Lou

Planing a trip in December to Lisbon--plan to drive north toward Porto but need sugestions for an itinerary. How long show I stay in Lisbon? Other cities to visit during the visit to Portugal. I know that a car is not needed in Lisbon so I will rent a car after staying in Lisbon Thanks for any help ! Lou

xxx

Use the search engine and read the post "Northern vs. Southern Portugal." I received many good answers when inquiring about peoples' experience in Northern Portugal. As our trip is yet in the future, please post your experiences after your trip. Thank you.

me

in the way north, I reccomend a stop in Coimbra, where you can visit the oldest university in europe. North of Porto, you must visit Braga ( highway A3 ), a small city, but very interesting, and a perfect place to go shopping. Near Braga you can go to Guimarães, the first capital of Portugal 800 years ago, or you may choose to go to Ponte de Lima, also a small town, with lots of gardens ( ranking nº2 in the european contest for gardening, and a good place to find some stone handicrafts ). <BR>If you have time and mobility, while in Lisbon, you can catch Highway A2, head south, and visit Evora ( world heritage city )it´s aprx 3 hours drive. <BR>In Lisbon area, you should visit Sintra, but you don´t need a car to get there, since you have trains departing from downtown Lisbon, and by car you´ll face the true nightmare of IC19, the freeway of non-stop traficc jam <BR>

Lou

I appreciate the responses but need to know how many days should I plan to spend in Lisbon and the surrounding areas before I rent a car and travel north---thanks Lou

me

I´dd say that if you plan to stay 11 days, here, maybe...maybe 5 days in Lisbon, is enough. So ( assuming something like this ), 1 day to go to Sintra ( if you like to choose to do things in a calm way ) + 1 to visit the south + 3 to visit Lisbon ( main attractions ). <BR>

BOB THE NAVIGATOR

Lou, I have planned several trips to Portugal, and here is my favorite one: <BR>Arrive Lisbon--get car--stay in Cascais <BR>See Lisbon from Cascais--local train <BR>See Sintra, Cabo de Roca et al[ 3 nites] <BR> <BR>Drive to Obidos--2 nites <BR>See Nazare, Batahla, Alcobaca et al <BR> <BR>Drive to Viano do Castello via Porto <BR>See Ponte de Lima, Braga, Guimares et al <BR>[ 2 nites] <BR> <BR>Drive to Marvao via Coimbra [ 1 nite] <BR> <BR>Drive to Evora via Estromoz [2 nites] <BR> <BR>Last nite near Lisbon--or drive to airport from Evora--depends on takeoff <BR> <BR>That is rough but a good start. Do not miss Viano--stay at the Pousada for sure <BR> <BR>Let me know if you need more details. <BR>

tourist

My husband and I spent two weeks in Portugal in April. We spent 3 days in Lisbon, flew to Madeira for 3 days, and drove around for the remainder of the time. We enjoyed Lisbon, but 3 days was enough in Lisbon for us.

Lou

Bob you suggested not to stay in Lisbon-Why? I find it is fun to walk around a city getting the feel of the city. I will spend 100-125 dollars a night in the off-season. Should I make reservations or " wing it" I want reservations in Lisbon in the beginning. thanks Lou

Heidi

In May 2000, I vacationed for a week in Lisbon, and it was certainly time well spent. Also, your daylight hours are going to be short in December, so you won't be able to see as much. It's not a REALLY touristy city, so everything goes at a pretty slow pace. The streets are great to explore, and there are plenty of places to poke around. It's small, but dense. <BR> <BR>Indeed, it will be very important to plan carefully. I think four days for Lisbon alone is fine, then one day for Sintra (crazy castles) and/or Evora (creepy bone sculpture). I think you can get package bus trips which will include both. <BR> <BR>All told, maybe 5-6 days JUST for Lisbon (and you'll still miss out on some of the great restaurants)--then rent the car and head north. I never did make it to Porto , but I've heard it's lovely. <BR> <BR>

bob

ARE YOU PLANNING TO STAY IN LISBON OR NEAR THE WATER?

Gloria

Good Morning, Lou <BR>My husband and I spent three weeks in gorgeous Portugal. We loved every minute of the trip except when we made a side trip to Seville. IT was waaaaaay too far for just a couple of days. <BR>We stayed in Lisbon for a week and realy loved that city. You need to have that time to really appreciate the architecture. You will see block after block of buildings faced with the wonderful azulejos, the painted tiles. <BR>The coach museum, Jeronimos Monastery, Tile museum, flea market, the Cathedrals, and many more sights will fill your days. Do not deny yourself the luxury of strolling those cobblestone streets and hills. Lisbon is very underrated in my book. <BR>We stopped in Southern Portugal and found it very touristy and over built. It literally has miles of hotels piled on each other. I cound Cascais totally lacking in charm. <BR>We spent a couple days in the south and headed back to the Sintra area. We stayed in this area for 6 nights and explored Sintra and the area north, doing daytrips. <BR>The coast offer some spectacular vistas and the area north of Sintra is less crowded with some real jewels, Coimbra, Evora, etc. <BR>If I were you, I would go to Lisbon for <BR>4 nights, pick up my car, and go directly to Sintra. Spend 3 nights in that area and then travel farther north for a couple of days. <BR>You may wish to look at my Portugal pictures. http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=1459728 <BR>I hope this is of help to you, Lou. <BR>Have a wonderful trip! <BR>Gloria <BR>