Christmas in Portugal
Pena Palace in Sintra
Every family has their own Christmas traditions. Some families meet up with each other at home while others do a trip somewhere whether it be local or further afield. However, as times change, traditions and practices change.
Since 2013, I have usually spent Christmas in a different country or multiple ones depending on how much free time I have. However, Christmas 2024 was a bit different and unique. This time, Christmas was spent in Portugal with family.
When I was first notified of the possibility of spending Christmas in Portugal with family, it seemed like it could work since the dates that the trip was scheduled would coincide nicely with the time off I would have from work. Once I was able to confirm with work with the holiday dates, it become a definite that Christmas was going to spent in Portugal. In addition to Portugal, I also opted to visit Cape Verde (Cabo Verde) since that was an easy and direct flight from Portugal, but that will be in a later post so please stay tuned.
Typically, I usually do a lot of planning before a trip, but this time, I just had to sit back and relax since my sister-in-law did most of the planning and other logistics. Therefore, I did not have to worry about figuring out transportation or lodging. I simply needed to get myself to Portugal from my home in the Middle East, which was very easy with no issues.
Obidos Castle
Unlike the rest of my family, who had never been to Portugal before, I had previously visited several years prior, so some of the places that were on the itinerary were places that I had already visited, such as Lisbon, the holy site of Fatima, Batalha, Obidos, Tomar, and Nazare, but it was nice to see these sites again, especially since it was possible to take one’s time a bit more. Previously, I visited these sites on day tours, so time was often limited.
Aside from the places that I had previously visited, there were also some places, such as Porto and Mafra Palace (the title picture), which I had never been to but was very interested in seeing.
However, even though I had been to Portugal before, there was one place in particular that I wanted to get to. In fact, it was the one and only site that I really wanted to check out if nothing else was possible.
The Sanctuary of Bom Jesu do Monte is a beautiful eighteenth-century Catholic shrine that is famous for its 573 steps that one needs to climb in order to reach the top (there is also a funicular that goes straight to the top as well).
Bom Jesu do Monte
For me, this was definitely a high point of the trip, and it was the one "must-see" for me since I previously did not have the chance to visit the first time. I always maintained the goal to return to Portugal to see it, but I knew that I would eventually get to it sooner or later, and it finally happened. On the day I visited the Sanctuary, my brother and his family opted to see the surfers at Nazare while my parents and myself took a trip from Porto to the Sanctuary.
Please stay tuned for a more detailed post about the Sanctuary and how to get there in the near future.
In addition to Mafra Palace and the Sanctuary of Bom Jesu do Monte, we also had a chance to spend time in Sintra to see the beautiful Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira. This was my first time seeing both of these sites, and they were both amazing.
Church of St. Francis in Porto
While all the places that were visited during this trip were beautiful, in my opinion, my three favorite places were hands-down the Sanctuary of Bom Jesu do Monte, Mafra Palace, and the Church of St. Francis in Porto. Of course, due to limited time, it was not possible to see everything, but Portugal is definitely a place that I enjoy visiting and hopefully will have the chance to visit more of in the future.
Please enjoy the Photo Gallery. All photos were taken by me.
