Some travel tips of places to visit before or after your retreat.
In this page we will not talk much about Porto or Lisbon, we will focus more on the rest of the country. Portugal has a lot more to see than just the main cities.
Here are some places not too far from the retreat, we do mention some places that are close by to Lisbon or Porto but in João’s opinion these are much better places to spend time and explore for a few days either before or after the retreat.
Either before or after the retreat for us it is important that you can be relaxed and not over stimulated with crowded places with lots of people, so being in the main cities this is hard to achieve.
So here we are with a few options to support you during you preparation and integration time.
In way to maintain the retreat diet and avoid meat dishes we recommend that before and 3 days after the retreat you stay close to the coast, this way you can enjoy the fresh fish and seafood.
We cannot talk about Portugal without talking about wine but here is the exception, because you should not drink any alcohol before or straight after the retreat.
Apart from the main foods, there are plenty of pastries to try around Portugal. Depending on where you go, you will find that each city/region has their own traditional pastry. Be advised that most of them have eggs and sugar so its ok but don’t overindulge.
We will mention some cities and towns to visit, but it just a general approach to help to support your preparation and integration with some places we know to be conducive to the work you will be undertaking.
If you are interested in exploring Portugal over a longer travel time, there are a lot of tourism sites that can give you another view of the places to visit in each city. But sometimes having no plans and just exploring you will end up finding some hidden gems that we don’t even know about. That said if you do know or have any recommendations, please let us know and we will continue to grow our own list.
All the places mentioned here are cities/towns that you can enjoy the beautiful landscape, nature, cuisine, and people. Doesn’t matter if you are in land or close to the coast you have plenty of places to explore. But don’t limit yourself to what you can see during the day, we would say wait for the sunset too, and enjoy the stars of the night, this can work especially well if you are staying in a small city away from the light pollution of the big cities or busy tourist regions like Algarve.
Santarém
Santarém is a city in the center interior of Portugal, about 50min drive from Lisbon Airport. The city is full of historical sites, such as churches, monuments, and museums.
None the less there are plenty of parks and natural sights to explore. Being an interior city, the food is more based in meat, but you can always find a lot of restaurants that serve fish dishes especially codfish (In Portugal there is a saying that there are more than One thousand ways to cook codfish).
Ericeira
One of the best places of Portugal to enjoy the beach and surf some waves.
Fish and seafood are everywhere.
Hotel Vila Galé Ericeira is the main hotel in Ericeira, known as well by Hotel Verde (Green Hotel) because of the color of the building.
This hotel is located next to South Beach and by a short 10min walk to the center of the village. There are a lot of hotel/hostels and even a camping site for you to stay at. Beside all the beaches, the fish and seafood, there is a lot to see & visit. From museums, churches or just casually stroll around the village streets, there is always something beautiful to see.
Less than 1 hour drive from Lisbon Airport by car and around 1h30min by bus.
Principal places to visit in Ericeira
- Praça do Jogo da Bola
- Praia dos Pescadores
- Praia do Sul
- Praia Foz do Lisandro
- Praia de São Sebastião
- Mercado Municipal da Ericeira
Mafra
Mafra has its own ecosystem making it a magical place with sun, fog, or rain all at the same time. Beautiful natural parks and forest to explore and hike.
There are plenty of museums, castle, palaces, and churches to see. Food wise you have a lot of options, since the city is close to the ocean you have a variety of fresh fish and seafood available everywhere, as well the traditional Portuguese food. All this without talking about the pastry, being the “Pastel de Natal” the most famous in the area and pretty much everywhere in Portugal.
For a short 20min drive you can go to Ericeira and enjoy the beach. 30min drive by car from Lisbon Airport or 1h10min by bus.
Principal places to visit in Mafra
- Mafra National Palace - This is magnific palace with tons of history, art and architecture to contemplate. Once inside don’t miss the chance to visit the library and the gardens. We suggest that you take at least 2-3hours to explore this beautiful palace.
Tapada Nacional de Mafra - This “forest” was once used by the royal family, nowadays it is a perfect place for people that enjoy the nature. You can take one of the many hiking trails between beautiful landscapes and wildlife.
Aldeia Saloia or Aldeia Típica José Franco - Is a small village with small houses, all of them different and beautiful. In other worlds the streets are a museum of small houses that you will not see anywhere else.
Caldas da Rainha
Known as a historic spa town located in central Portugal, known for its thermal waters, cultural heritage, and traditional ceramics. Nowadays you still can use the thermal waters just as the old times. Culturally known by the artistic expression through ceramics of Bordallo Pinheiro, combining nature and animals into pottery. A relaxed city with a lot of cultural diversity from old buildings to new and alternative people. This may be one of our favorites.
Vegetarian Restaurant - Botellini Park Dom Carlos I
José Malhoa Museum (inside of Park Dom Carlos I)
Daily Vegetable and Fruits Market
Loja da Fabrica Bordallo Pinehiro
Foz do Arelho
São Martinho do Porto
The main attraction of São Martinho do Porto is its picturesque beach, which stretches along the bay's crescent-shaped shoreline. The beach is lined with soft golden sands and offers plenty of space for sunbathing and relaxing.
The calm waters of the bay make it a popular spot for swimming, kayaking, and stand-up paddleboarding. Being a coast city the principal culinary is based on fish dishes and seashells.
During the winter you can always do the 20min drive to Nazaré and watch the Big Waves, either when there is a competition going on or just to watch the beautiful force of the waves. Around 1h20min drive by car from Lisbon Airport.
Montargil
Montargil is a small village located in the district of Portalegre, in the Alentejo region of Portugal.
It is situated near the Montargil Dam, which is a reservoir on the Sorraia River. The area is known for its natural beauty, offering opportunities for outdoor activities such as fishing, boating, and hiking. Montargil is a popular destination for those seeking tranquility and relaxation in the Portuguese countryside.
1h40min drive from Lisbon Airport.
Nazaré
Nazaré became worldly famous biggest of the Biggest Wave Surf Contest, but apart from it there are a lot of cultural to visit, a lot of museums. Fresh fish and seafood to eat. Plenty of hotels from low budget to luxury.
Around 1h30min drive by car from Lisbon Airport.
Santuario da Nossa Senhora da Nazaré
Forte de S. Miguel Arcanjo
Leiria
Leiria is a central coast city 1h30min drive from Lisbon. There are plenty of museums and churches to visit, but the main attraction is the Castle in the center of the city. Cruising through the city you have the river, Liz. Around Leiria you will find more cities like Batalha or Fátima full of monuments, all of them are rich with churches and historical statues.
Monteiro da Batalha
Peniche
Fantastic beaches to enjoy the surf or just sunbathe. Since it is a coast city, there are a lot of fish and seafood culinary as well some typical Portuguese dishes. One of the biggest tourism attractions is the Fort (Fortalesa de São Francisco), this place is one of the key points of his- tory of Peniche and Portugal.
There are plenty of hotel/hostels to stay for a few days and even a campsite if you want to camp for a few days.
Around 1h30min drive from Lisbon Airport by car and around 2hours by bus.
Berlengas Arquipélago Fortalesa de São Francisco
Praia dos Supertubos
Dino Park Lourinhã
Setúbal
Setubal is a city south of Lisbon about 40min from Lisbon Airport.
It’s a city by the coast. The city itself is very open with a lot of space to relax and enjoy the open spaces. The beach is very calm and there are not many waves, perfect for sunbathing.
The typical fish cuisine is the main tourist attraction, being the “Açorda de Camarão” in English “Shrimp Açorda” and “Lulas Fritas” in English “Fried Squid” the principal dishes. From Setúbal you can take the ferry or the catamaran to Tróia where you have a more luxurious area with long beaches and hotels.
Tróia
Vila Nova de Milfontes
Vila Nova de Milfontes is small city in the coast of Alentejo, 2h20min drive from Lisbon Airport. The city is next to the estuary of Mira River connecting to the Atlantic Ocean.
Small city full of historical museums, churches, and fisherman culture. Always has a complete fish, sea- food and typical Portuguese food to choose from.
Aljezur
About 3hours drive from Lisbon airport, Aljezur is a small town close to the coast, in the border between Alentejo and Algarve.
This is an area where you can go for some hiking along the coast, see the beautiful landscape and nature around. If you are more interested in surf, it is a very good place to learn your first steps or to improve to a more medium degree.
Praia da Arrifana
Castelo de Alzejur
Sagres
Sagres is the Southwestern most tip of Europe, 4 hours’ drive if you go along the coast with no tolls or 3 hours with tolls from Lisbon Airport, 2 hours without tolls or 1h20min with tolls from Faro Airport.
Being in Algarve you will find beautiful beaches everywhere and Sagres is no exception, perfect conditions to surf or just sunbath, a lot of nature a hike trails to explore. Apart of the fishing style you will find a lot of ceramics and pottery in the village. When around don’t forget to visit the Fort.
Artesanato a Mó
Coimbra
About 2 hours’ drive from Lisbon Airport and 1h20min from Porto Airport. Coimbra is city renowned for history, culture, and prestigious university.
From churches and museums, you will find beautiful parks and gardens to relax. Mondego river runs along the city and connects to the Atlantic Ocean in Figueira da Foz. Figueira da Foz is a city 40min drive away, beautiful beaches and landscapes.
Univeristy of Coimbra
Figueira da Foz
Beja
Beja is a small city in the interior of Portugal 2 hour’s drive from Lisbon Airport and about 1h30min from Faro Airport. It situated in South Alentejo.
This small town is very calm and relaxed, lot of nature space for some hiking or in the summer you can always enjoy the fluvial beach “Praia dos 5 Reis” where you find a beautiful beach in the middle of an olive plantation, we kindly remind you to wait for the sunset, is magnificent.
The town itself is full of history from a variety of different museums to cobblestone streets, being the main attraction Beja Castle, the tower of the castle has 40 meters of height, so is a must to visit in a clear day, see every- thing around for kilometers. Ceramics is very famous in Alentejo, so we suggest that you visit the master of pottery António Mestre in Beringel.
In terms of diet, it gets complicated, being an interior city, pork is the main food. But as always in Portugal you will find some restaurants that serve fish dishes. We also recommend the vegetarian restaurant “Sabores do Campo”.
50 min drive by car you can go to Alqueva, the biggest artificial dam of the south of Europe.
Serra da Estrela
3 to 4 hours of driving from Lisbon Airport, Serra da Estrela isolated in the center north of Portugal. Serra da Estrela is the highest mountain in Portugal, Between January to March you can have the chance to find snow. It’s a memorable place to visit even when there is no snow, the landscape is beautiful, a very good place to hike around.
Reguengos de Monsaraz
Small town about 2 hour’s drive from Lisbon Airport. It’s a town in the interior of Portugal close to the border with Spain.
It is located next to Alqueva Dam. It’s a small town but with a lot of history to explore, churches and museums and the castle are the main buildings to visit in the city, but the amount of nature and hiking trails and fluvial beach are what enriches this town. Close by you can find a dark sky Observatory, this is brilliant place to watch the stars.
Alqueva - Dark Sky
darkskyalqueva.com
Tomar
1h20min drive from Lisbon Airport.
Tomar is a historic city known for its rich cultural heritage and well-preserved medieval architecture. It’s a combination between “old” building and modern sites. Apart from the Churches, museums and the Castle, there are some unusual museums like the Matchstick Museum that is incredible and completely out of the ordinary.
River Nabão flows through the city, so take your time to have a stroll along the river and the city.
15minutes away you will find Castelo de Bode Dam, a area rich in nature and hike trails, as well a few fluvial beaches/rivers to relax.
Castelo de Bode - fluvial beach
Évora
1h30min drive from Lisbon Airport.
Évora is central of the country, capital of Alto Alentejo. Known for the historical sites such as churches, museums, and monuments. Évora has a lot to offer. With a 25min drive you can explore Évoramonte a small village with a beautiful castle (in João opinion the most beautiful castle of Portugal)
Castelo de Evoramonte
Sintra
30 minutes’ drive from Lisbon Airport,
Sintra is located just northwest of Lisbon full of beautiful landscapes and history sites like palaces and castle. Apart from the main tourist locations like Pena Palace, Moorish Castle, or Palace of Monserrate.
We recommend that you just hike around and keep your eyes open for the beautiful and magical landscape. There are plenty of restaurants around that serve fish and Portuguese food. We suggest the restaurant “Sopa d’Avó”, it is a restaurant known for the soups and vegetarian dishes. We also recommend that you visit “Casa do Fauno” it can be a hard place to eat at (while trying to keep the diet) but is a magical place to see.
Casa do Fauno - This is medieval snack bar/coffee place, apart from the ground floor and outside area you can check the crystal and ornaments on the 1st floor.
Serra da Estrela Coimbra Figueira da Foz
Leiria Tomar Nazaré
Caldas da Rainha Peniche Santarém Montargil
Mafra Ericeira Sintra
Setúbal Évora Évoramonte
Reguengos de Monsaraz Beja
Vila Nova de Milfontes
Aljezur Sagres Lagoa