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11 days in Portugal itinerary recommendations

Peace,
We returned from a family trip (with 3 teenagers) from Portugal. 11 days. 4 in Lisbon (including Sintra), 3 in Porto and 4 days between Lisbon and Porto by car. I am attaching some of my recommendations/insights from the trip (I will try to update in relation to the large amount of information that is available in the Facebook groups). Feel free to send questions if you have and maybe I can help. enjoy…
  1. The menson restaurant in Lisbon was excellent (recommend the gazpacho soup, the fried calamari main, and the padron peppers). Book in advance.
  2. Breakfast at Miolo in Belem. One of the best things we had on the trip - not to give up the French toast.
  3. We love contemporary art and booked a tour of the modern art museum at the Museu Coleção Berardo in Belém. An excellent hour and a half and recommended for fans of the genre. 60 euros for a tour for the whole family. I agreed through the museum's email.
  4. Pena Palace is overrated in my opinion. The part inside the palace is not worth the investment of the crazy queues in my opinion (which is really a personal matter - everyone has what they like). I would definitely recommend to be satisfied with a tour of the walls and the balcony (from what I saw there was no problem accessing the balconies and the walls through the cafeteria at the entrance to the palace) from there go for a walk in the gardens and exit through the lower gate of the gardens.
  5. On the other hand - the Moorish Citadel was very beautiful with a spectacular view - it's worth spending time walking around the walls. Note that if you arrive with Bolt or Uber, it can accidentally take you to the back entrance and from there the ride is significantly longer (from experience 🤦🏻♂️) so make sure you arrive from the direction of the entrance that is close to Pena.
  6. Regalira Palace may be nice but the queue for the initiation well was crazy, even longer than the entrance to Pena Palace. In the end we gave up and just walked around the gardens and the palace.
  7. Ovidosh - it is recommended to walk on the wall. You can go up immediately after the gate at the entrance, stick to the western side and go down the fortress at the other end and then go back through the city alleys. A nice trip for an hour or two.
  8. Nazra, arrive half an hour before sunset at the lighthouse building in the upper city (Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo) and watch the sunset including a view of the city during sunset. overpowering. Before that, you can go down the path that descends towards the city down to a third of the height - and there is a cute swing with a view of the city (Baloiço da Ladeira). I would also recommend a daytime tour of the sardine and fish drying area on the beach (Seca do Peixe).
  9. Aveiro - nice, but in my opinion the cruise is unnecessary. In retrospect, I would recommend walking around the bridges and canals and in the old city, tying a ribbon (like the locks in Paris) on a bridge, tasting the local sweets (not that they are tastes - but it's kind of a MUST : ) )
  10. I highly recommend a short tour also in CASTA NOVA and the houses with the stripes (Calçada Arrais Ançã) - a comforting atmosphere and a lovely beach (Praia da Costa Nova).
  11. A two-hour evening cruise on the Douro - we did it with a yacht of the Ânima Durius company in Pinhao and it was perfect, including a glass of port wine that they served us.
  12. The view from the south bank of Porto (Jardim do Morro) at sunset is very beautiful, come 30 minutes before to take a seat on the grass, there are artists performing and the atmosphere is very good.
  13. A perfect restaurant in Porto - MUU. A chef restaurant of meats. A bit expensive (compared to the prices of Portugal but certainly not compared to the prices of Israel) our best meal on the trip in Portugal. Try the egg-shaped panna cotta dessert - it is both beautiful and delicious.
  14. Breakfast in Porto at Garden Porto, also here - don't miss the French toast (the best we've eaten). You will thank me.
  15. SIM and communication - there is good WIFI everywhere (hotel, restaurant and shops). For the past two years, I've only been using AIRALO's Esim, I've been traveling a lot. It's the most comfortable for me. I also used AIRALO in Portugal and it worked perfectly everywhere. You are welcome to use the coupon ASF0147 and earn a $3 discount (2G costs $7 so after the discount only $3 comes out). Full disclosure I will also enjoy a $3 discount on my next ride : ).
  16. Tax refund - Tax Free in Porto. For every purchase over 63 euros, you will ask the seller for TAX FREE. They will ask you for your passport (maybe a photo is enough - I didn't check) to enter details. Collect all receipts and sign where necessary. When you arrive at the field in Porto, if you have checked in online, go with your shopping, passport and boarding pass to the customs officer located in the office in the center of the third floor in the back (if you did not check in online, check in at the field and then go to the customs officer). We were not asked to see the purchases. The customs official will also explain to you where to submit the receipts for a refund (according to what appears on the receipts - one of the companies for the refund is on floor 0 even before you go through security and Global Blue (which is the main company) is in the duty free next to Swarovski or can be found in a number of places in the duty free Containers where you can chain the envelope with the receipts (provided you requested a refund to the credit card).

Assaf's excellent trip summary, thank you very much! To read the original post, click here

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