Our Lisbon & Porto Twin Centre Adventure
Lisa and Lawrence feeling on top of the World at The Santa Just Elevator, Lisbon, Portugal
Day 1 – Lisbon
Ola from Lisa and Lawrence in Portugal! We arrived and it was just such beautiful sunny day in Lisbon!
After a short 20 minute transfer from Lisbon airport to our city centre hotel, The 7 Hotel, which is just in the best location – halfway between Comercio Square and The Avenida Liberdade.
Custard tarts, Lisbon, Portugal
We headed out straight away to see some our most popular hotels, along the way sampling Portugal’s finest treats, their custard tarts. Which are in almost every café we went by – very yummy!
At night we headed to the Baire Alto area of Lisbon for dinner where we ate. As it was a warm evening we opted to sit outside to enjoy a juicy steak and glass of wine!
Day 2 – Lisbon
Classic tram, Lisbon, Portugal
We woke early for a morning of sightseeing. Our first stop was The Santa Just Elevator, just a two minute walk from our hotel. We were so glad we went early as we managed to avoid any queues. The panoramic views of Lisbon and St Georges castle from the top were just fantastic, especially on such a sunny day – we were very lucky.
Lawrence at St George’s Castle, Lisbon, Portugal
Then we headed over to Sao Jorge Castle by bus, as it’s quite a hilly walk and the bus was really quick. Entrance fee was reasonable and was worth every penny. The magnificent views and stunning old castle grounds to walk around was lovely.
We opted to take the tram back down instead of the bus. It takes you on a small tour around the city and is a great experience, a must do in Lisbon!
In the afternoon we visited some more of our hotels including the Four Seasons Ritz which has an amazing indoor swimming pool and it’s own running track – very cool!
Day 3 – Porto
Sao Bento Train Station, Porto, Portugal
It was an early start for our second city on our trip – Porto! As it was raining quite heavily we opted to take a quick taxi to the train Station, you can however also take the metro if you wish which is a 45 minute journey.
After 3 hours on the train we arrived at Sao Bento Train Station in Porto!
We managed to walk to our hotel from the train station, The Mercure Porto Centro, a lovely modern hotel located on Batalha Square, just by the main shopping street.
We checked out the main shopping area, Rua Santa Catarina, which was full of big high street names and some little boutique shops and cute cafes. We were lucky enough to stop at one, The Majestic Café for a coffee and bite to eat to keep us going for some more sightseeing in the heat!
Ribeira Square Restaurant, Porto, Portugal
We had an enjoyable walk down to the Douro River area also known as Ribeira or Ribeira square. There were lots of nice outdoor seafood restaurants here, all of which had an amazing view of the river. We stopped at Ribeira Square Restaurant, which was just the best find! The staff were lovely, the food was delicious and all at very reasonable prices. We finished off the night by trying a local ‘Port’ each – we loved it!
Day 4 – Porto
Lawrence at Cathedral, Porto, Portugal
We decided to get the ‘hop on/hop off bus tickets, it really was a great way to experience the city by open top in the nice weather. We hopped off at the Porto Cathedral, an impressive Roman Catholic Church in the centre of Porto, It is one of the city’s oldest monuments and well worth a visit.
Douro River, Porto, Portugal
After the bus tour we jumped on a boat for a short Douro River cruise with an audio guide. We got to see all of the bridges and buildings of Porto and the other side of the city, Vila Nova De Gaia.
For lunch we thought we would try to the local dish of ‘Franceshinha’ which can only be described as a sandwich with breakfast items inside, covered in cheese with a beer sauce poured over the top! Interesting to say the least…
Before heading back to the airport we spent the afternoon near the Douro River again as we loved it here! We managed to get the perfect seat outside and watched all the street performers in the sun with the backdrop of the river, picture-perfect!
Then before we knew it we were heading to the airport and back to Edinburgh we went!
Lisa with her map!
We had the most amazing time in both Lisbon and Porto and loved combining it as a two centre trip. From the stunning weather to the delicious food and beautiful views we couldn’t recommend these cities enough!
To find out more about Lisa and Lawrence’s twin centre trip to Lisbon and Porto give them a call on 0131 243 8098 or send us an email.
