On May 13, 2024, we were able to take our first solo trip since 2017. We had been waiting for this moment for almost 7 years, since Patrick was born in early 2018 and we never had the courage to be separated from him and Ju at the same time. We took very short trips alone, taking turns taking care of the little ones, but now the time has finally come to relive our trips as a couple. I can only thank those who took such good care of our treasures and God for this delightful itinerary passing through Coimbra, Portugal, Bussaco and Penacova. We had a great time!
Now let's get to the details. 🙂
The Planning
We left Cascais on 05/13/204 (Monday) and returned on 05/16/2024 (Thursday). We went during the week because we wanted the children to be less of a hassle and spend most of the day at school. It worked out! The dates were carefully planned to coincide with my mother-in-law and Aunt Silvia's stay in Cascais.
We booked the car in advance but with free cancellation up to 48 hours before and picked it up after dropping the kids off at school. We set off to explore without any hotel or tour booked/planned and it was liberating! The truth is that we couldn't believe this trip was going to happen, but in the end, it was really nice to travel without a destination and sort everything out as we wanted. We always traveled with a lot of planning, especially after the kids were born, but traveling this way was so cool that I'm even rethinking my future trips... lol.
The Car
We rented a convertible car at Europcar for Rentcars, after this site showed that it was one of the best options for Cascais. I always wanted to drive a convertible – Celo had already driven one – so when we started thinking about what we wanted to do on this trip, I said right away that I wanted one.
We had a little initial wear and tear when the car was delivered to us, because the top wouldn't open at all. We discovered that it was because we had our two cabin bags in the trunk. Mini white and to open the roof completely, you can't have anything inside. We traveled the whole time with our suitcases in the back seat, which wasn't a problem because there were only two of us in the front, but I thought Europcar could have told us beforehand that we couldn't use the trunk. Maybe people who have driven a convertible know this, but I didn't and I was upset at the time. Imagine if I had taken huge suitcases that didn't fit in the back seat? We would probably have had to cancel. Anyway... the important thing is that it worked out!
Unfortunately, the weather wasn't the best, with several rainy moments, but we made sure to stay with the top down for 95% of the time and because of the high speed, the rain didn't even get inside. We put on our favorite music loud and had our hair blowing in the wind and our arms in the air for the 4 days. It was a delight that I recommend to everyone and that I definitely want to repeat many times, who knows, maybe even buying a convertible – as they say in Portugal – one day. 🙂
Tip for your next convertible trip: tie a scarf in your hair to avoid knots! Very old Hollywood movie, you know?
The Summary Itinerary
We ended up doing the following itinerary during the 4 days/3 nights we traveled alone:
Day 1 – Cascais, Santarém and Bussaco Forest
We left Cascais around 10am and went straight to Santarém because we wanted to visit some houses with a broker. After the visits, we had lunch in Santarém at the recommended Fortnight Tavern and we went to Mata do Bussaco, where we stayed at Palace Hotel Bussaco. We didn't want to have dinner at the hotel because the prices were extortionate and we ended up having a great dinner at #1 in Luso, Salt Stone. I recommend it!
Day 2 – Bussaco Forest, Luso, Mealhada (lunch) and Aguieira
We woke up at the palace and went out to explore the Bussaco Forest. We headed to Luso again, this time to visit the Luso Thermal Baths, but we gave up after we saw the treatment options and their prices. We went to lunch at the famous Bairrada suckling pig in Mealhada, and this time we chose the restaurant Peter of the Piglets.
Ps. We had already been to another famous restaurant in the region, Rei dos Leitões, on another trip and I told you all about it in this post here:
We left there very satisfied and went to our hotel, the Hotel Rural Quinta da Conchada, which was a find with bungalow very cute with a view of the Mondego river.
Day 3 – Conchada, Penacova, Lorvão and Coimbra
We had breakfast and went to the Viewpoint of the Mondego Bookstore and the Windmills of the Atalhada Mountains, recommended on the blog we love (Vagamundos). Then we went to meet Penacova, where we ended up having some very tasty bifanas for lunch in the car Joe Bifanas, and we went on to visit the Lorvão Monastery, which was a nice surprise for us.
We left there around 4pm and went straight to Coimbra, as we had booked the 7pm tour. Fado in the Center, recommended by my mother-in-law. We went to our hotel – we chose the Hotel Oslo because of the view of the city from the rooftop, central location and because it had parking – and then we went sightseeing. We managed to get into Old Cathedral and then in New Cathedral – we love churches! – and then we stopped for a bite to eat at the restaurant next to Fado ao Centro, the Pats on the Back. We watched the famous Fado de Coimbra – simply ma-ra-vi-lho-so – and then we went to dinner at Bigger Fangas, also nearby.
Day 4 – Coimbra and return to Cascais
We had breakfast overlooking the city, checked out, left our bags in the car and set off on foot to visit the rest of the city's attractions. We had booked the day before tour from the Joanine Library (13.50 per person on the official website) for 11:20 and it was just the right amount of time for us to walk around everything. So much climbing!
We visited the beautiful Joanina Library, the Chapel of St. Michael and the Royal Palace – we didn’t go to the Academic Museum and Chemical Laboratory – and we loved everything! We stopped for lunch afterwards at the restaurant recommended by my mother-in-law, the Tapas and Snacks Boutique, and we really enjoyed the food and the small, cozy atmosphere.
We left Coimbra satisfied with the quick visit and with plans to return with the children to visit other attractions – Portugal of the Little Ones, Quinta das Lágrimas and Mondego Park.
We drove straight to Cascais to have time to pick up the little ones from school at 4pm in the convertible car and it was wonderful to see them again! We drove around in the convertible car, stopped at the beach to play in the sand and ended the trip with our golden key: them. How I missed them!
The Routes within Coimbra, Luso, Bussaco and Penacova
If you want to know more about the tours we did on this itinerary through Coimbra, Luso, Bussaco and Penacova, access the links below:
- Exploring the Bussaco and Luso Forests
- Getting to know Penacova and Lorvão
- 1 day in Coimbra without the kids
The Accommodations
As I said above, we didn't book anything in advance. We drove around and saw what we wanted to do and at the same time we opened the Booking app to see the best options for us. It worked really well, especially because we found the hotels we liked and I called just before we arrived to ask for a discount and to our surprise we got it in all of them.
Our options for this itinerary through Coimbra, Luso, Bussaco and Penacova were:
- Palace Hotel Bussaco (note 8.1) in the Bussaco Forest
We paid 130 euros a day with breakfast and we got a upgrade for a room with a balcony and garden view. The hotel is absolutely BEAUTIFUL and is right inside the Bussaco Forest, which is a special place with hundreds of species of plants from all over the world. We had a lovely breakfast, but didn't want to have dinner because we thought it was too expensive for what it offered. We visited the Convent of Santa Cruz do Bussaco, we did some trails through the forest and loved the peace of the place. It's worth visiting.
- Hotel Rural Quinta da Conchada (grade 8.9) in Aguieira
We managed to stay in the last one bungalow from the hotel, separate from the main building, with a great view of the Mondego River for 76 euros with breakfast. What a lovely place! We enjoyed our wine in peace on our little balcony when the rain let up and when it was 7:30 pm, we went to enjoy our reservation in the hotel's heated pool/jacuzzi with just one other couple. We rested a lot and then went to get ready for dinner at the hotel restaurant, with a view of the river. Good food, good service too. At breakfast served in this same restaurant, we were able to better enjoy the view and make more plans for the rest of the trip.
- Hotel Oslo (note 8.3) in Coimbra
Our hotel was in downtown Coimbra, very close to the Mondego River and had free parking and rooftop with a view of the city. The hotel's facade definitely needs to be modernized, because I hated it when I saw it up close and I wanted to leave, I confess, but the important thing is that inside it is tidy and I have nothing to complain about the room. Breakfast was served on the penultimate floor and therefore had a nice view, but when we arrived the good tables were already full and we had to settle for a not so good view.
Restaurants in Coimbra, Luso, Bussaco and Penacova
We ate so well on this trip! Geez… I think I gained about 2kg from all the good food and wine we tried. Our favorite restaurants were definitely Salt Stone, in Portuguese, Peter of the Piglets in Mealhada and the Tapas and Snacks Boutique, in Coimbra. I highly recommend all 3!
If you want to know more details about the places and foods we ordered, see the more detailed posts about our trip to Coimbra, Luso, Bussaco and Penacova:
- Exploring the Bussaco and Luso Forests
- Getting to know Penacova and Lorvão
- 1 day in Coimbra without the kids
Photos in Coimbra, Luso, Bussaco and Penacova
Other trips through Central Portugal
If you are interested in touring this delightful region of Portugal, take a look at our tours through from this link.
These were some of them:
3 days in Fatima, Batalha, Alcobaça, Tomar and Nazareth
3 days in Figueira da Foz, Obidos, Buddha Eden and Lourinhã
9 days through the Center and North of Portugal
Book Tours with Civitatis
If you are looking for tours around the Coimbra, Luso, Bussaco and Penacova region, take a look at these options from our partner Civitatis:
