sg123

Trying to figure out if this itinerary will be too rushed/chaotic for a couple with a toddler.
Fly into Porto July 2014 2nd week and out of Lisbon 2 weeks later (15 full days):

Days 1& 2: Porto

Days 3 & 4: HIre car to drive out to Pinhao, Douro Valley - scenery, wine, local food.

Day 5: Drive to Coimbra and stay overnight at Palace hotel de Bucaco

Day 6: Visit Obidos in the morning, drive to Odeceixe

Days 7 & 8: Alentejo Region (Vila Nova Milfontes, beaches, etc.)

Days 9,10,11: Algarve - need to figure out where to stay as a good base to visit beaches like Praia da Marinha, Praia do Carvalho, Carvoeiro, Praia da Rocha, Praia Dona Ana

Days 12,13,14,15 - Lisbon - drop off car in and stay probably the Baixa/Chiado area. Visit Sintra as day trip by train.

Would love to hear suggestions on transport options and good places to base ourselves in the North and the South. Is it necessary to book all accommodation in advance?

Robert2533

Well. the first question is have you made any reservations? July is quickly approaching and your choices may be limited. But yes, you have too many one and two night stays, with or without a toddler. You should have been planning this 6 or more months ago.

sg123

No reservations and not really too worried about booking accommodations, there is always something available at some price even if it's not my first choice. I've had dozens of vacations all over and never planned anything 6 months prior! Usually planning, if any, takes place within the last few weeks before departure. Figured I'd get a head start this time since we have a toddler.
So what would you change/skip? We have a few one night stays between the North and South to break up the journey. We will have a car (need to book that first) for most of the trip except for Porto and Lisbon.

yestravel

Way too rushed for me and I'm not traveling with a toddler. I'd drop the Algarve And add the days to Porto, pinhao region and Coimbra. Less moving around and easy to do day trips if you choose to.
Where are you arriving from? Have you figured on at least one day to recover from jet lag if need be?

We're traveling now in Portugal and have been able to find places at the last minute, but it gets tough on weekends. Don't know what July will be like. have a fun trip.

sg123

We want to go to the Alenteje and Algarve for the beaches. Going to avoid Albuferia and Faro area. We'll be fine with the jet lag. Thats what the 2 days in Porto is for as well. Pinhao will be nice but less interesting for a toddler. I have us staying in 7 different places (2nts Porto, 2nts Pinhao, 1nt Coimbra, 1nt Coimbra, 2nts Odeceixe, 3nts Algarve, 4nts Lisbon). I'd prefer to minimize the number of places, although we will have a car for all places except Porto and Lisbon.

yestravel

Seven different places would drive me nuts with a toddler. Packing up all the stuff they need....too much. How about dropping Pinhao? It is gorgeous,but as you say not much there for a toddler. Though our hotel had a nice pool and the train ride might be fun. Of course you will be going to the beach and pools are in lots of places.
Why one might in Coimbra? University is great, but again not much for a toddler. Are you planning on going to the Bucaca forest from there? That might be fun for a toddler, the roman ruins nearby offer another outside opportunity fir running about.

I would drop at least one preferably 2 nights, maybe Coimbra or Pinhao to cut down on the constant moving...too much with all the toddler stuff.

sg123

I agree moving around with toddler stuff is a pain, but like I said we would have the car leaving Porto and coming back into Lisbon for 9-10 days. For us the must-sees are Douro, stay at Palae Hotel, Obidos, Alenteje, Lisbon/Sintra. We could skip Coimbra and/Algarve, but we want to go to beaches where the baby can play in the sand and go in the water (tough to find beaches like that in the Alenteje).

sandralist

Agree to drop Coimbra as an overnight. Just see the University and library.

Something I think might happen as you try to execute this trip is to discover that midday heat and blazing sun end up making you bail on many of your plans. You might want to plan a less ambitious trip, and then add on if you discover things are easier and breezier than you expected.

Aren't there low-key toddler friendly areas in between Porto and Lisbon? Somewhere in between Obidos and Coimbra so that you could see those as a day trip without switching hotels and also have easy access to some beach time? But skip the Algarve altogether.

sandralist

wondering if the Obidos lagoon area might work for you with a toddler. But you would probably need to book something in advance.

yestravel

Aveiro about an hour south of Porto has a nice beach to the west of it. We were just there again and the deach is nice white sand in a protected area. Also Foz do Duoro outside Porto ( about 15 minutes by tram) also has a beach, but I don't know if the water is warm enough for swimming then.