Sixteen days in September 2024: a week on Madeira first, then continental Portugal — Porto, then Lisbon — before flying home from Lisbon on the 29th. These are field notes, not a guide: where I actually was, in the order it happened.
Madeira: 14–20 September
We stayed outside Funchal, and that turned out to be the point. My review of the guesthouse afterward said it plainly: “Loved the place and the people. Warm and welcoming with a delicious breakfast and beautiful view of the coast. A bit away from the main city of Funchal but we loved it…”
17 September: whale and dolphin watching from Funchal
The one fixed booking of the Madeira week was a whale and dolphin watching trip leaving from Funchal’s waterfront on 17 September.
Porto: 21–22 September
In Porto we had two plans on the books: a full-day trip out of the city on the 21st into two wine regions, with a boat section and a chef’s lunch, and dinner on the 22nd at Rua Tapas Restaurant & Music Bar on Travessa de Cedofeita.
Lisbon: 24–29 September
Lisbon was the last stretch. We stayed off Calçada do Conde de Penafiel from the 24th to the 26th, and on the 28th had a reservation at Javá Rooftop on Praça Dom Luís I.
Getting home
We flew home on TAP from Lisbon to Miami on 29 September.
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