Food on New Years Eve in Portugal
Portugal is known for its incredibly tasty cuisine worldwide. Thus, on New Year’s Eve in Portugal you should expect to have a feast with:
🥘 Bacalhau: Probably the best way to eat dried cod fish and quite tasty to be honest. The dried fish is being put into water for 3 days where you have to change the water. Once it is ready, you simply boil it and voila – the dinner is ready. Usually, it is being served with some fresh vegetables like cabbage, carrots and potatoes.
🍤 Seafood: All types of seafood – shrimps, mussels, limpets, octopus, squids. Portugal offers one of the tastiest and freshest seafood in Europe. So, you can expect to have lots of it on New Year’s in Portugal.
🧇 Rabanadas: Wanna try some French toast with Port wine? Well, then opt for some rabanadas! Incredibly sweet and puffy!
🍰 Bolo Rei: This is probably the strangest cake, but it is King’s cake after all. Honestly, it tastes amazing! Sweet bread with lots of almonds and all types of dried fruits! A must try for sure!
Once ready, you can go and enjoy the fireworks show. Grab 12 raisins and go to São Pedro de Alcântara or Miradouro da Senhora do Monte and have the greatest view of the show in Lisbon. If you prefer watching the fireworks show from below then stop by Praça do Comércio. Another option is going to the UNESCO World Heritage of Lisbon – the Belém Tower. These places will surely grant you the best possible views over the city’s lights and make your experience unforgettable.
Eventually, if you crave more fun and partying, head straight to Convento do Beato, which is Lisbon’s greatest disco club. The building, which now houses the club is 5 centuries old and was built by King Afonso the Fifth. What a greater way to spend the first hours of the New Year in Lisbon?!
New Year in Braga
Unlike Lisbon and Porto, New Year in Braga is not so grandiose, but it is a good place to have a more relaxed celebration. So, you can start with a dinner at Restaurante O Jacó and try their incredible meals like Bacalhau a Jaco.
Then, continue the celebrations at Avenida Central where the local groups will perform and entertain you. Eventually, at midnight the fireworks show will start and light up everything around the city. However, if you want to have a better view of the fireworks show, it is best to climb on one of the hills around Braga. Or you might opt for a walk to Bom Jesus do Monte and Sameiro Sanctuary, which offer birds-eye view over the city.
New Year in Gerês
If you want to welcome the new year surrounded by beautiful nature, then opt for the best nature park in northern Portugal – Gerês. There you will have plenty of options to explore the region. Either by hiking, doing some watersports or enjoying the thermal pools in the city. If you are lucky, you will even witness a snowfall, which is a very unusual event for Portugal.
Nevertheless, you will surely get the chance to enjoy some fireworks shows and musical concerts at hotels in Gerês. You can even hop on a boat and watch the fireworks show from afar or simply stay at the hotel.
New Year in Serra da Estrela
It is no surprise that the Portuguese often head to Serra da Estrela to celebrate the last hours of the year. This beautiful mountainous region offers lots of stuff to do, places to visit and sights to see.
Serra da Estrela is a famous ski resort in Portugal and is quite an attraction. Having in mind that there is rarely snow in the other parts of the country, here it is only natural. Since the temperatures are not so harsh, you can surely opt for a nice hike and enjoy some of the most beautiful sights in central Portugal. Last but not least, check out the Covão dos Conchos in Lake Comprida, known as the sinkhole of Portugal.
New Year in Algarve
If you want a warmer and sunnier place to welcome the New Year. Then, you should definitely head straight to the Algarve. Recently, it has been chosen as one of the top destinations when it comes to celebrating New Year’s in Portugal. And that is not surprising at all!
The hotels in the Algarve offer all sorts of deals and surely will satisfy every desire you might have. Some of the cities you might opt for in the Algarve are Faro, Lagos or Albufeira, which is the party destination of the south.
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