Portugal Travel Sights

WillhiteWeb - Europe Travel

Bad seats. Rachelle did not get any sleep last night. Got off train and walked to a hotel. Went to sleep in our hotel for half of the day. Finally left around 4 to eat something. Had some great pizza then we walked to another train station that took us 40 minutes into Sintra. We saw the town and walked up to the old castle on top of the mountain. Great view. Took a shortcut through the woods. We walked the road back to town and the train station. This part of Portugal was one of the best areas. We gave Lisbon a chance but it overall was lame. We even spent the night watching CNN in our hotel room that night in Lisbon.
[Next day] we awoke early to catch bus to the train station that would take us to Faro. We were given the wrong train station by a guy. The correct station was actually a boat station not very far away. We jumped on a boat to Barreiro where we caught the train to Faro/Lagos. Arrived in Lagos. Lots of people approaching us to stay at their rooms. We finally gave in and got a room for under 25 USD. The town was a lot nicer than we had expected. We scheduled a sail boat cruise to the local attraction of cliffs and caves later that night. While waiting for our cruise we went to the beach. The cruise was fun. An old style sailboat with wood and ropes. Went out to the cliffs and out to sea. Very cool! Then we went into the cliffs by a smaller jet boat that motored fast along and through the cliff arches. After this, we cruised back during sunset we walked around town at night.
[Next day] we got up early to take the first train out of Lagos. We finally got to Lisbon around 1ish. Next we got on a train for a forty minute ride out to Cascais. Very crowded. The town was not that interesting. Town was recommended by the rich guy in Norway. Not sure why. We relaxed on the beach for about an hour or two but the town itself was not that cool. The train back was even more crowded but this time we had no seats. We got off just before Lisbon in Belem. It was the main tourist part of Lisbon. Soon we were back near one of the train stations in Lisbon (1 of 4 train stations). While sitting on the bench watching the sunset on the harbor a guy tried to sell us marijuana. He was nice and tried to befriend us. When we explained we did not even drink , he knew we were a non-sale. He did like the stitching project Rachelle was working on. He wanted to take it. We are on our last night train without a bed. Tonight we will suffer.

Praca do Comercio, Lisbon

The Bairro Alto, Lisbon

The Monument to the Discoveries

Museu de Marinha at Monsteiros Dos Jeronimos

Taking a ride out to Ponte de Piedade

Rock formations at Ponte de Piedade

Arch at Ponte de Piedade

Views from Chateau des Maures

Lisbon is very authentic and it's architectural style unique. Wandering around the old quarters people watching is as good activity as any. There are some sights to see like the Belem Tower, the icon of Lisbon.
Another is the Jeronimos Monastery which began construction in 1502 and took 50 years to complete. Both of these sights are a World Heritage Site.

Sintra is located just outside Lisbon and major tourist attraction. The best attraction is the Pena Palace and the castle Castelo dos Mouros. They are amazing but with a breath-taking views of Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, the summer residence of the kings of Portugal Pal�cio Nacional de Sintra and the town, you're truly memorized.

Cascais is a coastal town west of Lisbon, a former fishing village and resort for Portugal's royal family. Today, it is a popular vacation spot with a yacht harbor and several small sand beaches around town. Sights include the ruins of a castle, an art and a sea museum, parks and a historic town center with cobbled streets. Other tourist amenities exist as well like golf, surfing, sailing, windsurfing, etc.

Lagos is a historic city in southern Portugal along the Atlantic Ocean, popular with tourists with it's beaches and nice weather. With all the visitors, you'll have many hotels, restaurants and shops available. There are also many tour companies begging for you to join them on their tours.

Heading to Ponte de Piedade

On the sailboat tour