The journal
Routes, regions and practical notes for travelling with a little more attention.
Whenever I visit a destination I always want to explore what is made there. In the Alentejo that means a rich heritage of terracotta pottery, wool capotes (coats), cork products, folk-art painted furniture, rugs, wine and…
Updated Feb 7, 2025 Whether you’re looking for a brilliant souvenir to mark your time in Portugal, or a thoughtful gift for someone special, I’ve rounded up what I think are the best Portuguese cookbooks available…
Sintra is Lisbon’s best day trip, for sure. Each year millions of visitors flock to the UNESCO World Heritage Sintra village to explore enchanting 19th-century palaces and eat a travesseiro. But there’s much more to do…
I always say Sintra is Lisbon’s best day trip and encourage anyone visiting me here in the Portuguese capital to take at least a day to explore. Fairytale palaces, dense mystical forest, charming villages, oversized mossy…
Fisherman, locals and tourists move at the same slow pace through the narrow, whitewashed streets of Olhão. Charming and full of character, this town perched on the edge of the Ria Formosa feels as though time…
The first five times I heard an amolador, I mistakenly thought it was just a neighbour with a few loose screws. After all, why would someone be wheeling a bike through the neighbourhood while piping a…