vanessa21

Hello:

My husband and I (active 40 somethings) are planning our first trip to Portugal in September. We arrive very late on the first Saturday in September and leave two weeks later on a Sunday so we'll have 15 nights in total. Our priorities are culture, art, history, food, and wine. We love spending hours wandering cities or towns, admiring the architecture, dropping into shops, cafes or restaurants, absorbing the culture, and people watching. We prefer to minimize destination and hotel changes, and would rather spend more time really getting to know fewer locations. My current thought is to split our time between Lisbon, Porto, and the Douro Valley (maybe Minho) area. Because we are arriving and departing in Lisbon, I thought we could divide our stay there between the beginning and end of the trip. Our Lisbon time would include day trips to Cascais and Sintra, which we would visit by train. We also might rent a car another day if it's not too inconvenient, and if we feel we have time, to see Obidos and other towns. During our time in Porto, I would like to include day trips to Barcelo & Guimaraes. I realize we'll miss some amazing parts of Portugal (Coimbra, Evora & the Alentejo, the Algarve) but I'm hoping this will only be our first trip, and that our chosen stops and day trips will give us a flavor for the country & culture, while also allowing us to slow down and enjoy.

So with all of that said, I'd appreciate some input on how to split our time, the order to visit the locations, and whether and where to rent a car. My current thought is to start with four nights in Lisbon (include 1 day trip), then train to and five nights in Porto, take the train to Douro and maybe stay at Vintage House hotel (looks like we can walk to some Quintas from there?) for three nights, then return to Lisbon for our last three nights. So, 7 nights total in Lisbon, 5 in Porto, 3 in Douro. Does this plan seem good, or should we trade a Douro or Porto night for another in Lisbon? Also, I'm wondering if we should rent a car our last day or two in Porto to allow the planned day trips, and drive to Douro so we could see more of the area, instead of taking the train there. Then would it be possible to drop a car in the Douro Valley area, then return to Porto, and then Lisbon by train? I realize this would be a long trip back to Lisbon, but I'm not sure if another order of stops would help.

In terms of the Douro Valley, we love wine and touring wineries, and we are interested in learning about Port, but we really enjoy other red wines. Is it accurate that many Douro Valley wineries are now producing other wines besides Port? Also, would the Vintage House Hotel be a good place to stay, or does anyone have other recommendations? We generally prefer smaller, boutique hotels, or B&Bs/ inns, which I realize the Vintage House is not.

Any guidance and thoughts on our plans would be very welcome!

jmgorga

Hi, In the Douro Valley, I would recommend Casa de Azenha in Lamego. It is a small inn or B and B and Anita and Manuel offer the best hospitality. There are many restaurants and sights in the area. Their ratings are stellar and although it has been several years since we visited, the ratings would indicate that nothing has changed. The estate has been in the family for many years with tasteful furnishings and a delicious breakfast. Port is bottled on the estate which is full of flowers and a charming chapel.

vanessa21

Thanks so much jmorga, sounds like a perfect option for us! Any thoughts on spending 2 versus 3 nights there, and if it is preferable to have a car (or not)?
Thank you!
Vanessa

phillyboy

Hi Vanessa,

We did a similar trip last September, and loved it. Will write again later when I have more time, but would offer one recommendation ... consider not splitting your time in Lisbon - we took the bus to Porto directly after landing in Lisbon, spent 4 nights in Porto with a day trip to the Douro Valley, then into Galicia, NE Spain for 4 nights and back to Lisbon for a full week. One less checking in and out of hotels, packing and unpacking, saves considerable time.

vanessa21

Thanks Phillyboy, I look forward to your suggestions! I would really prefer to do what you suggest, however, we are flying from CA, via London, and we do not arrive in Lisbon until about 11:30 pm. At the least, I think we'd need to spend a night and leave first thing in the am, which is certainly possible.

Thank you!

Linda

mike1728

I agree with Phillyboy, if there is any way you could change the last leg of your flight from London and fly into Porto instead of Lisbon and start your trip there. You have over 7 months until your trip so maybe there is an alternate flight direct into Porto or even a stop in Lisbon and then fly to Porto (From Lisbon it is less than an hour flight and for very short money one way...maybe $50-75 dollars.

We are doing that in May, flying into Porto, staying in Guimareas (4 nights) then Viana do Castelo area (5 nights) and then drive south towards Lisbon where we finish up with 5 nights in Ericeira, a beautiful fishing village with great beaches 30 minutes from Lisbon airport.

We enjoyed Lisbon last May, but 7 nights might be a little too much. Also we rented a car last trip and it saved us lot of time and makes it so easy to adjust your schedule and stop along quaint little villages on your journeys, the roads are very easy to navigate and we found very little traffic outside of Lisbon.

vanessa21

Thanks Mike, I know that would be preferable but unfortunately we can't change our flights. However, we can look into a one way flight to reduce travel time during the trip. Guimareas looks wonderful, and Viana do Castelo. I will take a look at Ericeira too. There are so many beautiful places, it is really difficult to decide.

Thank you!

mike1728

Hi Vanessa,
you have 15 nights which is plenty of time to explore the regions of Portugal that you desire. Again, it doesn't make sense to arrive in Lisbon, explore Lisbon and then travel and explore the north of Portugal and then return and explore Lisbon again. You arrive late night to Lisbon. Maybe, get a good night rest in Lisbon, take an early afternoon flight to Porto (again-less than an hour at affordable rates)......explore the north/coastal areas and then finish up with 3-4 nights in Lisbon. Either way you will love it (our third year in a row)...the people are SO friendly, the sights are awesome and the food is incredible, not to mention the dollar goes a LONG way.

vanessa21

Hi All:

Thanks to all who provided input. I wanted to share that we've settled on our itinerary, which will include one night in Lisbon, followed by 5 nights in Porto with train/day trips to Barcelo (for the Thursday market) and Guimaraes, then train to and 3 nights in Douro Valley, then train back (via Porto) to Lisbon, where we will spend our final six nights to include day trips to Sintra & Cascais. I know we won't see many beautiful sights and areas, but for us this feels like a good mix and time spent across locations, especially with the day trips (which we may add to).

Thanks again to all who responded,we are really looking forward to our trip!

Best Wishes,

Vanessa