Rick Steves Portugal

by Rick Steves

Stroll Lisbon's cobbled lanes, cruise the Douro River, and soak up the sun on Algarve experience Portugal with Rick Steves! Inside Rick Steves Portugal you'll Comprehensive coverage for spending a week or more exploring Portugal Rick's strategic advice on how to get the most out of your time and money, with rankings of his must-see favorites Top sights and hidden gems, from the bone chapel of Évora and the palaces of Sintra to seaside street food and lush vineyards How to connect with Chat with friendly locals over a glass of vinho verde, enjoy a dinner of fresh seafood stew, or spend an evening at a bluesy fado bar Beat the crowds, skip the lines, and avoid tourist traps with Rick's candid, humorous insight The best places to eat, sleep, and relax with a glass of local port Self-guided walking tours of lively neighborhoods and historic museums Detailed maps for exploring on the goUseful resources including a packing list, a Portuguese phrase book, a historical overview, and recommended reading Over 400 bible-thin pages include everything worth seeing without weighing you down Complete, up-to-date information on Lisbon, Sintra, Salema, Cape Sagres, Lagos, Tavira, Évora, Nazaré, Batalha, Fátima, Alcobaça, Óbidos, Coimbra, Porto, Peso de Régua, Pinhão, and more Make the most of every day and every dollar with Rick Steves Portugal.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Reference

922 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Rick Steves is an American travel writer, television personality, and activist known for encouraging meaningful travel that emphasizes cultural immersion and thoughtful global citizenship. Born in California and raised in Edmonds, Washington, he began traveling in his teens, inspired by a family trip to Europe. After graduating from the University of Washington with a degree in European history and business, Steves started teaching travel classes, which led to his first guidebook, Europe Through the Back Door, self-published in 1980.
Steves built his Edmonds-based travel company on the idea that travelers should explore less-touristy areas and engage with local cultures. He gained national prominence as host and producer of Rick Steves' Europe, which has aired on public television since 2000. He also hosts a weekly public radio show, Travel with Rick Steves, and has authored dozens of popular guidebooks, including bestselling titles on Italy and Europe at large.
Beyond travel, Steves is an outspoken advocate for drug policy reform, environmental sustainability, and social justice. He supports marijuana legalization and chairs the board of NORML. He has funded housing for homeless families and donates to anti-hunger and arts organizations. In 2019, he pledged $1 million annually to offset the carbon emissions of his tour groups.
Steves is a practicing Lutheran with Norwegian ancestry and continues to live in Edmonds. He has two adult children and is in a relationship with Reverend Shelley Bryan Wee. Despite health challenges, including a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2024, Steves remains committed to his mission of helping Americans travel with greater purpose, empathy, and understanding of the world. His work reflects a belief that travel, done right, can be both transformative and a force for peace.

Reviews

[Anno Nomius · Rating 4 out of 5]

If travelling to Portugal excellent book to get you going. However do your own research. For instance beautiful Pineche near Obidos is not covered. There is a bias towards Lisbon and Algarve however Porto and Duoro Valley which is covered is a must see.

[Jack Hrkach · Rating 4 out of 5]

See also my just-written review of the Rough Guide to Portugal, as together with Rick Steves's books make a wonderful pairing for your travel in Europe.

While I don't always agree with Rick Steves, he is usually on the right track about most places, and he has Portugal down quite well. I've been gnawing away at this book for ages, as I was to visit the country in January, got ill, and had to re-schedule the journey - just got back on Monday 15 May, so here I am highly recommending it to you - I also strongly recommend the country - a must-see, in this fairly well-traveled old guy.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful book for planning our Portugal trip.

[Norma · Rating 5 out of 5]

2018. Always my go-to tour guide books for all my travels. Love his simple and easy narratives for key sites, culture, history and general local useful info. Can't wait to see Portugal.

5 years later…2023. Preparing to return to Portugal with a more extensive tour. Reread the entire tour book. Cant wait to return.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing! Got both the ebook through Libby and a physical copy from the library so I could take it with us to Portugal. When I tell you we read through that book at every place we visited, I mean that literally. I have been a huge fan of Rick Steve’s for years and have used his guidebooks religiously. I will say that some of the restaurants he suggests aren’t as amazing as I feel like his previous recommendations used to be which makes me wonder if any of them are sponsored. But they always hit and I continue to swear by any and all his recommendations. Some of my favorite recommendations by him were the “National Coach Museum” in Lisbon and “Taylor’s” in Porto. He honestly is basically never wrong. 12/10 recommend

[Freddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2: My go-to for guidebooks to European cities—- Rick focuses on the best sites, offering historical context, efficient routes, and time and money-saving tips. His personality comes through in the pages, so it feels like he’s along for the ride. Even the best guidebook, however, can never keep abreast of all changes, but Rick and his crew “keep on travellin’” for his programs, podcasts, and FB posts. It’s always a good idea to supplement such a book with Internet sources. For us, this was particularly true when it came to picking out restaurants.

[David Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks rick and team!
I also downloaded the app and listened to the relevant interviews and did the audio walking guide in Lisbon which was great !

[Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

I went through about 6 different travel books on my trip to Portugal and I came to the conclusion that Rick Steves' perspective and rankings of sights to see are that of an old guy who likes to drink wine and would prefer to see less significant, ordinary places instead of places of worship, for example. While all other travel books sang high praises for religious sights he was mildly impressed and was the only book that mentioned and highly rated a wine institute and included a wine-tasting spot in another recommended walk. I think he is maximizing writing on places he sees but cannot cover everything because unlike DK Eyewitness, Frommer’s, Fodor’s, Lonely Planet, Insight Guide and Rough Guides, his books are from one man’s point of view; and because he alone is doing all the travels, as opposed to a team of travel writers like the other brands, he cannot cover more and devotes tons and tons of pages to one place. His books are my last choice for guides unless I want details on the contents of a museum for example, but I will see that in a DK Eyewitness book in one whole page quickly. Like I said, one man’s point of view will not be enough for my research for my expensive travel.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Checked this book out from the library in preparation for a month long trip this coming summer, planning on just reading the sections on the cities we were already planning on going to and ended up reading it cover to cover like a novel. Beautifully constructed, well written, and compiled with an eye for genuine experiences over fancy cultivated ones.

My favorite parts are the self guided walking tours that Steves has created for each of the major areas. I like to explore new cities on foot, wandering in and out of shops, historic sites and cafes as they draw me in so Rick Steves' brand of tourism is right up my alley.

I returned the book to the library but I'll be purchasing a copy to take with me on the road; this is insider advice that is too good to leave behind.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Usually Rick Steves is my go-to guy for travel books, but this one didn't meet my needs. He does such a thorough job of explaining economical and easy ways to sightsee his favorite sites, but he skips over those he doesn't like--and three of the towns we're visiting in Portugal he doesn't like. So it wasn't as helpful as it could have been, but if we were going to Lisbon and Spain it would have been great.

[Nicole Hackley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just got back from a Rick Steves tour through Portugal for two weeks and used his book to see things in my off time that were not part of the tour. The book was informative as well as accurate! I was able to use his directions and maps in the book to navigate around the cities of Portugal fairly easily. His insights and ratings of city highlights were on point and his restaurant recommendations never failed! I will always travel around Europe with a RS book in my hand!

[Liviu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guide and very useful in all the regions we visited (Algarve, Evora, Lisbon/Belem and Sintra); lots of ideas for food places, walks, sights and one superb find the Quinta Regaleiros in Sintra which is really worth the visit ahead of most places there

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm going to Lisbon for less than three days and he still managed to get me to read the whole book. Am I a superfan?

[Stephen Heverin · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all of his books, a great introduction to Portugal ahead of our trip there later this year.

[Dean Dobkin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointing. We have five days in be in Lisbon, and I had hoped for better recommendations. He pushes his own services, TV, tours, etc. That is not wny we bought the book.

[Donna Pachota · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful. Rick Steves always is

[Irina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best guides for Europe! Wish he covered the Caribbean...

[Tatjana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great ideas. Let's see how it plays out.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is for the Kindle edition published in early 2023 - I love that Steves (unlike LP) makes each new edition of his books available on Kindle. The formatting for Kindle is excellent (much better than the Kindle edition of Lonely Planet Portugal) but this book doesn't take full advantage of the potential of e-books - there aren't many links, and many of the links that are there don't work! The information feels relatively up to date, though of course a few things always change within the long period between the compilation and publication of a guide book.

As is always the case with RS guides, there's more detail but less breadth than in Lonely Planet, but there's not as much detail here as there is in other RS guides, which is particularly strange given that, because Portugal is a small country, more detail can be included without the book becoming too huge a brick (not that that matters when you use the Kindle edition). So, whilst I normally prefer RS to LP, I don't think the difference is substantial with Portugal guides - meaning that, if you have Kindle Unlimited, you should definitely use LP instead, it's free there (I used LP for my recent extended trip also, see my review in my profile).

Portugal is a wonderful (as well as relatively cheap) place to travel, you should go, and note the following (some of which is not mentioned in either RS or LP)
- Trains work well when they exist, but often they don't, so you'll have to use long distance busses, which are confusing, especially since there's no website with detailed info about them (as there is for trains, The Man in Seat 61). Use Flixbus when you can, it's less confusing than local operators. Most long distance busses and trains can be booked online with Omio
- City/town public transport in Portugal is generally poor by European standards, but Uber is a great substitute
- Lisbon is crowded yet sprawling (the effect of the sprawl is made worse by the hills and the overcrowded public transport) and has many tourist traps, I'd advise spending less time there and more in charming Porto
- Don't stress too much if you can't find all the info you need before you arrive in Portugal, Portuguese people generally speak great English and are friendly and helpful (though those who work in bus stations can be unfriendly, and airbnb hosts vary greatly in their helpfulness)

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful. Rick Steves guides are reliably rich with so many good details, both wide and specific. It’s really easy to plan a trip and get to know an area. In particular, I appreciate the specificity of walking directions and pointing out where to find public restrooms, as well as the money- and time-saving tips and recommendations for food, accommodations, and activities at different price points. I also just like the general narrative style and sense of place the Rick Steves writers generate. I will say, the guide is skewed heavily towards cities, larger towns, and villages along main routes. There were actually a few possible attractions that came up in a DK travel book for both Lisbon and for the countryside between Lisbon and Fatima that I was surprised not to see in this book, when I had hoped to learn more (such as a park with dinosaur footprint fossils). Overall, though, this book is definitely going to be a huge help for our upcoming trip.

[Mariola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, in my opinion, the travel guides are not kindle/digital mode friendly. It is hard to read the maps and content. I have used Rick Steves guides to France, Italy and Spain previously and found them wonderful insightful and useful. Many years later I still remember wonderful dinner in Rome, in the one table, no menu "restaurant" (someone's home) or lovely eatery in Cadaques that we only stumbled because of Rock recommendation but Portugal guide was sort of off...almost not useful at all. The recommendations and itinerary just weren't on par with other guides. It might be that in the era when one have access to many other guides and recommendations at reach in the pocket, Rick's recommendations are no longer special.

[Beth Hartnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rick Steves is my go-to for basic travel prep and I always find a nugget or two from him. The first trip to Portugal, to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, was FANTASTIC! A week at the beach in Cascais outside of Lisbon, the perfect seaside town, and four days in Porto. Thanks, Steve, for that recommendation of the best restaurant ever at Taylor's after the port wine warehouse tour. Loved Porto even more than Cascais. Shhh ... don't tell Cascais!

[Lisa Jiardini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick Steves walks you through sites (sometimes even literally takes you on historical walks!), accommodations, eateries, and all important details you may need to know about Portugal. He goes into much detail about Portuguese history, which is fascinating, and even includes two pages of Survival Portuguese to help get by in the country.

[Bickety Bam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Several great recommendations that really helped to make our trip special. Also, love the snarky humor regarding the more brazen tourist traps. Extremely high return on investment.

If you go to Douro Valley, the winery recommendations are not to be missed. Restaurant recommendations were spot on in every city we visited, though we did supplement with Yelp reviews, too.

[Diana Suddreth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic Rick Steves. You can practically hear his voice through the pages of the travel guide.

There's a wealth of information here, what to see, where to eat, where to stay, how to get around. I've marked all the pages to help with an upcoming trip and thoroughly enjoyed the historical background and context that will support our travel enjoyment.

[Jan Amidon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read every page, but I read studiously the parts that pertained to my trip - Porto, Obidos, Evora, Lisbon, Sintra, Douro valley, history, culture, and practicalities of traveling there - and it was time well spent. He is wrong about Obidos not having much to offer, but otherwise super helpful.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely as always but what always kills me is the maps are so tiny AND in black and white. Everything in minute detail but Itty bitty teeny tiny. I want the discounts and insider info in larger print pleeeease.

[Julynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rick Steve's does such a great job with his travel books. Anytime I'm going somewhere in Europe, I get his travel guide books. His books are very thorough, although they have more focus on traditional experiences than hot spots. I'm so excited for our upcoming Portugal travels! My rating 4.5

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful tool for planning our trip to Portugal. A couple things steered us wrong or were inaccurate. But overall, gave good insight and suggestions. I read it several times over and took it along on our trip.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent source for planning my trip to Portugal. Using his tips I traveled in Cascais, Evora, and Lisbon. I bought the supplement book for the Azores with the intention of visiting again someday.