ssander

Hello...

Thinking about going to Portugal this October.

Naturally I have checked out a bunch of books from the library and have started my research.

However, I would like Fodorite's suggestions of day-trips out of Lisbon -- by train.

We like historic places, art, parks and walks. Any special events in October might be of interest as well.

NOTE: This will be our 17th trip to Europe since I retired in 1999...we're pretty experienced with public transport and independent travel in general, and we love to walk...but never to Portugal. Flying out of PHL.

Thanks.

ssander

Whathello

Sintra for sure. You can even spend a night there.
It is even better with train than with car. I did it with a car 2 weeks ago and wouldn't want to do it in high season.
For the rest, we went to a lot of monasteries and palaces and they are not always close to a trainstation, and/or I didnd't pay attention.
Have a nice trip, we had a great time.

thursdaysd

Any special reason it has to be by train? Because otherwise I would say Obidos, and possibly Evora. You can do Evora by train but it is easier by bus.

Don't know whether Belem counts as a day trip or a suburb, but you can easily spend a day there - by tram.

Robert2016

Sintra by train from Rossio station. Easy and once there, take the 434 local bus that will take you up to Pena Palace and around.
http://www.sintra-portugal.com/guide...a-bus-434.html

Lisbon to Evora takes 1 hr. 45 min. by bus, but personally, I'd spend the night or even two, if you could spare the time.
The center of Evora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and offers a great deal of historic interest.
http://www.rede-expressos.pt/default.aspx

ssander

thursdaysd...

Bus is OK...I just don't want to drive. I know that sometimes buses can be better than trains, depending on the location of their respective stations.

ssander

PalenQ

Obidos, Evora and Sintra all are remarkable places and easy day trips by train or bus from Lisbon - Evora a bit farther and as Robert says nice to spend the night there if possible - I loved the cork plantations the train (and bus I suppose) go thru en route.

How long do you have in Portugal and where else if any are you going? Porto to me was as awesome and even nicer in some ways than Lisbon - more of an old-world feel and it has several sweet day trips too - only a few hours by Portugal's only real vaguely high-speed rail line.

For lots of info on Portugeuse trains check www.ricksteves.com; www.seat61.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com (check out the latter's free online European Planning & Rail Guide's Portugal section).

ssander

PalenQ...

I'm in the very early stages of planning -- which is odd for me, since I usually buy my air tickets 4 or 5 month in advance. My birthday is coming up, and Linda (wife) suggested a trip. Probably about a week or a little more is our usually Europe trip.

I'm also considering an open jaw with the return from Barcelona. I'll know more in a week or so after I do a quick look at the Portugal tour books.

I'm very familiar with seat61 (super site) and we've used trains a lot (though on the trip we just got back from in May, we did open jaw to Venice and back from Paris with a train to Bologna and flight from Bologna to Paris.

We're not high end travelers, but I would call us budget either. We usually stay in hotels in the €120-€160/night range. We usually do our penny-pinching with food, since neither of us is a foodie.

ssander

Whathello

You'll have no prob in Portugal to find nice hotels/apartments for that price.
We stayed in Lisbon in an apartment, for 200 €/night so I don't recommend, but had nice hotels in smal towns for 100 €/night (4 stars).
We didn't like Porto but did a great (car) trip along valley of Douro from there.

HappyTrvlr

Rather than go to Barcelona, head north in Portugal, Coimbra, Nazarre, Porto. We loved the Minho region north of Porto and the city of Porto too. Look at the pousadas for charming spots to stay, not expensive, with excellent dining rooms too.

danon

Barcelona is a beautiful city ...art, architecture, museums, the sea,...
You can fly Vueling ( cheap) from Lisbon.

ssander

Decided to include Barcelona, and we have are plane tix. Got (I think) a good open jaw fare: %665 RT pp on Americannonstop out of PHL.

Five nights Lisbon, four nights Barcelona...a little short, perhaps, but should be fun.

Still have to buy tix from Lisbon to Barcelona.

I'll probably stop this thread and start a new one tagged to both countries, unless it's possible to add a country tag to a thread.

ssander

ssander

How long does it take to get from the Lisbon city center to the airport on a Sunday morning?

(I realize that this depends on where our hotel is--which I do not know yet--but can you give me a ballpark figure?)

Trying to decide whether to book a 6:45 flight to Barcelona or a 9:05 flight which costs $21 more and gets there considerably later.

Thanks.
ssander

ssander

Next question...

Recommendations for what Lisbon neighborhood to stay in....please.

We want to be within walking distance of interesting places and transport.

Thanks.

ssander

thursdaysd

I like to stay near Praca dos Restauradoros. If you can afford (I never have) the Avenida Palace would be nice. But Lisbon has excellent public transport.

The airport isn't far - google maps should tell you how long depending on taxi vs bus vs metro. But do you really want to get up in the middle of the night to save $21?

ssander

thursdaysd...

Thanks for the info...it's not the $21.

We took a 7:00 flight from Bologna to Paris this past May, and the nice thing is that you still have the better part of the day when you get there. Throw in the 1 hr time change and we're not really settled in till 1 pm if we take the 9:05 flight.

I routinely get up between 4 and 5 am (though often a little later when traveling in Europe). Getting a taxi at 5 am is not really much of a sacrifice for us.

ssander

ssander

Anyone have experience with the Pensao Praca da Figueira?

Thanks.
ssander

thursdaysd

Ah well, I'm a night owl. Catching a flight that early is misery for me.

Not familiar with that pension but the location is fine. I stay at the Residencial Florescente. Not fancy but clean and convenient.

Tabernash2

We loved our 5 nights in Lisbon. Such a charming and friendly and affordable city. We stayed at the Hotel Avenida Palace, and LOVED it. Right next to the Rossio train station and a great location for walking to the water, either direction, shops, great food, etc.

The Avenida Palace was only about $225/night for a double, which included the most expansive and elegant breakfast buffet we'd ever seen. Served in the dining room with chandeliers, linens, endless food. Service everywhere in the hotel was perfect.

In fact, we arrived at 11:00 a.m., expecting to wait miserably for our room at 3:00. But, no, I had told them we were arriving that early, and our room was ready. Such a relief! Can't say enough about this hotel. See if you can get the kind of rate we did. That was a few years ago, though.

For day-trips, we loved Cascais. Beautiful tiny little town on the water. Gorgeous and high-end hotel right over the water, where you can get a lovely lunch or dinner. Or spend the night.

We liked Sintra, but we weren't overwhelmed.

Because we liked Cascais so much, we took the train that direction again on another day. We got off at the casino stop directly before Cascais. It's an interesting little town. We found a nice, basic little place for a fresh fish dinner, right on the waterside. Then we walked to Cascais, along the beach, and caught the train back to Lisbon.

Taxis are especially cheap in Lisbon. I think it took us 30 minutes maybe, by cab, to & from the airport and our hotel.

ssander

Keep the info coming...

Update...last night Linda discovered that some sports event (not sure what) is scheduled in Barcelona for our planned days, and the hotel prices seemed to be 2-3 times normal.

We flipped the order...flying into Barcelona and then to Lisbon. Since we did this within 24 hrs, there was no penalty fee on American Airlines...though the fare was $55 more pp...still very good.

Got a 7:20 morning flight on Vueling to Lisbon, so all seems well now.

Next job: Hotels! I welcome all suggestions regarding neighborhoods and hotels. We like to walk, and we like historic areas. Our preferred daily rate cap is about 150€, though we've paid more in Paris and Venice, and would hope for less. It appears Barcelona may be more expensive than Lisbon, but I'm not sure.

ssander

lobo_mau

ssander, I have 2 words for you: Baixa and Chiado. If you check metro map of Lisbon, there is one station called Baixa-Chiado (serving both areas).
Baixa is old-school area of Lisbon, lots of shops, flat area.
Chiado and neighbouring Bairro Alto is more night life oriented, artistic and full of younger people. Kind of Paris' rive gauche. It´s hilly.
Both offer street performance and easy access to public transport and attractions. Both area are 5 minutes walking from each other and you can easily swap between.