I recently travelled to Spain and Portugal, and it was everything I’d hoped it would be. What amazing countries!
But there were still some things I didn’t know despite all of my research and planning, the kind of lessons you only learn once you’ve been there.
Here’s my collection of tips, highlights, and must-sees from the four largest cities I visited: Barcelona, Lisbon, Sintra and Porto.
SPAIN
Barcelona: General Tips
• Barcelona is compact and very walkable.
• We stayed at a hotel on La Rambla and it was mainly good. There were little tiny bugs in the bathroom, which they blamed on the trees right outside the window. I'm definitely not sure about this! But otherwise the hotel was nice, and the location was INCREDIBLE, right on La Rambla and walkable everywhere. There is a Carrefour across the street; it's a huge grocery chain all through Spain where you can buy anything you might possibly need. If you buy a bottled or canned drink, in Spain you do not have to buy the six-pack; you can just buy singles of the drink. So civilized!
• Hotels in Spain (and Portugal) usually don’t provide facecloths. Pack your own if you need one.
• Tipping isn’t part of the culture, though it’s appreciated. If you feel like it, 3–5% is recommended. Even when you pay by card, the machine won’t prompt you to add a tip.
• Uber doesn’t operate here, but Cabify and Bolt do. Download and set up the apps before you arrive so you’re not fumbling after a long flight.
• Barcelona is always busy. Buy all sightseeing tickets in advance.
• This is the world’s No. 1 city for pickpocketing. Carry only what you’re willing to lose, and consider a money belt under your clothes.
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Barcelona: What to See
• La Sagrada Família: My #1 tip for Barcelona: Do not spend money on a tour at La Sagrada Família. Just buy your ticket and it will come with an audio guide. You'll like this much better as you'll be able to go at your own pace. Our tour was rushed and cost about 70 euros each. I was so disappointed! Do buy your tickets in advance though ... It would be terrible to get sold out of this. There are no bathrooms here except porta-potties so plan your liquid intake carefully.
Pro tip: The best photo spot is from the park across the street from the main entrance. The trees will hide the hordes of people in front of the church, but you'll still see the magnificent structure above the trees. Of course, I didn't learn this until I returned home.
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| Montserrat Monastery |
• Montserrat Monastery: A fantastic day trip, open 24 hours and free to visit. Take the FGC R5 train from Plaça Espanya; it runs every hour starting at 8:15 a.m. No need for a tour — it’s easy to do on your own.
• Park Güell: Make sure you buy your tickets in advance! We got sold out and only got in by the kindness of a random tour guide. I would have been heartsick to miss this.
• La Boquería Market: Don't miss La Boquería, which is the very cool market on La Rambla.
• La Rambla: Iconic for strolling, shopping, and sipping a gigantic sangria at a streetside table. It’s crowded and pickpocket central, but still a must-do.
PORTUGAL
Lisbon: General Tips
• Use Uber and Bolt here for ride-sharing. If you must use a taxi, make sure you ascertain the price and distance that you're going. We got ripped off horribly. Our driver charged us 30 euros to take us to our hotel from the cruise dock, and we hopped in because we were so tired. But we later discovered he had just been driving around randomly, as the distance between the two points was only a 10-minute walk.
• If you are flying home from the Lisbon airport, there are two checkpoints at the airport. So don't think you're done after you clear customs, like we did. There is a second lineup you must go through for a passport check. We were so freaked out as, after being so early, we ended up almost being late due to that second lineup.
Lisbon: What to See
• We stayed at Browns Boutique Hotel right in the heart of the hub called Baixa and I cannot recommend this hotel highly enough. It was gorgeous and not too expensive. And the location was incredible.
• The Santa Justa Lift is right near the hotel, if you're interested. We decided to skip this, but I read a good tip: Apparently, there is always a long line at the bottom (1-2 hours) to ride to the top. So instead, go to top and ride down; then the wait is only about 10 minutes.
• Tower of Belém was cool to see but not essential. You’ll pass it walking to the Monument of the Discoveries. The lineups were very long so we didn’t go into the tower.
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| Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries) |
• One of my absolute favourites was the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries). It’s absolutely so striking. You need to google this to see if you want to see it. But we loved it.
• After you're done with the Monument of the Discoveries, walk across the street to Pastéis de Belém -- it's the place where Portuguese egg tarts were invented! There is a huge lineup to go in for tea, but there is also a takeout line that moves very speedily.
• Hop on one of the famous yellow trams if you have time.
• There is very funky street wall art by Bordalo II; his pieces are all throughout the city.
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| Ler Devagar bookstore |
• Don't miss the Ler Devagar bookstore — it's one of the coolest I've ever seen and often makes the top 10 lists of best bookstores in the world. It's in a fun restaurants/shopping area called LX Factory. This was quite a long walk from our hotel and it was one of the few areas where I felt it was a bit sketchy in parts. I wouldn't walk here after dark.
Sintra: What to See
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| Pena Palace |
• Sintra and Pena Palace will require a full day but I think they're definitely worth seeing. But if you do this, DO NOT stand in the horrendous lineup to go through the castle. If you do, you'll see all kinds of musty furniture and that's about it. We wish we'd taken our front desk clerk's suggestion to instead spend time at Quinta da Regaleira and the gardens. Pena Palace was such a huge disappointment! Dress warmly for this as Sintra is high and I was cold wearing normal summer wear.
Porto: What to See
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| Livraria Lello |
• Livraria Lello bookstore is a must-see. Buy your tickets in advance; the lineups are around the block even with a ticket. Pro tip: When it's time to pay for your purchases, there's a cash register on the top floor with much shorter lineups than on the main floor.
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| Cais da Ribeira waterfront |
• Cais da Ribeira waterfront area is a UNESCO site and so gorgeous! There's lots to see here on both sides of the Douro River; walk across the iconic Dom Luís I bridge. This is a very steep, cobblestoned city so wear good lace-up shoes.
• Portugal is known for its fantastic tiles called azulejos, and Porto more so than Lisbon. In Porto, the São Bento Railway Station has an incredible display of these tiles. Do not miss this. Unfortunately we didn't know this and actually walked right by the train station and didn't go in. I didn't find out until after we were home that this train station is so famous and I was heartsick that we missed seeing it.
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