solo trip to portugal

Way back in crisp October, I was playing around with Google Flights and realized it could be fast and cheap to fly to Portugal from NYC. It’s just a skip across the Atlantic, after all.

I’ve always wanted to do a solo trip to see what it’s really like to spend time with myself and see where preparation and a sense of direction can get me. So I made a spreadsheet. And a Google Doc. And read a bunch of articles and blog posts. And plotted everything in Maps and Flights. And a day before my 28th birthday, I packed my bag and hopped on a red eye to Porto!

I’ve been posting on Instagram about the trip but also wanted to write a blog post with my learnings, recommendations, and do’s and do not’s — and there are some real DO NOTs, like getting lost in the Açores and accidentally hiking 13 miles / 30,210 steps with one granola bar and a thankfully gigantic water bottle.

THE ITINERARY (WITH PHOTOS!)

including all recommendations and where I went! stars* by my favorites:)

DAY 1: Land in Porto at 10:35AM

Public Transportation from the airport to the city center — the E metro goes straight from the airport to the Trindade station in central Oporto!
Store bags with Bounce Luggage Storage (more on this later!)
Walk around Porto!
Lunch at Oficina dos Rissóis and Mercado do Bolhão
Check in to lodging — Casa dos Olivais
- If you’re looking for somewhere to stay in Porto, I highly recommend Casa dos Olivais. It’s a bit on the pricey side but is one of the most beautiful buildings I’ve ever seen. You get your own private pool, gorgeous bathroom with a skylight, and the area is right near the Atlantic Ocean. I felt super safe and there are two older women who live down the road who like to stand outside and chat to each other and they’re very helpful at giving directions to the Casa! Accessibility note — you have to go up a cobblestone path and a flight of stairs to get to the unit; cars can’t get up to the door.

DAY 2:

Breakfast at A Brasileira
Visit Livraria Lello (cost: 8€ entrance ticket, which can be applied to a discounted book purchase
walk around Porto
Dinner at Vila Foz* — a Michelin star restaurant that looks like a castle! such a gorgeous and fun meal that celebrates Portuguese ingredients and cooking

DAY 3: Fly to São Miguel in the Açores

Check in to the Windmill at Moinho das Feteiras!
Visit Cha Gorreana
Visit the pineapple farm

DAY 4:

Mata do Canário - Sete Cidades hike
- (supposedly 11.8km, unless you get lost and do the Lagoas hike and have to walk on the road to the Mata do Canário trailhead and end up hiking 21km… but more on that later)

a view worth getting lost for — to the left of me was a field of cows, just island cows hanging out on their mountain…

a gorgeous part of the mata do canários hike! overlooking the lagoa azul

DAY 5: Fly to Lisbon

Check in to Palacio Ramalhete
- a former ducal palace with a gorgeous courtyard, a pool, and delicious and filling free breakfast! accessibility note: a LOT of stairs — like six flights of stairs. the concierge is wonderful about helping you with your suitcase, but you still have to go up all the flights to get in and out every day. worth it for the pool and original hardwood floors and tile work, all preserved beautifully? you decide.
take a gigantic nap because your entire body is exhausted from the hike yesterday
Dinner at Plano

DAY 6:

Shopping in Lisbon!
- Solar Antiques*
- Sapateria do Carmo
- Paris em Lisboa
- Loja de Burel*
  - there is a homewares shop and right next door is their clothing and bags shop! all Portuguese wool
- Alcôa Convetual Sweets
- d’Orey Azulejos
- Ginginha do Carmo
  - for small shots of ginginha (a sour cherry liquer) in tiny chocolate cups
Lunch at Arkhe,* a fantastic vegetarian restaurant!
Dinner at BouBou’s

DAY 7: Fly back to NYC!

More shopping! Specifically:
- Casa das Velas Loreto (cash only)
- Livraria Bertrand
- Conserveira de Lisboa
- Silva e Feijoo*
- Teresa Alecrim
- Manuel Tavares
- Ceramicas Na Linha*
- A Vida Portuguesa*
Lunch at A Brasileira (a different one!)
- Brilliant performers in the square — I got to see @antonio_vidal_official
Fly back to NYC and reunite with the dogs!

Essentially, the itin was 2 days in Porto, two days in São Miguel, and a day and a half in Lisbon — but with hindsight, I would have spent less time in Porto and more time in Lisbon. Porto was lovely, but much more like a small town whereas Lisbon felt like a larger, active European city despite being only 20-30 minutes to drive end to end. This is entirely subjective, of course — lovers of the Atlantic Ocean and the river Douro in Oporto may entirely disagree.

So what was solo travel like?

Very alone, surprisingly alone! I am comfortable in my own company day-to-day, but everyone around me speaks the same language when I’m at home. In Portugal, most people speak English, but generally the kind that you need to get by, and not the kind to have a great human connection. When I was hiking, I saw more cows than people, which felt very safe, but it wasn’t like in the movies where you go to a different country and meet a lot of lovely strangers who become lifelong friends or your true love. It was also surprisingly exhausting to travel solo, I think because I had to be somewhat vigilant and responsible for myself and my things at all times.

But it also felt necessary and important to spend time by myself in this way. There are so many distractions that can keep you disconnected from yourself and solo travel creates many pockets of time for contemplation — on airplanes, long hikes, solo dining. I did a lot of journaling and staring off into space, which I usually don’t give myself time to do. Also, the pace of life in Portugal/Europe is just different; the New Yorker in me was at times annoyed with how slowly and inefficiently people wanted to move! But it was also a good way to force myself to slow down and ask what I really needed to feel whole and safe and cared for. I want to bring some of that time to connect to myself into my pace of life at home and find more balance, less numbness and distraction.

Travel with others can also be stressful — with everyone else’s needs in play, it’s hard to navigate how hungry or tired they are, what their varying interests are, if they are a see-everything-and-go-go-go traveler or a lay-by-the-pool-and-read traveler. I was having my own experience with nobody else’s feedback. And that really gave me permission and space to listen to myself and my own needs. For me, the solo trip was a good challenge that didn’t bring about any sort of breakthrough but it was a good opportunity to practice connecting to myself in ways that I want to carry forward.

Solo Travel Tips!

bring a journal — even if you start out scribbling nonsense, you might surprise yourself after a few minutes! and it can make others feel like you’re doing something important and interesting if you’re journaling at lunch or on a park bench and cut out some of the awkwardness of being alone and just staring into space :)
utilize Bounce Luggage Storage or its equivalent! this enabled me to drop my suitcase and backpack in a secure location so I could bop around with only my little fanny pack that had my phone, passport, cards, and portable charger in it. If you land before your lodging check in time or just don’t want to lug around the suitcase that screams “tourist!” then look into a luggage storage service. It was only a few euro and gave me great peace of mind.
ask nice people to take photos of you! I did a trade with a few people who approached me to take photos of them, and I went up to a few to ask them to take a photo of me. I recommend asking young women — they have the best angles and lighting and know to take multiple photos!
splurge on a tasting menu! my one gripe with dining alone is that you can’t try as many dishes. one entree to fill me up?! I always eat family style with my friends so I can taste as many different dishes as possible. a tasting menu is a spenny but worth it way to try multiple small courses of a region’s cuisine. I really enjoyed the ones I did that introduced different dishes and cuisines from Portugal over 7-10 courses!
travel essentials — it made me feel a lot safer to add a country-specific e-sim that meant I could use data freely and access maps, call taxis, etc. and I always carried around this portable charger (sorry, the only place I can find a link is am*zn), which has an attached cord that folds into itself so it’s all one piece to charge. I relied on my phone to navigate me around, tap to pay, and take photos, so these were essential to me.
share your itinerary with someone! I had a Google Doc and shared that with my mom and a friend so that they would know around where I would be each day. just in case. if you’re extra worried, you can also register your trip with the US state department and they’ll send you alerts if there happens to be an earthquake in that region or something. and if anything big happens, hopefully the influence of the state department can help get you out since they have it documented that a US citizen is in the area.

FAQ

Do I need Euros in cash?
- In Porto and Lisbon, no. Unless you’re going to the markets, you can tap your phone or travel credit card for everything, and this way you can avoid exchange fees and foreign transaction fees. Having 20€ could be useful if you want to buy a bottle of water or a bread roll, aka smaller transactions where it feels silly to swipe your card. Most merchants take card and you can always ask before you pick anything up.
Do I need to learn Portuguese?
- I did try to learn Portuguese on DuoLingo but I don’t think you need it! It can help to read the menu and various signage, but most people speak a bit or quite a bit of English.
Does Google Maps work in Portugal?
- YES! This was my lifesaver. I plotted the places I was interested in and could create efficient walking paths from there. To use Maps live with data, I downloaded a Nomad e-sim and it was super easy to install and inexpensive for ease of navigation!
Did Portugal feel safe as a solo woman traveler?
- For the most part, yes. There was some catcalling and single men asking if I needed help (no) but honestly it felt like less than in the US. Everyone was super friendly and let me have my personal space. I tried to be safe about my belongings (not flashing around cash or my cards, keeping a good grip on my phone, etc.) and walked well-lit and well-populated routes, but if you just do basic safety that you should keep in mind anywhere I think you’ll be pretty safe.
Do you really need to rent a car in the Açores?
- PLEASE, yes. This was my big regret of the trip — when I was in São Miguel, everywhere was so beautiful but it is a BIG island. I thought I could get around by calling taxis and taking the bus but… the bus does not come or run on a very consistent schedule. Taxis were fine, but from where I was staying slightly further out in Feteiras, it was a 20 min wait and the costs add up. And many taxis only accepted payment in cash so I ran through my only euros quickly on the island. Renting a car would give you much more ease of movement; I nixed a lot of the things I wanted to do in São Miguel because it was so inefficient to get around with taxis.
- Two taxi companies I recommend:
  - 24/7: +351 296 302 530 (usually about a 20 minute wait for a taxi from out in Feteiras where I was)
  - Paulo Botelho: +351 963 895 754 on WhatsApp (super nice, great driver, speaks English, has family in Boston!)
But do you need to rent a car in Porto or Lisbon?
- Absolutely not! I enjoyed the metro in Porto and the bus system in Lisbon. Uber/Lyft don’t have a presence in Porto but Uber does work in Lisbon. I found the Bolt app to be the most useful — rides are super cheap and there’s local driver options that access the taxi network or rideshare specific drivers.

Have other questions or planning a solo trip of your own? You can always reach out to me via my contact page for more info!

THE ITINERARY (WITH PHOTOS!)

Solo Travel Tips!

FAQ

A YEAR IN BOOKS - 2021