5 Sweet Spots You Must See in Portugal

Portugal is probably my favorite country in Europe. No, I have not seen all of Europe, but there’s something about Portugal that stole my heart. So, brace yourself. You’re going to read a lot of ‘love’, ‘magic’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘wonderful’ in this one.

I generally only visit a place once. There’s so much of the world to see and I love exploring new places and cultures.

If you go to the same place twice, it seems to kind of lose a little bit of its magic. It’s like you get used to it and forget to appreciate it, because the novelty is gone.

There are a few that never lost that magic when I went there a second or even a third time. Portugal is one of those countries for me – the only one in Europe that sparked that feeling so far.

Shortly after returning from Brazil, at the beginning of 2017, I moved to Portugal. I was still a university student back then and I had applied for the Erasmus programme. That gave me the opportunity to study in another European country for a semester.

Out of all the countries available for a scholarship, it seemed like Portugal called my name.

So I listened. I lived in the beautiful city of Porto for 4 months and I was bursting with gratitude every single day. It felt like a true blessing to live in such a wonderful place.

_{Wonderful Porto}

In 2018, I returned to Portugal with some friends and my heart was filled with joy every moment of that trip.

The magic of the place was still there. Portugal never gets old for me.

During my time there, I’ve had the opportunity to visit quite a few different places. I know a lot of people visiting the country stop in Lisbon and nearby, and a lot of them make their way to Porto, as well.

Lisbon and Porto are indeed amazing to experience.

_Lisbon

Yet I don’t know how many take the time to explore the stunning beauty of the rest of Portugal.

So, here are 5 sweet spots I believe should be on your radar for when you visit Portugal:

1. Nazaré

Nazaré is known for the biggest waves in the world. A lot of surfers come to the area particularly to ride the ginormous waves. But it is a popular attraction for beach lovers, as well. You can see why if you look at this picture.

2. Peniche

Portugal has more than 1000 km of shoreline. Peniche is another ocean side town that looks like a little peninsula. A really nice spot that is part of Peniche are the Berlengas Islands, which unfortunately, I haven’t visited yet.

But even if you don’t make it to the Berlengas, Peniche has wonderful beaches and cool cliffs where you can chill and look into the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean.

3. Óbidos

A small town in the central area of Portugal, Óbidos emanates this medieval citadel vibe. The small cobblestone streets and colorful walls gave me a cute, playful feeling.

_{Me, walking in Óbidos}

The famous cherry liqueur Ginja or Ginjinha de Óbidos adds to the sweetness of this spot.

Nazaré, Peniche and Óbidos are fairly close to each other (approximately 45 minutes by car) and they’re less than 2 hours away from Lisbon. I visited all of them in just one day.

Obviously, if you want to lay on the beaches or just take it slow, you will need to spend more time in the area. Either way, it’s definitely worth sightseeing around.

4. Peneda-Gerês National Park

If you’re a nature lover like me, Peneda-Gerês National Park is absolutely for you. This sweet spot is about an hour and a half north from Porto, right on the border with Spain.

On our one day trip to Gerês, we did a wild hike up to a nice overlook. Unfortunately, as we got to the top, the weather got worse. The fog and clouds were so dense that we didn’t get to see much. It was a great experience, nevertheless.

5. Algarve

You know I saved the best for last. I’m in love with the ocean and the beach, so exploring this one was incredible.

This is more than a sweet spot, actually. The southern coast of Portugal called Algarve has a number of sweet spots that I absolutely fell in love with.

I loved this area so much, that it’s one of those spots where I returned less than a year later. To get there from Lisbon, it’s about a 3-hour drive. There’s also an international airport in the region, in Faro, in case you prefer flying somewhere closer.

On my first visit, I spent a day exploring the picturesque beaches around Lagos. If you love chillin’ on the beach, there are many of those, each with their own specific beauty.

_{Praia do Camilo}

Here is where you will find the most spectacular cliff formations. Some of the beaches that I liked are Praia de Dona Ana and Praia do Camilo. A super sweet spot that you really need to reach is Ponta da Piedade.