Yes, Evora is certainly a good half way point.

However, my question to you is how will you travel? If by car rental, are you happy with the cost (international drop off fees)?

Hello WomBatt - yes we are using rental cars and have already received the quote that includes the drop off fee.. (rental cars is an expensive way to go but convenient for us with 2 small children).

It's still a very long, demanding and boring drive from Évora to Porto regardless of the route you choose, (and a bad plan to begin with), but since you apparently will be staring from Sevilla, I wouldn't do the drive to Porto from Evora in less than 2 days, 3 would be better. There are several excellent places you can stop along the way.

Sevilla-Évora - 3-1/2 to 4 hour drive, depending on the route.
Évora-Porto (via Lisbon) - 4 to 4-1/2 hour drive, depending on the route
Sevilla-Porto (Via Faro) - 6-1/2 hour drive and €49 in tolls-this is the fastest route if all you want see is the highway.

You will have no need for a car in Porto, so you can drop it off when you arrive and take the train to Lisbon once you've seen Porto.

This past spring we spent one week in the Alentejo, staying at the Pousadas, and still didn't get to see everything we wanted to (www.iberiantraveler-ontheroad.com)

Hello Robert 2533. Thanks for your input. Just not sure of what you mean that 'and a bad plan to begin with'. I assume you mean that the road route from Evora to Porto is not straightforward/freeway and it is best to stick to the main roadways (i.e. via Lisbon, Coimbra etc)?

The other option we were considering is skipping Porto altogether and staying for R&R on the algarve coast instead. This is tempting as we would cut down on days spent travelling in the car. It would then simply be a matter of travel from Seville to Algarve and then onto Lisbon. What are your thoughts on that Robert? Very eager to hear your thoughts. Thanks so much.

What I ment was why are you planning on heading up to Porto from Sevilla when you have only 9 days before having to be in Lisbon for your flight home? The drive would be boring since you would not be able to spend time enjoying the countryside. The Alentejo is quite stunning in itself and worth several days at a minimum. There are six Pousadas (www.pousadas.pt) in the area where you could stop and explore. Some of the most popular wines in Portugal come from the Alentejo, Esporao being one of the major labels (www.esporao.com). And you could easily spend several more days covering the area between Évora and Porto if you followed the IP2 north to the Douro River Valley before heading west to Porto.

Your second option, concentrating on Sevilla and southern Portugal makes more sense because of time and distance.

Porto, the Douro River Valley and the Minho should be saved for another day when you have a couple of weeks to enjoy the area.

Thanks robert2533. I have had a brief look into the algarve and alentejo area and think that this is the way to go. Just need to work through specifics now. Thanks again.