Scooter217

Hi, we are planning a trip to Madrid/Paris/Lisbon in May.

We have 3 nights based in Lisbon, but thought it might be fun to rent a car and use one or two of the days to take day trips to Sintra, Cascais, and some other stops along the way.

I've heard that the trains are great and connect Lisbon to these towns easily, but we'd love the freedom and adventure of having a car to explore...

So my questions are -- is the driving in the city itself really as terrible as I've heard? Would it make sense to park somewhere outside the city and take a train to and from the car? Is there any parking in the Bairro Alto? (where our hotel is.) Not sure if having a car would be a bigger headache than it's worth...

Thanks very much for all your help!

Michelle

lobo_mau

Bairro Alto parking is a nightmare. In the underground of Praca Luis de Camoes there is a parking, but I guess it's expensive to park there for extended periods and it's very often full.
My suggestion: Park in Belem area, free or 1 euro (maximum) if there somebody helping you to park. To/from there take tram #15 to/from city centre.

mcguire

We have traveled to Portugal several times. We really don't like to drive in Lisbon, but my husband manages very well. (He is a retired USMC pilot, so maybe that is the reason!!). By all means, rent a car and drive to Sintra and the coast. Pick it up at the airport and return it to the airport. Sintra is beautiful and it would be helpful to have a car there because some of the sights to see are not that close to each other. There is a lovely restaurant on the coast called Restaurante Porto do Santa Maria--it's near Guincho--right on the coast. Very good. Allow one day for Sintra--leave early.

bilboburgler

tram or train really more sensible. You might want to use the car if you want to explore the defence systems that Wellington put up around Lisbon

omostra06

i would say just drive its better to have the ease and freedom the car will offer for exploring nearby towns, such as sintra. get a good city plan/map and you should be ok.

Scooter217

Thanks so much for your responses.
This is very helpful!

M

newcomer1

If you have only 3 days in Lisbon, I wouldn't rent a car. Spend one full day in Lisbon (we started with a 3 hr. city walking tour) seeing the sights. (Also, if you can arrange to meet the Lisbon Dining Club, it will be a high point of your trip).
The train is SO easy and SO cheap! You can take the metro to both train stations, which would be a lot less hassle than dealing with a car. I would spend one day in Sintra by train. The other day you can first do Belem and then Cascais (timing your visit there to take an hourly, by guide only, tour of Museu do Conde de Castro Guimaraes -closed Mon.). Both cities are on the same train line, so it would be quite convenient.

diya

Hi all!
I thought I'd tack on a question of my own about driving in portugal. I'm visiting portugal for the first time for my 30th birthday. We're staying in Lisbon for 5 days and then driving to Praia da Luz in the Algarve for 5 days to beach out.

I thought about treking back to the airport from Lisbon, renting a car there, then driving straight to the beach. However, it seems like a hassle. It was recommended that a car could be arranged from our hotel, which is off placa dos restauradores, and drive to the algarve from there.

Question: do you think it would be easy to go from praca dos restauradores and get out of lisbon to catch the highway. or is it really that bad (i'm a little nervous about driving in lisbon), and i should trek out to the airport and drive directly from there?

Thanks in advance!

clarasong

Have driven in Portugal on several occasions (one of my favorites) and have never had any trouble with the car or roads...they are good. City driving in Lisbon is like city driving anywhere. What works for us is to scope out the freeways, by ways, on the map, then one directs and the other drives. Parking can be tight, so go where you want early...also, in Sitra, lots of hilly country. make sure the car you hire has a good parking brake and is a 'manual' transmission...so much better in Europe.

lobo_mau

pick up a car in the airport.

socal

Scooter217... I too am a retired USMC pilot and I almost always rent a car when we vacation in Europe. However, after my last visit/drives through the center of Lisbon during the spring of 2006, I would definately recommend that you hold off on the car rental. The traffic, subway construction, and restricted parking in the center of the city made driving there a very slow and time consuming event. When staying in downtown Lisbon use the subway, trolleys and buses and elevators. You can always catch a cheap train ride to Cascais or Sintra from the down town stations and then take a cab to the Palace. If you must, save the rental car for your last day. I'd recommend that you take a taxi to the airport (they are cheap) and then pick up your car there in the morning and drive north to visit the town of Obidos and I'd recommend you spend the night there in either the Pousada (a bit expensive), or in the Estrelogem do Convento (moderate). It's a neat old building, just outside the walls of the city, not more than a 2 minute walk to the entrance gate of the city. The city is a walk back into the middle ages after dark. If you have an am flight out of Lisbon, leave early in the morning you can beat most of the morning traffic heading south back on the toll road to Lisboa airport. Turning in the rental car was not a problem. The trip back was not much more than an hour or so on the freeway. Hope that helps.

PS. When we arrived at the airport on our last trip, we immediately rented the car at the airport and got onto the toll road and then quickly out of town via the new bridge over the Tagus and then over to the pousadas in Evora and Estremoz for a night in each one. After a week plus in Spain, we returned to Lisbon via Beja and we crossed back over the Tagus on the old bridge. Once there we spent our last two nights at the Pestana Palace just east of the bridge. That place was like a 5 star hotel, and we were able to book it thru the Pousada web site as part of a 4 night pkg for only 100 euro's a night. What a deal! If you love old castle'convent like rooms and great cusine, try the Pousadas of Portugal... Have a great trip. Socal

molsansk

socal -

Not sure if you're still checking this post, but I see you went from Spain to Lisbon via Beja. I was looking at the possibility of driving the reverse. Lisbon to Sevilla. Online map sites recommend I go south almost to Algarve instead of through Beja on the toll roads. But through Beja is a much shorter distance. How was your experience on there? Just wondering if it could be quicker.