It has been about a month since we returned home from our first trip to Portugal, and we can’t stop talking about it. Paul’s YouTube subscriptions are now overflowing in the category of “expat tips for moving to Portugal”, and upon my arrival home each day after work, he’s eager to show me every video he could find highlighting some small city, town, and/or village he thinks would suit us best. He is carefully crafting a Portuguese retirement plan for the whole family that includes: me (the one nowhere close to retirement), his mother-in-law (the one who has never been there and doesn’t like inclines), and our two boys who vote a hard no on this idea until Farmer’s Dog starts shipping internationally.

I get it though. Portugal is pretty incredible. So good that it almost seems reasonable to pick it all up and move there. In fact, it’s not difficult at all to imagine living in or near Lisbon or Porto. We can easily see ourselves starting each day with a coffee and a pastry, walking the colorfully tiled streets to the market, stopping in to say hello to the friendly people at our neighborhood cafe, toasting Super Bocks in the midday sun, and ending our days with pork bifanas and port. It’s super enticing to think that all of this and more is just a short 6 hour and 40 minute hop across the ocean. Of course, they say that you can’t always just view life through a vacation lens. I mean the reality of it all would be much more challenging than what I just described. Or would it? That is the question.

For now, while we’re pondering this rather intriguing idea, we’re ready to give you all the details of our first journey through Portugal. We say “first” because we plan to go back as soon as possible. Each of our posts (Lisbon, Porto, the Duoro Valley and Coimbra) will contain all the details of our trip, including where we stayed, what we saw, and most importantly, where we ate. In addition, we’ll give you all the tips on how to do this kind of trip without renting a car. Yes, we did this all by train, and we highly recommend you do the same.

Lisbon is up first, and since up is the only direction you can go in Portugal, our first tip is to start looking to purchase some comfortable walking shoes. You will walk a lot here, and you’ll be glad you did. There’s always something good to eat at the top of every set of stairs or incline, and everyone deserves a custard tart after a good workout. That’s tip number 1. Stay tuned. Our tips for a great stay in Lisbon are coming soon.