at last an itinerary: feedback and hotel suggestions please
 

After much study we have come up with a draft itinerary for our June 14 night trip to Portugal. We will have a car, we are hoping to keep drives between resting places to 4 hours or less. Does this itinerary sound reasonable, not too stressful travel wise? and we would love suggestions for comfortable hotels with atmosphere, thinking around $200/night is what I am aiming for.
3 nights Lisbon
2 nights Evora
1 night Marvao
3 nights in the Obidos/Tomar/Leira area
3 nights in Porto (thinking Duoro river cruise and day trip to Guimares
2 nights in Sintra. We have a very early flight out and would have to leave hotel around 5 am...would we be able to get a taxi at that hour or should we maybe arrange for a limo type car? (I figure we would return our car when we got back to the Lisbon area)

thanks

I would look at doing a loop, Lisbon-Evora-Marvão-Peso da Régua-Porto-Óbidos-Sintra. You can visit Guimares on the way to Porto from the Douro River Valley.

Staying in Pousados (www.pousadas.pt) would be an excellent option except for in the Douro. There I would recommend staying at Quinta do Vallado, Quinta do Pégo or Quinto Nova NS do Carmo.

Because of the early morning flight, I would spend the last night in Lisbon so you don't have to get us quite so early to get to the airport.

I would recommend a car for the Sintra area, as the palaces are widespread.

We enjoyed our stay at Casa Pequena da Penalva on the outskirts of Sintra, a lovely cottage in a beautiful area. Maria Jose Stock is the owner.

Early morning is ideal to travel to the airport, as the access roads are subject to traffic jams.

Thanks Robert and Susannah. Did you have trouble negotiating the streets of Sintra with a car? and the reason we were going to skip staying in the Duoro is that we are trying to keep one night stops to a minimum as it seems that when we only stay one night, by the time we arrive, find our hotel and settle in we don't really get to see much. If you had to choose between Marvao and Peso da Regua which would you opt for? thanks so much for the advice

I would go with Peso da Regua in the Douro.

We've only done Sintra by train from Lisbon. I couldn't come up with a reason to have a car while there as long as there are taxis available.

great thanks

Im my opinion, sintra doesnt require 2 nights, maybe it is better to spend those nights in lisbon and you can do a sintra tour to the small town. it is really beautiful, no doubts about that, and it defiently worth to see. i have been with an organized tour by lisbonhost. we spent there a daytrip, and saw everything so i think it is enough to visit for one day.

porto can be also visited, and mayb 2 nights are enough, as the city is not so big like lisbon is.

i would add to the plan peniche or at least some seaside town, cause its beautiful. you can see other suggestions in travel guides, but i can say, peniche is really cool!!

you will be able to have a taxi but you can also call one before heading to the airport, just look for it on the internet.

thanks so much PMelo. We were thinking to make Sintra our last day as our flight the next morning is very early. Does that make sense? and if you had to choose between Marvao and staying a night in the Duoro valley which would you do? Don't think we can do both without making ourselves crazy moving around so much

Sintra is easy to get to via train from Lisbon, and once there, the buses and taxis will take you wherever you like. I couldn't imagine driving there, nor the need for it. The roads are narrow and parking is tough to find. But it's definitely worth a visit. I've been twice now.

What have you decided for your itinerary? I second the above re: Sintra (both driving and no need for two nights). I ended up canceling my hotel in Sintra in favor of more time in Lisbon and thought my day trip there was adequate

Looking back, if I could do it again I would change the order of things I visited. I would have started with the magical Quinta da Regaleira, which deserved far more time than I gave it, then the Nat'l palace, and lastly Pena Palace. I would have skipped the Moore's Castle altogether as it was significantly dulled after going to Obidos. Also, if you're a big walker, I really liked my "hike" up the hill to the palace and castle.

Sintra is farther from the airport than Lisbon so it isn't a good idea to stay overnight in Sintra with an early flight.
I wouldn't stay overnight in Sintra regardless, rather day trip there.

thanks y'all. Here's what the itinerary looks like now: 4 nights Lisbon (will include Sintra in this or on the way to last hotel on last day), 2 nights Evora, 1 night Bussaco Palace, 3 nights Porto, 3 nights Obidos, and then to the airport. any suggestions of a good hotel very close to the airport?

That looks good, Laura. Question: why three nights in Obidos? Will you be doing day trips to nearby sights (Batalha is an hour by car, and Alcobaca is just 30 minutes)?

You will like Bussaco Palace..Area of Peninsula War with a museum nearby. Porto's pousada is supposed to be awesome. It was not yet ready when we were in Porto. Also Queluz was having a much needed facelift and should be likewise outstanding..A 400 yr old lady now renovated. don't know your ages but there are senior discounts, special rates for some people and we had a drive and stay package which was wonderful but i don't think they exist anymore. Try however at www.pousadas.pt.

You don't need three nights in Obidos. We stayed at Casa D'Obidose, a beautiful guest house right outside the walls with a view of the castle from the rooms. It was rather plain, but totally adequate for one or two nights . Stay in the Douro at least one night. It takes a while to get there and it is beautiful! It was the highlight of our trip. We stayed at Quinta da Nova and can't say enough about it. We loved Sintra too. Try to spend a few days there. Lots to see and do. Eat at The G Spot, it was fantastic ( and you will never forget the name). We want to spend a week in the Douro Valley the next time we go. Happy planning!

We're doing 3 nights in Obidos so we don't have to move around so much, use it as a base for that whole area including the Batalha, Navarre, Tomar, etc. if nothing else we can spend some time by the sea before leaving. We thought hard about the Douro valley, but just want to limit the number of different hotels we check in and out of so I think we will take a river cruise instead - maybe a nice break from all the driving. Any thoughts on Lisboa or Porto hotels before we commit. We are looking at the Marquis de Pombal in Lisboa and the Pousada in Porto

We stayed at the Pousada in Porto. It is a beautiful hotel but not a great location. Make sure you get a river view room as the other rooms overlook a not very attractive run down area. It is about a 15 min. Taxi ride to the action in Porto. You can't walk anywhere from there. You can park there and it was easy to drive to. The room and the grounds are beautiful. Wonderful breakfast and very nice staff.

We liked CasaD'Obidose. Very inexpensive and a wonderful owner who gave greats tips on the area. Wonderful for the true flavor of Portugal. Have a great trip. I wish I was going too!

Interesting comment and a disappointing one about the Porto Pousada..Not walking distance?too bad. We heard it was awesome but no walking comment was made. We found the same thing about Pestana Palace in Lisbon..outstanding hotel but a cab to the center of town, but there was parking on site which in Lisbon is a benefit.