to avoid driving here at all costs.

There is also hiking in the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park for our hikers:

https://visitsintra.travel/en/discover/active-sintra/land-sports/hiking

There is also a golf course at Penha Longa Resort and excellent restaurants here.

https://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/lisrz-penha-longa-resort/golf/

We LOVE Porto! An easy 2-3ish hour train ride from Lisbon.

-Port wine tasting at one of the distilleries along the water

-Climb the Torre dos Clerigos for a great view of the city. Large, tall steps - a lot of them - but getting to the top is worth it.

-Walk around and shop! You can truly spend a day just wandering around, stopping for food and drinks around town

-Serralves Foundation and Museum: nice art museum and beautiful grounds to walk around

If you came all the way to Porto, spend one more day on a tour bus east into the Douro River Valley. It may be the most beautiful place we have ever seen. Take a wine tour or two or three.

This is the tour that James, Emily and Emily's parents did in April and would 10/10 recommend: https://www.getyourguide.com/porto-l151/from-porto-douro-valley-w-boat-tour-wine-tasting-lunch-t73660/

James and Emily have used Get Your Guide tours numerous times in Europe and all experiences have been excellent!

We haven't made it to the south of Portugal yet, but have heard the beaches and weather are lovely in the Algarve.

Inter-European flights are very cheap, so take a quick trip to Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Rome, etc. Morocco is also super close! One of Emily's favorite Spanish cities is Vigo, on the west coast.