Portugal.
So you're heading to Portugal? Let's get it right.
READ LISBON + AROUND FREELisbon, decoded
Porto + the Douro
The Algarve — where to go, where to skip
The surf + the giant waves
The Azores + Madeira, properly
The money playbook + 5 itineraries
Lisbon + Around, on us.
This is one section of 6 in the guide.
The famous yellow tram 28 rattles through Graça, Alfama, Baixa + Estrela — a moving sightseeing tour for the price of a transit fare. Hop off at the miradouros (Senhora do Monte, Portas do Sol, São Pedro de Alcântara) for the best free views over the tiled city + river.
Tip: Ride early (before ~9am) or you'll fight tourists for a seat + watch for pickpockets (tram 28 is their favourite). Buy a reloadable Viva Viagem card. Or walk the route + just photograph the trams — the hills ARE the sightseeing.
Portugal's gift to the world — warm, flaky custard tarts dusted with cinnamon. Pastéis de Belém (the 1837 original, secret recipe) is the pilgrimage; Manteigaria (Chiado + Time Out Market) is the locals' equal-or-better rival with no queue.
Tip: The Belém queue looks huge but moves fast — OR there's a faster takeaway counter to the left. For zero queue + arguably better tarts, go to Manteigaria + watch them come out of the oven. ~A$2 each. Eat them warm.
A curated food hall where Lisbon's best chefs + restaurants run stalls under one roof — a brilliant, if touristy, way to graze across the best of Portuguese food (and try Manteigaria's tarts). Good for groups who can't agree.
Tip: Go off-peak (mid-afternoon or early) — lunch + dinner rushes are a scrum for tables. Great for a first-night taster; then seek out the smaller tascas (family restaurants) for the real, cheaper deal.
Portugal's soul-music — mournful, beautiful, sung over Portuguese guitar in tiny Alfama + Mouraria bars. A proper fado night (with dinner or just a drink) is one of Lisbon's essential experiences. Mesa de Frades, A Tasca do Chico (casual), or Clube de Fado.
Tip: The casual spots (A Tasca do Chico) are free/cheap + atmospheric but cramped; the dinner houses charge more but guarantee a seat + quality. Silence is expected when the singer starts — it's not background music.
A converted industrial complex under the 25 de Abril bridge — street art, indie shops, the beautiful Ler Devagar bookshop, rooftop bars + restaurants. The cool, creative side of Lisbon. Pair with a stroll along the revamped riverfront.
Tip: Sunday has a market. Rooftop bars here + across the city (Park, on a car-park roof; Topo) are the Lisbon sunset move. Catch the ferry across to Cacilhas for cheap seafood + the Cristo Rei statue view back at the city.
A hilltop town of fairytale palaces in misty forest, 40 min by train from Lisbon — the candy-coloured Pena Palace, the mysterious Quinta da Regaleira (with its initiation well), the Moorish Castle, Monserrate. One of the most magical day trips in Europe.
Tip: Go EARLY (first train ~8am) — Sintra is mobbed + tickets to Pena sell out; pre-book timed tickets online. Pick 2 sites max (Pena + Regaleira is the classic combo) — you can't do them all. Use the 434 bus or a tuk-tuk between hilltop sites; don't try to walk it all.
A breezy seaside resort town 40 min by train down the coast — pretty marina, beaches, easy-going. Nearby Cabo da Roca is mainland Europe's westernmost point (dramatic cliffs). Often combined with Sintra into a loop.
Tip: The Lisbon → Cascais train hugs the coast (sit on the right/sea side). Rent a bike along the Guincho seafront. Combine Sintra (morning) + Cascais (afternoon) via the 403 bus over Cabo da Roca for a full coast-and-palaces day.
The rest of Portugal.
This chapter, the pre-departure checklist, the budget tool and the Portugal chat, sent to your inbox.
5,600+ members, already there.
The guide gets you planned. The chats answer the rest, usually in minutes.
What buyers told us.
Read every blog on the Algarve, then this. Half the spots they push are overrun and they don't say so. The hidden coves chapter and the 'when Lagos is too busy go here' breakdown was worth the cover price three times over before we'd left the airport.
Don't usually pay for guides, sceptical generally. The Porto chapter sold me, then the Douro Valley day-trip plan, then the smaller towns. Skipped most of the Lonely Planet checklist and ended up with the trip everyone else came home wishing they'd done.
Was torn between the Azores and Madeira and the breakdown made it easy. Went Madeira based on the call in the guide, weather window was exactly as described, did the levada walks the locals do rather than the influencer ones. Came home a Portugal convert.
Excellent. Knocked off half a star wishing for more on the Alentejo since the coast and the cities are so well covered. Otherwise the most useful single thing I've read on Portugal and definitely the cheapest.
Bought the Italy guide. Then the Vault. Then Pro. That's how good these are. I'm pre-ordering every guide before they exist. The community alone is worth it.
$15 is nothing, I spend more than that on a single brunch. It saved me hours of planning and made the actual trip better. Honestly I'd have paid $50 for any of these guides.
Mistakes the guide saves you from.
Using Euronet ATMs (awful rates + fat fees) instead of a Multibanco bank ATM
Every withdrawal from the wrong machine
Letting the ATM/terminal charge you in AUD (dynamic currency conversion)
Every transaction you don't decline
Visiting the Algarve + cities in August (peak prices + wall-to-wall crowds)
Anyone who doesn't shift to shoulder season
Turning up at Sintra late with no pre-booked tickets (sold out / hours of queues)
Most first-timers
Paying for the couvert you didn't want (bread/olives charged per item)
Every meal you don't wave it away
Booking Madeira NYE or June festival beds last-minute (priced out / sold out)
Anyone who doesn't book months ahead
Renting a car for the cities (parking nightmare + needless cost)
Travellers who don't train/Bolt the cities
Skipping the toll transponder on a rental car (surprise fines later)
Self-drivers who don't sort Via Verde at pickup
Instant. Yours forever.
Common questions.
Why pay A$14.99 when there's free info on Reddit?
Do Australians need a visa for Portugal?
Lisbon or Porto?
Are the Azores worth the detour?
When should I go?
What if I don't end up going?
I'm doing Portugal + Spain + Italy. All-Access Pass?
I built Aussies In because the info Australians actually need to travel well is scattered across a thousand Reddit threads and outdated blogs. Portugal is the one everyone comes home raving about — the value, the coast, the warmth. This guide is everything I wish someone had handed me before my first trip.
Your trip, planned.
Where to go. Where to stay. What to eat. How to get around. What to skip. Every answer in one place — researched by Aussies who've actually been.