🚗 Bumper Cars & Summer Festivals

Happy Sunday amigos 😎

I somehow managed to drive my bulky BMW on the roads of South Africa for years without nudging a single vehicle. But within a few months of owning my little Citroën here in Portugal, I had my first bumper-car moment with another driver. It was only a matter of time, really.

If you've been driving in Portugal for a while, you'll know that the lines down the middle of the road are often treated as decorative artwork, speed limits are viewed as friendly suggestions, and most drivers follow so closely you couldn't tell what car they're driving.

I was a complete heathen behind the wheel in South Africa, but as a regular road user in Portugal, I now pray like my life depends on it. (Although where I'll be going in the afterlife is questionable, because being a road user here has also expanded my colourful vocabulary considerably.)

So what happens when you're involved in an accident in Portugal? In today's newsletter, I share another practical guide, because apparently my role in Portugal is to experience these things first-hand so I can report back to the rest of you.

If all of that sounds a little too serious, don't worry. It's June in Portugal, and summer party season is about to kick into full gear. That's where our travel guide, Marga, comes to the rescue with a roundup of the best festivals, celebrations, and events happening across the country this month.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

You’ve dialed in your workouts, nutrition, and hydration. But if progress still feels slow, there’s one recovery factor often overlooked: sleep.

Muscles repair and rebuild while you sleep. Less sleep means less time to recover.

If getting enough rest is a challenge, CBDistillery offers targeted support your sleep solutions.

Their gummies and tinctures combine non-intoxicating CBD with CBN, a cannabinoid commonly used to promote better sleep.

In a 2021 CBDistillery study, participants reported sleeping longer on average after using CBD and CBN together.

Right now, readers can save 25% on sleep solutions with code SLEEPMORE at checkout.

Support Your Sleep

Comporta is Portugal’s rare beach-and-rice-field escape, where nature, silence, and understated style still outweigh mass tourism. Wild Atlantic beaches on one side, rice fields on the other, and a very low-key village atmosphere in between, its rice paddies are unusually iconic for Portugal, shaped by cultivation that began around 1925 and still define the area’s identity today. Comporta is still relatively under the radar because it has never been overbuilt, which is exactly what gives it that rare, understated charm. Instead of trying to be polished or crowded, Comporta feels natural, discreet, and beautifully unhurried.

Today’s local travel tip is brought to you by Marga from Discover-Portugal. Last time, she whisked us away to Madeira, where a simple island getaway turned into an unforgettable hiking adventure.

This week, Marga is helping us make the most of June in Portugal. With Santos Populares filling the streets with music, sardines, and plastic hammers, Primavera Sound drawing music lovers to Porto, and hidden gems like WOOL Covilhã bringing art to the mountains, there’s no shortage of reasons to get out and explore. If you're looking for inspiration for the weeks ahead, her guide below is packed with festivals, local celebrations, and plenty of ideas for making the most of the Portuguese summer.

And if you're anything like me, don't just read the article, click through. Marga's guides are incredibly detailed, full of practical tips, and packed with beautiful photography that can turn a "maybe one day" destination into "let's go this weekend." ☀️

🎭

June is one of my favourite months in Portugal. The weather is warm, the streets are full of colour, and there’s always something happening, from traditional festivals to international music events.

If you’re looking for something to do this month, here are a few highlights worth adding to your calendar.

Across Portugal, but especially in Lisbon and Porto, June is all about the Santos Populares celebrations.

Expect decorated streets, grilled sardines, live music, manjericos (small basil like plants with a poem) and people dancing late into the night. In Lisbon, the main festivities take place around neighbourhoods like Alfama and Bairro Alto, with the biggest night on June 12th (Saint Anthony’s Eve).

In Porto, the atmosphere is just as festive, with the biggest celebrations happening on the night of June 23rd for São João. Expect street parties, fireworks over the Douro River, and a fun local tradition of (gently) hitting people on the head with plastic hammers!

It’s busy, a little chaotic, and honestly, one of the most fun times to experience the city like a local.

If you’re into live music, Primavera Sound Porto is one of the biggest international festivals in Portugal. It’s held in Porto, it brings together a mix of indie, rock, and electronic artists (here is the line-up for 2026) in a beautiful park setting near the coast. It’s a great excuse to combine a city trip with a festival weekend. If you’re looking for us? You can find us here!

The mountain town of Covilhã in the Serra da Estrela offers a very different kind of festival. WOOL Covilhã focuses on urban art and creativity, and you’ll find large-scale murals, exhibitions, and cultural events spread across the town. It’s a completely different vibe from the bigger festivals and perfect if you’re looking for something a bit more off the beaten path.

June is just the beginning, and as the summer continues, there are even more unique events happening across Portugal. Two great examples are the Knights Templar Festival in Tomar and the Mercado Medieval in Óbidos, both of which are well worth planning your trip around if you’re visiting in July.

If you’d like a full overview, I’ve put together a guide with festivals and events across Portugal organised by month, so you can easily plan your trip around what’s happening. You can check it out here: https://www.discover-portugal.com/portugal-festivals/

🌴

With thanks to our collaborator for today’s travel article. Marga is a Dutch travel writer, photographer, and Portugal expert who founded Discover Portugal after falling in love with the country during a 2019 visit and relocating to Lisbon permanently in 2021. With over 25 years of travel experience and a background in tourism, aviation, and tech—including nearly eight years as an international flight attendant—Marga combines her storytelling skills, local insights, and photography expertise to help travelers discover both Portugal's famous sights and hidden gems. Through her website and personalized services, she offers travel planning assistance, Lisbon photography sessions, and authentic stories from her ongoing exploration of every corner of Portugal, helping curious travelers experience the country like a local rather than a tourist.

Thanks to my recent bumper-car moment (and the fact that I had absolutely no idea what I was supposed to do afterwards) I turned the experience into a research project and created another practical guide for the collection.

Today is the only day you'll be able to download it for free. After that, it'll be added to our comprehensive Driver's Toolkit, bringing the bundle to a total of 10 practical guides for the giveaway sum of €10.

Below you'll find two useful downloads:

✅ My guide on what to do after a car accident in Portugal

✅ DAAA: Click here to download a blank DAAA accident report form that you should keep in your vehicle before you ever need it

Alternatively, e‑SEGURNET is a free official app from the Associação Portuguesa de Seguradores (APS) and insurers. It lets you fill and send the DAAA digitally from your phone. It works for accidents in Portugal with vehicles registered and insured in Portugal.

I hope this was helpful.

If you've had the misfortune of being involved in a road incident in Portugal and your experience was different, please hit reply and share it with me. The more we learn from each other, the better prepared we all are.

Thank you, drive safely, and may the Force be with you on the roads. 🚗✨

Do you know how to talk about tennis shoes in European Portuguese? 👟

In this short lesson, you’ll learn useful Portuguese vocabulary for different parts of a shoe, such as:

• laces
• sole
• tongue

Learning specific vocabulary like this will help you understand real-life Portuguese and speak more naturally in everyday situations.

🗣 Want to learn more phrases like this? Check out Mia’s free Portuguese course “Kickstart Your Portuguese - The Basics”.

💡 Mia from Mia Esmeriz Academy is a Portuguese teacher from Porto with more than 15 years of experience teaching foreigners. She helps expats become fluent in Portuguese in a clear and practical way. Alongside her courses, she also shares free content on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.

Thanks for reading! 💌

Hustle on!

Angelique🧞‍♀️

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Don’t miss next week’s scoop by signing up here.