Railroad Trip PORTUGAL

On my railroad trip through Portugal, I experienced how travelling the country by train is easy-peasy, cheap, and fun.

Houses in Porto, first stop in PORTUGAL - complete guide to a railroad-trip
Picturesque Portugal: The beauty of everyday life.

Hence, let me guide you from mesmerizing Porto all the way south to Lisbon – with some amazing whistle stops in between.
Do you hear the whistle blow? Quick – jump on the train and let’s go!

This Way to the Whole Story ->

24 hours in LISBON

This is a completely revised, updated, and expanded edition of one of my first 24 hours in… posts. This series was created because, like most travelers, I’m always on the hunt for the cheapest flights possible. The downside is that this often includes connecting flights and, especially on transatlantic flights, I have a longer stopover in a city. Instead of killing time at the airport in annoyance, I venture to the center and this way, enjoy an extra city break. Funnily enough, my first two visits to Lisbon were stopovers: once on the return flight from Miami and the second time on the outbound flight to Santiago, the capital of Cape Verde. This inspired me to summarize in a short guide what you can see and do in Lisbon in 24 hours.

Trams in Lisbon
Even trams can get into a traffic jam.

By the way, I now deliberately postpone connecting flights to include short stays like this when my schedule allows it. Hence, I recently booked the flights on my flight to the Azores so that I could spend time in Porto on the outward flight and in Lisbon on the return flight.
I hope I can inspire you to make a virtue out of a supposed necessity.

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Best of LISBON – also for solo-travellers

I’m back in Lisbon. It’s been far too long – you know, with the pandemic and all. But now I’m back, and as I take a good look around, I realize how beautiful this city is and how much I’ve missed it: The steep cobblestone alleys, the past glory of the palaces alongside the boulevards, and the shabby charm of the houses in the backstreets. The majestic views from countless outlooks, and of course the lovely ring of the rickety trams.
Come on, follow me down memory lane, and let’s re-discover the best of Lisbon!

Asian Tourists Painting the Best of Lisbon
The contra-selfie culture: Asian tourist painting Lisbon’s Church and Monastery of São Vicente de Fora.
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Best Street Art in LISBON – Part III: Moscavide

This is the third and last part of the murals I saw during my recent trip to Lisbon. Already in some of my past posts on urban art, I took you to some rather inhospitable neighborhoods. Whether the 13th Arrondissement of ParisCopenhagen’s Nordvest neighborhood, or the satellite town of San Pablo in the northeast of Seville – hardly any sightseer makes his way to these places on the outskirts of Europe’s glittering metropoles.
And in Lisbon, too, you have to leave the picturesque historic old town and roam through high-rise developments like Moscavide to see some of the best street art the city has to offer.

String Quintet by Juanjo Surace and a massive collage by Colectivo RUA in Moscavide where you can find some of the best street art Lisbon has to offer.
String Quintet by Juanjo Surace and a massive collage by Colectivo RUA are waiting for you in Moscavide.
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Best Street Art in LISBON – Part II: Marvila

For years, when I travel, I have made sure to find out whether there is any street art worth seeing at my destination. And in fact, it’s very rare that I don’t find what I’m looking for. During my stay in Lisbon I not only found what I was looking for, I felt like I was overwhelmed by a tsunami of outstanding street art. Now, for cities like London and Bristol, I have divided my street art posts by area into two parts. But when it comes to Lisbon, it is actually the first time that I have to present the murals of a city into three parts so that the posts don’t become endlessly long.
Bravo, Lisbon, you’ve really made it to the top of the street art hotspots!
Drum roll, after I’ve introduced the most impressive murals in the very center of the city, here comes the best that the suburb of Marvila has to offer in terms of street art in Lisbon.

Mural by LS in Lisbon's neighborhood of Marvila.
Marvila’s local heroe LS painted a female portrait with reference to Portuguese Azulejos.
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Best Street Art in LISBON – Part I: Graça And Beyond

Each time I write a post on the supposedly best street art in some place, I’m a bit hesitant. Can I rightfully claim to present the best pieces? Most of the time, I haven’t seen each and every mural a city has to offer. And even if I show a broad selection – who’s to judge what’s best, anyway?
Now, when it comes to Lisbon, I find my claim to introduce you to the best street art particularly preposterous as this city is just bursting with urban art. There are murals by the greatest of the greatest street artists everywhere. Also, the art festivals that flood Lisbon’s walls with dozens of new artworks every year don’t make the choice any easier. Yet, not only did I travel around the hotspots in the city center, I also made my way to the housing projects in Lisbon’s suburbs which are embellished by international superstars such as KOBRA, Shepard Fairey, and GLEO.
I tried hard to see as many murals as possible so that I could rightfully assert: In this post, I’m introducing the best pieces of street art Lisbon has to offer!

Mural by VHILS and Shepard Fairey in the Graca district of Lisbon.
It took two superstars of urban art to create this mural: Portuguese artist VHILS created the right side while the one and only Shepard Fairey painted the left half of the lady’s face.
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Guide to SINTRA – History in Bright Colors

Nestled amidst lush hills and crowned by fairytale palaces, Sintra is a dream destination bursting with charm and history. In this guide, I’m taking you to the vibrant Pena Palace, painted in bright colors, as well as to other iconic structures like the mysterious Quinta da Regaleira; in Sintra, every corner tells a story! Explore cobblestone streets, indulge in local treats, and let this magical UNESCO World Heritage site amaze you. Adventure awaits!

Palácio Nacional da Pena - built in the 19th century for King Fernando II. Sintra's most iconic landmark.
They sure were not shy about painting the Palácio Nacional da Pena – built in the 19th century for King Fernando II.
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A Day in Sophisticated ESTORIL and CASCAIS

Another very popular day trip from Lisbon is a short train ride to the very popular beaches of Estoril and Cascais. Albeit not really dreamy, especially on hot summer days, a day in these sophisticated retreats on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean can be the perfect break from Lisbon’s big city life.

Wild waters on the shore of Estoril, in the community of Cascais.
Estoril is not only this sophisticated beach retreat. It’s also prone to the forces of nature.

If you spend more time in Estoril, you should stay away from the beach and go on a day trip to Sintra. Even by public transportation, this town of palaces is less than an hour away.

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