8 nights in Portugal for 3 women
 

Need itinerary help deciding where to go for 8 nights in Portugal in July. Starting and ending in Lisbon. Myself and two daughters, 23 and 27. Want relaxation, exploration, hiking, beaches, swimming! We are open to renting a car. Thank you! So excited!

Moved to Europe forum and tagged for Portugal

The one thing that I would say about Portugal in July especially for hiking is that it will be likely too hot. We were there several years ago in mid-June and it was very hot in Coimbra, Evora and Lisbon. Portugal is very hilly so you will spend a lot of time walking uphill to see things anyway. It was cooler when we were in Porto and did a day trip to Guimares but it was overcast and foggy also.

I would suggest reading a guidebook and determining what your priorities are and then planning your trip. My husband and I did a 10 day driving trip but did not go South of Evora or Lisbon. I have cousins that went a year ago during the President's Week vacation for six nights and spent 2 nights in Lisbon, 2 nights in Sintra and 2 nights in Cascais, traveling around by Uber and that worked fine for them. They got to see and do several castles, etc and had relax time as well in Cascais.

relaxation, exploration, hiking, beaches, swimming

fly to Faro, train to Tavira and stay in the old Tuna factory, a short walk to the south you can catch the ferry out to the sand bar in the middle of the sea with lots of beach support, you can stay in the central square of the old factory, or wander into town to the shops and restaurants.

Other towns also exist with similar opportunties, but you'll find a car a pain.

Check out Ericeira. 30 min by car from Lisbon airport. Bus I think about an hour. Great hiking along the cliffs of the numerous beaches. Nice quiet beaches, apart from the surfing beaches. (“Surf capitol of Europe”). Very few tourists, although it’s trending in popularity. Beautiful old fishing village feel but with a ton of restaurants, cafes and shops. Obidos in less than an hour by car, Nazare, with a great beach in about 70 min, Mafra in 20 minutes. Sintra in 30 minutes. The locals are very friendly, and the village itself if beautiful, all dressed up in white and blue vibrant colors.

Porto city is worth a visit and Matosinhos is a very charming beach area

We visited Portugal in 2023 spending four nights in Lisbon, 4 nights in Algarve and two nights in Porto. Amazing trip!
Lisbon we booked a day trip to visit Fatima. Also we enjoyed sightseeing with Tuktuk tours. I recommend booking a Tuktuk tour early in the day. I think it last about two hours and covers a lot of tourist sites.
Algarve is beautiful ocean and has many great boat tours of the grotto
Porto we enjoyed a day trip to Douro River Tour and winery