Love reading your perspectives Chantel… travel is as always terribly subjective! I’ll be down in Faro again soon so maybe I’ll poke around Albufeira then as well 🙂

However, I have to contradict you: We think that Aveiro is quite worth-seeing. Check out all the beautiful spots here: https://www.the-vegan-travelers.com/en/europe/portugal/aveiro-venice-of-portugal.html

We also missed Braga, Guimarães and Tomar, Batalha & Alcobaça in this guide! These places are really wonderful.

And, about your concerns regarding places like Albufeira: it’s not as bad as you might think. Yes, of course, it’s veeery touristy, but somehow the snow-white old town of Albufeira has managed to at least partially maintain its charm.

Day-trips:
a) *Lousã & the shale villages – it is a small village that was a hiking trail with shale villages (http://culnatur.pt/reconhecimento-rota-das-aldeias-de-xisto-lousa/), there is a cheap national youth hostel there if you want to stay to sleep. Get the bus from the A train station

b) *Montemor o velho – a traditional portuguese village with a big castle on top, surrounded by rice fields (https://nit.pt/fit/ginasios-e-outdoor/night-urban-trail-castle-as-inscricoes-ja-estao-abertas-e-estao-mais-baratas)
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*Serra da boa viagem by Figueira da foz – to the west to Montemor o velho there is a mountain that has good hiking trails and views to the sea, you can stay in Figueira to sleep and to go to the very popular beach. Figueira is reachable by train but bus is required for Montemor unless you want to walk +/- 6km through rice fields.

c) *Luso and Bussaco forest – a village with beautiful mansions and a nice park with hiking trails and a gorgeous palace-hotel (http://turomaquia.com/o-que-fazer-em-luso-mata-do-bussaco/). Reachable train.

Other small places:
*Penela – an non touristic alternative to Óbidos but very small, opt of Montemor o velho if you don’t have much time.

*Conimbriga – ancient city museum with big roman ruins for history lovers