dgunbug

We arrive in Lisbon in early May from Barcelona after a 14 day transatlantic cruise. The following is a tentative schedule of our time in Portugal . I am wondering though if we have enough time allocated to Lisbon and too much time to the Algarve region. We are not interested in beaches or golf on this trip, so perhaps we should eliminate or cut down on that region? Also wondering if we should overnight in Sintra rather than doing it as a day trip. All opinions and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Do we have too much time, not enough time in certain areas and are we missing anything you would suggest? Thanks in advance.o

Arrive Lisbon approx. 6 pm - night in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon - day trip Sintra
Lisbon
Lisbon
train to Porto
Porto
pick up car – day trip to Aveiro and Duoro valley – night in Porto
Day trop to Guimarães and Braga night in Porto
Coimbra
Coimbra
Nazare
Stop in Obidos – night in Cascais
Cascais
Evora
Algarve
Algarve
Algarve
Travel to Lisbon airport air
Next morning fly to Miami

dgunbug

No comments or advice? Is the Algarve region worth a few days even if we spend limited time at the beach? If so, any recommendations on where to stay? Would Sintra be better off as a day trip or overnight? Is it better to take trains most places or would a car rental be better?

PalenQ

Seems great to me - Algarve has some nice old towns like Lagos and Tavira with access to beaches but many are modern high-rise beach resorts so seek out the historic old towns - Faro is one but well away from sea. I stayed in both Lagos and Tavira and loved the towns themselves.

Sintra to me is a day trip as relocating hotels is such a pain but some here say the city as always is much nicer when tourist mobs have gone. I'd consider renting car in Lisbon and driving to Sintra, stay overnight and drive to Oblidos next day and then to Nazarre and Porto and going south then via Fatima and eastern Portugal - Elvas is a really neat town with famous Roman aqueduct and then drive thru Alentejo to Evora and maybe spend two nights there - lots there and cut a day or so off Algarve.

dgunbug

PalenQ - thank you so much for your feedback. If we do not stay overnight in Sintra, but take the train to Porto, are we better off taking organized day trips ot public transportation to nearby areas? We have read that parking and driving in Porto can be a problem. Thoughts please?

dgunbug

Worrying that we are spending too much time in Portugal. Would it be better to cut down on any of the time in Portugal and spend time elsewhere? Possibly Basque Country? If so, where would you cut down?

MyriamC

Too much time in Portugal with your itinerary? I don't think so!

Sintra deserves at least 2 full days if you want to see all the palaces / gardens.

<< pick up car – day trip to Aveiro and Duoro valley >>
Both excursions in one day? Impossible if you want to enjoy the scenery of both.
I've been to Porto many times and such a brief visit doesn't do the city justice.

Evora only one day? (included travel?). Would be too short for me.

Sberg

Try to stay at least a night in the Douro Valley. Would be too long for a day trip.it is gorgeous!

Sintra is beautiful at night as it isverybusyduring the day. I would pick up the car in Lisbon, drive to Sintra and overnight. Then drive up to Obidose and Porto. You can drive by. Cabo daRoca. It is beautiful. Driving in Portugal is very easy. We drove from Obidose to the Douro Valley and spent the night. Then drove over to Porto. You have many options as you have the time.

PalenQ

The Basque Country is way way out of your way - you'd have to fly to San Sebastian area or take the overnight train there from Porto. And if you have tickets to fly out of Lisbon have to get back. Your original itinerary and subsequent variations are great.

dgunbug

Any other opinions out there? All comments are greatly appreciated.

PalenQ

If you wanted to say go to Seville area for a taste of Spain just cross off Algarve days drive to Seville in probably half a day each way.

dgunbug

PalenQ - we’ve already spent significant time in Spain and have been to Seville. That would definitely have been the logical choice. I’m leaning towards spending the entire 2 1/2 weeks in Portugal but my husband is unconvinced.

Any other opinions?

millie2112

We were in Spain and Portugal for 3 weeks in August.
I would not bother with the Algarve. I did not like it. We stayed in Lagos, and i honestly felt like it was an equivalent of Bali for the English.
Maybe other parts of the Algarve would be nicer, but I do not think i will be returning to find out.

I really liked Lisbon and Porto. Both are great cities. We also went to Evora and meh... I would not be rushing there again.
Cascais was much nicer. We did a day trip and i really enjoyed it. But it does deserve more time.
Sintra is worth spending a couple of days.

I would do Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Porto. Then I would go to Spain. We caught a bus from Lagos to Seville. Bus from Seville to Granada and then we flew Granada to Barcelona. Really enjoyed Spain, and the food is much better than Portugal. You could get to Seville from Portugal. there are flights from Lisbon and Porto.
Or you could go to Barcelona from Lisbon and then head to Valencia or even Madrid. Much better than doing the small places in Portugal. I know some rave about Obidos and Coimbra but I honestly think all you need is a day to do both. I would not be staying overnight.

natylou

Just a thought, the Algarve would almost certainly be different in May than in August.

Hoping for more more responses as we’re planning the same trip just a little later in May. However I’ve had very little time for planning so I’m hoping for some inspiration here.

Sorry to hear you you had a less than great experience in Sicily. I think some sunshine would have helped immensely.

PalenQ

If you really want to add another country just fly somewhere for the last 4-5 days - like Paris and fly home from there. But by land no feasible.

dgunbug

Thanks for all of your replies. We will keep to our original plan of staying in portugal, however we haven’t yet ironed out how long in each location, other than the first 6 nights in Lisbon. There is little parking in Sintra, so we will do that as a day trip and return a second day if we need more time.

Questions:

1. We are trying to decide how many days to devote to Porto itself (without side trips)
We are not wine drinkers, so that is not a big priority although we will likely check out the port wine while there. Would it be better to take day trips from Porto or to rent a car after seeing sites in Porto? We don’t want a car in Porto so that would mean either public transportation or hooking up with a day tour.

2. I understand that reservations are highly recommended for both Lisbon and Porto. We’ve booked a hotel in Lisbon for 6 nights (refundable), but need to figure out how long to remain in Porto.

3. Since we will be in Portugal from May 5-24, do we need to make other hotel reservations or would it be safe to wing it, making reservations a few days out? That would give us more flexibility, but not sure if we are safe with that.

4. Which area of Porto is best to stay in?

Diamantina

If the Algarve is still on your agenda and you are interested in historic sights you might want to visit the Fortaleza de Sagres (Fort of Sagres). It also has a striking setting, set above sheer cliffs. There's a bit of walking involved, but the path is flat (as I recall). I should mention that the rocky ledges around the fort are also used by local fisherman, who don't tidy up after themselves (but try to look beyond this).
https://www.travel-in-portugal.com/a...-de-sagres.htm
Cabo de São Vicente (Cape of Saint Vincent) with a lighthouse is about 5 kilometres from Sagres, and is also worth seeing, albeit a bit more commercial (restaurant, shop, pay-toilets).
Cabo Sao Vincente Algarve Portugal
This tip of Portugal is known for being windswept, but it was calm when we were there. This is also a birding hotspot, though more so during the fall migration (when Sagres hosts a birdwatching festival).

We visited Sagres as a day trip from Lagos. On the drive back to Lagos, we visited Salema, travel writer Rick Steves' favorite spot in the Algarve. We weren't impressed, but the day had grown a little cloudy by the time we reached it. This little fishing village has probably grown a lot since Steves' earlier visits.

PalenQ

Day trips from Porto are easy by train if going to Guimares and Braga but hard on own for Duoro - in that case take a tour. so you could not rent a car until ready to head south.

dgunbug

Is the Duoro valley worth going to if one is not interested in wine?

Diamantina

Will it be three days/nights that you'll have in Porto? If the weather is pleasant, you might enjoy a river cruise up through the Douro Valley. The views of the valley from the river were lovely and it was fun going through the locks.The cruise included breakfast and lunch. Though not overly crowded, the boat was full of friendly folks, so the time flew by; it was a relaxing time.

Our day cruise only went to Régua; where we returned to Porto by train. We left from the Porto waterfront at 9 a.m. and departed from the Régua train station at 5 p.m., arriving at Porto's beautiful São Bento Railway Station at 7 p.m. (we transfered at Campanhã Railway Station, where we had to wait around 15 minutes). São Bento Railway Station is known for its stunning pictorial tiles ("azulejos").

The quintas, where the grapes for port are grown, are up the Douro Valley. We only began to see these quintas as we got closer to Régua. I would have preferred to go to Pinhão, but on this particular day, the cruise only sailed as far as Régua.

We were staying at the Pestana Vintage Porto, which is on the riverfront (ribeira) and didn't book a cruise until we got there. There were a few operators on the riverfront and we only had to walk a minute to get to them.

The good thing about catching the train back to São Bento Railway Station, is that it was then just an easy downhill walk to our hotel on the riverfront (Porto is hilly). Though we did make a slight detour to Lello & Irmão Bookstore, which is said to have inspired author J.K. Rowling. When we visited this bookstore, admission was free, but I think they now charge a fee (which counts toward a puchase). The bookstore is close to the Baroque-style Clérigos Church (Igreja dos Clérigos) and its 75-metre-high tower. The tower is open from 9 a.m.to 7 p.m.

Diamantina

Even though you are not wine drinkers, while in Porto, you might enjoy lunch at Vinum Restaurant at Graham's Port Lodge in Vila Nova de Gaia, which is directly opposite Porto, on the other side of the Douro River. The views are excellent and the food is good. To get from Porto (the Ribeira District) to Vila Nova de Gaia, I suggest walking over Dom Luis I Bridge. To get to Vinum, you'll need to walk uphill a short way.

We also enjoyed taking the #1 tram, that follows the river from Porto to Foz do Douro.
http://www.stcp.pt/en/tourism/porto-tram-city-tour/
Old Tram #1 Ride from Porto to Foz do Douro Travel and Lifestyle Diaries - Career Woman Travelling Around the World


Graham's Port Lodge

View from Vinum Restaurant