As another year draws to a close, I’m excited to share a new round-up of my favourite adventures across Portugal. This annual post has become one of the pieces I most look forward to writing – an excuse to rewind the past 12 months and finally tell a few stories from the cool corners of the country I haven’t written about yet.
This year also brought a milestone I’m genuinely thrilled to celebrate: in September, Olá Daniela passed 1,000,000 views in just 12 months. So, obrigada for being here, reading along, sharing posts and cheering me on. Every click and recommendation gives me a real buzz and nudges my introverted little heart to keep showing up.
In previous years, I kept this round-up strictly Portugal-only. But the truth is, I do stray over the border now and then – and I always go overboard on research – so it feels silly not to share those notes too. From this year forward, I’m including a few memorable trips “beyond”: skiing in France, exploring London and meeting chefs in Athens.
So, let’s dive into the past year of travel – with silly stories, insights and helpful notes or linked guides included.
A winter art staycation in Lisbon
January is one of the coldest and wettest months in Lisbon, but instead of being miserable about it, we treated the city like we were visitors ourselves. One thing I’ve noticed about living in Lisbon is that it’s often sunny, so I don’t want to spend even an hour inside wandering around a gallery or museum. Which is a shame, because Lisbon has some cool spaces to visit.
Each weekend in January, we decided to squeeze in a museum or cultural activity, which meant visiting the exhibitions at MAAT by the riverside, exploring the new Gulbenkian CAM (Contemporary Art Museum), and a trip to the Oceanarium to meet Lisbon’s most famous pair – the two Alaskan sea otters, Micas and Maré. Funnily enough, most of these days were fairly sunny – but we stuck to our guns.
Rounding out the fun was a fado show at Associação do Fado Casto, an ideal moody winter activity if you ask me – especially since the red wine is limitless.
Read next… Guide to winter in Portugal: Where to go, things to do & more
A ski trip to Chamonix
Each year, my partner organises a ski trip somewhere in Europe, and I usually skip it. But when his boys’ crew fell through, I agreed to be his ski buddy so long as it was within range of Geneva, where one of my best friends lives so she could join us.
And so, last February, I went skiing for the first time in a decade in Chamonix, an adventure ski town just over the border from Switzerland in France. My first day on the slopes, I was like a duck to water, carving up the mountain at speed – impressing both Jorge and my friend Gemma (and myself, to be honest). On Day 1, we went for the smoother slopes of Les Houches, partly to test my skills and mostly because I wanted to eat at a mid-mountain restaurant called Les Vieilles Luges. I’d go back to Chamonix just to dine at this special chalet once more.
On Day 2, I’d forgotten how to ski. Whatever talent I’d displayed the day before had all but disappeared. The slopes off Chamonix town were steep, the runs were packed, my legs were tired, and suddenly I didn’t know how to pizza let alone carve. In a state of panic, I insisted on being left in the cafeteria for a while. Later in the afternoon, I did manage to get back on the slopes and had to relearn how to ski.
We spent a full week in Chamonix, eating around town on the nights we didn’t use the raclette maker that came with our apartment (classic, essential!). Here’s what was good:
- Café Bluebird – we popped in here most mornings for a solid breakfast burger with sausage, bacon and eggs.
- Moody Coffee Roasters – for a solid flat white
- Yumidori – surprisingly excellent Japanese food and sushi from a top chef
- MUMMA – cool spot for Asian fusion. Must book ahead! Fun vibe for weekend nights
- Josephine – the French bistro classic
- ELA – delicious falafel and salad boxes
- Shoukâ – the hot chocolate here! Blueberry tart! A cosy co-work spot too.
- Big Mountain Basecamp – craft beer brewery
- La Crémerie des Aiguilles – a mountain restaurant nearby, just take the bus or train
A sunny February London weekend
Sunshine. In February. In London. I don’t know what we did to deserve that, but the British city put on a show for us. We’d been somewhat avoiding London for a few years – when we want big-city fun, we’d plan a trip to Paris or Madrid… but this February, Jack White was touring, and it led us back there. Some 72 hours later, and we wondered why we hadn’t returned earlier.
Best bites in London:
- Beigel Bake – we rolled off the plane and into Shoreditch at 11pm, heading straight to this 24/7 classic for a pastrami beigel. Excellent.
- Jolene – delicious pastries and coffee
- OMA – modern Greek share plates spot with a Michelin star
- St. JOHN Bread and Wine – for classic British cuisine. We had bone marrow and Welsh rarebit.
- Indian food on Brick Lane – this is something I had on my bucket list, and we tried Aladin. Very good lamb chops and curry.
- Crown Kebabs – a mind-blowing midnight bite
- Bangers – breakfast burgers with brilliant branding
- Banh Mi Keu – a 10/10 bahn mi sandwich, which we took for the plane
Best things I did
- Stayed in Shoreditch, somewhere I’ve always wanted to explore deeper. I think the east is more raw and interesting than the west.
- Victoria and Albert Museum – Museums are free! And the V&A is amazing – I could have spent all day here if I didn’t have to meet people.
- Hamilton in West End – musical theatre! The show was excellent, and we got great last-minute seats for a steal.
- Saw squirrels in Hyde Park – they are just the cutest animals with those floofy tails that move like magic.
- Borough Market – it’s a bit touristic, but there’s a great meat pie stall and lots of good people watching.
- Tate Modern – explored the floors of modern and contemporary art with river views on the roof.
- Vintage shopping along Brick Lane – need I say more? I couldn’t believe the scale and layers of shops and pop-up markets in the area.
- Columbia Road Flower Market – we joined a friend for her Sunday morning ritual.
Going with the flow at a spring yoga and wellness retreat
I’m more of a wellness worrier than warrior, but a 5-day retreat at Quinta Carvalhas flipped me on my head. Just Flow happens twice a year at this estate in Portugal’s Ribatejo area, just an 80-minute drive or train north of Lisbon. For the spring equinox edition, we rested, recharged and set positive intentions for the season ahead – all while someone else cooked and cleaned for us.
It was a gorgeous retreat, and I recapped my time there in a full article here. So if you’re curious, all the details are over there.
A bucket-list weekend at Hotel Convento de São Paulo
I had dreamed of staying at Hotel Convento de São Paulo ever since I first saw a picture of the 800-year-old convent-turned-hotel’s tiled hallways. And let me tell you, it’s even better in real life.
You see, the incredible independent hotel is tucked deep in the quiet, wild hills of the Serra d’Ossa, deep within the Alentejo. It’s close to some of my favourite towns, yet secluded and quiet – the perfect place to rest and relax in the spring sunshine. It was even warm enough to order G&Ts by the pool.
I loved it so much, I wrote a hotel review of our slow, long weekend stay here – and you can book the hotel here.
Bottomless wine and secret cellars: Redondo’s tasca and talha trail
When I want to really feel the heart and soul of Portugal, I like to dash out to the Alentejo region, where there’s a different sense of community and pace of life. One April afternoon, along with some friends, we ventured to Redondo for a six-stop rally that bounced between historic tascas and private adegas, usually closed to the public, with the promise of wine, snacks and songs at each stop.
Most were local people who seemed to know each other, and I became a minor celebrity – meeting the mayor and getting interviewed for radio. I wrote about the event in detail here, and you can find more cool events in my event guides – who knows, you might be the only foreigner there and make the news too.
Summer arrived early in Tomar, Portugal’s city of Templar legends
I’ve visited Tomar not once but twice for a festival that only happens once every four years, and yet I had never visited its main site: the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Convento do Cristo. It was time to make things right and properly explore his small historic city that’s closely linked to the legends of the mysterious Knights Templar.
In May, we spent five nights in this personality-packed Portuguese city, which seems like a lot of time, but there was so much to do in this destination, named the top off-the-radar summer holiday destination on the European Hidden Gem Index. Now, despite it being May, Portugal’s first heatwave ripped through the country, giving us a couple of days between 32–36ºC (89–96ºF) – ideal for exploring a few river beaches too.
I’ve written a helpful Tomar guide, plus where to eat in Tomar and the best day trips nearby.
Azores calling – June days on Terceira and São Miguel island
When a good friend from Australia said she was planning to visit us for a few weeks and wanted to explore the Azores, without hesitating, I said, I’m coming – which islands? And off we went to São Miguel and Terceira.
It was my third time on São Miguel Island, the largest of the nine Azorean islands, and there’s just so much to do there. We had four action-packed days where we explored from dawn until dusk – and I’ve written an itinerary you can steal, along with a where to eat on São Miguel Island guide and a thermal hot springs guide.
Afterward, we hopped to Terceira, the third-largest island in the archipelago, known for its volcanic landscapes, green patchwork fields, lava tubes and colourful Holy Spirit impérios. It was my first time on the island, and I loved the more relaxed pace – you can steal my three-day Terceira Island itinerary and my where to eat guide.
I also wrote a 101 guide to the nine islands of the Azores.
A foodie weekend in Porto
Back on the mainland, the same friend and I boarded a train north to Porto for a food-filled weekend at Canto de Luz, a really cool boutique hotel in the heart of the city. Over two nights, we joined a food tour, did a Douro wine tasting and cooked up a feast during a traditional Portuguese cooking class as part of the hotel’s in-house experiences.
Canto de Luz is located in one of my favourite neighbourhoods in Porto, and it was so nice to have a pool to return to for late afternoon swims between exploring the city streets. Read about our fun foodie Porto weekend here.
Summer days in Porto Covo & Aljezur
After avoiding summer vaycays in Portugal during peak season, we’re slowly softening into taking a slow week off in late July or early August. This year, that meant three nights in Porto Covo, a blue-trimmed coastal town on the Alentejo coast. It’s the very start of the Costa Vicentina’s 226.5-km (140-mile) coastal Fishermen’s Trail, so we walked the first day – a 10-km (6-mile) stretch from Praia de São Torpes back to Porto Covo town. It was insanely scenic as we hopped along beaches, stopping for a leisurely fish lunch partway at Pedra da Casca. This area has some of the most beautiful beaches and bays I’ve seen in Portugal.
During the summer, the local council puts on free transport for beachgoers, so we took the bus to the start. Next time I’d do the opposite – starting early from town on foot and taking the bus back – as the restaurants were closer to the start, and after lunch we still had a long walk ahead with no shade cover during the hottest part of a summer’s day.
After Porto Covo, we continued south to Aljezur, a coastal area famous for its surf. I loveeeeed where we stayed, a little in the hills at Herdade Quinta Natura, where we had a beautiful pool, great hosts and an amazing breakfast each day. We’d wake up in nature, surrounded by cork and eucalypt forests, and we were a short drive to the beach. Much better than staying in the “urbanisations”, I think.
Writing articles about these two stays is high on my to-do list! You can book the incredible Aljezur guesthouse here – and message me if you need notes in the meantime.
Late summer in Tavira, on the Algarve coast
Visiting the Algarve in September has become a bit of a tradition. We skip the peak summer madness and still enjoy warm sunny days, humid evenings and swims in water that’s as warm as it gets. Every visit we make this time of year is just the best – and this trip was no different.
We gravitate towards the eastern end of the Algarve, and this year – after a beautiful wedding in the charming inland Algarve town of Alte (stay at Alte Tradition Guest House if you go, a gorgeous guesthouse with a rooftop jacuzzi) – we parked ourselves at Cabanas da Tavira, a little holiday town.
This gave me time to explore Tavira again, revisit some favourite restaurants like the gorgeous Austa and classic Casa Corvo, discover new favourites like Mesa Farta and The Table, and take a casual day trip to Spain for vermouth, croquettes and tuna in Huelva.
A bureaucratic trip to beautiful Viseu
On Olá Daniela, I tell you about all the amazing places you can visit in Portugal, but I do not tell you how to move here. If you want those tips, look elsewhere – however, I can tell you that bureaucracy here involves layers and layers of semi-working systems that take time, patience and often don’t connect, though usually (thankfully) have some level of forgiveness.
Anyway, in October, I finally had an appointment to renew my long-expired residency card. That appointment was rescheduled – by the government agency – twice and moved from a city two hours from where I live to one 3.5 hours from where I live. Do you complain? No, because you literally can’t call or email them. Complaining is impossible. And figuring out what documents you need is a stab in the dark too (with community Facebook groups and Reddit doing some heavy lifting).
Being a glass-half-full girl, I saw it as an opportunity to revisit Viseu, Portugal’s pretty inland garden city. Honestly, Viseu is gorgeous. The historic old town is beautiful, raw and genuine with winding cobblestone roads lined with vintage neon signage, leading up to the historic Sé Cathedral that sits opposite a huge baroque church. Across the compact city centre, you’ll find loads of lush gardens filled with fountains and enough beauty to keep you busy for the day.
I took the bus up and stayed at a great guesthouse, Celtic Lodge. Here’s how I suggest you spend 24 hours in Viseu.
Exploring food and philosophy in Athens
Athens is cool, really cool. In October, I was invited to Athens to attend Gastrosophy, a one-day event where chefs meet to talk food and philosophy. I arrived to find a city that in some ways felt like the Lisbon I landed in back in 2018 – raw, unapologetic, real and full of character.
While most visitors skip through on the way to the islands, pausing briefly at the Acropolis for a selfie, those who stop to explore (and can see behind the graffiti) will find a city on the verge of something great again. I spent five nights in the Greek capital, where 30% of the country’s population lives, and spent my days hopping between century-old taverns, local mezze bars and modern Greek share spots across various neighbourhoods.
My favourite way to eat somewhere new is to dive into the root of the cuisine – tasting the traditional dishes the way they were meant to be – before hitting up higher-end restaurants where young chefs are looking at those roots and reimagining what’s possible. In Athens, I joined a Culinary Backstreets tour to go deeper into Greek food and its many stories (use my discount code DANIELA5), and then dined at modern places like Ateno, where a Greek salad is reimagined into a work of art.
Full report to come.
Where am I hoping to visit in Portugal in 2026?
So, I thought if I write my wishlist down, there’s a better chance of manifesting these trips – but it didn’t work last year, so my list remains somewhat the same (with a few additions!) I need to refer back more and dream a little harder!
- Day trip or weekend to Alcobaça and Batalha – I’m overdue to see those mega monasteries.
- Cozy wine-filled long weekend in the Douro Valley, and to see the ancient rock art at Foz Côa.
- A long weekend hiking between more of the 27 Aldeias do Xisto (Schist Villages)
- Slow late-summer days on the southern Algarve coast of Portugal
- More Azores: I’d love to visit the Pico, Faial, São Jorge triangle of islands.
- Weekend trips to Marvão, Mértola, Beja, Serra da Estrela….
Catch up on past years…
- My 10 favourite Portugal trips in 2024
- My 10 favourite Portugal trips in 2023
- My 6 favourite Portugal adventures from 2022
Keep reading…
- Guide to winter in Portugal: Where to go, things to do & more
- Best Festivals & Cultural Events in Portugal
- Food Festival Guide: Best Gastronomic Events in Portugal
- Best Medieval & Historic Events in Portugal in 2026
- Sardines & pimba: Your guide to Lisbon’s Santo António Festival
- Devil on the loose: 7 traditional pagan carnivals to attend in Portugal
- 22 most beautiful castles in Portugal
