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Showing posts with label Lisbon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lisbon. Show all posts

Wednesday, 8 December 2021

Country Guide: Portugal

Name: Portugal

Continent: Europe

Capital (and Largest) City: Lisbon (in Portuguese: Lisboa)

Language: Portuguese

Currency: Euro

Drives on the: Right

Time Zone: Western European Standard Time

Adaptor Types: Type C and Type F

Description: Portugal is located on the Iberian peninsula in the southwest of Europe, bordering Spain and the Atlantic Ocean. It's a popular tourist destination amongst Brits and other Europeans, thanks to its warm weather and many sandy beaches. And it's also famous for port wine, Fado music, and for being successful in football.

Why You Should Visit: In addition to Portugal's beaches, there are various interesting cities to visit, most famously Lisbon and Porto. I have only visited Lisbon so far, but my trip there really stayed in my mind, because of its beautiful architecture and cultural attractions. I would definitely go back there and to other Portuguese destinations in the future.

Fun Fact: Portugal is the oldest country in Europe, having existed since 1139!


My Blogposts About Portugal

Charlotte's Travel Adventures

- The Night Train From Madrid to Lisbon

- Lisbon

- The Belém and Ajuda Neighbourhoods (Lisbon)

- Castelo de São Jorge (Lisbon)

- Travel Tips: My Ten Favourite Cities (Lisbon)

- Travel Tips: My Ten Favourite Castles and Palaces (Castelo de São Jorge, Lisbon)

- UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Monastery of the Hieronymites and Tower of Belém in Lisbon)

- Travel Tips: My Top Five Colourful Cities (Lisbon)

Charlotte's Travel Adventures is 5 Years Old! (Lisbon)





















Clockwise starting from top left: Belém Tower, Sala Thai Pagoda, panoramic view from Castelo de São Jorge, Igreja de São Domingos, Tram 28 (all located in Lisbon)

Check out the rest of my Country Guides here!

Saturday, 23 October 2021

Travel Tips: My Top Five Colourful Cities

It's been a couple of months since my last Travel Tips article, so I decided it would be a good idea to write one this weekend, especially as I don't have any recent trips to write about (though that will change soon!)

This week's article is about my favourite colourful cities. I think every traveller enjoys visiting colourful cities, as they're very photogenic and they put you in a cheerful mood! So here are my five favourites, plus some honourable mentions!


Valparaíso, Chile



















Valparaíso is one of my favourite cities in the world, and it's definitely extremely colourful. Not only are its buildings painted in many different colours, but its streets and staircases are filled with vibrant street art. For this reason, the Bohemian city is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Chile.

Read more here!


Coquimbo, Chile



















Another colourful city in Chile is Coquimbo, which is located on the coast in the north of the country. It's quite similar to Valparaíso in some ways, as it is built on a series of hills next to the sea, and it has houses of many different colours. But one thing it has that Valpo doesn't is a beautiful sandy beach!

Read more here!


Buenos Aires, Argentina



















Moving over to the other side of South America, you can find the amazing city of Buenos Aires in Argentina. The entire city is full of interesting sights to see, but one of the best parts is La Boca neighbourhood. This is where you can see buildings of all different colours (often with sculptures of famous Argentinians on the balconies!), as well as many pairs of tango dancers dancing in the streets.

Read more here!


Lisbon, Portugal



















The capital of Portugal is one of Europe's most colourful cities, and I really enjoyed my short trip there in 2019. It reminded me quite a lot of Valpo actually, as it's also built on steep hills, and its public transport system includes tramways and funicular railways. And of course, it has many panoramic views of buildings of different hues.

Read more here!


Bristol, England, UK



















The last city on my list is a lot closer to home than the others - in fact it's less than an hour from my house! Bristol is one of the most unique and artistic cities in the UK, and it's also very colourful. The harbourside area in particular is a really photogenic place, with its rows of houses in all the colours of the rainbow.

Read more here!


Honourable Mentions





































































































Florence, Italy




































I've really enjoyed visiting all of these colourful towns and cities, and I hope I'll have the opportunity to visit many more in the future. My list includes Menton in France, Copenhagen in Denmark, Genoa in Italy, San Cristóbal de La Laguna in Spain, Cape Town in South Africa, Havana in Cuba, Old San Juan in Puerto Rico, and Cartagena in Colombia

Next week I'm actually going to be going on a trip for the first time in nearly two months, as I'll finally be going to London to sign my work contract for my job in Chile! I plan to do a little bit of sightseeing while I'm there, and then at the weekend I'll be going on another trip that I'd planned earlier. So I'll have some exciting things to blog about very soon!


Check out the rest of my Travel Tips here!

Wednesday, 1 July 2020

Travel Tips: My Ten Favourite Cities

It's been a while since I last wrote a Travel Tips article, and as I won't be going on another outing until later this week and therefore have no new place to write about, I thought it was a good idea to use the spare time I've got today to write a little piece about my favourite cities. Besides, in recent weeks this blog has been filled with images of little towns and villages in the West Country, so now seems like a good moment to shake up its aesthetic a bit!

Visiting new cities is something I find really exciting. They all have their own personality; some are old-fashioned and charming, while others are shiny and modern. Some are situated by beautiful beaches, others are surrounded by mountain landscapes. And they all have their famous landmarks that tourists flock to, as well as their lesser-known gems which are harder to find.

I have been lucky enough to have visited many amazing cities across Europe, South America and Canada, and all of them have left some kind of impression on me. However, for this article I have narrowed my list down to just ten of my favourites as well as some honourable mentions.

I hope you enjoy reading my list!


10) Vaduz, Liechtenstein



















A European capital city quite unlike the rest is Vaduz. I visited this tiny city within a tiny country during my Year Abroad, and found it to be a fascinating place. With its mountaintop castle, it really is like something out of a fairytale. Additionally, it has two brilliant museums: Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein (Liechtenstein Museum of Fine Arts) and the Liechtenstein National Museum.

Read more about Vaduz here!



9) Lisbon, Portugal



















Last year, I ended up taking a spontaneous trip to Madrid and Lisbon, and while I liked Madrid, I really loved Lisbon. It's such a beautiful and colourful city, with amazing viewpoints from its many hills. My personal highlights were Castelo de São Jorge, Torre de Belém, Jardim Vasco da Gama and the botanical garden.

Read more about Lisbon here!



8) Kraków, Poland

Having visited several Eastern European cities, I have to say Kraków is my favourite. I went there last year when I took part in the Angloville volunteer programme teaching English in Poland, and I was so impressed by its magnificent architecture. Highlights include Wawel Castle and Rynek Główny, the city's main square, where you can find St Mary's Basilica (pictured above). 

Read more about Kraków here!



7) Valparaíso, Chile


Moving across to South America, the next item on my list is the amazing Chilean port city of Valparaíso, which is the capital of the region of the same name. Like Lisbon, Valparaíso is built on a series of hills and features many colourful buildings. It is also very famous for its vibrant street art which covers its walls and staircases (I particularly liked the one pictured above), and its funicular railways. The city has a very lively, Bohemian vibe, and I absolutely loved spending a day there during my semester in Chile.

Read more about Valparaíso here!



6) Bath, England, UK





Bath is the first of two British cities in my list, and it happens to be in my home region, the southwest of England. Many would consider Oxford to be the most beautiful city in England, but I would personally put Bath at the top of that list. In addition to its picturesque architecture, it also has a fascinating Roman and literary history; the Roman Baths and the Jane Austen museum are both must-see attractions. One thing I really like about Bath is that it feels like a truly European city, where different cultures are appreciated and signs are written in French! It was even used as a stand in for Paris in the 2012 Les Misérables movie, and Pulteney Bridge (pictured above) was the setting for Javert's final song.

Previously on this blog, I wrote about The American Museum in Bath, which is actually located quite far outside of the city. I plan on writing a post about the city centre soon.

Edit: I finally wrote a post about Bath in December 2020! Check it out here!



5) Montpellier, France


I spent a few weeks studying at a language school in Montpellier in the summer of 2017, which was definitely the best bit of the French part of my Year Abroad. Located in the Occitanie region in the south of France, Montpellier is an amazing city with beautiful architecture, plenty of green spaces, great weather and a nearby beach! I would really like to go back there at some point in the future.

Read more about Montpellier here!



4) London, England, UK


I'll round off my list with four great capital cities, starting with London. Although London is not far away from me, it's such a different place to Wiltshire (where I'm from), and I always find it so exciting to spend a day there. Throughout the city, you can really see the influence of different cultures from all around the world, which I find fascinating. Last time I was there, I visited Chinatown (pictured above), a really interesting area to see. Walking around there was like being transported to China, which for me was great, as I haven't been to Asia yet. (But I'll definitely go in the future!)

Read more about London here!


3) Paris, France




As much as I love London, Paris has to be my favourite European capital city. There's something just so magical about exploring its streets, parks and museums. My favourite parts are the Montmartre district (where you can find the Moulin Rouge club and the Sacré Cœur basilica), le Jardin du Luxembourg, the Tuileries Garden, and of course, the Eiffel Tower! I don't think I could ever get bored of being in Paris, and I hope I can go back there in the future with my boyfriend.

Read more about Paris here!



2) Buenos Aires, Argentina


Back to South America, and the incredible city of Buenos Aires. I went there in February this year and had an amazing time. (I can't believe how much things have changed in the world since then...) My favourite part was La Boca district (pictured above) with its colourful buildings and tango dancers. I also loved Casa Rosada, Puente de la Mujer, Ecoparque BA, and the Japanese garden. I would 100 percent go back in the future, as there's just so much to see there.

Read more about Buenos Aires here!



1) Santiago, Chile


And finally, the award for my favourite city goes to Santiago. Okay, maybe I'm a little biased, as this is the city where I used to live, where I met my boyfriend, and where I will be moving back to as soon as it's possible to do so. But objectively speaking, it really is a fantastic city to visit. Here you can find many examples of amazing architecture, such as the Costanera Centre (pictured above), beautiful green spaces like Parque Metropolitano (where I took this picture), as well as the impressive Andes mountains surrounding the city. I can't wait to move back there again!

Read more about Santiago here and here!



Well, I've had a lot of fun compiling that list, and I hope it can serve as travel inspiration for when the world starts opening up again!

By the way, my honourable mentions of other cities I've loved visiting are as follows: Udine, Italy; Vienna, Austria; Bratislava, Slovakia; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bruges, Belgium; York, England, UK; Cardiff, Wales, UK; and Montréal, Québec, Canada.

I also have a long list of cities I would love to go to in the future, including: Brighton (Edit: I made it there in December 2020!), Edinburgh, Amsterdam (Edit: Made it there in December 2023!), Copenhagen, Tallinn, Riga, St Petersburg, Moscow, Barcelona, Granada, Rome (Edit: Made it there in March 2024!), Athens, Istanbul, Singapore, Sydney, Casablanca, New York, Miami, Havana, Cartagena and Rio de Janeiro (Edit: Made in there in December 2022!). Let's just say I'm not short of travel inspiration!

My next blog post will most likely be about the trip I'll be going on with my parents later this week, but I plan to write more Travel Tips articles in the near future...


Check out the rest of my Travel Tips here! 

Friday, 13 December 2019

Castelo de São Jorge

It's fair to say that I'm not in the best mood today due to recent events in the UK, but I'm going to distract myself by blogging about Castelo de São Jorge in Lisbon and focusing on the nice memory of my visit there.

Castelo de São Jorge is a castle that dates back to the first century BC! It's right on the top of a high hill overlooking the entire city, and is an absolute must-visit for the views alone. I went up in a lift that was outside a supermarket to get partway up the hill. The lift stopped at a restaurant with a viewpoint that was great for pictures.




I explored the area around the top of the hill a bit before visiting the castle. I particularly loved this little street. It's hard to see in the picture, but there are yellow and green banners at the end between the rows of houses. It was a little bit reminiscent of Brazilian carnivals. So that provoked some more Wanderlust in me!




Then I went and got my ticket to enter within the castle walls, where the views were amazing.




The grounds of the castle were a fascinating place to explore.






One of the best things was that there were plenty of fluffy friends for me to say hello to!






The actual castle itself was as fairytale-esque as I could have hoped for!









That brings to an end my posts about my time spent in Lisbon - a city filled with colour, history and culture. The two weeks I spent travelling through Chile, Spain and Portugal were incredible and I'll  remember them forever. One thing I hadn't known before was how common it was for countries to gift buildings to other countries, but on my trip I got to see a little bit of Morocco in Chile, a little bit of Egypt in Spain, and a little bit of Thailand in Portugal. So I feel like I got to see even more of the world than I was expecting to!

Discovering Portugal for the first time was amazing, but Chile was obviously my favourite part of the trip. I had a wonderful time with my boyfriend exploring parts of the country I hadn't been to before. I can't wait to be back in South America very soon, teaching English in Chile or a neighbouring country. I haven't been lucky with my job search yet, but hopefully I'll find something soon!

One more thing I would like to add to this post is a few of my thoughts on Europe - my home continent. It was great to explore two European countries last month and to be able to travel between the two of them so easily, with no need for a passport or a security check. I also feel very privileged that I had the opportunity to live and work in Austria during my Year Abroad, and to have been able to visit several other countries while I was out there just by hopping on a train. Sadly, future generations probably won't have the opportunities I had, and that makes me very sad. We need to have more freedom to live and travel in our own continent, not less. Personally, I love Europe and I'm very proud to be both European and a citizen of the world.

Well, that's my travelling done for the year, but I'll get out of the UK again as soon as I can! I haven't quite finished blogging for the year, however. I'm planning to write a little bit about my local area, and there'll be another Travel Tips article coming soon...

Thursday, 12 December 2019

The Belém and Ajuda Neighbourhoods

The Belém neighbourhood is where you'll find many of Lisbon's main attractions. It's actually quite a way out from the city centre and it's almost like a town in and of itself. On the morning of my second day in Lisbon, I went there on the suburban train, which took about ten minutes. I had planned to see Torre de Belém and Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, but there turned out to be more things there to see than I realised!

Once I arrived at Belém station, I set off towards Torre de Belém, which is about a kilometre away. On my way there, I came across Padrão dos Descobrimentos, a monument celebrating the Portuguese Age of Discovery. I don't think this is something that should really be celebrated, but it's certainly an imposing monument to look at.





Then I arrived at Torre de Belém. Situated on the banks of the Tagus river, it's a really beautiful building to see. A musician was playing nice music on an accordion while I was there, and the overall atmosphere of the place was very peaceful and calming.








Next, I crossed over the road and turned back in the direction I'd come from to go towards Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. I certainly hadn't expected to meet the Sorting Hat on my way, but as a fan of the Harry Potter books, it was a nice surprise!




Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, a former monastery, was an impressive building to see. I had a walk around its gardens, but unfortunately due to the huge queue outside the building and my limited amount of time, going inside wasn't really an option.






Going back towards the station, I passed through Jardim Vasco da Gama, where I was surprised to find a beautiful pagoda. I found out later that it was a gift from Thailand to Portugal. Maybe it seemed a little out of place, but I really enjoyed visiting it. Southeast Asia is a part of the world I would love to go to, but that's a travel dream that will probably have to wait a few years before becoming reality. So it was cool for me to discover a bit of Asian culture in Europe!




I was intrigued by this pink building that I saw next to the train station. I found out later that it used to be a royal palace but is now the official residence of the Portuguese president. I hadn't realised that Belém contained so many of Lisbon's attractions!




I made a stop off on my way back to the city centre in the Ajuda neighbourhood, as I wanted to see the Necessidades Palace. I can never resist visiting castles or palaces! But it was a long walk up steep hills to get there from Alcântara train station, and I'm not sure it was entirely worth it. The palace is lovely to look at, but it's not open to the public, being the headquarters of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. However, there's a public park behind it (where I saw a little cat!) and I had nice views on my way back down the hill.








To sum up, a visit to the Ajuda neighbourhood is not an essential part of a trip to Lisbon, but a visit to the Belém neighbourhood definitely is! I loved seeing Torre de Belém, and the Thai pagoda was a real hidden gem.

My final post about my time in Portugal will be about Castelo de São Jorge, which was one of the highlights of my trip!