Trip Savvier

Lisbon & the Algarve

Portugal wasn’t originally at the top of my list—in fact, I didn’t even really know where it was. But after hearing from a few friends and colleagues who had travelled there and absolutely loved it, I decided to look into it. It ended up being one of the most affordable and memorable trips I’ve ever taken. Between the coastal views, incredible food, and surprisingly low costs, it completely exceeded my expectations. Here’s exactly why I chose it—and what it’s really like to travel there.

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Portugal at a glance

Lisbon/Sintra

We flew into Lisbon on a red eye, as most transatlantic flights are, and hit the ground running right away (the benefit of flying carry on). We picked up our rental car and headed to the small village of Sintra, about 45 minutes away. Finding street parking once we arrived was a little challenging because of all the narrow winding roads but we eventually found something near the town centre, however we made the mistake of not looking around better for signage and ended up getting a parking ticket (oops!). We headed on foot to the Quinta Da Regaleira Palace, a whimsical place which features expansive grounds, cool architecture, and the famed Initiation Well, a circular staircase descending into the abyss (or so it seems). The idea is that you descend from the light into darkness, representing a spiritual rebirth. You eventually emerge in cavelike tunnels, with waterfalls and walking paths through the garden complex. It was a really cool place to spend a couple of hours. We then wandered the streets of the village, having lunch and our very first Portuguese pastry before heading south towards the Algarve, our home for the week. Note that many also visit Pena Palace in Sintra, but unfortunately due to heavy rains, the roads to the palace were washed out while we were there. It would have probably made for a really heavy day as well, so we opted to skip it.

Albufeira

Lagos

For our first full day in the Algarve, we made our way to the quaint little town of Lagos and hiked along the bluffs to Praia dos Estudantes, Praia da Batata, Praia de Dona Ana, Praia do Camilo, and Ponta da Piedade. Each beach (praia) had its own wow factor, whether it be stone bridges, hidden coves and grottos, rock formations, colourful cliffs and connecting tunnels through rocks. It is by far one of the most scenic areas of the Algarve. We rewarded ourselves for our 26,000 steps with sangria happy hour, some shopping in the cute little shops and a tasty dinner in the charming town before heading back to our home base in Albufeira. Lagos ended up being my favourite town on this trip.

Faro

Another day, more stunning views. This day took us to Faro to poke around the old town and then unexpectedly to a beach with these amazing red sandstone cliffs. We walked all the way out to shark fin point (in sandals oops), but boy was it worth it! Capped off the night at the strip in Albufeira, where a couple happy hour drinks led to a night of fun and some of the craziest bars we’ve ever been to.

7 Hanging Valleys Trail

I’ve done a lot of incredible hikes in my life (east coast, the Rockies, the Yukon, the Balkans), but this was the BEST ONE YET! The 7 hanging valleys trail was 5.7km of magic. The moment you exit the parking lot at the Praia de Marinha trailhead you’re hit with incredible beauty. Cliffs, sinkholes, secret beaches, powerful waves, wildflowers, it had it all! We walked the trail in one direction, stopping along the way to eat the picnic lunch we packed in the most epic spot, and having ice cream at Benagil Beach. We were also able to look down into the famous Benagil Cave from above, and on good sea days, it’s possible to kayak from this beach into the cave. We also descended steps into the tunnel to access Praia Carvalho. Think small, intimate beach, secret tunnel entrance, rock formations. We eventually reached our final destination, Praia de Vale Centianes and ordered an Uber to take us back to the starting point for about 8€ (~$12 CAD). There’s a restaurant there where you can call a taxi as well, but it’s a little more expensive (approx. 12€/~$19 CAD)). 

During our final days, we visited the Algar Seco caves – a spectacular group of tunnels, passages, and caves carved in yellow limestone cliffs in Carvoeiro. We also had a dolphin and Benagil cave boat tour booked from Albufeira, but unfortunately the seas were very rough the entire week we were there and it was not possible to take part in that.

We had some wonderful dinners at Clay Oven (Indian food), Os Arcos (classic Portuguese) and Alfredo (Italian) in Albufeira, all of which we highly recommend.

Lisbon

On our final full day in Portugal, we took the toll highway back to Lisbon to save some time and parked at the marina where we were spending the night on a docked sailboat (booked through Airbnb). We then hopped a city bus into town to explore Lisbon’s top spots, including the Elevador de Bica, Green street, Arco de Rua Augusta and Pink Street. After a hectic lunch at the Time Out Market, we consumed way too many pastel de nata’s, shopped for some final souvenirs and eventually made our way back to the marina for dinner and a cozy night on our sailboat. My motto is… why spend a night at a boring airport hotel when you can spend it somewhere memorable instead?!? I’m just lucky my husband goes along with my madness.

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Trip cost breakdown

Flights: $1,257 CAD
Accommodations: $608 CAD
Car rental: $75 CAD (really pays off to drive a standard!!)
Fuel, tolls, parking: ~$200 CAD
Activities: $45 CAD (note that the weather forced us to cancel our dolphin and cave boat tour, which would have been an extra $100 CAD)
Food & drink: ~$800 CAD
Total (for 2 adults): ~$2,985 CAD ($1,500 per person)

For a one-week trip to Europe, this is incredibly reasonable—especially considering flights alone can often cost close to this much. At under $1,500 per person all-in, Portugal stands out as one of the more affordable ways to experience Europe without feeling like you’re sacrificing much.