Money spent on experiences that didn’t fit a budget line item: priceless. The dinner in Alfama (€95 but they included unlimited wine), the mosaic workshop (€60 but actually learned something), way too many pastéis (€0.90 each × too many to count).
Total came to roughly €1,065 for 14 nights, not counting the splurges. Accommodation was the biggest chunk at €560, followed by food and coffee at €420. Transport was the pleasant surprise at only €85 — European trains reward the spontaneous traveler.
The lesson: budget for the unexpected. The best moments are never on the itinerary. Leave room — financially and temporally — for the things you can’t plan. That mosaic workshop wasn’t in any guidebook. Neither was the midnight jamón.