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I chose a weekend getaway in these three locations because Portugal is in close proximity to Spain, and my best friend and I wanted to do a little trip together. We chose to see Lisbon as it is a city destination where we know a few other students studying abroad, and I recommended Sintra as I went there a few years back and absolutely adored it. Nazaré is a bucket list place that I've always wanted to visit to see the world-famous surfing waves and picturesque cliffs. Portugal isn't too big so we could hop around from place to place.

We traveled to Portugal for its energy. For the hills that make your legs burn, the viewpoints that make you stop mid-sentence, and a city that keeps pulling you forward instead of letting you sit still.

Portugal felt alive—full of walking, climbing, getting lost, eating well, laughing a lot, and constantly saying “one more stop.” It’s the kind of place where every day turns into a mix of plans, detours, and happy accidents.

Portugal is one of the coastal European cities I have always wanted to visit. It is a vibrant city filled with unique culture and interesting attractions. The slower pace of this location compared to that of the larger European cities was an attractive feature for me choosing this destination.

My husband was taking a class for his MBA in Lisbon, so we decided to bring our family to Portugal for 5 days prior to its start. We had heard it was a beautiful, historic city, with interesting cities/towns to easily see and visit nearby.