Back to Portugal, travelling through the Algarve region

Portugal certainly has a magical energy, that pulls you to want to stay forever. From the culture, friendly people, tasty food, abundant nature - I will be coming back very soon!

I stayed in Faro and Lagos + took a day trip to Estoi.

Faro - the capital of the Algarve region in southern Portugal. Old town Faro is fairly small and has a stone wall surrounding the area, built by the Romans before the 8th century.

Arco da Vila - the entrance to the old town, which was rebuilt in the 19th century. It also serves as the perfect rain hide out, as I was caught when walking from the bus station to the hostel on my first day. Storks (birds) built nests on top of the arc and made it their home and now the city just lets them live there.

Igreja de Santa Maria - a Roman Catholic Cathedral and Bell tower in the centre of the old town. The top of the bell tower offers the perfect view of Faro and the surrounding islands.

Capela dos Ossos - found outside the old town, on the north end of Faro. This Bone Chapel was created in 1816 when the bodies of Carmelite monks were exhumed out of the overcrowded cemeteries. It was pretty “bone chilling” to be inside surrounded by all the skeletons and probably the creepiest site I've visited this far.

Parque Natural da Ria Formosa - this national park extends along the coast and can be explored by boat. It incudes many sandbars, tidal mudflats, lots of birds and fish. I decided to take a short boat trip around the park to spot some wildlife and even saw flamingos which were on their way to Africa.

Tiles - one of my favourite parts of Portugal are the colourful tiles.

Artisan Market - every Friday, Saturday and Sunday artists showcase their work in Jardim Manuel Bivar (a small square), right by the Arc to the old town. There was a variety of jewelry, soaps, pottery, honey, and much more.

Petisqueira 3 Em Pipa - I found a lovely restaurant right around the corner from my hostel and enjoyed some delicious Portuguese classics.

*Marinated Sardines

*Braised pork cheeks in red wine + rosemary sauce with mashed sweet potatoes

and some white wine from the Algarve region

Estoi - just north of Faro, 30 mins by bus is the town of Estoi and it is famous for the “Pink Palace” (as it’s commonly referred to by tourists).

Palácio de Estoi - entrance is free to this unique palace. The interior includes walls and ceilings with paintings of angels, stained glass windows and a museum with archeological artifacts. While the exterior of the palace is painted pink, and has maze gardens, a fountain and blue + white painted tiles.

Town of Estoi - although it was pouring rain during my visit, I spotted many colourful buildings and their main church.

Lagos - a hidden gem along the southern cost of Portugal.

Street art - while walking around the town I found lots of beautiful art.

Surfing - one of the main reasons I headed to Lagos. I spent 3 out of my 5 days in Lagos learning to surf and had so much fun. It’s not an easy sport, but I was proud of my progress and ability to get up and catch some waves. The first day the surf school - Surf Experience took us to the west coast, Praia da Cordoama and for day two and three we surfed in the south coast Praia do Porto de Mós. The surf instructors were excellent and I met so many travelers also learning to surf.

Coastal cliff hike - starting in Praia do Canavial, I hiked along the cliffs towards Ponta da Piedade, and then up to Praia Dona Ana. The cliffs were so orange and the water was very blue, the views were immaculate.

Beach day - relaxing + resting on the beach was needed after a couple of days of surfing. It was really cool to see so many paragliders jumping off the cliffs and flying through the sky.

Bura Surfhouse - I haven’t mentioned the hostels I’ve been staying at but this one deserves a proper shout out. The atmosphere, staff, guests, amenities and food were all amazing. They served free breakfast each morning, which included freshly made pancakes, and had delicious family dinners in the evenings for a super fair price of 6 euros. They offered yoga in the mornings + evenings most days, had a pool and access to various activities (kayaking, surfing, grotto tours, cliff jumping and more). Although they are located a bit further from the beach and city centre, I would still highly recommend this hostel and hope to return some day soon.

Pasteis de Nata - there were bakeries on every corner and so I made sure to have my share of natas in Faro, Estoi and Lagos before leaving Portugal.

#StandwithUkraine - Traveling through foreign countries and seeing the support for Ukraine is truly heartwarming. I spotted many Ukrainian flags around the cities, on cars, buildings and in people’s hands. The grocery store in Lagos also collected non-perishable food items that were sent to Ukraine and donations were collected on-board my flight from Portugal to France (my next stop). The world is united and supports Ukraine!

Слава Україні! Героям Слава!

The Portugal part of my trip has come to an end and I’m off to Paris. Obrigada!