The Ever-Changing Weather of Portugal and Hiking in Sintra, March 2024【111】

I took two days off at the beginning of March and traveled to Portugal for four days and three nights.

I flew from London to Porto and took a train to the city center.

There was a long line at the airport ticket machine because people were confused about how to buy tickets.

Right next to the station where I got off in the city was the Almas Chapel, so I did a bit of sightseeing.

I went to the accommodation, dropped off my luggage, and then headed out for lunch.

I tried Francesinha, a specialty of Porto.

It consisted of steak, ham, and cheese sandwiched in bread, topped with an egg and a creamy sauce.

It paired perfectly with Super Bock, a Portuguese beer, and came with fries, making it quite filling.

After satisfying my hunger, I went for a walk around the city, sightseeing.

The grand McDonald's

São Bento Station has a tiled building.

It's enjoyable to look at even if you're not taking a train.

I found an egg tart shop while sightseeing and stopped for dessert.

I walked around the city and headed to Livraria Lello & Irmão, a bookstore.

It's a bookstore where you can actually buy books, but the building itself is very stylish.

At that time, I was able to purchase tickets online after arriving at the bookstore, but there was quite a line, so it's better to make a reservation in advance.

After buying a book and leaving the bookstore, the sun was already starting to set.

I walked along the river, stopping at a shop with a nice view for a glass of wine.

As night fell, I had dinner at Tasca Baldracca, a Portuguese restaurant.

I didn't take many photos, but the octopus was delicious.

On the way back to the accommodation, I enjoyed the night view from the bridge.

That day in Porto, the weather was very changeable, with rain, sunshine, and cloudy skies throughout the day.

Morning of the second day in Portugal.

I left the accommodation and had breakfast at a nearby café.

A triple combo of carbs.

Everything was delicious but heavy.

That morning, I took a train to Lisbon.

After about three hours, I arrived in cloudy Lisbon.

I left my luggage at the hotel and went sightseeing.

I walked to Comércio Square and the sea area, then did a bit of hill climbing.

I entered São Jorge Castle and looked down at the city of Lisbon from a high point.

The clouds cleared up quite a bit, creating a very magical scenery.

I thought the combination of the sea, mountains, and city resembled a bit of the Japanese landscape.

As the sun gradually set, the streets lit up and became even more beautiful.

After a lot of walking and feeling hungry, I headed back while looking for a place for dinner.

The restaurant I wanted to enter was fully booked and required a reservation, so I reluctantly went to a nearby place.

This place turned out to be a great find.

The menu was written on the restaurant's wall in chalk, and the system was to take a picture with your camera and order while looking at your photo.

I had octopus, croquettes, braised cheek meat, and chocolate-covered carrot cake with wine.

Since I had to wake up early the next day, I went back to the hotel and went to bed right away.

Morning of the third day in Portugal.

After having breakfast at the hotel, I went to the station.

It was a buffet-style breakfast, but since I wanted to catch a train that departed about 30 minutes after breakfast started, I ate quickly and ran to the station.

I ended up ordering an omelet that was cooked in front of me, which took more time than I had anticipated.

I managed to catch the train and headed to Sintra.

Sintra is a town less than an hour away from Lisbon, and its beautiful scenery is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

From Sintra station, I took a bus to Pena Palace and hiked up the mountain from the bus stop to the palace.

I realized along the way that the route shown on Google Maps was quite steep, and I ended up hiking up the mountain for about 30 minutes.

There is also a bus that goes directly from Sintra station to the front entrance of the palace, so it's worth checking this beforehand.

I arrived just in time for the reserved ticket entry and was able to get in.

As a former royal summer residence, the view was great, and it was a bit cooler than ground level (although we were hot from the hike).

After touring the palace, we had a short café break and headed to the next sightseeing spot.

The Castle of the Moors.

It is said to be the Great Wall of Portugal.

You can look down over the town of Sintra along the castle walls.

Pena Palace is also visible nearby.

After touring the castle, I took a bus to the Sintra National Palace.

But first, lunch.

The sauce had a unique flavor I had never tasted before and was delicious.

The palace was very well preserved, and I was particularly impressed by the many depictions of animals throughout.

After leaving the palace, I had some ice cream and headed to the next sightseeing spot.

The Palace of Regaleira.

Here, you can see the palace and the surrounding expansive gardens.

Exploring caves, wells, and waterfalls is fun, but what really catches your eye is the palace itself.

From a distance, it's hard to tell what kind of structure it is, but up close, you can see lines drawn on the walls.

Due to renovations that mixed several styles, the palace has this mysterious appearance.

After leaving the Palace of Regaleira, I took a train back to Lisbon.

I watched the evening cityscape for a bit, then had a simple dinner at the hotel.

I ate canned anchovies I bought on the first day in Lisbon on crackers, paired with port wine bought in Porto.

The last day in Portugal.

We had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel.

Since we had some time before our flight, we strolled around parts of Lisbon we hadn't yet explored.

It was a hot day, so the ice cream from Santini was delicious.

The sea looks beautiful when the weather is nice.

We were a bit early, but we took the train from Lisbon to the airport with plenty of time to spare.

And so, our trip to Portugal came to an end.

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