Embark on an enchanting journey through Northern Portugal, a region celebrated for its rich tapestry of history, vibrant culture, and stunning landscapes. From Porto’s dynamic atmosphere to the Douro Valley’s serene beauty, this guide offers essential insights and tips to ensure you capture the essence of what makes Northern Portugal so special. Discover Porto: A […]

 Lisbon is the vibrant capital of Portugal, a gorgeous city steeped in history, impressive architecture, cultural diversity, and friendly residents.  The only things that could spoil a visit would be the weather, sitting in an enclosed tour bus, and not having enough time to take in a lot of the activities and sights to satisfy […]

 Portugal’s gorgeous Algarve region offers a variety of things to do and see with charming towns, beautiful beaches, rocky coastline, and historic sites. It is the southernmost region of Portugal with about a half-million inhabitants, but it triples during the vacation season with seasonal residents.  A marina in Portimão Our two-day visit in early March […]

 Évora is a charming and historic city in central Portugal with relics from Roman and Moorish influence before and during the Medieval period, including protective walls, a temple, several cathedrals, and remains of a royal palace. Group following the guide Our tour of the UNESCO Heritage Site began with a walk through a quiet park […]

After spending a couple of days in Porto, we traveled south to historic Coimbra, the fourth-largest city in Portugal.  Belltower at the university Our half-day visit focused on the University of Coimbra and the shopping area near the Mondego River. There’s a limit on what you can see before moving to the next destination on […]

 I suppose one adventure of travel is making connecting flights at various airports. The ideal is to board a plane at your home airport and fly nonstop to your destination. That’s highly unlikely if you’re flying overseas in economy class. I like to think it adds to the adventure of seeing fresh places, even if […]

 It had been nearly three long years since my wife Mary and I traveled to Greece. In the next two years, we had planned trips to Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.  Life, as most travelers knew it, had come to a standstill. We were able to take several day trips […]