Saturday October 25, 2025 – Sunday November 9, 2025

Portugal! For some reason, it feels like a ton of people we know have been going to Portugal recently. I think the name recognition is what put it on my map. It’s that time of the year when my company generously gives us Wellness Week, so of course we take the opportunity to travel. Everyone asks us is this the babymoon, and we figure sure why not treat it as our babymoon. A last big hurrah before it’s time to nest next year!

We spent two weeks traveling the country visiting the major tourist areas: Lisbon the main city, Porto which is another main city to the north, and the scenic coastal region of Algarve to the south. Also spent about a day each in SIntra with its castle and Évora with its cork and olive trees.

For once, we finally planned a vacation that took it slow and relaxed, given being pregnant and all. At times even I would admit it was a tad too chill but no regrets at all. I just made sure to savor the absolute luxury of having minimum responsibility while that’s still possible!

Sintra: 1 Day

And so we land in Lisbon in the evening. We take our rental car to the nearby town of Sintra and check into Fortaleza do Guincho. It was formerly a fort that’s been converted to a hotel, so a unique experience! Waking up to breakfast by the sea for two mornings, like I said I’m already enjoying soaking in the slower pace of this trip.

On our one day in Sintra we got lucky with weather. Most of the week in Sintra (and overall Portugal trip) projected rain, but what we found instead was a beautiful blue sky when we visited. The main attraction in Sintra is the National Palace of Pena. Its bright yellow and red painted exterior nicely complement that blue sky. But the visiting experience itself felt like we were self-herding cattle, in one giant line inching through the castle while an audioguide narrated. There’s just not enough room to support this many tourists. Still, on this lovely weather day, we thought it was worth a visit.

Afterwards we visited Quinta da Regaleira, another castle looking thing mostly known for a pretty spiral staircase. But since this staircase is another crowded attraction, the experience was overwhelmed by unruly tourists and a ferociously angry staff enforcing rules. We ended the day watching  sunset on the coast at Azenhas do Mar Viewpoint.

Traveling day: Sintra -> Évora

From Sintra we drove to Évora and planned the route which that we could see views along the coast. It was pretty but I don’t think jaw-dropping. Stopping in Setubal for lunch, the restaurant we planned for ahead of time was closed so we pivoted and walked into a fully locals only place. Lunch was written on a chalkboard in a language and handwriting that I couldn’t read, so we helplessly asked the grandma to pick two dishes for us. Well it worked out decently well! I’m just amused because we never find ourselves out of our comfort zone in this kind of way while traveling due to our extremely detailed planning habits.

Next we go to visit Almendres Cromlech just outside Évora, this mini-stone henge structure, but what I actually enjoyed the most about the visit was the beautiful lighting on the cork trees. We saw several that had their cork bark stripped and a number written on them to indicate the year they were last harvested (you must wait 9 years in between). I recited every quirky cork fact I knew from my friend plus reading the visitor center panel to my must-be-totally-impressed husband. Dinner was at O Templo in Évora, with a very lively, warm, jokester of a host.

Évora: 1 Day

Évora, or specifically the historic old town part is surrounded by medieval walls and an aqueduct. On our first full day here, this is the part that we explore. It’s a small enough area that you could walk from one end to another. It doesn’t require much time to do everything. We window shopped on Rua 5 de Outubro, checking out the many shops selling cork products, saw the Roman Temple of Évora (these Greek ruins) and the Cathedral of Évora. What were they built for? We didn’t know. Got to see views at the top of the cathedral and saw the difference between Évora inside versus outside the city walls. It’s say more suburban and countryside looking outside. We had a omakase style Portuguese meal at Taberna Típica Quarta-feira, loving the many small dishes and great flavors, our favorite restaurant so far. Visited the Chapel of Bones, also check. Late afternoon we began an abundantly rainy and pouring drive to Algarve! This included a slight detour to visit a mountain cuisine restaurant along the wind-ey, rain drenched roads.

Algarve: 4 Days

Alrgarve is the southern coastal region of Portugal. Think beaches, cliff sides, resorts, scenic boardwalks, and boating activities. We planned several days here, the added buffer because outdoor activities are always weather dependent. 

Algarve Day 1: Beach, Sagres town, fortress and lighthouse sunset

And just like that, the first day projected thunderstorms in the morning so we slept until 10am, had breakfast, then got ready… what a slow start to the day, how unlike us on trips! Thanks pregnancy to make husband allow for such leisure! We went to the beach, Praia da Rocha, and sat for a bit. Typical beach, nothing to call out. Except husband took a call with a friend to commiserate about how good another friend’s fantasy football team is. Lmao. Had a cozy monkfish stew lunch at A Ria. I just really like my porridge type dishes. Went to the beachtown Sagres but there wasn’t much, not sure how much of it is because it’s not tourist season. Husband day traded while I walked around, again, what kind of trip allows you the time to day trade? One with a lot of downtime that’s for sure. Took in seaside views at Sagres Fortress, and finally watched sunset at Cabo de São Vicente, a lighthouse at the westernmost point of Europe. Now isn’t that cool!

Algarve Day 2: Hiking, boardwalks, and boat tour

This morning was off to a bad start when we rushed on over to make a kayak tour, just making it in time only to find out it was canceled due to bad weather. But alas, we carry on, and the rest of the day went smoothly. This makes our first real activity of the day Percurso dos Sete Vales Suspensos, a very long hike but we just did the beginning of it. It’s basically beautiful cliff views reminding me of Bali, and very little parking. 

After this short “hike”, we walk multiple boardwalks today and I love the convenience since they’re much easier to walk on than hiking paths and you still get great views just without the hassle. One was Carvoeiro Boardwalk which includes more areas where you can get off the boardwalk to explore the geological formations of Algar Seco. The other was Ponta da Piedade Boardwalk, which is longer and more leisurely since you stay on the boardwalk. The red limestone formations and green vegetation reminded us of Bryce Canyon and also Artist’s Point. There’s one area where you can climb stairs down to a nice beach. In late afternoon, husband took a boat tour from Lagos to see cliffs from the water, while I sipped a mocktail on shore.

Algarve Day 3: Eat and take naps 🙂 plus Bengali kayak tour and carabineros prawn at NUMA

Hehe, well I personally didn’t do much today but eat and nap. We got up early for hotel breakfast, husband finally woke up for it today! He went for a 9am kayak tour, try two to see Benagli Caves. Got to see it this time! Apparently some guy capsized so good thing I didn’t go. I instead took an extra long breakfast, dilly-dallied, did a bit of singing homework then all of sudden it’s time to meet up for lunch lol. Went to Restaurante O Teodósio, this casual, low-key, full of locals joint, for what they specialize in, the piri-piri com picante, a tender, roasted(?) small chicken. One of Victor’s favorite meals so far. We head back. He gyms (how productive!). I nap (how luxurious!). We go chill at the bar for views and to address random chores. Back to our room for reality t.v. time. Then it’s dinner at NUMA Restaurante! Every dish was a hit, from starters, to mains, to dessert. Our new favorite restaurant so far. It’s our first introduction to the carabineros prawn, here done lightly grilled and placed atop a risotto. We’ll definitely remember it. The shrimp head was so juicy and most flavorful while the meat reminded us of lobster, only more tender so even better. The bread for appetizer and white chocolate dessert were also favorites.

Algarve Day 4: Loulé town, Faro town, fly to Porto

We sorta had too much time today since we saw everything we had to see and our flight wasn’t until the evening. Loulé and Faro were two cities in Algarve we stopped by on our drive to the airport. Loulé had this market but unfortunately we just caught the closing of the market, and the last 30 sec of this band and singer with an awesomely powerful voice. Great energy, the crowd from kids to adults were dancing along. We didn’t find much else to do so went to Faro next. In Faro, we had gelato, walked a bit, then sat down on a bench to pass time. He looked at fantasy football. I tried to not use my phone and see what that’s like lol. Ok well that’s enough sitting around, we headed early to the airport. Off to the north of Portugal!

Porto: 3 Days

Porto is another large city in Portugal, but not as busy as Lisbon. It was exactly what I didn’t know I needed. Flying from Algarve to Porto that evening, I felt a rush of relief coming back to more infrastructure and people and energy. Driving by big corporate buildings entering the city, big paved roads, seeing lots of restaurants open late and packed, people out on the streets, it reminded me that I feel more comfortable in this kind of environment. I realize I must’ve started feeling restless towards the end of Algarve. After landing and dropping bags, we immediately went for two fast casual spots that specialize in one thing, meat sandwiches. Congo served bifanas, at Gazela it’s this hot dog in grilled cheese sandwich thing. Food was great, energy was great. Nice first night in Porto.

Also have to call out our nice hotel in Porto too, the Torel Palace. We don’t always spend more on trips so have to enjoy it when we do! This hotel converted some fancy guy’s fancy house and preserved its elegance, high ceilings, big windows, it’s a vibe. But they designed it with interesting choices of modern touches, like four walls of mirrors to enclose your bathroom in the center of the room. This is the kind of stay where they make up your room twice a day and leave little chocolates in the evening haha, woo.

Porto Day 1: Douro Valley wine, boat, and scenic tour

We don’t really begin by exploring Porto itself but instead took a day tour of Douro Valley. This ended up being Victor’s favorite activity of the trip for how pretty and educational it was. It’s over an hour drive from Porto and it was unbelievably foggy leaving there. But once we got to Douro Valley it turned to partly sunny, how lucky again. First we stopped for several viewpoints of Douro Valley around us. The colors were lovely since it’s fall. They covered the tiered hills, a similar look to rice paddies, and there’s a river at the bottom which added to the charm.

Next we took a boat ride on the river and found fascinating everything we learned about Port wine. Its origins began when the English were at war with the French so the English didn’t want to pay them for wine and fund their weapons anymore, choosing to invest in Portugal instead. That’s why so many of the winery names displayed on those hills were English-sounding, like Taylor. They were trying to make wine but by the time it was shipped over to England it all spoiled. So they added other alcohol to it to act as a preservative. But that stops the fermentation process, leaving the wine more naturally sweet. And thus Port wine was accidentally created! Port wine can only be produced in this region and Douro Valley’s unique features makes the ideal environment, some porous rocks retain water and others retain heat to warm the grapes for extra sweetness for example. Just lots of fascinating stuff.

After the boat ride, we visited our first winery Casa Negrilhos for lunch. The food, wine, and service were all excellent, and we fell in love with their cat Antonio who climbed into our laps like he owned the place. Petting Antonio took priority over eating, we didn’t want to move when we was in our laps. He jumped into mine first and we figured maybe it’s because he senses a baby. But eventually he climbed into Victor’s and stayed much longer. Maybe husband is pregnant too. To our surprise, we learned that Victor is the parent who will cave, feeding the cute, spoiled cat bits of meat while I wouldn’t budge (is he allowed to eat human food?) Antonio refused everything non-premium, even meat when he sniffed they were inferior pieces. We found out why when the winery staff fed him and he came back with a giant hunk of premium meat. Oh spoiled, loved Antonio. They then took us to one more winery for a tour but we felt it was a more mass produced experience. 

Porto Day 2: Livraria Lello oldest bookstore, Mercado do Bolhão, Fundacão Serralves museum

First stop today was Livraria Lello, a beautiful bookstore with staircases that are rumored to have inspired Harry Potter even though that claim was denied. Then was Mercado do Bolhão. It stood out to us how clean and well presented everything looked, from veggies to ready to eat seafood, cheeses, flowers, and more. Less touristy than a Time Out Market. After lunch we got egg tarts at Manteigaria, honestly really good, can vouch for this one, second favorite of the trip.

Had a lot of time to kill today and did so at the Fundacão Serralves museum. It contains a large peaceful garden where sleepy husband took an hour nap while I read a book on baby names. I dropped newly acquired knowledge as we walked around. One art exhibit by an artist made a memorable impression and made us feel stuff, this feeling of amused laughter at the discomfort it caused us. One was this limp taxidermy horse hanging from the ceiling; horses are supposed to strong and majestic with their head held high so this throws you off. We also got to see the banana taped to a wall, a certified reproduction of that infamous art piece. Sunset was at the end of a pier, Farolim de Felgueiras. More baby name knowledge drops while we watched fishermen try to catch fish. Dinner was at Porta 4, quite liked their gnocchi, not many places do it well.

Porto Day 3: Walking tour, shopping

We began our day with a walking tour of Porto. It was fun! We got to know the history, character, and quirks of the city. Like I love that when they were trying to build a big Champs Elysees avenue like in Paris, the church was in the way and refused to move, so they built City Hall in front of the church, in the same shape but bigger so that you can’t see the church haha. I did not know that Portugal was under dictatorship until only something like 50 years ago. That when the people finally had freedom again and things became more relaxed, their own leader said “You can’t do that… but you can do it.” I learned there was a huge heroin problem when democracy was introduced but they’ve since fixed that with safe handling programs and education. We learned that blue and white tiles signaled wealth. And the tourism boom happened around 2012 when Ryan Air introduced cheap routes here. Lots of interesting stuff. This might’ve been my favorite activity in Portugal.

We went for lunch at a homey restaurant. The waitress almost let another family in first since they didn’t keep a sign up sheet but the kind family was like no no they were here first, meaning us these fish out of water tourists. It really left a nice impression on us. We visited McDonald’s Imperial, the self-proclaimed most beautiful McDonald’s in the world since they kept the original building, chandelier, stained glass and all. For us, it was a check, we went inside. Spent some time shopping! Hotel, dinner, then back to hotel.

Traveling day: Porto -> Lisbon by train

We had planned to drive from Porto to Lisbon, stopping in Coimbra the university town then Obidos the medieval town along the way. But earlier in the week we saw online that big waves were predicted in Nazare so we redid our plans to stop there instead of Obidos. But THEN as the day got closer, the weather forecasted severe thunderstorms and the big waves got downgraded to medium and eventually we called off the drive completely, opting to book train tickets the night before instead, still lots of options at that point. All that meticulous intercity planning and replanning all for nought, but I was still relieved we didn’t have to deal with logistics plus driving in a thunderstorm.

So on this travel day, we instead enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. We planned to go for a juice tasting but found out we were mislead by online research and non-alcoholic tastings was not a thing… back to chilling at the hotel until checkout. Got lunch, at two restaurants lol, then took our 3hr 15min train ride to Lisbon, which first included getting to the train station early then an additional 45min train delay, so just lots of downtime and transportation today. Dinner in Lisbon and that was pretty much our day!

Lisbon: 3 Days

I expected even bigger roads and more more modernity in Lisbon compared to Porto. But the roads were just as narrow and cobblestone, and in fact drivers had to fight more traffic and go seriously roundabout ways in order to get anywhere. So turns out it felt like Porto, but more neighborhoods to explore and packed more densely with people. Not what I expected but I guess the whole country opted to preserve their roots and identity. Fair enough.

But we did get upgraded to this big suite at the Hyatt Regency Lisbon, maybe because we shared that this is our babymoon? But woah! It’s basically a one bedroom apartment with a living room, one end equipped for cooking, dishwasher, laundry, a living room balcony, a bedroom balcony… I don’t have the imagination to fathom that this is how rich people travel.

Lisbon Day 1: Walking tour, overview of the neighborhoods of Lisbon

We kicked off Lisbon with a walking tour of the city. But we didn’t like this tour as much as the one in Porto. While she didn’t speak monotonously or anything, it still felt like she was nothing but a vehicle to dump information at us. Tour quality can really influence how you feel about a place. Anyways, the tour began in the artsy, dead in the day but party until literally morning district of Bairro Alto. From there, we walked through lively Chiado, stopped in Praça do Comércio this huge plaza, went up the hilly community neighborhood of Alfama and ended at a nice viewpoint there.

After the tour, we stopped by Livraria Bertrand, the world’s oldest bookstore. We had lunch, walked through Time Out Market which sells all the country’s most iconic foods in once place, walked around the big plaza again, then went back to the same viewpoint, Miradoura da Graça for sunset. It’s a great spot since you can see a lot of the city there, but the sun doesn’t light it up at sunset because it sets behinds hills. Still nice. Dinner at a nice seafood place where we nosily guessed what this very large, mismatched party of other diners were there for; after a guest gave a toast, we think Victor was right it was a team event dinner where people flew in lol. Quick stop at Pastelaria Aloma, decent egg tarts there, then head back to the hotel!

Lisbon Day 2: Belém area, fancy dinner at Belcanto

Lazy morning. Woke up to go to lunch where we had a rack of ribs, a new dish for us here, simple and good. Off to Jerónimos Monastery. Their queuing system is rough as timed entry doesn’t mean much, you stand outside, and it was absolutely pouring rain. So yeah we all stood like idiots with our pathetic little umbrellas as the rain soaked us anyway, his pants, my dress, our shoes a lost cause. Quite a ridiculous start to this attraction. In the actual attraction, I just felt damp, confused since the audioguide I bought sucked, lost since they seemed to have closed rooms mentioned on the audioguide and I left with a feeling of, that’s it for all this fuss? We will say that the cloisters were very pretty. You’ll see that when you search pics of this place online, though I didn’t get very good ones. Close to this monastery though is Pastéis de Belém, selling egg tarts of the original recipe made by nuns. Pastels de nata are actually a copycat of these since this original egg tart recipe is a secret. Yes these were my favorite egg tarts in Portugal, the shell a thick crunch and the cream inside just as yummy.

Walked to Monument to the Discoveries. Nice stop since the sun came out. The world map built into the floor in front was a thoughtful touch. We went in for quick views at the top and also a succinct sardine exhibition. When to MAAT, a museum rooftop for sunset. Sunset was aiight but the time lapse taken was cool, showing ships quickly coming and going, reminiscent of a busy city. I did a quick stop at LX Factory, a formerly industrial space converted into artsy shops, restaurants, bars. Fun trendy vibes, music bumping, Friday night energy, me doing some shopping. Dinner was at Belcanto, super fancy, on the World’s Best list at #42. My favorite dish was either the suckling pig or the three little pigs cookie dessert, Victor’s surprisingly was a dessert dish, the strawberry and square foam. It’s sort of rough doing a nice meal with pregnancy dietary restrictions (everything well done, must be low mercury, no fois gras, caviar, tartare, etc. lol), but the restaurant adapted and I still had a good time.

Lisbon Day 3: Castelo de São Jorge and catch all day for remaining things to see

Last day in Portugal! We had some light bites including anchovies for lunch. “Which dish is this bread for?” Very entertained and with a big smile the waiter puts a hand on husband’s shoulder and says “My friend, you can eat it with whatever you like”. We walk to Santa Justa Lift not knowing whether we’ll take it up— closed for maintenance. That’s that. Continue to the Rossio Square area and I get Victor to try a shot of ginja a cherry liquor, on my behalf. Not as bad as expected! Especially given the woman’s face in front of us.

Went to Castelo de São Jorge. Expected a meh tourist stop but ended up really loving our visit. It was a beautiful, peaceful place to sit and enjoy the views. And the audioguide was great quality. The guide had us imagine we were opposing forces trying to storm the place but with every attempt, I learned this defensive castle was practically impenetrable. Out of a few miradouras (viewpoints) we stopped by, we chose Miradoura de Santa Catarina today for sunset. It was one we happened to stumble upon in the morning. Sunset was more golden today but the spot was crowded. We chose a Nepalese Indian place for dinner because we were ready to try something different at this point.

Next morning: Fly home

A very early morning flight back home. Husband bid on business class seats and lo and behold won. Continuing the theme of relation on this trip, I got to experience my first lie flat flight! It’s like having a bed on an airplane, so luxurious. They put table cloth on your tray table, so extra. But it was a nice way to end our last big trip just the two of us before we welcome a new member of the family 🙂