Last Updated on June 22, 2020 by Amanda Stancati

Photo above: Panoramic view of Lisbon by Nicolle Kirk

Our travel agent, Nicolle Kirk recently returned from a trip to Portugal and shares her experience with us!

I was exploring the city of Lisbon and the Algarve. I visited multiple historical sites, tasted authentic Portuguese cuisine, sipped on Porto wine and enjoyed the beautiful sunshine we had all week. Portugal took me by surprise! It wasn’t a must see country on my bucket list but I loved it so much I would return over and over again. As soon as I left the airport in Lisbon, the sun was rising and I spotted palm trees, something I didn’t expect! When we arrived, it was still dark out and we could see lots of trees, fields and greenery.

View of Albufeira, Algarve

Nicolle visited a dozen hotels to determine what would best suit her clients. She also experienced many cultural highlights. Here are some of favourite parts:

• As soon as we landed after our 6 hour, 20 minute flight, we went straight to the hotel to drop off our bags, eat breakfast and start our half day city tour of Lisbon and Belem. We walked the cobble stone roads up to a Cathedral to look around and take in the panoramic view of the city of Lisbon. We walked back down and hopped on a private cable car in Lisbon’s Commerce Square to take in the city life. Tip: Taste Portuguese custard tarts at the famous Pasteis de Belem shop if lines aren’t too long.

• We visited Ponta da Piedade, an area with stunning views of the sunset and big rocks in the ocean that look very similar to the ones in Los Cabos, Mexico. After that we drove to Lagos for lunch, then did a museum tour, and on the way home we went to Quinta dos Vales for a cheese and wine tasting tour. We also went to Silves to vist Silves Castle.

Ponta Da Piedade

• We went on a boat tour to Ilha Deserta where we stopped to view different types of birds along the ride. We then stopped at a beach to relax, eat lunch and head back to Faro for a city tour.

• We enjoyed a dinner and show at “Clube de Fado” in Lisbon. This experience was amazing! You eat dinner while listening to local artists sing about their family, childhood and towns. The shows books up two weeks in advance. Arrive before 9pm to eat or you can come later if you are just going to watch the show.

Call Nicolle at 1-800-665-4981 ext. 7329 for hotel recommendations and other exciting things to do on your upcoming Portugal vacation!