I meant to add this to my final trip report post. Here is a brief summary of some of my post trip thoughts: I think I did most of the things on my list but not all. Maybe someday I can return to Portugal, because if I could, I would. I would highly recommend Lisbon, Portugal as a wonderful (and as Jonathan mentioned and I agree) and affordable travel destination.
Lisbon is beautiful and there are so many things to see and do here. I tried to post about as many of my experiences as I could. My favorite neighborhood besides where my apartment was in the Chiado district, was the Alfama neighborhood for it's history and charm. Some of the streets are so narrow that you have to step to the side. I found that charming. Don't worry because you can hear when a tram is coming. The people here are so friendly and welcoming. My favorite viewing point was at the Miradouro Porto Dol Sol which has a nice little self service cafe and sitting area. I think my favorite monument is the monument of Discoveries, my favorite church is a tie between the Church of Sao Roque and Cathedral Se. I also enjoyed visiting the National Tile Museum, the Coach Museum and the LX Factory
Sintra - Cabo da Roca - Cascias: I loved Sintra and would have preferred to have spent more time here and even an overnight. I bought my round trip train tickets with the Bus pass combo at the Lisbon Rossio station. I had read somewhere about this three town circuit itinerary, so I followed it. I only had time to visit the Pena Palace which was great, but had to skip other significant places to make my way to Cabo da Roca and Cascais. I liked Cabo da Roca but was a bit meh on Cascais.
Evora - I loved it here for his pretty historic center and Roman Temple. It was a quick day trip but I think it has great potential for an overnight trip too. It is a 1.4 hour train ride away from Lisbon.
Fatima - This beautiful town makes a wonderful day trip and I loved it for both it's historic and religious significance. If you are drawn to this type of experience, this is a must visit. There is a beautiful Sanctuary here.
Obidos - This is a very small little village and I stayed in a hotel located within the historic Castle walls. It is a very beautiful and charming little town and although I really loved it here, I think two nights was too long and I would have loved to have tacked on a day to Porto or made Sintra an overnight stay. You can pretty much see Obidos (only a short one hour bus ride away) in one day. Still, I had a lovely relaxing time and would recommend it as a quick day trip.
Porto - I loved Porto and there is so much to see and do here. I did a nice wine tasting tour which was fun and had fun exploring down by the Douro river and walking across the bridge for some nice photos. It was a really relaxing time here and I think although it is a bit farther away (3 hour day trip) it is a great city to visit. I would rather have spent more time here (3 days) as I felt rushed and did not get to see more due to time constraints.
- Transportation: I used a combination of trains, local buses, trams, the occasional taxi and walked and walked. The trams are very easy to figure out. The stops are labeled and as long as you know the direction and destination of the tram you need. When my itinerary called for it, I did invest in the day pass (they sell them in kiosks and tobacco shops) and come in 24, 48, 72 hours. You need to place the card against this yellow box behind the driver and wait for the green light to go on and do it each time you hop on.
Definitely do ride Tram 28 as it does give you an overall look at some of the neighborhoods, but be extra careful of pick pockets when riding (and even while walking). I used my security neck pouch for all my bills and only carried coins in a little coin purse and I secured my camera bag with a lock/latch especially after I nearly got pick pocketed. Also there are 3 train stations and I used two different bus stations. Depending where you are going will dictate which station you will depart from.
I pretty much bought my tickets the day I left with the exception of Porto which I managed to purchase online using
THIS (Comboios de Portugal CP) link. There is an English version of it. I saved the email to my itouch to show the conductor but he didn't even need it. I was able to secure a ticket for each of my other day trips right before departing. Please note, however, that my travel dates are in the slow month of November.
- ATM's are practically on every corner and I had no problems using them. I used the ones that were labeled MB. And they have language options which made it very easy to use.
- Food, loved their seafood dishes and their desserts are the best (next to gelato) that I have had while traveling.
I'm sure that I'm missing some details, but I wanted to write down my post trip thoughts and share them before I forgot them.
I'm trying to hit as many of them as possible.
