I recently returned from an amazing week’s vacay with my family. Now I understand why everyone has been there, is there, is planning to go there, or wants to go there. We were blessed with mostly magical weather, manageable crowds, terrific food and drink, and very warm and friendly people.
We were mostly in Lisbon and Porto, with a few other stops. I had great coffee, though unfortunately I didn’t have the opportunity to visit as many places as I would have liked in Porto. To spare my family I didn’t go through my usual picture taking frenzy at cafés, so here’s a list interspersed with the usual tourist pics – those of you who follow my social media accounts have likely seen these – and a couple non-coffee things.
First, a tip for anyone traveling anywhere in Europe, European Coffee Trip is *the* guide you need to find specialty cafés and roasters. It quickly became my primary coffee resource for this trip.
view from the bedroom of our AirBnB in Porto
COFFEE – Porto
- Combi Coffee
- Fábrica Coffee Roasters (Rua do Souto)
Places I wish I’d visited include:
COFFEE – Lisbon
So many great cafés, almost all of which have delicious food, including chains with multiple cafés around the city – I’ve marked the outlets I visited but you should expect similar results at their other cafés. Many open at 9:00 am or later so plan accordingly.
If that’s too late for your coffee and/or breakfast fix, here are some suggestions that have terrific breakfast. All are in Baixa/Chiado (the area we stayed), though the first two also have outlets elsewhere around town.
- Copenhagen Coffee Lab (opens 8:00 – we visited the Baixa outlet)
- The Folks (opens 8:30 – I went to their original location in Chiado)
- Hygge Kaffe (opens 8:00)
The other places I visited which also garnered the Coveted Asterisk of QualityTM were:
- Baobá Café Portugal
- The Coffee (Douradores)
- Fábrica Coffee Roasters (Rua do Comércio)
The ones I was sorry to miss include:
- Buna Specialty Coffee Shop
- Hello, Kristof
- Liberty Lisbon
- Olisipo Coffee Roasters
- Simpli Coffee
- SO Coffee Roasters
NON-COFFEE STUFF
Porto, Lisbon, and many other places you may visit are often very hilly. Be prepared with the right shoes, and be realistic about your capacity for walking them.
Great food (particularly seafood) abounds, and prices were uniformly much lower than in the US and Western Europe. Pasteís de nata, the ubiquitous egg tarts, are so delicious.
Avoid outdoor restaurants in tourist areas with friendly guys holding menus inviting in passing pedestrians.
Vinho verde (green wine) is not the color green, but light, refreshing young white wine that is slightly carbonated.
I loved ginja, the national liqueur made from sour cherries. Often served in tiny shots, sometimes in a chocolate cup. If you visit the beautiful walled city of Óbidos, you’ll find the local variety in most every storefront and sidewalk stands.
The metro, bus, tram, and commuter rail networks in Lisbon and Porto are terrific, clean, and safe. The intercity train between Porto and Lisbon is very easy and comfortable. Uber and Bolt ride sharing operate in large towns and cities.
Beautiful tile work is everywhere: houses, museums and palaces, the many churches and cathedrals, and train and metro stations. The entry hall of Porto’s main Sao Bento train station is stunning, and the tile museum in Lisbon (Museu Nacional do Azulejo) is worth a visit.
Sintra is an easy day trip from Lisbon with several sites worth seeing. The Palácio de Pena is worth the crowds – try to book it first thing or end of the day – particularly for the grounds and views. The Palácio Nacional in the middle of the historic town is much less crowded and the interiors will blow you away. It’s also an easy walk from the train station for your 30 minute ride back to Lisbon.
Feels like we only scratched the surface during our trip, with so much more to see and do in the cities we visited as well as other parts of the country.
