Should i go to porto or lisbon

From Lisbon, you can easily access Cascais, which is not without its charms, though it can get quite crowded! Better yet is to rent a bike in Cascais and bike down the coast a bit until you find a stretch of beach you like.

The Algarve has warmer waters and is more easily combined with a trip to Lisbon, but visiting the Algarve is not really doable unless you have at least a week to enjoy Portugal. I typically paid about euros for a full meal with wine, sometimes a little more when eating at nicer places or opting for seafood.

Accommodations set me back a fraction of what they would in similar destinations, and public transportation and Uber are similarly affordable compared to the rest of Western Europe. No matter where you go in Portugal, be sure to try their delicious pastel de nata , a delicious egg custard tart best enjoyed with a dusting of cinnamon on top fresh out of the oven.

So, there you go: the complete Lisbon vs. Porto rundown! Or, just let me know — which are you leaning towards, Porto or Lisbon? Thank you Allison for the nice gaid tour about Portugal. This sweet beverage is very tasty and inexpensive. To have a complete experience, stop by A Ginjinha Bar.

Yes, to tone your legs. No joke. Lisbon is nestled among seven hills and stairs here is serious business.

Some see this is an issue, but we see it as an opportunity to burn some calories of all the cheese we ate there. Anyways, our best Lisbon travel tip is to pack comfortable walking shoes. Because Lisbon is bigger and more touristy than Porto, finding good accommodation is much easier there. Granted, Lisbon is generally more expensive than Porto, but it also means it has a better infrastructure to receive tourists. Chiado is an excellent neighborhood in Lisbon close to many attractions and most restaurants we visited.

Besides the excellent restaurants and bars in the area, of course. However, this is not the quietest neighborhood. Click here to check the latest prices and book your stay at Solar dos Poetas Hotel in Lisbon.

On the other hand, for those looking for a quieter area and a cheaper hotel, the easyHotel is a great option. Rooms were recently renovated and the hotel is pretty close to a metro station connecting to the city center. Click here to book your stay at easyHotel in Lisbon. Everyone and their mother owns a hostel or an apartment to rent. In Porto , all the years Porto has been numb for tourism have taken a toll in the accommodation offers.

While you can get cheap dorm beds from as low as 10EUR per night, overall some guesthouses and cheap hotels still feel a bit old and lack in some infrastructure. In comparison, Lisbon the offer is bigger in quantity and quality. It is now in the point where people are questioning the long-term benefit of opening up so many hotels and hostels.

In this particular area, I think Porto is going through what Lisbon went through… years ago. The capital has the advantage on this one, just because the offer is bigger. All of these are located in the very heart of the city, have WiFi and a rating of 8 or more! Amazing value for money! All of these are located in the heart of the city, with WiFi and a rating of 8 or higher! Hotel HF Fenix Music.

Charmingly music-themed hotel, super close to the center. Oh it comes with this stunning rooftop swimming pool.

Most of them can even address you in good English which drops the communication barrier even more! Still, it is pretty much accepted throughout the country that people from the North are more friendly the same happens in Game of Thrones , this must be a thing. Its old neighborhoods cling to the slopes and look down on a flotilla of barcos rabelos -- high-prowed longboats that once carried kegs of wine down from upriver vineyards and now bob decoratively in the stream.

Douro means "river of gold" and the dying rays of sunset give the waters a gilded glow. Among the five bridges spanning the Douro in Porto, the oldest, Ponte Maria Pia, is a curving iron arc built in by Gustave Eiffel, the tower guy. The food is good, people are friendly.

I'm here to stay. MORE: The world's tastiest rail journey. Ribeira v. Lisbon's old quarter Alfama has a lighter pastel-colored outlook comparing to Porto's Ribeira area.

The historic cores of both cities comprise a plurality of medieval neighborhoods complete with winding alleys, flaking ochre facades and little squares overlooked by ancient churches.

In Lisbon, the best known is Alfama, spiritual home of Portugal's plaintive fado music, tumbling down to the Tagus. Porto's is Ribeira, clinging to the steep north bank of the Douro. They share much in common, but are immediately distinguished by the raw material of their construction. In Alfama, as in most of Lisbon, soft white limestone dominates. Old Porto is made of more somber gray granite.

In paintwork, Alfama has lighter, more pastel shades, Ribeira prefers darker hues, and tiled facades. Ribeira is more tightly packed, more intimate, perhaps even a bit claustrophobic, but Ribeira -- for the moment -- has an advantage.

Years of tourism success have changed Alfama: These days you're more likely to hear the chatter of French tour groups than fado echoing down its lanes.

The last traditional grocery store closed in Souvenir stores and bars are mushrooming. Vacation rentals are pushing out the locals who gave the district its color.

While newer restaurants and attractions are coming to Ribeira, the historic neighborhood retains its edgy authenticity. Similar changes are coming to Ribeira, but it retains more of its edgy authenticity.

Tonho restaurants. MORE: Here are some bookstores around the world you don't want to miss. Battle of the beaches. Lisbon's beaches stretch from the mouth of the Tangus to mainland Europe's most westerly point, near Sintra in the picture.