After spending just over a week in Morocco, we took advantage of a long layover in Lisbon on our way back home to the States. We only had 3 days/3 nights in Portugal, yet were still able to visit two major cities. It's a lot to cram into a short period of time and was quite the whirlwind, but we loved every minute of it.
Whenever, we have the opportunity to do a long layover in a new place, we take it. And this proved to be the perfect way to visit the country of Portugal on a Budget because we didn't have to worry about the most expensive travel cost...the flights. Here's a breakdown of our real life budget for a weekend in Portugal below...
Transportation 82€/$89
So thankful that we visited Portugal as a layover, making it possible to avoid the cost of separate flights. This alone saved us around $2k, while fully allowing us to explore a country that has been on our bucket list for a very long time.
While in Portugal, we spent 72€/$78 on taxis/Ubers around the city. I wish that I could say we were frugal travelers that only used public transport, but we were both struggling with a cold and definitely gave into the simplicity of calling an Uber. Not ideal for the budget, but we're ok with it. We also spent 10€/$11 for two round-trip train rides from the capitol city Lisbon to the city of Sintra for a day trip.
Adventures & Excursions 46€/$50
Lisbon $0
We spent nothing on excursions in Lisbon. Instead we used our time to enjoy the free sights and take in the amazing miradouro viewpoints of the city.
One of the biggest perks of visiting Europe is all of the incredible history and architecture that is widely available at little or no cost and we took advantage of it.
Sintra 46€/$50
As a day trip away from Lisbon, we visited stunning Sintra-the city of fairytale castles where we toured 2 palaces: Monserrate Palace (17€/$18) and Pena Palace (29€/$32).
Accommodations 286€/$311
Since we were traveling through Portugal during the holidays, accommodations were extra pricey-almost double the average, but we managed to book 3 nights at the Independente Hostel that included a private bathroom and private balcony room with breakfast. We were able to reduce the original cost of 436€/$474 with a travel hacking credit of 150€/$163 via hotels.com, thus paying right around $100/night. P.S. How stunning is this sunset view from our balcony?
Since we were traveling through Portugal during the holidays, accommodations were extra pricey-almost double the average, but we managed to book 3 nights at the Independente Hostel that included a private bathroom and private balcony room with breakfast. We were able to reduce the original cost of 436€/$474 with a travel hacking credit of 150€/$163 via hotels.com, thus paying right around $100/night. P.S. How stunning is this sunset view from our balcony?
Food & Drinks 241€/$262
One place we do not skimp while traveling is on meals, because we love indulging in the local cuisine. Breakfasts were included in our accommodations, so this total includes lunches, dinners, and mutiple pastry stops each day. We averaged 40€/$44 per person/per day.
Miscellaneous 32€/$35
Our only miscellaneous cost included souvenirs. We of course had to buy our ornament souvenir that we pick up on every trip. Also, purchased a few kitchen magnets and a coffee mug with the classic Portuguese tile pattern.
Our only miscellaneous cost included souvenirs. We of course had to buy our ornament souvenir that we pick up on every trip. Also, purchased a few kitchen magnets and a coffee mug with the classic Portuguese tile pattern.
Total Cost: 687€/$747 for two people
We definitely could have done this trip on a lower budget with tightening the reigns on our transportation, miscellaneous, and food costs, but it's not often that you can visit a new country for less than a $1k for two people. That being said, we would 100% add this stop in if we had to do it all over again.
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