GUEST POST: PRIMABL’S ROMANTIC GETAWAY TO PORTUGAL

Romantic getaways can be the best way for couples to celebrate the most important thing – being together!

There are no shortage of #romantic destinations in Europe. From the stylish and metropolitan London to arguably the most romantic city on the planet – Paris – the cities available are endless. However, as with romantic getaways the price of these trips can grow astronomically! However this doesn’t have to be the case!

Planning a romantic trip away together, whether you are young and in love, newlyweds, celebrating your 50th wedding anniversary or putting your pension to good use; the point of a romantic trip away is to spend time with each other and remember why you fell in love.Remembering that at the heart of a romantic trip is being away with someone you love in an equally romantic city is essential to making the most of your romantic getaway together.

That’s why I choose Lisbon, #Portugal as my go-to romantic city that goes easy on the pocket but more importantly goes all out on romance.

I’ve recently returned from Lisbon with my girlfriend on a four night getaway. My heart still longs for the stunning Portuguese city and every night I wish I was back in the Bairro Alto sipping on some delicious Mojitos!

See what makes Lisbon so special is how rustically beautiful this city is! It is a city not for the young but for the young at heart. This wonderful city ebbs and flows, rises and climbs through stunning Baroque architecture that transports you back 200 years into the past.

The very essence of the city exudes romance as people sit out to all hours of the night in dim candlelight, enjoying a bottle of wine with nothing else but each others company.

To go to a city where style and art appear to be the lifeblood that pump through this city’s veins is overwhelmingly refreshing. The stone work, the massive squares, lined with cafés and restaurants celebrates people and provides for a wonderful atmosphere where everyone is basking in the gloriousness of the city together.

Besides the stunning architecture this city has – the romance that naturally pours out from every detail of every building – the Lisbon nightlife is quite like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

The Bairro Alto is one of the most lively and atmospherically electric places I’ve ever been out in. Bars too small to hold more than 50 have people fill up the streets outside.

I have never quite experience the buzz of the Bairro Alto. This isn’t the outdoors of a bunch of clubs and pubs in your city at night time where fights start and people are falling over. This is the Bairro Alto where everyone is there to enjoy their time, have a few laughs and spend some quality time together.

For my girlfriend and I it was a chance to really let loose from any stresses or strains that come naturally with life and enjoy each others company. The vibrant atmosphere will sure be one to lead to a lot of laughs and create a lot of fond memories!

However travelling to Lisbon you are not refined to the city and you absolutely must visit the town of Belém and the wonderful Quinta Da Regaleira in Sintra.

Belém

Belém holds three particularly stunning testaments of time: Monastery of Jerónimos – Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Torre de Belém – Belém Tower, and Padrão dos Descobrimentos.

The Monastery of Jerónimos was simply stunning. To think that a human hand built this remarkable building is extremely humbling and makes you proud of mankind.

Belém tower is a super romantic place to visit together. Tickets are cheap, and you are free to explore the entire tower for as long as you want.

The tower is an extremely romantic place to explore together and when you get to the top you have stunning views out over the Tagus river and #Belém itself. The turrets provide a fantastic photo opportunity for each other and overall the day trip can be quite fun.

The Padrão dos Descobrimentos is optional to go up. It costs €2 and the view is spectacular but with your feet firmly on the ground is where you get to admire this stunning monument for what it is. Right beside the Padrão dos Descobrimentos and on the waterfront is a beautiful Italian restaurant that despite the stunning views and quality food, won’t cost you an arm and a leg!

The final place to go on your day trip to Belém is to one of the main attractions that put t on the map – Pasteis de Belem. Home of the wonderful Belem Pastry, this shop has been baking them since 1837 using a highly secretive and original ancient recipe from the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos just down the road.

These pastries are amazing and if you don’t go here then that is like going to New York City and not visiting Times Square. Belém is the complete day trip! It is only a short tram away and is very easy to get around. If you’re lucky the small mobile wine shop might be there where you can get a lovely glass of wine while you soak up the atmosphere.

Quinta da Regaleira

The second romantic day trip that is well worth your time is Quinta da Regaleira House and Gardens. When I say gardens these gardens put my local park to shame with the sheer expanse of them!

The Quinta da Regaleira gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The house and gardens went through many owners however it finally settled with the Sintra Town Council in 1997 and has become a property of “public interest”.

When we visited, the house was undergoing repairs but we weren’t too disappointed. The house is strikingly beautiful to look at from the outside and is just as stunning when you walk inside, however, the real treasure lies within the gardens. Over the four hectare site lies grottoes, waterfalls, feature lakes, with stepping stones across them; benches, an old tennis court, fountains, small winding towers, walls, mosaic tile designs, hidden underground passageways, caves, and dry, beautifully designed wells.

You will spend hours walking around the beautiful gardens here and there really is nothing quite like the romantic space here in Quinta da Regaleira. The rolling hills of the region just add to the sheer beauty of the area when you climb to the top of some of the towers! This place is a perfect place to spend with a loved one and it is unbelievably romantic.

These are just two day trip destinations that I would highly recommend to visit. Lisbon is a wonderfully romantic city, go out together, explore together, and remember why you fell in love with each other.

Everything in Lisbon is cheap – food, drink, attractions, transport – they are all cheap. The people are friendly and the atmosphere is electric.

You could be staying in a quaint AirBnb; lovely, quiet, and secluded – then a short five minute walk later you could be in the heart of Lisbon’s nightlife. It is a stunning city to explore and if you decide to explore it with your loved one then you will have an experience that you will never forget.

GUEST POST: PRIMABL’S ROMANTIC ESCAPE TO LISBON

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