From Portugal to Italy Planned with Love: A 17-Day Dream Itinerary Including Mallorca – 2024 Travel Guide
17 Days in 3 counties and 7 different cities is the best whirlwind to be in! I took this trip to 7 amazing cities across Mallorca, Portugal, and Italy in 2024 in just 17 days, and it will be perfect for your upcoming adventures! Imagine a journey in the sun-kissed beauty of Mallorca, with its breathtaking beaches and azure waters setting the perfect vacation vibe. Next up, Portugal calls with Lisbon’s vibrant streets, Porto’s cozy wine cellars, and Lagos’ stunning cliffs offering a blend of urban charm and natural wonder.
But the adventure doesn’t end there! Italy unfolds its splendor with Naples’ lively culture and mouthwatering cuisine, Venice’s romantic canals, and finally, Positano’s picturesque coastlines, where the views will have you pinching yourself to believe they’re real. This 2024 trip is all about experiencing the diverse beauty, rich history, and culinary delights of each unique destination. This is 17 days you will not want to miss out on!
Portugal
We spent the first 7 days of our 17 day adventure exploring Portugal. Portugal is super easy to get around by car, highly recommend renting a car while you are here. We started up north in Porto and made our way down south to Lagos before heading back to the capital Lisbon. Below is more depth details of each area we stayed in
Porto (2 Nights)
About 3 hours north of Lisbon, you have the coastal city of Porto, Portugal. Known for its port wine, Dom Luis Bridge and Azulejos. This is one of the prettiest European cities I’ve been to. We stayed in Porto for 2 days and that was enough time to explore and eat and drink our way through Porto
Hotel
- 296 Heritage Apartments: Loveddddd our hotel in Porto! The location and views from our room were amazing and it was the cheapest hotel we had our entire 17 day trip.
Food
- Chama: Really wanted to go here while we were in Porto. Make reservations ASAP, I put us on the waiting list 1-2 months before and still wasn’t able to get in!
- Tapa Bento: Super cute tapas restaurant
- Encaixados: Vibey intimate restaurant. Highly recommend trying to book all restaurants in advance, Porto seemed to be very busy and booked in the summer months.
Things to do
- Boat ride: Take a boat ride on the Douro River.
- Wine tasting: Some of the best wine in the world comes from Portugal. You have to taste Port wine while you are here. Here are some tours you can take but even just grabbing some from a bar or resuturant and enjoying the views will do too.
Lagos (3 Nights)
From Porto we drove about 5 hours to Lagos in southern Portugal. I think this was our favorite part of Portugal to explore thus far. From the food to the crazy rock and cliff formations, you will have a great time here in Lagos
Hotel: Boutique Hotel Vivenda Miranda – We try to stay at boutique hotels when traveling instead of big chains, they feel more intimate and quiet.
Food
- Windmill Restaurant: This restaurant is a little further out of Lagos in Albuferia but it is so worth it! Dining inside of a windmill is one of the coolest experiences ive ever had and bonus is that the food was actually amazing. Book wayyy in advance, there is only 12 seatings in inside of the windmill and 2 window seats with views of the ocean.
- Casa do Prego: This place was so good we ate here 2 out of our 3 nights in Lagos! The owner and staff are the BEST. They remembered us from the other night we were there and made us feel special. I recommend this place 10000% <3
Things to do
- Benagil Caves & Beaches: There are so many beautiful beaches and cliffs in Lagos. You have to take kayaks or a boat tour to the benagil caves, we choose a boat over the kayaks because the water was a little choppy for me. Other beaches: Praia do Marinha, Praia Dona Ana, Praia do Camilo, Meia Praia, Praia do Porto de Mos
- Explore Albufeira: Explore the beaches and nightlife of Albuferia
Lisbon (2 Nights)
The capital of Portugal cannot be missed. We spend 2 nights here and we loved every moment, it was a great place to end our Portuguese adventure.
Hotel: Avenida Palace – Loved this hotel. So chic and luxury, we truly enjoyed our stay here.
Food
- Restaurante Pastanaga – Food was outstanding! Make reservations if you can, there is two separate dining rooms across the way from each other which is kinda confusing but absolutely recommend
- Taberna Sal Grosso
- Alfama Cellar
- Antikuario Cafe
Things to do
- Ride the cable car
- Day trip to Sintra: We did this on the way to back to Lisbon from Lagos. We spent about 2-3 hours walking around the Pena palace and admiring the beautiful castles and architecture, this cannot be missed on your trip to Portugal.
- Visit the Belem Tower
- Visit some of the nearby beaches (Alburrica Beach, Guincho Beach, or Adraga Beach)
Spain
While this trip was mainly focused on Portugal and Italy, we through in Mallorca into the mix because… well why not. We spent 3 amazing days in Mallorca and we cannot wait to come back!
Mallorca (3 Nights)
We could have easily spent more than 3 nights in Mallorca. There are so many beaches and parts to explore, I’m glad we stayed for 3 nights and I cannot wait to go back!
Hotel: Iberostar Selection Playa de Palma -We stayed Palma which is centrally located. This hotel was okay, I think it was a little overpriced. Next time we visit Mallorca (and we will definitely be back) I would want to stay in Deia.
Food
- El Olivo: You most likely have heard of this beautiful scenic restaurant. I tried to make reservations 3 months in advance and still wasn’t able to secure a spot. We still showed up and were able to get a table at another restaurant at the hotel which was really nice.
- La Bodeguilla: Tapas restaurant, looks amazing
- Kalypsotuttifrutti: Unique restaurant and cocktail bar
Things to do
- Beaches: You can spend weeks going to all the beaches all over Mallorca. I recommend Cala Santanyi, Es Calo des Moro, Sa Calobra, Cala Llombards, and Cala d’Or
- Playa de Palma: Palma city center is so cute to spend a day or night exploring.
Italy
Amalfi Coast – Positano (2 Nights)
This place needs no introduction. Positano in the Amalfi Coast is one of the most iconic places to visit in Italy. The colorful cliff slide buildings will make your jaw drop!! Pictures do not do this place justice, you have to visit the Amalfi Coast once in your lifetime.
Hotel: Poseidon Hotel – I have an entire review on this hotel. If you’ve done any research into staying in Positano, you know it is not cheap. Check out my blog post on Poseidon Hotel to see if I think its worth your hard earned $$$$
Royal Prisco: We stayed here one night to off set the cost of staying at Poseidon hotel haha. It was such a cute hotel and walking distance to everything right in Positano. Highly recommend this hotel for a more budget friendly option in the area.
Food – Book everything as far in advance as you can!
- Il Tridente – views view and more views. An added bonus is the food is great.
- La Sponda – another popular spot
- Bruno – another spot for great views and good food
- Soo many more
Things to do
- Positanese Tour – You absolutely have to do a boat day or night in Positano. This was our favorite day here and a core memory I will remember forever.
- Arienzo Beach Club Positano – famous beach club with the watermelon ceremony haha
- Venture out to Ravello
- Venture out to Duomo di Amalfi & Amalfi
Naples (2 Nights)
Naples is one of the most authentic places I’ve been to. The people are so proud to be from Napoli and they are not afraid to show it!! While this might turn some people off to Naples, we made the most of our 2 days while here.
Hotel: Hotel San Francesco Al Monte – I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this hotel, just to be 100% transparent. We had a couple of issues with this hotel, one of them being a potential bed bug situation. Beautiful hotel with a rich history but I would be cautious and perhaps recommend some other hotels in the area. Grand Hotel Parkers or Grand Hotel Vesuvio
Food: The food in Naples is the definition of Italian authenticity here are a couple of recommendations I have pretty much all Italian food
- Antica Trattoria e Pizzeria da Donato
- Mimì alla Ferrovia
- Salumeria Malinconico
Things to do
- Complesso Monumentale di Santa Chiara
- Castel Nuovo
- Galleria Umberto
- Day trips to Positano or Sorrento
Venice (2 Nights)
There is no place in the world quite like Venice. The city on water is nothing like ive ever seen before. It is just so cool to be here and take a once in a lifetime gondola ride through the canals.
Hotel: Hotel Rialto – I absolutely loved this hotel. We stayed in the Junior Suite and wow was it worth the price point. Our room had a private balcony with views of the famous Rialto Bridge and of the canal. It was such a memorable experience.
Food: I will admit I don’t think we explored the food scene in Venice to its potential. Here are some recommendations I tried or would go back and try 🙂
- Osteria Al Squero: Small plates canal side, good for a quick bite
- Trattoria Alla Fontana: Canal views and traditional Italian dishes
- Barbacani: You probably have seen this iconic resturant on tik Tok or instagram. Book here if you want a dining experience on the canal you will never forget
- Suso: Grab gelato here, touristy but worth it
- Florian Cafe: Amazing cafe with 1700s decor and atmosphere
Things to do
- Gondola Ride but of course 🙂
- Take a ferry to Church of San Giorgio Maggiore – so beautiful and the views are amazing
- St Marks Square
- Honestly walking around and getting lost in the different canals is so fun
Conclusion
This is one of the funnest itineraries I’ve put together to date. It was a perfect combination of city and beachy, poolside vibes. Even if you are only able to check out 1-2 of these places you are so lucky! I would recommend if you could only pick 1-2 of these places, Mallorca & Portugal have my vote. I hope you found the information in this post useful, if you’re wondering where I am headed summer of 2024, check out this blog post <3
