The faces behind Discover Portugal
Hi, we’re Marga and Ulisses, the team behind Discover Portugal!
We’re locals in Portugal who help travellers plan thoughtful, well-paced trips with practical advice and local insight. Discover Portugal is built on real experience, honest recommendations, and a love for exploring the country beyond the obvious highlights.
Here you’ll find travel stories, planning tips, and recommendations designed to help you slow down and experience Portugal to the fullest. Everything we share on Discover Portugal is based on lived experience, local research, and direct work with travellers.
The Portugal You Didn’t Know You Were Looking For
Planning your first Portugal trip? Returning for more amazing experiences? We help travellers “Discover Portugal”: the famous sights as well as the hidden gems.
Through our website, we share travel tips, hidden gems, first-hand experiences and authentic stories for your itinerary. We also offer personal help: whether you need a local Lisbon photographer, want to know where to go next, or need help planning your trip.
How can we help you?
📸 Lisbon Photoshoots
Capture your Portugal memories with a professional photo session in Lisbon’s most beautiful neighbourhoods.
👉 Lisbon Photoshoots
✍️ Travel Guides & Local Tips
Get practical travel advice and local insight. From must-see attractions to hidden gems across Portugal.
👉 Read the Blog
📍Custom Itinerary Planning
Feeling overwhelmed planning? We help you map out the perfect Portugal trip based on your interests and pace.
👉 Plan Your Trip
🤝 Brand Partnerships
Looking to promote a Portugal-based experience or product? We collaborate with tourism brands that align with our values.
👉 Work With Us
🧳 Digital Travel Resources
Printable guides, planning tools, itineraries, and cheat sheets to make your Portugal travels smooth and stress-free.
👉 Guides and travel tools
🧳 Portugal Travel Newsletter
Get practical Portugal travel tips, local updates, and inspiration straight to your inbox. No fluff, just helpful advice to plan better trips.
👉 Get travel tips by email
More About Marga
I’m Dutch and grew up in the Netherlands, where my curiosity about the world started early. That curiosity led me to study tourism in Amsterdam and later work as an international flight attendant in my twenties, spending nearly eight years travelling the world and learning how to feel at home anywhere.
Afterwards, I moved into tech, gaining the digital skills I now use to write, optimise, and share practical travel content with thousands of readers each month. After living in several European countries, I first visited Portugal in 2019 and felt instantly at home. I moved here in 2021 and launched Discover Portugal in 2022 to share what I was learning along the way.
Today, I combine storytelling, photography, and local insight to help travellers plan better trips.
More About Ulisses
I grew up in Brazil and moved to Portugal in 2019. My background is in hospitality, and for more than a decade I worked in bars, restaurants, and hotels, which shaped how I think about travel, service, and what makes people feel genuinely welcome.
Living in Portugal has deepened my interest in local culture, food, and how travel experiences actually work on the ground. At Discover Portugal, I focus on research, content creation, and trip planning support, with particular attention to logistics, routes, and expectations.
My approach is practical and people-focused, with an emphasis on realistic planning, local food and wine, and experiences that feel authentic rather than rushed or overly touristy.
Why You’re in Good Hands
Travel has always been more than a hobby for us. With over 25 years of travel experience and backgrounds in aviation, tourism, and hospitality, we bring a practical, experience-based approach to everything we share.
We’ve called Lisbon home since 2021 (Ulisses since 2019) and have been exploring Portugal together ever since, discovering the country one region at a time, often with a camera in hand. Our experience helps us cut through the noise and focus on what really matters when planning a trip to Portugal.
Being based in Portugal means we stay up to date with local changes, travel updates, and how things work on the ground. Our aim is to give you accurate, practical advice, while also encouraging you to look beyond the highlights and discover quieter, more rewarding places.
We support travellers in English, Dutch, German, and Portuguese. Discover Portugal has been publishing Portugal travel guides since 2022.
Our Core Values
Travel with Intention
If you have time, please slow down, look closer, and connect with what makes Portugal truly special. Leave room to wander around!
Local over Mass Tourism
We try to highlight local gems and small businesses as much as possible, not just big tours and experiences. If you’re a local guide and you want to collaborate, please get in touch!
Real Recommendations Only
Everything you see here comes from personal experience and on-the-ground research. We do not write about things we have no seen or done yet.
Kindness and Inclusion
Everyone deserves to travel safely and freely. This space is LGBTQ+ friendly and welcomes all races, backgrounds, cultures, and identities.
Culture over Clicks
As much as we love photography, travel isn’t just a photo shoot! It’s a chance to learn, listen, and grow. Leave space for discovery.
Respect What You Discover
Leave only footprints, honour traditions, and skip anything that harms animals, people, or places.
Want to get in touch?
Do you have a question, idea, or collaboration in mind? We love to hear from you.
Whether you’re planning a trip, interested in booking a photo shoot, or have a Portugal-related project you’d like to work on together, just reach out!
Please note that we do not respond to unsolicited sales messages, guest post pitches, or generic link-building requests. This contact form is reserved for genuine travel questions, collaboration ideas, or booking enquiries only. Thanks for understanding!
Ready to dive in? Here are a few ways to get started:
- 📸 Book a Lisbon Photoshoot – Capture your holiday in Lisbon’s prettiest spots
- 🧭 Plan Your Trip – Personalised travel help and planning tips
- 🧳 Browse Travel Resources – Discover trusted partners and discounts
- ✍️ Destinations on the Blog – Cities, small towns, hidden gems, and real stories from across the country
- 🇵🇹 Discover Portugal Travel Tips – Events, seasons, museums, nature and photography tips
