Portugal
We spent 45 days (including transition days not included below) in Portugal in September / October 2023. Weather at this time of year was warm with only a bit of rain toward the end of our trip.
We loved that over our stay we had a mixture of cities / culture, hiking along coast as well as in the mountains, beautiful beaches and one of the most stunning wine regions we have visited to date.
Locals were friendly, most spoke English, and we felt safe at all times (except walking some narrow roads with no shoulders).
It was easy and inexpensive to get around on the public transportation system. We traveled primarily by bus, train and foot only renting a car for northern Portugal (Geres area).
Food was fresh and reasonably priced - particularly the wine. Breakfast was typically rolls, ham, cheese, pastry. For lunch and dinner we were able to find lots of fresh fish and vegetables.
Budget: We spent $6700 (not including food/drink and international airfare). On average our lodging was $110 a night. Feels like dollars go a long way for a European country.​
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What we missed that hopefully one day we will be able to visit: Coimbra (vibrant university town), Cascais (beautiful costal town near Lisbon), Nazaré (seaside town with massive surfable waves in the winter)​
​​​Breakdown of 45 visit days:
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Guimarães (2 days)
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