Two Days in Lesbian Lisbon – Once Upon a Journey

Lisbon is a city in Southern Europe that should be on your bucket list. It’s currently one of Europe’s hot spots and we can totally see why! Cute cobblestone streets, colorful houses, authentic trams, and delicious food PLUS great nightlife: lesbian Lisbon has it all. 2 days in Lisbon is a good amount of time to see the city, but we warn you: you probably want to come back to see more! In this Lisbon itinerary, we will tell you ALL you need to know about the city.

How Many Days in Lesbian Lisbon?

Lisbon has a lot to offer. Therefore you should spend at least two days in Lisbon. In two days you can see all the highlights of the city. Though, if you also want to go on a day trip from Lisbon to Sintra or explore the Lisbon beaches, we recommend staying at least an extra day.

Lisbon Day 1: Exploring the City Center of Lisbon

The center of Lisbon is great to explore on foot. Make sure to wear good shoes as Lisbon is all made up of cobblestone streets. Lisbon, also known as the city of seven hills, is quite hilly too, so instead of walking uphill, you might want to catch some public transport (the cute tram 28 for example!).

By Maartje and Roxanne – Full Story at Once Upon a Journey

Lisbon Lesbian Travel Resources

Pink Street Lisbon – Once Upon a Journey

Portugal’s Pink Street in Lisbon is hot and happening – you must’ve come across the photos on social media! But what’s the story? How to get to the pink street in Cais do Sodre and when is the best time to visit? It’s not just a picturesque street, it’s home to some of the best bars in Lisbon too! So if you’re looking for Lisbon nightlife – look no further. Let’s dive into everything you need to know about this quirky pink street.

Rua Cor-de-Rosa aka Pink Street

So how did the red light district turn pink?! Rua Nova do Carvalho was painted not that long ago actually! The painting started in 2011 and was finished by 2013. Since then, it has become locally known as Rua Cor de Rosa, meaning Pink Street. The project was supposed to make the neighborhood better – gentrification at it’s finest. And it has worked. Brothels closed, new bars opened and the street has replaced the shady nightlife and turned it into something hip.

Full Story at Once Upon a Journey

Lisbon Gay Travel Resources

Queer Lisbon and the Algarve Coast – Passport Magazine

queer Lisbon and the Algarve Coast - pixabay

The reasons to love Portugal are numerous. In 2017, the Global Peace Index ranked it the third most peaceful country in the world; in 2010, Portugal became the eighth country to legalize same-sex marriage; it is one of the few countries in the world to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation in its constitution; and its temperatures average a balmy 63 degrees in winter and 79 in summer.

And, of course, it’s beautiful. Its two major cities, Lisbon and Porto (where Port wine comes from) anchor its Atlantic-facing seaboard. In between them are charming towns and villages, too numerous to count, and then there’s the Algarve Coast, a magnet for sun seekers featuring cerulean blue waters, impressive rock formation, and secluded coves galore.

A friend and I spent a week visiting Lisbon and the Algarve Coast last summer.

Exhausted from the flight from Los Angeles to Lisbon, I meet my friend Michael (who arrived one day earlier) on a sunny afternoon at Noobai, a multi-level outdoor café that’s tiered like a wedding cake and offers panoramic views of the city and the Tangus River. As we play the game “European or gay” with the hot guys surrounding us, I find myself breathing in the Mediterranean salt air and breathing out LA traffic, work-related stress, and Donald Trump.

Through the foggy haze of jetlag, we wander the narrow streets of the buzzing capital city. We watch visitors like ourselves hang on tightly as rickety trams (No. 28 is the most famous) lumber up impossibly steep hills, and we saunter past buildings dressed head to toe in colorful azuelos (elaborately painted tiles). From every café we pass, we are enticed by the smell of pasteis de nata, flaky custard tarts that when cooked to perfection are slightly burnt on top and absolutely irresistible.

By John Heideman – Full Story at Passport Magazine

Portugal Gay Travel Resources

 

Queer Lisbon: The San Francisco of Europe – Gay Star News

Queer Lisbon

Shades of flawless turquoise and rusty orange flood my vision, as clean, crisp sea air cleans my soul.

It’s around 19° – the perfect temperature, or so my warm blood dictates. I close my eyes and lean into a gentle breeze while feeling high – although that might be a sugar rush from the three pastel de natas (traditional egg tart pastries) eaten for breakfast. The last time I felt such travel-induced euphoria was cycling over San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. It’s uncanny then, to open my eyes in Lisbon, Portugal and see the Gate’s spiritual sister, the 25 de Abril Bridge, in the distance. (Not to mention the Christ the King statue, which resembles Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer).

Its 70m-tall towers, built in 1962, are unmistakable, visible from many vantage points around this famously hilly city. They’re especially commanding from where I’m standing – the doorstep of Lisbon’s centerpiece: the sprawling 11th century São Jorge Castle [below].

I made a beeline straight for it, such is its Medieval allure, navigating the city’s winding mosaic sidewalks to the first of many stunning views. From here, the bridge’s distinctive color is echoed in the quaint terracotta of a thousand rooftops in the foreground. It’s gorgeous.

By Jamie Tabberer – Full Story at Gay Star News

Gay Star News Gay Travel Resources in Portugal

48 Hours in Queer Lisbon – Gay Star News

Queer Lisbon, Portugal - Pixabay

Lisbon is renowned for its picturesque architecture, incredible cuisine and warm hospitality. Plus it’s (still) a relatively affordable place to travel to. There’s plenty to do and lots to see, but if time is not on your side and you are not in Lisbon for long, not to worry. You’ll be impressed at how much you’ll see in the 507,000-strong capital in one day.

I myself was on a tight schedule, as my long weekend also included a stop off on the nearby island of Madeira (more about which later), a less than two-hour flight southwest of Lisbon over the North Atlantic Sea.

Visit the Belem district and try its famous local egg tart pastry: the pastel de nata or pastel de Belem is one of Portugal’s signature sweet treats that has its origins traced back to this old neighbourhood. It is said that Catholic monks at Mosteiro dos Jeronimos created these delicious bites before the 18th century. The Mosteiro itself is worth visiting for its incredible medieval architecture.

Full Story at Gay Star News

Portugal Gay Travel Resources

Gay Portugal Road Trip – Passport Magazine

Lisbon, gay Portugal

Knowing very little of Portugal beyond its grand capital city, I decided it was time to turn the tides and explore it for myself. Although my voyage of discovery would follow the dramatic coastline south of Lisbon, I figured that a galleon wasn’t the ideal mode of transport, so I opted for a rental car instead.

Positioned on the edge of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal is the westernmost country in mainland Europe. There’s very little besides ocean separating it from the East Coast of the United States, perhaps explaining why the Portuguese were seafaring pioneers who were skilled at discovering new worlds, and why even today, they appear to be instinctively lured by the sea.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, an era known as the Age of Discovery, Portuguese sailors were vanguard explorers. Nobleman and Naval Commander Pedro Álvares Cabral is celebrated for discovering Brazil, while fellow explorers like Vasco da Gama discovered and mapped the coasts of Africa and Asia, establishing lucrative spice trade routes.

When news came of Christopher Columbus’ first voyage to the Americas in 1492 under the flag of the Spanish crown, a dispute arose between Portugal and Spain about exactly who’d discovered the New World. It was settled by the Treaty of Tordesillas in 1494, an agreement that divided newly discovered lands outside of Europe between the two countries. This agreement marks the start of centuries of Spanish and Portuguese dominance across much of the Americas.

Portugal’s Age of Discovery has left a lasting impression. Grand historic buildings in places like Lisbon, Porto, Braga, and Sintra remind us of Portugal’s prosperous past, while former colonies like Brazil have a massive cultural impact on modern-day Portuguese life.

By Stuart Haggas – Full Story at Passport Magazine

Portugal Gay Travel Resources

What I Love About Lisbon

Lisbon It’s a bit over ten years since my last visit to Lisbon. That trip was with my ex-boyfriend, his new boyfriend, and another friend who had also once been in a long-term relationship with my ex-boyfriend. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but obviously it wasn’t. This trip I was travelling with Liviu. It was his first visit to Lisbon and I was excited to be rediscovering the city. We had booked an apartment through misterb&b. It was easy enough to navigate our way from the airport, via the fast and efficient metro system to find our apartment on Rua da Oliveira ao Carmo. This turned out to be a great location – central, and within easy walking of everything that we needed. Getting Our Bearings Liviu was keen to hit the beach straight away, but this isn’t Barcelona, so I instead persuaded him that a walk around the city was a good way to get our bearings. Rattling trams and buzzing tuk-tuks are on hand if you can’t quite face the multitude of steps, but if you’ve got the energy this a great city for working up an appetite while walking.

By Gareth Johnson – Full Story at Gay Star News

Portugal Gay Travel Resources

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Fall in Love With Lisbon

Lisbon - Belem Tower Lisbon, the 531,000-person strong capital of Portugal, is a city full of unforgettable sights and experiences. The immensely green Parque Eduardo VII; the colorful graffiti on huge buildings in Avenida Fontes Pereira de Melo; the pretty white houses of the Alfama area in the heart of the old Lisbon; the commanding Sao Jorge Castle perched on a hilltop. Jump on a tram, talk to the locals – yes, the Portuguese speak great English – and follow the smell of grilled fish in its small alleys. Have you ever seen a real sunset? This is what you can admire, sometimes, from the Praca do Comercio, one of the main squares in the city. I could barely breathe for the enchantment. The city will give you hundreds of sweet memories like these – the ones I’ve mentioned are some of the richest in my heart.

By Daniele Guido Gessa – Full Story at Gay Star News

Portugal Gay Travel Resources

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Gay Algarve, Portugal

Portugal Time flew quicker than we thought with our busy schedules and my partner, and I realized we hadn’t taken a vacation together in over a year. We wanted to remedy the situation, and both had an opening in late October to take five days off. It’s an ideal time to travel in Europe, but if you want to find beach weather, it’s tricky. We wanted to relax and hangout at a beach or pool with warm enough weather for bathing suits, flip flops, chaise lounges, and water that wasn’t too cold. After obsessively researching beach resorts in Greece, Spain, and Italy, the Algarve region in Portugal had the highest average daily temperatures (high 60s to low 70s Fahrenheit), plus more sunny days and less wind that period of the year than the other destinations. Boasting a rugged coastline with dramatic cliffs, breathtaking beaches inside hidden coves, caves with sparkling azure water of the Atlantic Ocean, and an ideal climate of over 300 sunny days a year (more than California), one could easily understand our attraction to the area. Like many appealing resort areas, it’s become a victim of its own success, paving the way to overdevelopment with thoughtlessly designed bland condos and inexpensive all-inclusive resorts attracting mass tourism. However, among the cookie cutter hotels and resorts and restaurants there are some hidden gems, and we scored big time by finding three of them.

By Richard Nahem – Full Story at Passport

Portugal Gay Travel Resources

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Four Portuguese Old Towns Perfect for Gay Tourists

Dan Beeson On imagination of the perfect couple’s hideaway the sights of boutique dwellings catered to every desire, deserted beaches destined for frolicking and the privacy of your own love spring to the mind of many. In the Centro region of Portugal, some 50km north of Lisbon, these visions become one seemingly everlasting reality. The region, best served by car, is home to four rustic and timeless old towns that unlock the true heart and soul of rural Portugal, bringing a thirst for connection to life. Obidos, Nazare, Peniche and Caldas da Rainha will spark the flames of a love that will last forever. Welcome to the Centro region in Portugal: Nazare This market fishing town, in the north of the region, plays homage to the true beginnings of the area. Fish-sellers, scattered amongst the cobbled maze of streets and terracotta roofing, lay out the carapaus (horse mackerel) to dry as done by their ancestors and attract custom with the sweet smell and colourful array of fresh fruits and vegetables nurtured in the local area. During the summer months the area awakens with the spirit of returning Portuguese holidaymakers, travelling in from Lisbon and Porto, who bring a tide of international followers to Nazare’s vast expanse of beaches promised with ambient basking in the Portugal sun.

By Dan Beeson – Full Story at Gay Star News

Portugal Gay Travel Resources

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