LANDSCAPE TRAVELING

PORTUGAL

WITH PETRA VAŠKOVÁ

ALGARVE

tHE MOST BEAUTIFUL COAST OF EUROPE

tRANSPORTATION

The Algarve can be easily reached by train, plane or for a few bucks by Flixbus from almost anywhere in Portugal. We took a bus from Lisbon and a direct ticket to Faro cost us about 5 € per person. Transportation along the Algarve coast can be done cheaper by train. But the stops are quite far from the beaches and the bus service doesn’t work very well. We rented a car and chose Drive4fun. We picked up the car at Faro at the airport. The rental cost us 138 € (Seat Ibiza) from Friday to Monday. Thanks to the total insurance for 20 €, we paid a half deposit of 300 €, which was returned within a week, we can not complain. I definitely recommend booking the car in advance. It is also possible to rent a scooter or bicycle.

BEACHES – sANTA MARIA

The Algarve coast offers many beautiful beaches. My favorite is the beach Santa Maria. It is located near the famous Camilo beach, which is full of people. A slightly tricky path leads to it, but it can be managed without any problems. There were about 10 of us on the beach. When we arrived, we found out that it is a nudist beach 😀 But swimsuits are not forbidden here, so if you don’t mind a few bare asses, this beach is great. On the right side of the beach there is also a hidden place where we were alone and we did not see anyone. Other beaches worth visiting are the mentioned Marinha, Estudantes, Dona Ana, Camilo or Praia do Buraco and Albandeira. All these beaches are smaller and surrounded by rocks, so watch out for the peeling stones.

KAYAKING

Renting a kayak and sailing part of the Algarve coast is, in my opinion, the best program you can choose here. I recommend renting a kayak in Decathlon for 30€ for the whole day (book in time in high season). The only downside is that you have to bring and inflate the kayak, a pump is included in the price. Rental prices on the beaches are around 35€ for 2 hours. It is also possible to buy a speedboat cruise. It looks like that they slow down in every cave to take a picture, but you can´t get out of the boat. You will not get much chance to enjoy those places in their full range.

bENAGIL CAVE

If you rent the mentioned kayak, I recommend starting on the beach Benagil and heading towards the cave of the same name. It is located about 100 m from the beach, so you can swim to it. Be sure to go to the cave as soon as you can. We arrived around half past eleven in the morning and it was already starting to fill up with people. In addition, you will come across a beautiful double arch Arco natural, Marinha beach and a short distance behind it you will come across a beautiful unmarked cave with 2 windows in the ceiling.

CAMPING

Camping in Portugal is prohibited outside the designated places. However, it is a ban on camping with caravans. We did not find any info about camping as we do. We slept the first night in the open air and the rest of the night in the car. We visited the Algarve at the beginning of May and the weather was beautiful. Despite this, the nights were very cold. I think that in the summer months, sleeping outside will be no problem. We met relatively few tourists during the day. On the sunsets and during night we were mostly alone on the cliffs. I probably wouldn’t risk setting a fire on this dry landscape. When camping, the most important thing is to leave the place clean!

ROMAN BRIDGE

Since we only rented the kayak for one day and wanted to sail as much as possible, we decided around 15:00 on Marinha beach to move on to other famous beaches. We packed everything and went on. We parked near the beach of Meia and from there we paddled to the beach of Estudantes, where there is an interesting bridge, see photo. But I must say that the area around Marinha and Benagil beaches was more interesting for us and we enjoyed it more. The beaches of Estudantes, Dona Ana or Pinhao are also within walking distance.

CITIES – FERRAGUDO

For me, the Algarve offers more natural beauty than man-made. We visited a few cities and the most interesting in my opinion was a small fishing village of Ferragudo, located next to a larger city of Portimao. On the hill towards the dominant church are cute photogenic streets full of various plants. You can also eat here and they hold flea markets on Sundays. Portimao city center is also quite interesting. Parking is free almost everywhere.

OUR 4 DAYS PROGRAM

• DAY 1
• arrival to Faro, car rental, shopping food
• kayak rental at Decathlon in Portimao
• transfer to arco natural Mesquita, overnight stay
• DAY 2
• morning parking car to Marinha beach
• transfer by walk with a kayak to the beach Benagil about 9:30
• sailing to Benagil Cave, Arco Mesquita and beyond, ending at Marinha
• transfer by car to Meia beach about 15:00
• Estudantes beach and surroundings by kayak (cca 30min paddling)
• return to the car, return the kayak in Portimao, shopping food
• transfer to Gruta das Baratas, sleeping nearby
• DAY 3
• in the morning visit to the center of Portimao and Ferragudo
• transfer to Camilo beach, takeaway lunch
• afternoon on Santa Maria beach
• around 17:00 transfer to arco de Albandeira, overnight stay
• DAY 4
• cleaning and returning the car in Faro
• return to Porto

GERES

national park

tRANSPORTATION

Geres is a national park on the border of Portugal and Spain. Without a car, it is practically impossible to get there. We rented a car the night before in Porto and arrived for the night near the park. In Geres you can move to most places by car or by foot.

CASCATA DO ARADO

We were most interested in the local waterfalls. We started at Cascata do Arado, which can be reached by car. The most beautiful part of the waterfall is about 15 minutes walk on rocks upstream.

CASCATAS DE FECHA DE BARJAS

Next we visited Cascatas de Fecha de Barjas. You park just above the waterfall and then head down on the right side. About in the middle of the cascades, you can cross to the other side and the path leads down to a place, where the waterfall is the most beautiful.

CASCATA DE PINCAES

The third and last waterfall was Cascata de Pincaes. It is necessary to walk about 20 minutes. You will park in Pincaes and follow the red tourist mark (Grande Rota Geres) and after about 15 minutes you turn off the road to the waterfall.

1 DAY PROGRAM+NIGHT

• DAY 1
• car rental the night before
• camping near Geres
• moving to the waterfall in Arado
• next stop Cascatas de Fecha de Barjas
• Cascata de Pincaes
• moving to watch sunset at Sameiro in Braga
• arrival in Porto around 23:00

SINTRA

CITY OF CASTLES AND CHATEAU

tRANSPORTATION

Sintra can be easily reached by train from Lisbon. We set off at 9:41 a.m.  from Rossio for 2.3€. I recommend buying a return ticket at once. Already at this time a full train of tourists rode with us. So the sooner the better. Transport around Sintra is easy. Directly in front of the train station there are buses 434 and 435, which operate for tourists and have stops in front of the main sights. Bus 435 works as a hop on hop off for 11 € person / day. NEVER EXPECT THE BUS TO COME ACCORDING TO THE SCHEDULE. We chose the option to get almost everywhere on foot. I think it pays off. There is a beautiful nature out there.

PALACE OF PENA

Pena Palace together with Castelo dos Mouros dominate the hills above the center of Sintra. We walked to them from the train through the garden of Villa Sasseti, where a beautiful path leads up to the castle and the palace. It’s not a completely relaxing walk, it’s a bit of a hike, but it’s worth it. We came straight to the park of the Pena Palace, where the entrance is 7.5€ (but whoever is looking will find their way). A ticket containing the park and the interior of the castle costs 14 €. For me, visiting the park is enough, the price also includes the terraces and the palace’s sightseeing circuit. The view of the palace from the rocks of Alto de Santa Catarina is worth a stop (mapy.cz). The popular Quinta da Regaleira palace is close by.

mONSERRAT

You can get to Monserrat from the center of Sintra by hop on hop off bus no.435. Only the main entrance works, directly at the stop of this bus. We got to the second non-functional entrance, where the local buses 403 and 441 stop. I do not recommend this variant 😀 It’s farther and a worse way. There aren’t that many tourists on Monserrat, there were only a few of us in the area. This makes this place more beautiful. The beautiful palace and the adjacent park full of colorful plants are worth a visit. It’s a great compromise if you want to visit more in Sintra and don’t want to be crowded with tourists. Which is likely to happen to you in the afternoon at Pena and Quinta da Regaleira Palace. Again, the rule, the sooner the better.

OUR 1 DAY PROGRAM

• DAY 1
• 9:41 a.m. departure by train from Lisbon Rossio to the final stop in Sintra
• 10:20 a.m. arrival, start of the hike in direction of Pena Palace
• route through Liberdade park, Miradouro viewpoint, to entrance of Villa Sasseti
• walk/hike through the garden of Villa Sasseti to Mouro Castle
• further to the park of the Pena Palace
• tour of the terraces and the sightseeing circuit of the palace
• park and pre-prepared lunch at the Alto de Santa Catarina viewpoint, see photo
• approximately 14:00 transfer by bus to Monserrat
• tour of the palace and park
• moving back to Sintra bus no.435
• tour of the center
• final PortoTonico at the train station
• departure towards Lisbon

bRAGA

city of churches

tRANSPORTATION

Braga can be reached by train or bus from Porto and Lisbon. We chose the train variant from Porto from Sao Bento for about 3 €. You get off at Braga close to the center, so everything is within walking distance. Public transport works quite well here (unless you expect the bus to arrive on time).

tHE CITY

Braga is nicknamed Portuguese Rome because of the large number of churches. There are very nice spiritual buildings. Overall, Braga looks very nice to me. The center is not very big, most of the places are clean and tidy.

BOM jESUS dO MONTE

Bom Jesus is a church, a major pilgrimage destination and a landmark of Braga. A beautiful monumental Baroque staircase leads to the church standing on Espinho Hill. You can also use the local cable railway. Bus 2 and 63 run directly from the center to the beginning of the stairs and cable railway.

SAMEIRO

Sameiro is a beautiful cathedral towering over Braga. In front of this building is a huge square topped by 2 columns that frame the view of the whole of Braga. The ideal time to visit is on the sunset. Bus 88 stops right next to the cathedral.

oTHER PLACES

In the center of Braga you will find a church on every corner. Among the main ones worth visiting are the mentioned Bom Jesus, Sameiro, the oldest Braga Cathedral, Congregados Basilica or Igreja de Sta. Cruz, on whose facade it is a tradition to find 3 cocks for early marriage. Other beautiful places are Jardim de Santa Barbara, Av. da Liberdade, Chafariz da Praça da República a pastlaria Christina from 1790.

LISBON

city of seven hills

tRANSPORTATION

You can get to Lisbon from almost all of Portugal. We took a Flixbus from Porto for about 5 €. It can also be reached by train or plane. Flixbuses stop at Oriente Station, which connects you to the city center by metro or bus. We took the subway and the nice finding was that it was a through ticket (unless you leave the subway). Watch out for the ticket, if you lose it, the turnstile will not let you out. In the center you can get everywhere on foot.

tHE CITY

Lisbon is a big city full of different cultures, people and beton 😀 I apologize for the approach, but in short, Lisbon has disappointed me for the second time. On hot summer days, the center is unbearable, so one day was enough for us here. We slept in a hostel near the metro Anjos (not a very nice neighborhood), but we were close to everything. The only consolation for nature lovers was sunset on the Miradouro da Senhora do Monte viewpoint. Lisbon has a lot of beautiful places, it just acts a little hostile to me as a whole.

pINK STREET

Quite an overrated place for me. The intention was to make the Lisbon Red District a place of greater value. I think they achieved it. It attracts tourists who can sit here in restaurants. But I think the alley could be more maintained. Anyway, as a quick stop, it is a great place for a few photos.

BELÉM

Belém is a district with the most symbolic monuments of Lisbon. We walked along the promenade, you can also use the train. Our first stop was the Ponte 25 de Abril, which was interesting to see up close. Also the monument of the Discoverers, Torre de Belém and Mosteiro dos Jeronimos. It’s a little longer walk by Tagus river, but it suited us well after being in a hot center.

oTHER PLACES

There are many beautiful churches in Lisbon. Worth a visit are for example Convento do Carmo, Sé de Lisboa… A tourist in Lisbon should definitely not miss an elevator Santa Justa (which is enough to see from below), Arco da Rua Augusta, the photogenic restaurant Casa do Alentejo, see the local magic trams or one of the views on the hills right in Lisbon. I recommend ending the day at Miradouro da Senhora do Monte with sunset. Not far from the lookout is Pingo Doce, where we bought equipment in the form of cider, beer and dinner with us. Stop for good Asian food at the Mercado Oriental Martim Moniz and a cheap beer at the Erasmus Corner.

OUR 1 DAY PROGRAM

• DAY 1
• around 11:00 a.m. arrival in Lisbon, accommodation
• lunch
• walk in the city center through:
• Casa do Alentejo
• elevator Santa Justa, Convento do Carmo
• Arco da Rua Augusta
• pink street
• Elevador da Bica
• walk under Ponte 25 de Abril, here are several restaurants
• further around MAAT, Central Tejo
• monument of discoverers, Torre de Belém
• Igreja Santa Maria
• return by train to the center, transfer to the subway to Intedente
• sunset at Miradouro da Senhora do Monte

AVEIRO

PORTUGAL VENICE

tRANSPORTATION

Aveiro can be reached by bus or train. We took the opportunity to go by train from Porto. Some trains, which are faster, are much more expensive, so be careful which connection you choose. There is a bus service in the city. We managed everything on foot.

THE CITY

Aveiro is nicknamed the Portuguese Venice because it is interconnected with a few canals. Anyone who has been to Venice should certainly not expect Aveiro to look alike. But it is still a nice, relatively small town.

cANAL BOAT TRIP

A good way to get to know Aveiro is to buy a cruise on the canal. We sailed for about 8 € per person that included the local traditional desserts Ovos Moles directly in the A Barrica – Casa dos Ovos Moles.

OTHER PLACES

Other places to visit include Dom Pedro Infante park, Santo Antonio Park, the bridges along the Forum Aveiro, Praca de Peixe and Praia da Costa Nova.

OUR 1 DAY PROGRAM

• DAY 1
• around 9:00 a.m. train from Porto to Aveiro
• walk from the station around Antiga Fábrica Jerónimo Pereira Campos
• to Dom Pedro Infante park
• through Santo Antonio park
• moliceiros pier
• tour of surroundings – Praca de Peixe
• lunch in Forum Aveiro
• boat cruise + ovos moles
• tying a ribbon on the bridge of lovers
• walk to the train and return to Porto