Lisbon vs. Porto: Which Best??!!

[smmountaingal]

5 minutes ago, downsmead said:

In Lisbon we stayed at the Avenida Palace hotel which was centrally located and ideal for walking to anywhere in the city. Lovely breakfast, very helpful concierge, nice bar for a bedtime drink. So many restaurants nearby, we tended to stroll and see what we fancied eating. 
Overall we preferred Porto to Lisbon but thoroughly enjoyed both. We are planning to return to visit the Pena Palace and other outlying areas (we had visited Sintra on a previous visit). 
We had 3 nights in Lisbon which was enough to see the sights. I had a Lisbon guide book and had researched on line prior to our stay. Allow at least half a day to go out to Betlem and the Monasterio, easy to get to using local buses. 

This hotel looks lovely.  We like to walk and explore.  I will check this out.  I did download a city guide for Lisbon and will continue to check out Porto for that day visit.  Thank you.

 

 

[mskaufman]

5 hours ago, smmountaingal said:

I am so happy to find this discussion thread!  We are cruising out of Lisbon next April on the Celebrity Silhouette and I plan to arrive 3 days in advance to enjoy our first look in this city.  We also will have one port day in Porto.  I have much reading to do in this thread to gather information.  My first activity, however, is to identify a hotel for Lisbon.  I willingly will accept suggestions of others who have enjoyed this city.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

We did this last year.  Porto was one of my favorites.  Even with rain Lisbon was very night.  I'll take any excuse to go back and look at pictures.

 

https://portugalandnspain.shutterfly.com/pictures/8

 

https://portugalandnspain.shutterfly.com/pictures/72

 

 

[TLCOhio]

On 6/27/2020 at 6:44 AM, ollienbertsmum said:

Terry you are giving me huge travel itches.  So I read your comments about Portugal.  Remembered that Porto was on my list of ‘drive to’ places and have set myself a 10 day trip starting with the first stop in Seville then Evora.  Again, on my list.  It won’t be soon especially with the Covid results comiing from Lisbon but it is there.   Then I see your Fjord cruise report. I have actually thought about Norway and I think that once flying restarts I will be planning seeing the area independently.  I am starting to warm to the idea of doing overnights on land, even if the ship would have got me around more cheaply.  Thanks for your review and thoughts anyway.  

 

Appreciate ALL of these various great comments, suggestions, tips and follow-ups regarding Portugal.  Wonderful sharing!!  Yes, we all have a "TRAVEL ITCH", but this current challenging situation is still very unclear as to testing, flights, cruises, countries being open, etc.  For ollienbertsmum, YES, there is much wonderful to explore, see and do in Norway.  Fascinating country and nice people and history there.  For more travel ideas and options, see below as to Australia and New Zealand.  BUT, things are closed down now for many international visitors going there now.   

 

In looking at various recent news reporting, much is up in the air as when those from the U.S., U.K., etc., can travel to Portugal.  

 

As to hotels in Lisbon, I would check some of the web booking sites focusing in on price, location, etc., as fits your personal priorities and budget.  Get a booking down now.  Then check back later as you get closer to your planned travel dates.  As something comes up better, you can always cancel your earlier reservation.  For us with our five days there, having a central location worked well.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights.  On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings.  Now at 230,772 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

[smmountaingal]

29 minutes ago, TLCOhio said:

 

 

"As to hotels in Lisbon, I would check some of the web booking sites focusing in on price, location, etc., as fits your personal priorities and budget.  Get a booking down now.  Then check back later as you get closer to your planned travel dates.  As something comes up better, you can always cancel your earlier reservation.  For us with our five days there, having a central location worked well.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio"

 

Yes, I will seek a hotel or two very soon.  I am studying a map now to get familiar with Lisbon.  I agree to schedule something now and change it later.  I also need to work on my airline plans as I have a Delta ticket from this October to reschedule to next year.  Delta has just extended its "no change fee" through December so I am at liberty to make new arrangements.  Thank goodness I have some travel planning to work on again even if the actual travel is far in the future.

 

 

 

[BigRedFan]

On 8/4/2020 at 9:15 AM, TLCOhio said:

 

Appreciate ALL of these various great comments, suggestions, tips and follow-ups regarding Portugal.  Wonderful sharing!!  Yes, we all have a "TRAVEL ITCH", but this current challenging situation is still very unclear as to testing, flights, cruises, countries being open, etc.  For ollienbertsmum, YES, there is much wonderful to explore, see and do in Norway.  Fascinating country and nice people and history there.  For more travel ideas and options, see below as to Australia and New Zealand.  BUT, things are closed down now for many international visitors going there now.   

 

In looking at various recent news reporting, much is up in the air as when those from the U.S., U.K., etc., can travel to Portugal.  

 

As to hotels in Lisbon, I would check some of the web booking sites focusing in on price, location, etc., as fits your personal priorities and budget.  Get a booking down now.  Then check back later as you get closer to your planned travel dates.  As something comes up better, you can always cancel your earlier reservation.  For us with our five days there, having a central location worked well.  

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Sydney to NZ/Auckland Adventure, live/blog 2014 sampling/details with many exciting visuals and key highlights.  On page 23, post #571, see a complete index for all of the pictures, postings.  Now at 230,772 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

I have enjoyed reading through this thread so much.  After having several 2020 cruises cancelled and pushed to 2021 & 2022 due to covid, I am looking at the different places I hope to visit once we can take to the high seas again. I have a nostalgic reason for visiting Portugal; my mother who passed away three years ago used to spend winters there.  She loved it and would often speak of all the wonderful surprises waiting around the corner.  She painted many of her memories of travel and I have quite a few of her canvases from her time in Portugal. 

 

I also recently watched a special on the History Ch. that focused on the Knight's Templar and all their holdings and influences in Portugal.  I would love to explore some of those especially the city of Tomar which seems so fascinating.

I have a rescheduled cruise set for 2022 that will visit both Oporto & Lisbon and I am hoping to get to Tomar as a day excursion.

[smmountaingal]

2 hours ago, BigRedFan said:

I have enjoyed reading through this thread so much.  After having several 2020 cruises cancelled and pushed to 2021 & 2022 due to covid, I am looking at the different places I hope to visit once we can take to the high seas again. I have a nostalgic reason for visiting Portugal; my mother who passed away three years ago used to spend winters there.  She loved it and would often speak of all the wonderful surprises waiting around the corner.  She painted many of her memories of travel and I have quite a few of her canvases from her time in Portugal. 

 

I also recently watched a special on the History Ch. that focused on the Knight's Templar and all their holdings and influences in Portugal.  I would love to explore some of those especially the city of Tomar which seems so fascinating.

I have a rescheduled cruise set for 2022 that will visit both Oporto & Lisbon and I am hoping to get to Tomar as a day excursion."

 

2 hours ago, BigRedFan said:

 

Your mother's paintings are lovely. 

 

2 hours ago, BigRedFan said:

 

 

 

[TLCOhio]

On 8/7/2020 at 10:19 AM, BigRedFan said:

I have enjoyed reading through this thread so much.  After having several 2020 cruises cancelled and pushed to 2021 & 2022 due to covid, I am looking at the different places I hope to visit once we can take to the high seas again. I have a nostalgic reason for visiting Portugal; my mother who passed away three years ago used to spend winters there.  She loved it and would often speak of all the wonderful surprises waiting around the corner. 

 

Appreciate these above great comments and the interesting follow-up from Big Red Fan in Florida.  Especially loved about your mother's connections with Portugal.  Nice sharing with those wonderful visuals.  Nice sharing!!  

 

From the Travel Section of the London/UK Sunday Times posted this morning, they had this headline: “The most spectacular holidays in Portugal” with these opening highlights: “Portugal continues to buck the trend for globalisation, offering visitors an authentic slice of its culture, whether it be on a plate, in a glass or in its shifting landscape: green and granite in the north, golden sand and whitewash in the south. And it offers much more than that too.  In summer 2020, it feels safe. The law-abiding Portuguese have generally followed the rules; they wear masks and they keep their distance — an attitude helped because here the elderly are much respected. And now, belatedly, they’ve been rewarded for it, with the announcement that those returning to the UK from this most majestic of countries will no longer have to quarantine after August 22.”

 

One of the areas spotlighted is for nearby to Porto: "One of the oldest wine regions in the world, the Douro Valley has come into its own with the trend for wine tourism. Once only frequented by vineyard workers and owners of the quintas (farmhouses), the steep green terraces that roll down to the magnificent 'Golden River' now pull in a crowd, keen to understand the terroir from which port, red wine and deliciously mineral-rich white wine comes.  Wineries have sprung up at most of the bigger vineyards, making possible a wine journey either by a little train that hugs the river bank, by boat, which can stop at wineries and drop you off for a tasting, or by car. There are architectural wonders to see, such as the flamboyant early-18th-century Casa de Mateus, or the grand double staircase, embellished with hand-painted azulejos (tiles), at the church of Nossa Senhora dos Remedios in Lamego." 

 

This profile nicely outlines a number of options in that country to consider as to why we need to re-visit Portugal and experience more of its charm, character, history, hospitality, etc.  

 

Full story at:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/travel/the-most-spectacular-holidays-in-portugal-m5cqsd3vv

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!  Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture.  This posting is now at 88,514 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

[erby2283]

On 8/3/2020 at 2:46 PM, smmountaingal said:

I am so happy to find this discussion thread!  We are cruising out of Lisbon next April on the Celebrity Silhouette and I plan to arrive 3 days in advance to enjoy our first look in this city.  We also will have one port day in Porto.  I have much reading to do in this thread to gather information.  My first activity, however, is to identify a hotel for Lisbon.  I willingly will accept suggestions of others who have enjoyed this city.

 

Thanks

 

 

 

We flew to Lisbon from Barcelona and enjoyed 3 days post-cruise last year.  I stayed at a WONDERFUL VRBO for an amazing price (just one bedroom though). if you're interested in the information, let me know.  Perfect location and so quiet at night. Here are a few pictures from the balcony and one as we walked down the street - the street performers are right below you from the balcony giving you an amazing view above the crowd. 

 

 

Edited September 1, 2020 by erby2283

[smmountaingal]

21 hours ago, erby2283 said:

We flew to Lisbon from Barcelona and enjoyed 3 days post-cruise last year.  I stayed at a WONDERFUL VRBO for an amazing price (just one bedroom though). if you're interested in the information, let me know.  Perfect location and so quiet at night. Here are a few pictures from the balcony and one as we walked down the street - the street performers are right below you from the balcony giving you an amazing view above the crowd. 

 

 

 

 

 

Erby2283, thank you for the offer as I always appreciate a good recommendation.  However, we are booked at the Hotel do Chaiado.  We did not have a choice really as we are using a "credit" from a trip cancelled this year.  A third party company had booked our one-way flight and a hotel that was prior to an October 31st transatlantic.  I did not want to lose the $1,300 I had already invested, so we are using them again for the April 2021 airfare and pre-cruise hotel.  I just finalized these arrangements today.

 

By the way, I found Delta prices round trip from North Carolina to Lisbon and back from Paris for $1,399 per person comfort seats.  I think this is an acceptable fare.  That is less than a one way ticket would have been for this year.

 

Marilyn

 

[smmountaingal]

On 8/22/2020 at 8:35 AM, TLCOhio said:

 

Appreciate these above great comments and the interesting follow-up from Big Red Fan in Florida.  Especially loved about your mother's connections with Portugal.  Nice sharing with those wonderful visuals.  Nice sharing!!  

 

From the Travel Section of the London/UK Sunday Times posted this morning, they had this headline: “The most spectacular holidays in Portugal” with these opening highlights: “Portugal continues to buck the trend for globalisation, offering visitors an authentic slice of its culture, whether it be on a plate, in a glass or in its shifting landscape: green and granite in the north, golden sand and whitewash in the south. And it offers much more than that too.  In summer 2020, it feels safe. The law-abiding Portuguese have generally followed the rules; they wear masks and they keep their distance — an attitude helped because here the elderly are much respected. And now, belatedly, they’ve been rewarded for it, with the announcement that those returning to the UK from this most majestic of countries will no longer have to quarantine after August 22.”

 

One of the areas spotlighted is for nearby to Porto: "One of the oldest wine regions in the world, the Douro Valley has come into its own with the trend for wine tourism. Once only frequented by vineyard workers and owners of the quintas (farmhouses), the steep green terraces that roll down to the magnificent 'Golden River' now pull in a crowd, keen to understand the terroir from which port, red wine and deliciously mineral-rich white wine comes.  Wineries have sprung up at most of the bigger vineyards, making possible a wine journey either by a little train that hugs the river bank, by boat, which can stop at wineries and drop you off for a tasting, or by car. There are architectural wonders to see, such as the flamboyant early-18th-century Casa de Mateus, or the grand double staircase, embellished with hand-painted azulejos (tiles), at the church of Nossa Senhora dos Remedios in Lamego." 

 

This profile nicely outlines a number of options in that country to consider as to why we need to re-visit Portugal and experience more of its charm, character, history, hospitality, etc.  

 

Full story at:

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/travel/the-most-spectacular-holidays-in-portugal-m5cqsd3vv

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Venice: Loving It & Why??!!  Is one of your future desires or past favorites? See these many visual samples for its great history and architecture.  This posting is now at 88,514 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1278226

I enjoyed reading some of this information on the Douro Valley, but could not access the full article without the digital subscription to the Times.

 

Is anyone familiar with private tour companies in the Douro valley area?  I have seen mention of Tourby locals and the site travel.intothevineyard.  I will explore more on trip advisor as well.  This could be an option for our port day in Porto.

 

 

[erby2283]

17 minutes ago, smmountaingal said:

Erby2283, thank you for the offer as I always appreciate a good recommendation.  However, we are booked at the Hotel do Chaiado.  We did not have a choice really as we are using a "credit" from a trip cancelled this year.  A third party company had booked our one-way flight and a hotel that was prior to an October 31st transatlantic.  I did not want to lose the $1,300 I had already invested, so we are using them again for the April 2021 airfare and pre-cruise hotel.  I just finalized these arrangements today.

 

By the way, I found Delta prices round trip from North Carolina to Lisbon and back from Paris for $1,399 per person comfort seats.  I think this is an acceptable fare.  That is less than a one way ticket would have been for this year.

 

Marilyn

 

I wouldn't wan't to be out the money either!   We did do a tour with Lisbon Riders while we were there.  We decided on a private tour since there were 5 of us and it was well worth it. Some people don't think it's worth it to pay for tours but I find it's worth it to pay someone, not only to drive me, but to tell me about the history as well.

 

My friend, and travel agent, booked our airfare for us last year.  Since we were on a cruise, they're able to get good rates through their consortium.  We flew one way from Charlotte to Barcelona (through Toronto), one way from Barcelona to Lisbon (direct) and then Lisbon to Charlotte (through Munich) for $1100 total.  I was amazed he found pricing that cheap - although the leg home was looooonnnngggg.  It's never fun flying west just to get east......

[smmountaingal]

30 minutes ago, erby2283 said:

I wouldn't wan't to be out the money either!   We did do a tour with Lisbon Riders while we were there.  We decided on a private tour since there were 5 of us and it was well worth it. Some people don't think it's worth it to pay for tours but I find it's worth it to pay someone, not only to drive me, but to tell me about the history as well.

 

My friend, and travel agent, booked our airfare for us last year.  Since we were on a cruise, they're able to get good rates through their consortium.  We flew one way from Charlotte to Barcelona (through Toronto), one way from Barcelona to Lisbon (direct) and then Lisbon to Charlotte (through Munich) for $1100 total.  I was amazed he found pricing that cheap - although the leg home was looooonnnngggg.  It's never fun flying west just to get east......

We will use tour companies.  I may explore Lisbon Riders for a local tour.  I am planning to use Spain Day Tours for a tour to Fatima one of my days.

 

Your air prices were great!

 

Marilyn

[iancal]

We have spent time in Porto, Lisbon, vacationed/driven in  the Algarve and Douro Valley areas. .  Enjoyed them all.   Portugal remains high on our bucket list.  We could easily spend two or three more weeks in areas of Portugal (not to mention the Azores) that we have not yet visited.

 

 

[bennybear]

We enjoyed a lovely Time in  Porto a  few years ago.

[TLCOhio]

On 9/15/2020 at 1:26 PM, bennybear said:

We enjoyed a lovely Time in  Porto a  few years ago.

 

Appreciate ALL of these great comments, visuals and follow-ups.  Great sharing!!  Keep up the wonderful background.  

 

From the London/UK Independent this past weekend, they had this headline: “How Porto is reinventing its wine heritage" with this sub-headline: "A multimillion-euro reimagination of Porto’s storied wine district has made it even more of a draw for tourists.”

 

Here are some of their story highlights: “Many locals in Porto will tell you that while Lisbon is the capital of Portugal, Porto is Portugal. This historic city of cobbled streets leading to blue and white azulejo-tiled landmarks on slopes rising up from the Douro River played a significant part in the nation’s early formation.”

 

Full story at:

https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/travel/porto-wine-heritage-wow-portugal-b1883247.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Amazon River-Caribbean 2015 adventure live/blog starting in Barbados. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.).  Now at 68,619 views:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

[TLCOhio]

From the London/UK Daily Mail Sunday, they had this headline: “Drawn to art? Then head to Lisbon, where you'll find walls of beautiful blue-and-white glazed tiles, 'artistic graffiti' and a gallery beloved by Madonna” with these highlights: “Head to Lisbon, one of the world’s oldest cities, and you’ll discover it is also an astonishing open-air art gallery.  For hundreds of years, its walls have been adorned with glazed, ceramic azulejo tiles, and the predominantly blue-and-white ones have become synonymous with the Portuguese city and a major feature of walking tours.   The small polished stones were used to cover up the large areas of blank wall that were common inside buildings during the Gothic period, and they told stories about the city’s history, religion and culture.”

 

Here is more from their reporting: "Today, they still decorate churches, restaurants, bars, palaces and even homes, and are used extensively on street signs, public benches, along beach walls and stops on the Lisbon Metro. They are also complemented with a more modern take from a new wave of street artists.   Following the Portuguese revolution of 1974, there was an explosion of political murals in Lisbon, and today it is one of very few places in the world where artistic graffiti is embraced, sponsored and promoted – and it’s everywhere."

 

Full story at:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/escape/article-9898029/Art-Lisbon-Youll-walls-tiles-artistic-graffiti-gallery-beloved-Madonna.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

AFRICA?!!?: Fun, interesting visuals, plus travel details from this early 2016 live/blog. At 51,630 views. Featuring Cape Town, South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

[iancal]

We enjoyed Porto.  The best part was the five days we spent driving through the Douro Valley.

 

Given the choice between a one day cruise stop in Lisbon or a one day stop in Porto we would choose Lisbon hands down.

 

Both are well worth more than a one day port stop if you can manage it.  Both have some great places to see outside of the respective cities.  Top of our post covid bucket list is a few weeks in Morocco followed by a few weeks in Portugal and perhaps part of Spain.

[iancal]

We have been to Portugal a number of times.  Algarve, Lisbon, Porto.   

 

Bottom line for us...Portugal is near the top of our list for a three week driving holiday, perhaps add some Spain on top.    Could be this spring.  Portugal has done a good job on covid and we can get a direct flight to Lisbon on TAP at remarkably reasonable rates.  Once there we can get inexpensive flights to the Azores if we spring for an add on.

Edited November 6, 2021 by iancal

[Gourmet Gal]

On 3/24/2019 at 9:13 AM, Got2Cruise said:

We can always count on Terry for helpful articles and photographs. Taking the Uniworld Lisbon to Porto Cruise in July. Thanks! 

Please come back here and tell us about your trip.  I will be cruising the Douro with Tauck after a SS cruise Southampton to Lisbon.

[Got2Cruise]

23 hours ago, Gourmet Gal said:

Please come back here and tell us about your trip.  I will be cruising the Douro with Tauck after a SS cruise Southampton to Lisbon.

Gourmet Gal my trip was in 2019 and it was marvelous. Were you ever on a River Cruise before? You’ll be with Tauck and I have no doubt you’ll be in great hands. 
 

 

[Gourmet Gal]

Didn’t realize this thread was so old!  I have cruised the Rhine, Moselle, Danube, Main Canal with Uniworld and Tauck.  So delightful!  Since booking Tauck on the Douro I’ve booked an April Paris/Lyon to Lyon with them as well.  Hopefully both cruises will still be a go once we get past Omicron!

[TLCOhio]

On 12/7/2021 at 5:18 PM, Gourmet Gal said:

Please come back here and tell us about your trip.  I will be cruising the Douro with Tauck after a SS cruise Southampton to Lisbon.

 

YES!!  Don't forget to come back to these Cruise Critic Boards and share more.  Super love Portugal and enjoy reading/learning more.  

 

From the New York Times Travel Section this past week, they had their annual "52 Top Places to Visit" during the upcoming year.  Here was their headline: “52 Places for a Changed World" with this sub-headline: "The 2022 list highlights places around the globe where travelers can be part of the solution.”

 

Here are some of their NYT reporting highlights that focus for in and around Portugal: “Alentejo has most of the elements required for wine production: sun, soil, native grape varieties and a centuries-old winemaking legacy. What does it lack? Rain. Global warming has increasingly threatened this arid region known for warm and full-bodied reds, so in 2015, the area created the Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Program. By prioritizing water conservation, with measures like developing cover crops for water retention and creating ponds to collect rainwater, the program has helped wineries reduce their average water consumption by 20 percent. The program in 2020 created a certification process to further verify that wineries are following green initiatives. These wineries include Herdade de Coelheiros, a verdant estate with a walnut orchard, a cork forest and a herd of sheep — an organic solution for weed control..”

 

Here is the NY Times visual used to illustrate this segment of their reporting: 

 

Anyone been to this interesting location in Portugal?  Experiences to share about Portugal and their wines?

 

Full story at:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/travel/52-places-travel-2022.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Live/blog, June 2017 from Portugal to France along scenic Atlantic Coast on the Silver Spirit.  Now at 32,164 views.  Many interesting pictures, details for history, food, culture, etc.:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

[TLCOhio]

From the London/UK Independent a week ago, they had this headline: “Portugal Travel Guide” with these highlights for Lisbon: “Even by European standards Lisbon is a ridiculously pretty capital. The stately, statue-filled squares and elegant monochrome-mosaic pavements of the city’s handsome 18th-century centre sit at the feet of a romantic castle.  Lisbon’s neighbourhoods are sprinkled over seven hills. The best way to see it all is to get lost: wander the cobbled wynds of the Bairro Alto.”

 

For Porto: "With winding, church-stippled streets clambering up the side of a steep valley cut by the Douro River, Portugal’s northern capital of Porto has a setting almost as breath-taking as Lisbon."

 

Full story and many ideas/options at:

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/portugal/portugal-country-guide-travel-holiday-b2102589.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

Panama Canal? Early 2017, Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco adventure through Panama Canal.  Our first stops in Colombia, Central America and Mexico, plus added time in the great Golden Gate City. Now at 31,419 views.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2465580

[TLCOhio]

From the London/UK Daily Mail yesterday, they had this headline: “Portugal's starry coast: Royalty of every kind has long been drawn to Estoril - and now it’s more glam than ever ” with these highlights about this coastal area near Lisbon: “Once a summer retreat for Portuguese royals, by the 1930s the Costa do Sol — as the area around Estoril and neighbouring Cascais is called — had become a serious rival to the Cote d’Azur.  The glitterati had drifted away by the 1970s, but now the coast is making a comeback.”

 

In June 2017 prior to our cruise up the Atlantic coast from Lisbon, we visited and very much enjoyed the former fishing village of Cascais.  Charming and very interesting!!  

 

This profile details this area's connections with James Bond creator/writer Ian Fleming and the 007 history from here that inspired this writer and the later, famed movies.  Nice to know more about the history here from World War II, the spies and Royals once based at this scenic site, etc.    

 

Full story at:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/escape/article-11076287/Portugals-starry-coast-Exploring-glamorous-Estoril-Cristiano-Ronaldo-building-house.html

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

 

From late 2018, see “Holy Lands, Egypt, Jordan, Oman, Dubai, Greece, etc.”, with many visuals, details and ideas for the historic and scenic Middle East. Now at 21,103 views.  Connect at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2607054-livenautica-greece-holy-lands-egypt-dubai-terrypix’s/

 

Below are a couple of my visuals from our 2017 visit to Cascais and nearby. Lovely small beach there in Cascais with its nearby charming architecture and in such a scenic location.  The Palacio Hotel was where Ian Fleming, creator of the James Bond series, stayed in 1941 while working for Britain’s Naval Intelligence Division and chasing a double-agent that inspired his James Bond character.:

(Open your screen/viewer wider to see these visuals larger/better!)

 

Edited August 5, 2022 by TLCOhio

[bennybear]

Just wanted to add, try and stay in a pousada, they’re hotels in former palaces and monasteries.  
We stayed in a magnificent one on the Algarve in Estoi.