The average person’s guide to A-list Comporta: Portugal’s luxe beach town
Some of Portugal’s most spectacular stretch of coastline is found just over an hour south of Lisbon. The golden sands around the Comporta region are some of the most wild, natural, and pristine in the whole country. Here pine forests bump up against vast sand dunes, gorgeous beaches back onto fields of rice, and local […]
Where to stay in the Algarve: Ultimate guide to choosing your base
Choosing a hotel, guesthouse or apartment for your time exploring the Algarve, Portugal’s southern coast, is not like picking a neighbourhood in a city like Lisbon. The Algarve isn’t a singular place – it’s a region of about 150 kilometres (100 miles) of gorgeous coastline with charming villages, modern cities, historic towns, and golf resorts. […]
Portuguese artisans: 11 traditional crafts from the Alentejo
I love meeting local artisans, watching them work, and hearing their stories. Here in Portugal, I regularly visit craft fairs and workshops to meet the people who work with their hands, often continuing a family trade many generations in the making. One Portuguese region that stands out for its strong traditional crafts and artisans is […]
Where to shop Portuguese ceramics by weight (cerâmica ao kilo) & pottery outlets
Portugal makes tonnes of ceramics, from small-scale artisanal pieces thrown on a wheel through to industrial pottery output at a large scale. At factory scale that includes making ceramics for big companies abroad, so there are local ceramic stores and pottery factory outlets where you can scoop up seconds, overproductions, and certified bargains. The newest […]
Sunday in Madeira at the Santo da Serra Farmers Market
This Sunday farmers market might be the best thing I’ve done on Madeira Island. Okay, the landscapes are incredible and the hikes of Madeira are truly breathtaking, but if you’re a regular reader then you know I love food and local experiences – and this one ticks both boxes to the extreme. The Sunday Mercado […]
Meet Portugal’s last cowbell makers: Chocalhos Pardalinho
Saving the voice of the fields The Alentejo is a land of slow living, where the beautiful landscape unfolds like a painting. The soundtrack to the ancient olive groves and frozen centennial cork trees is the gentle ding, ding, ding of cowbells. It’s not uncommon to cross paths with a shepherd, letting his flock roam free […]
My 10 favourite Portugal trips in 2024
Each year I round up my favourite trips I’ve taken across Portugal, and it’s a fun chance to reflect on where I’ve been and share a tale or two from cool places that I (often) haven’t had the time to write any blogs about (yet!). For me, 2024 was a really good year personally and […]
Guide to winter in Portugal: Where to go, things to do & more
Winter is the low season for travel in Portugal, but there are so many positive reasons to visit. Fewer tourists and lower prices are just two (of many) reasons to visit during this quieter period, and having spent seven winters in Portugal now I can attest that it’s often sunny with blue skies in January! […]
Local’s guide to Lisbon’s best restaurants: 45 great places to eat (2026)
A perfectly salted fish cooked over coals. A juicy tomato plucked in the peak of summer. The crunch of a pastel de nata, still warm from the oven. Portuguese food is a lesson in perfectly executed simplicity.
18 best places to visit in the Alentejo: prettiest villages, towns and cities
The Alentejo region is easily one of my favourite parts of Portugal to explore. There’s something instantly relaxing about being out in the countryside, passing fields where sheep and black pigs graze beneath cork tree forests and ancient olive groves. With each vineyard and whitewashed village that flashes by the car or train window, time […]
Two days in Porto: Perfect first-time itinerary
Porto is the ultimate weekend city. In two days you see and taste it all – from the tile-covered churches to port wine tasting to the city’s famous hearty sandwiches. The architecture and tiles are different to Lisbon, the city is cooler (in temperature) but the people are perhaps a little warmer. There’s not much […]
8 best poncha bars on Madeira Island
It’s an impossible task to write a list of all the poncha bars on Madeira. Any bar worth its liquor license will almost certainly be serving this strong and fruity local punch. Over multiple trips to this mountainous Portuguese island off the coast of Africa, I’ve enjoyed a few (too many) Madeiran ponchas – a […]