Portugal Visit May 20 - June 5, 2026
I am excited for my travel to Portugal. After walking last year’s Camino Portuguese that started on the Atlantic coast in Baiona, Spain, just north of the Portuguese border, I am primed for a Portuguese experience. I was in Portugal with my family in 2001. The people I met were welcoming and the country's history fascinating. I vowed to return. It only took 25 years!
My trip starts and ends in Lisbon. I will visit Nazare, on the Atlantic coast to see its famous, enormous surfing waves as I relish grilled octopus. While in Nazare, I look forward to catching up with a friend from San Francisco who is living in Portugal. In Coimbra I plan to tour the famous university library and campus grounds. I look forward to staying in the Douro Valley, with its scenic vineyards and delightful wines that will test my palate. Instead of drinking Port, in Porto, I have planned several walking tours to learn more about the city history, economics, and culture.
The map below highlights the main cities where I will stay.
Wednesday, May 20
I am grateful to have arrived in Lisbon without complications. It took about 24 hours from RWC via Madrid to my room in the hotel Rossio in Lisbon. True to its description in the Rick Steves 2026 Portugal guide, the hotel is perfectly, centrally located. After sitting and standing a lot “en route”, it was delightful to walk around Rossio and other nearby plaza areas. The granite cobble streets that were torn up and being rebuilt as Portugal gained funding from the European community in 2001, are fully in place. I learned from my airport driver that unfortunately, like most countries with abundant influx of cash, Portugal is not immune from corruption.
Hotel Rossio is a gem - convenient, tidy, efficient, with friendly, helpful staff.
The purple Jacaranda trees are in full bloom in front of my Rossio hotel.
Thursday, May 21
The Portuguese don’t sleep. I left my window open last night to get some fresh air. It was loud. Thankfully, a strong Starbucks coffee buzzed my morning. Then a walking tour of Lisbon’s center. I learned that the November 1, 1755 Great Lisbon earthquake (estimated magnitude 7.7 or greater), fires, and tsunami that killed 30,000 - 40,000 people and leveled most of Lisbon, triggered the birth of modern seismology. Geology surrounds us! Our walking tour started at the Tagus riverbank, where the tsunami engulfed people gathered in the square to escape crumbling buildings.
After the Big earthquake, buildings were rebuilt with tiles on the outside to provide a resistant barrier to fires and their spreading indoors. Metal bracing and corner stones were used to improve buildings structurally.
Lisbon is a city of many hills, so elevators and escalators connect the low and high spots in parts of the city. We walked up to one location where this elegant elevator was constructed using the style of the Eiffel Tower.
Friday, May 22.
Lots of walking today, up and down hills, stepps, using some elevator help. The frequent meeting point for guided walking tours is Rossio square, conveniently across from my hotel.
Wonderful view of Lisbon, the sister bridge to the Golden Gate, and Tagus River.
This church is the start of the Camino Portuguese, the walk I did last year, but my start was just north of the Portuguese border. Lisbon has many rooftop spaces for gathering. The one below was near the iron elevator area where I stumbled on a Caribbean band at sunset yesterday.
Saturday, May 23
Today I travel to Nazare via Flixbus. The bus station was well organized and I got to people watch for about an hour. I was early “just in case”. I used my e-ticket that I booked a few months ago to embark to my front seat, 1A. What a smooth ride!
Francisco was my guide to Nazare history, culture, and geography. Nazare’s roots for centuries are in fishing. 
The earliest settlors, 1000 - 800 BC, were Phoenicians. Nazaré’s ancient history is tied to the now-vanished Lagoa da Pederneira, a vast estuary. The Phoenician explorers established trading posts and fishing communities along the Atlantic coast. The region's rich maritime waters and safe lagoon access made it a vital stop on their trade routes to the tin mines of Cornwall. Today, the lagoon is gone, silted up, but the fishing remains with added tourism.
Following the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, the Romans conquered the area. The Romans used these coastal outposts to extract sea salt and salt fish. Due to frequent Viking and pirate raids, the earliest populations settled safely away from the crashing waves, establishing towns at Pederneira (in the hills overlooking the lagoon, where I am staying) and Sítio (the towering cliff-top, where I walked with Francisco). We took a tram up the hill.
Sítio is historically famous for the Legend of Nazaré. In 1182, Portuguese knight Dom Fuas Roupinho was saved from plummeting off the cliff while hunting, a miracle attributed to the Virgin Mary. I visited the small chapel commemorating the “miracle” finding of the centuries old small wooden statue of Mary breast-feeding her baby Jesus.
View from my balcony in Nazare. I am staying here because they have an outdoor pool, 🏊♀️. Nazare’s climate is much cooler than Lisbon, similar to Half-Moon Bay.
Sunday, May 24
I have been looking forward to catching up with a friend from SFPUC, Heather, who now lives north of Lisbon, not far from Nazare. By a strange chance, after some commotion at my initial hotel in Nazare, I moved to a hotel that is right across from the restaurant, Pangeia , where Heather made reservations for us weeks ago for a late lunch.
As you can see, the food was artistically presented and it was even more delicious: octopus tartar (cooked, paper thinly sliced-amazing on the palate), chickpea and potato blend, crostini with finely chopped seafood salad, bass with sweet potato purée, and a platter of grilled and baked (my favorite) octopus, sweet potato, baked potato, garnished with an edible seaweed wafer. Thank you Heather, great choice!
After our leisurely late lunch, Afonso, Heather’s partner, drove us to a park full of creative and clever art. We started in the African part of the park.
Obidos, then Caldas da Rainha. A very special day, today! Thank you Heather and Afonso!
Monday, May 25.
On FlixBus to Coimbra.
As I reviewed my Monday last night, I thought it was about time for a swim. So, after settling in at Hotel Vitoria, smack in the middle of center of old town, I hoofed it up hill to the public swimming pool. Swimming was a fine break from walking, but the chlorine was fierce! It was toasty this afternoon, I succumbed to the drip, stick, and melt before I hit the water. Hotel Vitoria is a lively location. I have all the windows open on both sides, so have a nice cross breeze, as the heat of the day lingers a bit. The hum of the evening is getting louder as people walk the streets and settle into outdoor food and drink experiences. Tomorrow, I have a full half-day of walking through town and up to the university of Coimbra to learn about this place from student guides. Maybe, just, maybe, I will sneak another swim in tomorrow afternoon. 😉
Tuesday, May 26
View from my room at hotel Vitoria. It is perfectly located, near bus lines, close to the train station, at the footsteps of the university, and of course lots of central area action.
University graduation is around the corner and they celebrate BIG here. Thank goodness I brought earplugs, the concert from the university lasted all night. I attribute my sound sleep to my swim yesterday.
After coffee and a light breakfast, I started walking to my meeting spot. Google maps announced it would be an 18-minute walk. The university, is one of the oldest in Europe, founded in 1290 by King Denis, is on the hill. I knew it would be a bit of a climb. It was first located in Lisbon to be close to the king, but the residents kept complaining about the unruly students. The university moved permanently to Coimbra in 1537. Due to its influence, architecture, unique culture, and traditions, in 2013, the university of Coimbra was declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO.
My tour guide for 3.5 hours, Bruno, is a former university of Coimbra history student, very enthusiastic, knowledgeable about European history generally, and specifically the history of the Iberian Peninsula. The above photos are: part of walkway to meet Bruno (Coimbra has many steep steps), King Denis, the entrance to the university, the student tradition of unclothing each other, then putting scraps of their clothing in the entrance, the university center, the entrance to the famous Joanina library (famous because of its grand architecture)- to keep the library moisture free they used woods for construction instead of stone and since its beginning, they use bats to keep the insects in control (super clever), university prison for students who did not obey the rules (that would have been me), bell tower to let students know time for class, UNESCO emblem, tile ceiling in one of the university rooms, restoration work by students, what king Denis actually looked like based on his sampled DNA - a 3D printed face, showing he did not look Portuguese, in fact he was of French heritage. I found this fascinating.
Wednesday, May 27
Portugal is in a heat wave, and Cambres in the Douro Valley will be hotter. I took the green bus right outside Hotel Vitoria to the Coimbra train station. All worked out well until Porto, where I had to change trains (no direct train to Douro Valley). So far, the 2 aspects of my adventure that have tripped me up are: turning on/off hot and cold water taps/showers and public numbering systems. The other day, after my shower, I couldn’t turn off the water - turned to the right, then to the left- it kept flowing. Embarrassed, I contacted the front desk. Oh, you turn it to the middle. Have I been dumbed down by American fixtures?
Today, in Porto, my first train was late, so I had to hustle to catch my train to Regua/Cambres. The electronic board told me: platform 13, easy, right? I looked to my right, platforms to 11, I looked to my left, platform 15…what happened to 13? After asking a few people, who pointed me in opposite directions, I only had 5 minutes before the train departed. I thought I was going to miss it, but a kind person showed me that platform 13 is on a different system, above.
After Coimbra, my current digs are too modern. The hotel is on the Douro river, which is the third longest river on the Iberian Peninsula. The Douro Valley has a long history (~2000 years) of growing wine grapes, dating back to the Romans. The Douro Valley is the only place in the world that can legally produce Port wine. It is designated a UNESCO world heritage site. I am hoping to sample wines from the region, but not Port (too sweet and strong).
I discovered a walking bridge to town near my hotel, so I went to check it out. And I found something else!
The wonderful thing about hot days are the warm evenings!
Thursday, May 28
My room overlooks the Douro River and in the evening, once the traffic dies down, the birds take over the sound.
In 1142 Cictercian monks planted the first vines in this area.
Traditionally, since the Romans, Portuguese growers plant grapes on the hill contours, along terraced areas. Sometimes the terraces are supported by rock walls. The mostly schist and slate bedrock, where the grapes’ roots penetrate, comprises very old rocks from the Cambrian and pre-Cambrian, more than 500 million years ago. In landslide-prone areas they plant olive trees, because the roots go deep and keep the slopes stable. Also, they plant fruit trees “for the birds”, so they eat the cherries, figs, apples, instead of grapes. To confuse male butterflies (and subsequent larvae that eat the grape leaves) they spray pheromones. Apparently, this method frustrates the males, so they fly away to mate somewhere else. Because the temperatures get very hot before harvest, the grapes receive a dusting of lime sunblock. On the estates, called Quintas, the best grapes are reserved for Port wine, which is between 18 - 22% alcohol after fortification with brandy. I prefer the Tinto blend wines with 13% alcohol. The process for both Porto and Tinto wines is manual. People stomp the grapes in an organized way, marching, and to music.
Friday, May 29
After breakfast and a swim, at 1 pm I left the beautiful Douro area for Porto by a local train. It is still hot, so the windows are open and convenient for taking photos. As we approached Porto, the Douro River widened, looked like a lake.
Porto is busy. Cranes highlight the skyline, the narrow road to old town jammed with taxis, like the one I took from the Porto Campanha train station. I am one of the millions of tourists the area receives. After settling in my small, but well-positioned hotel in old town, I needed an espresso boost. It did the trick. I ventured through the streets, found a small market with deliciously sweet strawberries, walked across the bridge that spans the Douro, and booked a ticket for the 6pm Fado show. Fado is a type of melancholy singing about life’s hardships, often about life of the poor, fate of working at sea, accompanied by guitar and other instruments. It means destiny and its origins are attributed to 1820s in Lisbon. It was a moving and emotional presentation.
Saturday, May 30
I love cultures that smile. Portuguese people smile. It doesn’t cost anything, but somehow some cultures don’t participate in this simple human connection. Today I went sailing on the Douro River to experience being on the water and riverside life. Of course it is very touristy, but I imagined the Portuguese lugging barrels of wine and Porto onto boats that sailed to England and other destinations. After the heavy het of the Douro Valley, in high 90s, today felt like natural California air conditioning, except it was from the Atlantic. Cool in the morning (low 60s, with drizzly fog). Cool enough for me to wear a scarf, a light sweater and a windbreaker. I started walking along the river shore to my sailing meeting spot and stopped along the way. One of the stops was a museum for the oldest Appalation in the world, 1756. Once I reached the meeting spot, I felt I was more in a beach town than a big city. It is the location where the Douro River empties to the Atlantic Ocean.
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Most of you have traveled in Europe and there is always something peculiar about the bathroom. In my current digs I think they are conserving hot water by letting the shower drain very, very slowly, so I could not relish taking a long shower because the base was almost overflowing.Sunday, May 31
Today started with a 3 and a half hour, small group, historic walking tour of old Porto. Our guide, Jose, was very knowledgeable. He is from Coimbra and a passionate, daily lap swimmer. Like some of us! I learned about the land discoveries by Henry the Navigator. We walked through old town and the walled Jewish area (not known why it was walled at the time because at the point in local history Jews were not persecuted) that was where the only doctors in Porto were available. So people from other parts of Porto came here to be healed. The prison was located in the middle of town to show the prisoners there could be life after prison. JK Rawlings, of Harry Potter fame, apparently lived in the area for many years and wrote her first book in Porto. Now there is a bookstore on a square, identifying her and lines of tourists to visit it (?!) Much to my surprise, we crossed markings for the Camino Portuguese, with its traditional yellow shell and arrow. The train station was covered in stories via tile. One of the places he took us to was the famous historical monument- the Stock Exchange Palace of Porto. This magnificent building is the headquarters of the Commercial Association of Porto that has existed for 190 years. It is still active. Because commerce has been the lifeblood of Porto, the purpose of the Commercial Association is to be a meeting point for commerce, promote progress and education for Porto and northern Portugal. One of its functions over the decades has been to deal with business disputes. We ended our tour with a knife opening of a sparkling wine.
Monday, June1
Portugal’s Pineda-Geres National Park is the only national park and about 2 hours northwest from Porto. It covers about 268 sq miles of mountain forests, and small towns. Its granitic terrain reminded me of the Sierras. The park borders Spain, just over the mountains. For me, it was a hiking day, following Roman roads, cooling off in pools fed by springs and waterfalls, and sharing stories with hikers from the UK, Portugal, and Austin.
Tuesday, June 2
It started like a San Francisco summer day- cold, cloudy, windy. Then, I went to Alvarenga with 4 other visitors to cross the suspension bridge over the Paiva River and then walk on the wood walkways along the river. Interesting construction and great accessibility to the area for visitors. Lunch in a small town tavern. Then on to Aveiro, known for tile making, paper pulp industry, and tourism.
Wednesday, June 3
Leaving Porto today. Trains are on strike, so my bullet train ticket is transformed into a bus ride. I’ll take it!
Thursday, June 4
A cool, breezy (73F) day on the Tagus River in Lisbon and walked some of the neighborhoods in Old Town. Some of the sights: Lisbon’s old town; Christ the King statue, inspired by the sane statue in Rio de Janeiro, monument to the discoveries to honor the 500th anniversary of Henry the Navigator and other explorers: Vasco da Gama, Pedro Alvarez’s Cabral, Ferdinand Magellan; Belem Tower, built to defend the entrance of Lisbon Harbor (1514-1520); 25th of April bridge, named after the 1974 revolution (does it look familiar?)
Portugal has been a special and kind treat!
Friday, June 5
Time to go home.