Anyone been to Portugal?

Turkish

Lifer
May 26, 2003
15,549
1
81
Going to be in Lisbon on May 23rd - June 1st. I have always wanted to visit Portugal for some reason. A lot of my friends who have been there greatly recommend it and say its almost as lovely as Istanbul.

So anyone been there? Any tips? We'll be renting scooters, good idea?

Thanks :)
 

Farang

Lifer
Jul 7, 2003
10,914
3
0
I was in Porto. Beautiful city, and you wouldn't know by the looks of it but it actually has the cleanest, most modern-looking subway that I have seen in Europe. I didn't stay anywhere else so I can't relate to what the rest of the country is like. If I could recommend anything it would be a bullfight, and don't eat the appetizer or anything they put in front of you that you didn't order because they overcharge for it afterwards.
 

Turkish

Lifer
May 26, 2003
15,549
1
81
Thanks Farang. I'll check to see how far Porto is from Lisbon and try to convince my friends to go there :)

Originally posted by: Aquaman
I heard they are the crazyest drivers in Europe.

Cheers,
Aquaman

I don't think that will be a problem after Istanbul traffic: 1
2
3
4
5 and especially this!



 

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
62,681
11,026
136
Nah, if I want to see Portagees, I just have to look around here...we have LOTS of them...;)
 

WildHorse

Diamond Member
Jun 29, 2003
5,023
0
0
Turkish,

I've been in Portugal, covering Lisbon & all the area north to Tuy Spain. Haven't been in the south. My last time there was about 5+ years ago, so some of the hotel names I remember may be different now.

There?s a lot of countryside separating cobblestone villages and cities. Lots of tile. People are out walking everywhere, typically dressed much more nicely than Americans dress around home. Gas prices are real high. Roads are good, but crowded in the cities.

You?ll want to stay in the immaculately clean, friendly Pousadas & Estalagems rather than in big hotels.

Lisbon is your typical big city. If you overnight there, I suggest you drive out to pleasant Sintra instead of staying in Lisbon. I stayed in the Tivoli hotel just on the south side of the national Palace. It?s your typical westernized big hotel, and is good.

I recommend seeing Obidos, about 2 hours north of Lisbon. It?s a cool walled medieval city up on a hill. I?ve stayed in the Estalagem do Convento and recommend it. I walked a long way atop the ancient stone wall, in the rain. Close by Obidos is a pleasant cobblestone town of Caldas da Reinha, with a fun open air farmers? market, and a pleasant park.

Upcountry is Coimbra, a fairly large city, crowded, hard to drive through due to traffic. I?ve stayed at Aviero, but don?t remember the name of the Pousada there. Aviero is a smallish ?big city.?

Porto, or Oporto, where El Cid stopped the Moslem invaders is a spectacular sight in the river gorge. I usually try to minimize time in big cities so I stay further north up at a Pousada near city center of Braga which has some medieval stuff to see. Driving north from Braga to Tuy Spain is all pastoral country, and beautiful.

Fatima is out of the way, and I found it to be commercialized to the hilt, with a vast stone-paved courtyard before the church, and a theater at the back endlessly showing the old Fatima movie.

The place to see if you can, which is supposed to be about the best of Portugal, which I haven?t been to, is Marvao, pretty much due east of Lisbon. I hear that from the elevation of Marvao you view into Spain. Others have recommended Marvao to me, and maybe I?ll hit it one of these trips.

Someday I?d like to start at Porto and casually explore the whole Douro River east to Salamanca, Spain.

Gas, and the north-south toll highway, are very expensive. Otherwise, prices of things generally are OK. Coffee is served in tiny sake-sized cups, a nuisance if you consume mass quantities like me. It?s hard to find places to get your laundry done. People are super-friendly. Roads are good but crowded through cities. When you see locals walking along the road, give them a ride while you talk with & learn from them. I predict that you?ll like Portugal.

Briefing on Portugal

Edit: Scooters: Not a good idea. Better rent a small car. (a) It rains. (b) It's pretty far between cities. (c) It'd probably anchor you to the location where your luggage is stowed, inhibiting free roaming around the country.
 

Turkish

Lifer
May 26, 2003
15,549
1
81
scott, thanks for your valuable input.

Maybe we'll rent a Smart or a Fiat Punto :) I am used to expensive gas and tollways so those shouldn't be a problem.

 

imported_Tango

Golden Member
Mar 8, 2005
1,623
0
0
Lisbon is nothing short of wonderful. But if you come from Istanbul very few cities in the world will impress you. Istanbul really is incredible.
 

DivideBYZero

Lifer
May 18, 2001
24,117
2
0
I've driven in Istanbul many a time. It cannot be worse than that... :p

Lisbon is a great city. You'll have fun. The driving is no worse than most of continental Europe.
 

mrrman

Diamond Member
Feb 8, 2004
8,498
3
0
I want to go there one day...maybe when I go back to Spain I will head to Porto