• Age: 30
• Year: 2019
• Time of year: June
• Length of trip: 9 days
• Travel style: adventure, solo, beach destination

The recap:
Caves, beaches, and nightlife
17th century fortress
New friend: Mario the kayak guide

Day 1

Flew from Casablanca, Morocco (read the Morocco blog here) to Lisbon. Checked into Lisbon Destination Hostel.

Day 2

Explored downtown Lisbon, went to the Castle of Sao Jorge.

Joined the pub crawl in the evening at the sister hostel – Sunset Destination Hostel, which included so much alcohol that the rest of the night is a blur!

Fun fact: You can drink on the streets in Lisbon.

Day 3

Continued exploring Lisbon post hangover recovery.

Went for dinner at Cantinho do Avillez.

Day 4

Day trip to Sintra: Quinta da Regaleira & Pena Palace, ending with a stop at Cabo da Roca – the westernmost point of Europe.

Day 5

Destination highlight: Berlenga Island – complete with dolphins, kayaking through caves, and a 17th century fortress.

Took the bus from Lisbon to Peniche, then the ferry to Berlenga Island.

Hiked to the Fortress of St. John the Baptist, then noticed a kayak available and called out to one of the kayak guides who took me on a 1:1 tour around the island, followed by a delicious homemade bouillabaisse while I waited for my ferry. So if you go, ask for Mario – tell him Sara from Canada sent you!

Day 6

Took the train to Lagos on the Algarve coast. Checked into Airbnb close to the Meia Praia beach.

Went to the local grocery store and picked up some fresh seafood for dinner – very affordable & delicious!

Day 7

Explored Lagos & chilled at the Meia Praia beach.

Went for drinks and ended up at the World Beer Fest!

Day 8

Spelunking day – took a boat to see the caves along the Algarve coast:

Day 9

Hiked up to the Ponta da Piedade:

Then took the train to Faro for my flight to Dubrovnik.

Note: Didn’t have time to go to Porto in the north of Portugal, but heard great things about the wine & surfing!

Continue the journey with my Croatia blog here: