The Portugal Journal
Discover thoughtful insights into Portugal’s culture, history, landscapes and traditions,
inspiring a deeper way to travel and connect.
São Martinho in Portugal: The Legend, the Chestnuts and the Taste of Autumn
There is something rather special about November in Portugal. The days are getting shorter, the evenings are cooler, and the smell of roasting chestnuts begins to drift through the streets. Small street vendors appear with their charcoal braziers, paper cones filled with steaming chestnuts, and the unmistakable scent of autumn
Porto: What to Do When It Rains | Rainy Day Guide
Let’s be honest. When we travel, we usually hope for sunshine. We want to wake up, look outside and see blue skies waiting for us. We want to walk around, take photographs, sit outside for lunch and enjoy the city without checking the weather every few hours. But sometimes it
Seasonal Fruit in Portugal: What to Eat Each Season
From spring strawberries and summer figs to autumn grapes and winter oranges, discover how the changing seasons make their way onto Portugal’s tables. One of the easiest ways to experience a different side of Portugal is to pay attention to what is being sold at the local market. Not the
What Are Portugal’s Schist Villages? A Guide to Their History and Charm
There is a temptation, when visiting Portugal’s Schist Villages for the first time, to think they were built this way on purpose. The narrow lanes, weathered stone walls and earthy colours feel almost too perfectly suited to the mountains around them, as though someone carefully designed them to create the
What Made Buçaco Forest Worth Protecting?
I’ve been thinking about the Carmelite monks who lived in Buçaco. Not because of what they built, but because of the care they took to protect a forest they believed was worth preserving. Centuries ago, long before anyone spoke about biodiversity, mental wellbeing or forest bathing, the Discalced Carmelite monks
The Sound of Portugal You Stop Hearing
If you spend enough time in Portugal, eventually you stop hearing the church bells. Not because they stop ringing, but because they become part of the landscape in the same way as tiled facades, swallows in summer, or the smell of wood smoke drifting through villages in winter. Nine o’clock.