A Week in Portugal: Porto, Nazaré & Lisbon

After checking into Eurostars Porto Centro, which ended up being a fantastic home base for exploring the city, we headed straight to Mercado do Bolhão. The beautifully restored market was our first real introduction to Porto, and we spent time sampling port wine, sharing beef tartare, and browsing the local vendors inside. From there, we wandered through the surrounding streets, went into antique shops, crossed Praça da Liberdade, and eventually found ourselves at Torre dos Clérigos, whose iconic bell tower seems to appear throughout the city skyline.

That evening, we had dinner at Café Santiago, one of Porto's most famous spots for Francesinha. The legendary sandwich—layered with meat, topped with an egg, and covered in a rich tomato-beer sauce—was every bit as indulgent as advertised. We finished the night with gelato from Gelataria Portuense and spent the rest of the evening strolling through the city. One thing we learned immediately: Porto is incredibly walkable, but the hills are no joke.

The next day, we joined a guided day trip from Porto to Aveiro, often referred to as the "Venice of Portugal," thanks to its canals and colorful moliceiro (gondola) boats. We cruised through the waterways, sampled ovos moles for the first time, and learned about Santa Joana, the Portuguese princess who abandoned royal life to become a nun and spent the remainder of her life at the local convent. Hearing the stories behind the city's landmarks made the experience far richer than simply wandering on our own.

One of our favorite moments was tying a ribbon on one of Aveiro's bridges before continuing on to Costa Nova, a small seaside village famous for its colorful striped houses. It felt like walking through a postcard and became one of the most photographed stops of our trip.

On the way back, we visited Capela do Senhor da Pedra, a chapel built directly on the rocks overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Seeing it emerge from the misty coastline was surreal.

Back in Porto, we had dinner at Cantinho do Avillez, one of Chef José Avillez's restaurants. The octopus and filet were standout dishes, and it was our first introduction to a chef whose restaurants would become a recurring theme throughout the trip.

Traveling between cities in Portugal was surprisingly easy. We took the train from Porto to Nazaré and enjoyed watching the countryside roll by along the way.

After checking into Hotel Mar Bravo, located directly on the beachfront, we started our first day in town with brunch at Augusta Nazaré. Their famous brunch platter absolutely lived up to the hype.

Later, we took the bus up to Sítio, the cliffside neighborhood perched high above town. The views over Praia de Nazaré and Praia do Norte were breathtaking and immediately explained why this stretch of coastline is so famous.

We continued walking toward Farol de Nazaré, Forte de São Miguel Arcanjo, and the Surf Museum. The museum ended up being one of the biggest surprises of the trip. We knew Nazaré was famous for giant waves, but learning about the underwater Nazaré Canyon and Garrett McNamara's record-breaking rides gave us a much greater appreciation for the area's surfing culture. We spent a long time sitting on the cliffs simply watching surfers below and taking in the view. Sometimes those unplanned moments become the most memorable.

That evening, we had dinner at Taberna d'Adélia and ordered the seafood stew, which ended up being one of our favorite meals in Nazaré.

We intentionally kept our second day in Nazaré slow.

One thing that surprised us about Portugal's Atlantic coast was how different it felt from the Mediterranean destinations we had visited previously. Even in late September, the weather shifted frequently between sunshine, mist, and low clouds rolling in from the ocean. Instead of taking away from the experience, it added a dramatic atmosphere that felt uniquely Portuguese.

We spent most of the day on Praia de Nazaré, walking the beach, watching the waves, and wandering through town whenever we felt hungry. The waves here are powerful, but the beach itself is wide, beautiful, and incredibly relaxing.

Nazaré was where we slowed down the most during the entire honeymoon. It didn't require a packed itinerary. It was simply a place to enjoy being there.

We traveled from Nazaré to Lisbon by FlixBus, which was comfortable and affordable, and which offered great views of the countryside along the way.

In Lisbon, we checked into Pestana Rua Augusta, which was our most upscale hotel of the trip. The location could not have been better, placing us directly in the heart of the city.

After settling in, we spent the afternoon exploring Lisbon's famously steep streets, browsing antique shops and getting lost in the city's neighborhoods. At one point, we wandered over to Pink Street, Lisbon's well-known nightlife district. Truthfully, it wasn't a favorite. We were glad we saw it once, but it felt crowded and more geared toward nightlife tourism than the authentic character we found elsewhere in the city.

Later, we stopped at Mini Bar by José Avillez for wine and tapas before continuing our evening through Mercado da Baixa. Somewhere along the way, I found a strawberry ice cream with pistachio fudge that remains one of the best desserts I've ever had.

We joined a day tour to Sintra, and there is no denying how visually stunning it is. Nestled among forested hills, Sintra feels like a storybook town filled with palaces, castles, and winding roads. The highlight of our visit was Pena Palace, the colorful hilltop residence built by King Ferdinand II in the 19th century. Seeing it emerge through the clouds was unreal.

One thing we appreciated about joining a tour was not having to navigate the logistics ourselves. Even during shoulder season, the crowds were significant, and having transportation and timing handled for us made the day much smoother.

That said, Sintra was also the one place where we felt the impact of overtourism most strongly. The crowds were unavoidable, and it was sometimes difficult to connect with the destination beyond the sheer volume of visitors. It remains beautiful and worth seeing, but it was a more complicated experience than the picture-perfect images online might suggest.

After Sintra, our tour continued to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe. Standing on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic Ocean was one of the most memorable moments of the entire trip.

Back in Lisbon, we spent golden hour walking through Mercado da Baixa before heading to Restaurante Elevador for dinner. The tuna tartare, breaded chicken, and meat bolognese were all excellent. We ended the evening with loaded fries from Potato Project and drinks back at our hotel bar.

Our final full day was very well spent. We joined a Secret Food Tour of Lisbon, and it became the best food experience of the entire honeymoon. Our guide, Marta, introduced us to neighborhoods, restaurants, and stories we never would have discovered on our own.

One highlight was Bifanas do Afonso, a tiny local institution known for its bifana sandwiches. The line wrapped around the corner, but Marta navigated the crowd and had us eating within minutes.

Throughout the tour, we sampled sardines, regional specialties, pastries, and local wines while learning about the city's culinary history. By the end, we'd worked our way through more dishes than we could count. The tour concluded with a warm pastel de nata dusted with cinnamon and paired with espresso, which was the perfect farewell to Portugal before our flight home the next day.