A Road Trip in Europe: Part 1 - Portugal

As I'm sure many readers will understand, one's wanderlust doesn't really get satiated by the occasional trip or two per year, so it is common for travelers to find themselves dreaming about longer trips which would allow them to explore different countries and cultures during a longer time. Unfortunately, many people find it impossible to plan such adventures, many times due to work obligations that don't leave much free time for travelling.

When I found myself at the end of the contract that took me to Sweden and didn't really know yet what was going to follow, it felt like the perfect opportunity to explore Europe on a long road trip, taking us across Europe and all the way from Portugal to Sweden.

I am usually the kind of traveler who likes to plan everything to the last detail, way in advance of the trip. But, in the case of this amazing road trip, I let go of my usual travel-planning routines and went with the flow. It turned out to be one of the best trips I have ever done. Starting in Portugal and knowing only that the end destination would be Sweden, everything else was wide-open - and it felt amazing.

GUARDA

With all the excitement and anticipation of the longest trip we had ever embarqued on, our European road trip got off to a perfect start in Guarda - right by the border to Spain.

Following hilly roads taking us all the way up to the city, we found our cozy family Hotel where we enjoyed an amazing night of peaceful sleep. Waking up in Guarda the next morning really felt like the beginning of un unprecedented adventure for me. We could admire the amazing city views from the Hotel rooftop and get inspired for our next stops on the road trip ahead of us.

PIÓDÃO

This small but popular village in Portugal felt like a perfect second stop on our road trip, so he said goodbye to Guarda and its beautiful sunshine and headed towards the mountains in order to find this hidden treasure that has gotten so famous around the World.

After many twists and turns on way-too-narrow roads with basically no room for driving mistakes, we started cursing our decision to go to that village. As we became increasingly frustrated by the less-than-ideal way to get there, we checked the map to understand how long it would take to turn around and give up on the whole trip. We soon understood that it would take us just as long to turn around and go back as it would take us to go ahead with it and finally get to Piódão. So, we sucked it up and kept on driving.

When we spotted the cute houses perched on each other, in the middle of the woods and right at the earth of the mountains, we soon understood that it was totally worth it to endure that dreadful itinerary in order to get to see such a unique view.

A stop on the way to Piódão to admire the view

Piódão is known for a very unique characteristic of being almost entirely composed of buildings made out of schist: a dark stone that gives the village its unique look. It is considered a Historical Village of Portugal and even though it didn't actually play any special role in the country's History, its unique isolation is what makes it truly special. Piódão is like a forgotten village from the past, which allows you to step into what daily life would have looked like way before our modern times.

The village is entirely pedestrian, which makes it even cozier. Tourists leave their cars at the bottom and head to the narrows streets in order to discover Piódão's truly pristine character. There, you will be able to see locals going about their business and if you learn to say some words in Portuguese you are sure to get greeted with even more smiles - remember that it truly is an isolated village at the earth of countryside Portugal, so you'll tend to find mostly older portuguese people who will be delighted to see that visitors make the effort to say something in the native language.

If you can, make sure to stay in Piódão until the evening comes and the village starts lighting up: the view of the small lighted up houses nestled on that remote hill in the middle of the mountais is a magical sight to take in.

PORTO

Being the amazingly beautiful and vibrant city that Porto is, it couldn't have been left out of our road trip in Portugal. There is so much to see in Portugal's second largest city that it deserves a post on its own, but let's just say that our quick day-trip to Porto was enough to include some of the most important sights and, once again, get reminded of how special the city really is.

Luís I Bridge: This famous sight is probably what comes to mind as soon as travelers hear of Porto. Luís I Bridge is a double deck bridge that connects Porto to Vila Nova de Gaia, across the Douro River. On the top level, visitors can both circulate by subway and on foot, to admire truly breathtaking views of the city of Porto.

Luís I Bridge in Porto

Ribeira District: This is the area that you will be able to see when you are admiring the view from the second level of Luís I Bridge. What is nowadays liveliest area of Porto, used to be a quiet fishing village overlooking the Douro River. That is why most people consider the Ribeira District to be the most genuine part of the city, with its picturesque unique and colorful buildings that compose one of the most emblematic views in the whole Europe. There, you will be able to find coffee shops and restaurants and even though you will soon realize that they charge high touristic prices, it might be worth it to stop by for a coffee in order to enjoy the unique view of the river and the emblematic iron bridge.

The Ribeira district seen from the bridge

São Bento Train Station: I am, admittedly, a train and train station lover, so obviously I am not impartial at all on this one. But, as you will understand soon after you start researching about this train station in Porto, it is not a popular place only among rail enthusiasts like myself. In fact, the station is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the main tourist attractions in Porto, due to its unique interior. Completely covered in around 20.000 white and blue typically portuguese tiles, the station's main hall depicts scenes from Portugal's History like the famous "Conquest of Ceuta" and several other historical battles. Apart from that, visitors will be able to admire the beautifully painted tiles showing how life used to be lived in Portugal back in the day, with several depictions of the different transportation historically used by the portuguese across the country.

Clérigos Tower: This Tower is another very famous landmark of the city of Porto. Being located at the heart of the city center, there's no way you can miss it while walking around the city's picturesque streets. For those wanting to get another great view of Porto's unique skyline, it is possible to go to the top of Clérigos Tower. You can learn more about the Tower here and book your tickets here.

AVEIRO

Between Porto and Lisbon, Aveiro was the perfect next stop on our portuguese road trip. Even if you are not going on a road trip in Portugal, this unique city could be a good destination to add to your itinerary since it is of very easy access from Porto - as you can see here, urban trains departing from Porto can take you to Aveiro in little more than 1 hour and for a mere 3,55€ .

The beautiful city of Aveiro is considered the "Portuguese Venice". What makes it so unique is the network of canals and the traditional colorful boats called "moliceiros" that allow visitors to see the city from the water. Even if you are not interesting in paying for a ride on the famous boats, you will likely want to take pictures of them overlooking the beautiful city of Aveiro in the background.

"Moliceiros" in Aveiro

Apart from that, visitors can admire the unique houses in Art Nouveau style, overlooking the famous canals. They were built by successful portuguese emigrants who made their fortunes abroad and then returned to Portugal, where they built those beautiful houses that we can enjoy looking at today.

NAZARÉ

Continuing our exciting road trip across Portugal, we decided to head to a place where the waves are the main attraction: Nazaré.

Known to have the World's biggest waves, Nazaré has gotten really famous thanks to all the adventurous surfers who dare to face the giant waves formed at "Praia do Norte". Such record-breaking waves form there due to the Nazaré Canyon, which is the largest undersea canyon in the whole Europe - measuring about 230 kms and reaching depths as shocking as 5.000 meters. It's like an underwater Grand Canyon, but much deeper.

To get there, either drive all the way up to "Sítio da Nazaré", at the top of the famous big cliff overlooking the town, or catch the Cable Car which takes you on a cozy ride up the hill. Read more about it and check your ticket options here.

When up there, head all the way down "Estrada do Farol", towards the red lighthouse that has become so emblematic for the giant waves by now. There, you will be able to see the waters were the famous adventurous surfer Garrett McNamara caught a recording breaking 24 meter-tall giant wave. Later on, he he is said to have caught an even bigger wave, measuring 30 meters, but it doesn't seem to be proven. There's plenty of other surfers who have surfed similar waves but their exact measurements are still not confirmed.

Anyhow, Nazaré is now known as having the biggest waves in the World, which attracts plenty of visitors who gather at Fortress São Miguel Arcanjo where Nazaré's famous red lighthouse is located, to admire the power of Nazaré's Canyon to create such breathtaking waves.

"Praia do Norte" seen from Fortress of São Miguel Arcanjo

Apart from the surfing and the record-breaking waves, Nazaré has plenty of other things to offer. If you are a beach-goer who is just interested in normal waves instead of the giant terrifying ones at Praia do Norte, you will be pleased to find a beach with quite normal waves straight in front of the town of Nazaré. It is quite unbelievable that regular people can just spend days at the beach and swim around in relatively calm waters at "Praia da Nazaré", while they are in fact so extremely close to a huge underwater canyon with the power to literally create mountains of water - just across the cliffs.

Nazaré beach

Another interesting thing to do at Nazaré's beach is to check out the traditional boats parked in the sand for visitors to admire. Before Nazaré's Port was built, the fishermen used those small boats to head straight to the ocean, having to cross big waves as a part of the ordeal. It was hard work and it even required animal help to get the boats in and out of the water, as you will be able to see in some of the descriptions standing next to the exhibited boats.

Traditional boats exhibited at "Praia da Nazaré"

While you are in Nazaré, make sure to visit the local market as well and take in the local culture of buying fresh fish caught everyday by the fishermen. Apart from the delicious (and quite cheap, especially for international standards) fish, you can buy other products as well at the market, as it is in fact a meeting point and local shopping place for the habitants of Nazaré.

Another very interesting fact that usually delights visitors is the style of the women of Nazaré: still to this day, they dress traditionally in their 7 colorful skirts and stand by the beach selling snacks and marketing their "Quartos, Chambres, Rooms, Zimmer" to tourists looking for accommodation.

Local women in Nazaré advertising their rooms for rent to tourists. Emília Robalo and Nazaré Amada. © Maria João Gala/Global Imagens

PENICHE

Another city that is famous for big waves is Peniche, even though they are not nearly as big as the ones in Nazaré. But, since my boyfriend who is completely fascinated by all kinds of waves, of course we had to go to Peniche as well.

The most famous beach in Peniche is called "Praia dos Supertubos" and it has what many surfers call "perfect waves". With nicely shaped waves which are consistent pretty much all-year-round, this beach even hosts prestigious surfing competitions like the Rip Curl Pro event which attracts surfers from all over the World.

If you are not a surfer but you would like to try your hand at it, you will be pleased to realize that there is plenty of surf schools in Peniche. If you have always felt that you would like to try this popular sport, don't miss your chance while you visit Peniche and join the many tourists who go there to give surfing a try.

CASCAIS

Heading South on our road trip, we decided to go to what is considered the "Portuguese Riviera". In Cascais there are plenty of nice houses and parks to see, as it is the fancy part of the Greater Lisbon area. The whole atmosphere is calm and sophisticated, making it a great place to visit if you are in Lisbon's area.

While in Cascais, make sure to see the cute lighthouse contrasting against the deep blue waters of the Atlantic ocean and make your way to the beach of "Praia da Rainha" if the weather is inviting (as it often is in Cascais).

If you get hungry while you are exploring, simply stroll around the pedestrian streets of the Old City Center and you will find plenty of cozy restaurants and coffee shops where you can take a break and enjoy some portuguese cuisine.

LAGOS

After Cascais, our road trip took us across the famous "Ponte 25 de Abril", the emblematic red bridge that symbolizes Lisbon all over the World. Across the bridge, we took the highway all the way down to the famous Algarve.

Crossing "Ponte 25 de Abril"

Algarve is known across Europe and even the World for its amazing beaches. Many have said that it is Europe's Florida and they might have a point, as beaches in Algarve have won several awards for its quality and beauty. It's no coincidence that people from all over Europe flock to that region every year to enjoy what it has to offer.

One of Algarve's many famous areas is Lagos. In that region, visitors will find breathtaking cliffs contrasting against the pristine turquoise waters that are truly emblematic for Algarve. If you head to the Marina of Lagos, you will find plenty of boat tours that can take you on tours to Ponta da Piedade, where you will be able to see such cliffs and amazing waters up close. With incredibly skilled staff driving small boats, visitors get the chance to enter caves and go under arches formed on the famous rocks of this region of Algarve. Or, if you are more of the adventurous type, you can go explore them on kayak tours instead. One way or the other, the rock formations in Lagos are not to be missed.

The famous rock formations in Lagos

While in Lagos, make sure to visit Dona Ana beach. It is an amazingly beautiful beach with an unique rock formation right at its center and clear turquoise water. It has been described by Condé Nast Traveller as "the best beach in the World", so it's easy to understand why it is so popular and often crowded.

"Praia de Dona Ana"

ALTURA

Moving on from Lagos, we felt that nothing could beat the beauty of that unique stretch of the Algarve coast but we decided to make one last stop at Altura before we finally said goodbye to Portugal and headed into Spain.

The beach at Altura was long and the sand was great but still, the beaches at Lagos had pushed the standards way too high. That is why we tried to give a chance to a so-called "Paradise Beach" that we had heard about online.

So, one morning we headed to a sleepy town close to Altura, called "Cacela Velha". We soon understood why that beach was described online as a hidden treasure. Seen from the small town of Cacela Velha, the view of the shallow river delta and the island ahead was completely breathtaking. Suddenly the turquoise water melted with the deep blue of the typically portuguese sky and it felt like the place could compete with the beauty and uniqueness of Lagos.

Viewpoint from Cacela Velha

After admiring the gorgeous view for quite a long, it was time to try to find a way to cross the river and reach that alluring "Paradise Beach" at the island across Cacela Velha. We followed the instructions we had found online and went to the place where the old factory used to be located, following the signs that said "Fábrica". We easily found the place but the boat we expected to find, was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a sign left for visitors, informing that they should call a certain number if they wished to cross the river by boat. In what felt like a true testament to the spirit of the old Algarve and its resourceful fishermen, we called the number and a friendly man answered. Some minutes later, we were paying him 1.50€ each and getting on his boat to cross to the paradisiac island ahead.

When he left us there, he made sure to explain exactly how late we could request his services before it was too late to cross by boat. We understood and kept that in mind, while we headed towards the place that would completely blow our minds away. The pristine white sand and the deep-blue water of that beach were completely out of this World - suddenly I understood why people were calling it "Paradise Beach" online. And, amazingly enough, we were practically the only ones there.

"Praia de Cacela Velha"

That day was the perfect ending to the portuguese part of our road trip adventure. After many swims and plenty of sunbathing on what felt like our private island, we headed towards Cacela Velha when the tide was way too shallow to cross by boat. Being forced to cross by foot on unknown and muddy water, and breaking a flip-flop in the process, was definitely not the best part. But honestly it felt like such a perfect ending to that part of the road trip, once again symbolizing how important and life-changing traveling is, even when things don't go perfectly as expected.