Portugal Trip Report, September 2026

Our first real trip to Portugal and it exceeded our expectations.
We went the last two weeks of September and we did not get a drop of rain and it was sometimes very hot. We flew direct to Lisbon.
Two nights in Lisbon in an Alfama Airbnb with great views out the window. We had lovely breakfasts at Oh La La cafe, heard some Fado singing out our window and had a great dinner at O Vinhaca.
We really enjoyed the castle and the many viewpoints we found. Especially a spot we found overlooking the river with a nice awning overhead.
We took a day to Belem with timed tickets to the monastery. Even timed there was a tremendous line and it took quite awhile in the hot sun to get in. We enjoyed Belem but it would have been okay to miss it.
We then rented a car and drove to Zambujeira do Mar where we stayed 3 nights. We had a superb Airbnb with a terrace looking out at the ocean and enjoyed sunsets every night. We had coffee at Rita's each morning and ate dinner twice at Odesa.
Swimming right there was great, Fishermans trail access so convenient. We watched hikers go by daily. Very fun to try out the many beaches off the trail, with hundreds of steps to walk.
We did a day trip to Odeceixe which was mobbed with cars by the sea but still worth it and fun. Beautiful views, an outdoor bar and swimming in both the ocean and the the river. Where else can you order a glass of wine from a shack bar and have them open a new bottle, let you taste it, and serve you a glass for only 5 euros. We also did a trip to Vila Nove de Milfontes. We started at the beach on the other side of the river and then took a tiny "ferry" for 7 euros round trip into town. Had a great lunch at A Fateixa on the recommendation of the ferry owner. When we left Zambujeira we stopped at Porto Covo which was fun for a couple of hours with beautiful views. We also stopped at Cabo Sardoa for amazing views and Sines which we could have skipped.
Our next night was in Sesimbra which upon entering I was startled by what a built up touristy spot I had picked. But once we managed to find parking and check into our place we really enjoyed wandering the streets and had a great affordable dinner and breakfast the next morning. Very calm beautiful water for swimming.
The next day we made the journey into Sintra. I knew parking would be an issue but I didn't research enough details about it and we really got turned around. We ended up parking at the train station and making a long walk to the tourist area and then a very steep walk to our Airbnb. Once we arrived all was good. We had a lovely place and the town is vibrant with activity. The same afternoon we walked to Quinta da Regaleira for our timed ticket. Once we had found it and we wanted a drink before our timed entry we walked further up the road to a mansion of a hotel that actually let us bedraggled tourists in to have a drink at the bar. We loved Quinta, especially the Inspiration well and tunnels underneath.
The next morning we stowed our bags and did the process by #434 bus of getting to Pena Palace. We had only bought the park pass and we also got the ticket for the bus up. It was fairly crowded but doable. The park pass let us see what seemed like all of the outside views and balconies. And then we headed into the wooded area which was very empty and we enjoyed that immensely. We happened to exit at the lake exit which meant we got on the #434 bus before the stop picking up the people in the long line from the main exit and that was a great success. We found that for the amount of time we were in Sintra that 2 sites was enough. Going back to pick up our bags we bought cookies from a nice man selling from his window.
In the afternoon we drove to Obidos, parking outside the walls, and entered the town as many tour buses were leaving. The town was very empty and that was nice. We had a great dinner at Real Petisco and really enjoyed two lovely empty churches. We left at 10 am just as ten tour buses were arriving.