The Road Trip of a Lifetime 🚗

After 4 amazing years of college, my best friend and I decided to travel around Europe for a few weeks as a way to dissuade ourselves that our adult lives were beginning and our fun youthful years of college were over (cue those very familiar overdramatic tears). We had been dying to visit Portugal since we had heard the best things about Lisbon and had researched that the south of Portugal had some of the best beaches in Europe. Just a few days after graduation we packed our bags for Lisbon!

Lisbon

Day One: Much to our luck, we arrived in Lisbon during a heatwave and were greeted by an unusually warm and inviting climate for May. Once we arrived at our Airbnb in Bairro Alto we fought our jet lag by setting out for a full day of touristing. We started by getting a good look of the entire city at the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara- a beautiful viewpoint up in the hills of the city. We strolled down the hilly city and arrived at the city’s famous center, Praça do Comércio. The pastel-colored square had tourists and locals alike walking through it and taking in the beautiful day. After enjoying the breeze for a little while, we trekked up to the Castelo de San Jorge and saw the most breathtaking view of the city with a glass of wine in hand. Inevitably, the jet lag caught up to us as we were mid-dinner…..

Day Two: After catching up on our sleep, we woke up ready for some heavy-duty breakfast. So we headed to Fauna & Flora and devoured our delicious toasts & pancakes. After seeing a lot of Lisbon the day before, we decided to visit the Belém Tower, a beautiful ancient tower in the water, a little outside the city. It was the first point where exploration began from Portugal to undiscovered places all over the world. Just behind the tower, you see Jerónimos Monastery, a magnificent white church, and building by the river of Lisbon. As we walked back towards the city, we noticed the ornate detailing of the buildings. Each building after the next had it’s own color and pattern of tile almost as if it was their distinguishing factor. Since we were on the outskirts of the city, we decided to stop by LX Factory, a complex of restaurants and shops that we had heard was a must-see. The complex was located right underneath Lisbon’s bridge which gave it a certain charm as if it were hidden away. Inside, the complex was full of the cutest artisan shops and restaurants everywhere we turned. It reminded me a lot of another complex, Flora Farms in Cabo but in a city…. After we enjoyed our daily pastel de nata ~Lisbon’s famous egg pastry~ we headed back towards the city and to happy hour. Since it was the night before my 22nd birthday (woot woot!) we had a full night planned. We decided to start the night and watch the sunset at Park Bar, the top floor of a parking garage that was turned into a rooftop bar. Although somewhat hard to find, it had the most spectacular view and the best mojitos (that didn’t break the bank). The sun started to go down and it lit the city up in the most stunning orange light that made the city shine. Once we finished our drink (or two) we went to dinner on the rooftop of the Verride Palácio de Santa Catarina. Recognize the name maybe? We learned about the hotel and its restaurant because it was where the insanely enviable Revolve influencers stayed only a few weeks before while they were “working” in Lisbon. After a delicious seafood pasta and a view of the sunset all night, we went off to Pensão Amor for a drink. The bar was located along Pink Street ~where there is a lot of nightlife and bars~ and was hidden underneath a bridge. It was decorated in antique furniture and gave off a nostalgic Paris parlor in the 40’s vibe. At 12:00 we had some tequila and listened to live music to celebrate. It was the most perfect start to 22…. thanks to Gia :)

Day Three: Needless to say, the next morning we woke up with a blurry memory of the night and a pounding headache. After a very slow start to the morning, we eventually made it to a breakfast brunch at Topo Chiado with a stunning view of the hilly city. After brunch, we walked around a bit more and said goodbye to the city as we made our way to get our rental car. For a great rate and insurance coverage by AMEX (if you have a card they’ll insure you) driving to the South of Portugal was a no brainer for us. We drove across Lisbon’s red bridge and passed their Christ the King statue, just like in Sao Paolo, as we left Lisbon behind. We took a ferry from Setúbal across the channel and into a natural reserve. The terrain changed from a desert oasis to a lush forest right before our eyes. I would highly recommend driving through this area on the way to Lagos. We also made a stop at Sines where we finally saw the ocean before we got back on the road. We arrived at Lagos and had dinner in the little city at the cutest restaurant before ending the day, excited for our first beach day in the Algarve!

~with more time we would’ve loved to visit the Time Out Market & Palácio dos Marqueses da Fronteira~

Recommendations:

Restaurants: Dear Breakfast, Rooftop restaurant at Verride Palácio de Santa Catarina, Topo Chiado

Bars: Pensaó Amor, Park Bar, street bars along Bairro Alto

Tourist Sites: Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, Praça do Comércio, Castelo de San Jorge, Ascensor da Bica, , Miradouro de Santa Catarina, LX Factory, Belém Tower & Jerónimos Monastery (both a little outside the city)

*keep scrolling to hear about the Algarve*

*Praça do Comércio~ the iconic center of Lisbon that sits right next to the river and is a great tourist attraction*

Castle of St. George~ a magnificent castle that embodies the history of the city as it was occupied by the different invaders of Lisbon. Has a great view of the entire city and a great spot for a glass of wine

*Ascensor da Bica~ an iconic symbol of Lisbon, this funicular runs up and down a steep hill in the center of Lisbon*

*Tower de Belém~ served as a gateway for ships from around the world into Lisbon and as the departure point from where European trade began with China and India*

*LX Factory~ a collection of unique boutiques & restaurants at the edge of the city. Reminded me of Flora Farms in Cabo- highly recommend!*

*Park Bar~ a rooftop parking lot in Bairro Alto that turned its top floor into a bar- a perfect spot to watch the sunset!*

*Verride Palácio de Santa Catarina Hotel~ beautiful hotel with another great spot for a sunset dinner*

*Topo Chiado~ rooftop restaurant in the Sacramento area of Lisbon. Yummy food in the coolest space with the best view!!*

The Algarve 🌊

Day One: After having spent a full day in the car, we were excited to finally get to the beaches of the Algarve that we had heard so much about! Our first stop in Lagos was a lookout point, Ponta da Piedade, where we saw the picturesque cliffs cut into the turquoise, teal, and deep blue ocean of Southern Portugal. The bluffs offer a spectacular view of Lagos along with stairs that lead you down to its famous coves. The jagged rock formations at this spot were spectacular, formed after centuries of waves crashing against the edge of the bluffs. After our impromptu hike, which you can imagine we didn’t have the correct shoes for, we headed to a long-stretch beach, Praia Dona Ana, to lay down and relax in the sun. ~The waves were unusually big for the Algarve region due to strong winds but usually, the beaches are very calm~ After tanning, reading, making friends and taking film pictures we drove to the Western part of Portugal where we could watch the sunset over the ocean. After a surprisingly quick drive we arrived at Praia da Arrifana on the West Coast of Portugal ~crazy how you can drive from one coast of a country to another in about 30 minutes compared to the hours it takes in California~ This was hands-down one of the most beautiful places, let alone beaches, I have ever seen. In the delicate light of the golden hour, we saw surfers riding the glistening waves. This was without a doubt my favorite beach of the weekend and is forever engrained in my memory as what I imagine heaven to look like… Per our Airbnb host’s suggestion, we headed to a bluff, on top of Praia da Cordoama, to watch the sunset at the most Western point of Europe- once thought to be the end of the world. We watched the sunset reflect on the ocean and eventually disappear behind the seemingly never-ending ocean.

Day Two: After a great breakfast at our hotel, we set out again to a famous surfing beach on the West side of Portugal. When we arrived at Sagres, it was another breathtaking view of enormous cliffs in turquoise waters with surfers riding the waves down below. We walked down to the beach (Praia do Tonel) that sat in between the two huge cliffs. We hung out for hours on the beach basking in the sun while we watched the surfers catching waves followed by Gia giving surfing a shot.

Day Three: After our second full day in the sun we were starting to accumulate a pretty formidable tan we were both a bit too proud of so without complaining too much we set out for another full beach day. We drove to a beach that was a smaller cove-like beach, unlike the long surfing beaches we had been to. After walking through an underground tunnel in a cliff, we emerged on a packed picturesque beach. The calm inlet, Praia do Carvalho, reminded me a lot of the cliffs and coves of Laguna Beach at home… In the same fashion as the days before we read, took polaroid pictures, and ended the day with a glass of wine by the water practicing some Portuguese with the locals. Both nights in Faro, we had dinner at a beautiful outside restaurant, Apertivo Bar, in the heart of the little town that served spectacular seafood that I enjoyed for myself and vegetarian Gia ;)

Day Four: By our last beach day, we had finished reading all of our books, used up all our film and Polaroids we brought, had fully detoxed from our late nights in Lisbon, and were getting uncomfortably close to a severe 2nd-degree sunburn. So we were excited for our last beach day but also happy to be traveling to a city soon… We drove through a beautiful national park until we arrived at a tranquil beach, Praia do Ancao. We enjoyed the warm water and lounged on the beaches of Portugal for the last time. We left Portugal with a deep love for its city and beaches and a tan to prove we thoroughly enjoyed our time in the sun.

~I cannot recommend ENOUGH how vital it was for us to have a car in the Algarve. The region is extremely large and the amazing beaches stretch from one coast of the country to another. The rental car gave us the mobility to visit multiple beaches a day and go anywhere we pleased!~

Beaches: Ponta da Piedade (lookout), Camilho, Praia Dona Ana, Arifana, Praia da Cordoama, Praia do Tonel, Praia do Carvalho, Praia do Ancao