Portugal Food Itinerary: 10 Days of Eating Well

Portugal is a dream for food lovers: custard tarts warm from the oven, grilled sardines, cheese from the mountains, seafood stews and port in the cellars where it ages. This 10-day itinerary is built around eating and drinking your way from Porto to the Algarve.

Quick answer: Days 1 to 3: Porto, with francesinhas, port cellars, Matosinhos fish grills and the Bolhão market. Day 4: the Douro Valley quintas. Days 5 to 7: Lisbon, with pastel de nata, petiscos, a food tour and tinned fish. Day 8: Évora and Alentejo cooking. Days 9 and 10: the Algarve, with cataplana, piri-piri chicken and oysters.

Why this route works

Each region in Portugal cooks differently. The north is hearty and meaty, Lisbon is all about pastries and petiscos (small plates), the Alentejo is slow-cooked pork and bread, and the Algarve is fish and shellfish. Travelling north to south lets you taste all of it in ten days, mostly by train and bus.

Days 1 to 3: Porto

• Day 1: walk the Ribeira and Baixa, and stop for a bifana (pork sandwich) at a counter. Dinner is a francesinha, Porto’s meat-and-cheese sandwich in beer sauce. See the francesinha.
• Day 2: morning at the Bolhão market, which reopened in 2022 after a long restoration, then cross the bridge for port tastings in Gaia. See Porto food markets and the best port cellars.
• Day 3: take the metro to Matosinhos for grilled fish cooked on outdoor grills along the streets near the port. See Matosinhos.
• Also try: caldo verde, tripas à moda do Porto and vinho verde. See what to eat in Porto.
• Tour: see Porto food tours.

Porto tips

The Bolhão market is usually closed on Sundays, so plan your market morning for a weekday or Saturday. At the port lodges in Gaia, a tasting of two or three styles is a good way to learn the difference between ruby, tawny and white port. Book the popular cellars ahead in summer. In Matosinhos, choose your fish from the display and pay by weight, so ask the price before it goes on the grill.

Day 4: The Douro Valley

Quinta tastings and a long lunch with a river view. The train from Porto’s São Bento station to Pinhão takes about two and a half hours and follows the river for much of the way. Book quinta visits ahead, and try the region’s reds and whites as well as port. See the Douro day trip.

The Douro line is being electrified, and parts of it have been closed for months at a time with replacement buses. Check the CP timetable before you go. If the train isn’t running, a small-group tour or a hire car is the easier option. See the Douro without a tour.

Days 5 to 7: Lisbon

Take the train from Porto to Lisbon, about three hours on the fastest service.

• Pastel de nata: start each morning with one, still warm. See the best in Lisbon, or bake your own.
• Markets: see Time Out Market and Lisbon food markets.
• Petiscos: small plates such as pica-pau (beef in a garlic sauce), clams in garlic and coriander, and pig’s ear salad.
• Tinned fish and ginjinha: see tinned fish and ginjinha.
• Seafood: a marisqueira (seafood house) for prawns, crab and clams. See the seafood guide.
• Tour: see Lisbon food tours.

A suggested split

• Day 5: arrive, check in, then an evening of petiscos and fado in Alfama. See fado in Lisbon.
• Day 6: a morning food tour, then Belém for the most famous custard tarts and a walk by the river.
• Day 7: markets and tinned fish shops in the morning, then a seafood dinner. Pick up a few tins to take home.

Day 8: Évora

Trains from Lisbon to Évora take about an hour and a half. Try black pork, migas (fried bread with pork), açorda, sheep’s cheese and Alentejo reds. Many local wineries offer tastings nearby. See Alentejo food.

Alentejo cooking is built on bread, olive oil, garlic and herbs such as coriander and pennyroyal. Look out for açorda alentejana, a bread soup with a poached egg, and for the creamy sheep’s cheeses of the region. See the Portuguese cheese guide.

Days 9 and 10: The Algarve

Direct Rede Expressos buses run from Évora to Faro in about four hours, or you can drive it in less. Eat cataplana (a seafood stew cooked in a copper pan), piri-piri chicken and Ria Formosa oysters and clams. On the second day, visit a town market in the morning, such as Olhão, then have grilled sardines by the sea in summer. See cataplana and piri-piri chicken.

Piri-piri chicken is a speciality of Guia, a village near Albufeira, and cataplana is usually made for two or more people, so it’s a good dish to share. For dessert, look for sweets made with almonds, figs and carob, which grow all over the region. See Algarve markets.

When to go

• June: sardine season and the big city festivals in Lisbon and Porto.
• September and October: the grape harvest in the Douro and Alentejo.
• Winter: fewer visitors and hearty stews, though some Algarve restaurants close.

Practical tips

• Lunch is the main meal: look for a good-value prato do dia (dish of the day) on weekdays.
• Couvert: bread, olives and butter brought to the table usually cost extra. Send them back if you don’t want them.
• Book ahead for popular restaurants, wine tastings and food tours.
• Sundays and Mondays: many small restaurants close on one of these days, so check before you go.
• Meal times: lunch usually runs from about 12.30pm to 3pm and dinner from about 7.30pm. Many kitchens close in between.
• Tipping: it’s not expected, but rounding up or leaving a little for good service is common. See tipping in Portugal.

FAQ

Is 10 days enough for a food trip around Portugal?

Yes, for the main regions. You’ll taste the north, Lisbon, the Alentejo and the Algarve, though islands like Madeira and the Azores need a separate trip.

Do you need a car for this itinerary?

No. Trains and buses link every stop. A car helps for Douro quintas and Alentejo wineries outside town, or you can join a tour.

What is the most famous food in Portugal?

The pastel de nata is the best-known, along with bacalhau (salt cod), grilled sardines and port wine.

When is the best time for a food trip to Portugal?

June for sardines and city festivals, or September and October for the grape harvest and milder weather.

More: what to eat in Portugal and food tours in Portugal.

See also: leitão da Bairrada.

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