Help with suggestions for Portugal 2 week trip
 

My husband and I will be traveling to Portugal this June for 2 weeks. I would greatly appreciate suggestions for an itinerary. We don't like to move too much and prefer day trips though it irks me when we do a day trip where we clearly should've stayed a a night or two. We are active, love the outdoors and doing things like hiking. We love history too. We like to make sure we hit the top sights but then also add something off the beaten path. We do not drink alcohol. We are interested in Moorish history. We like the beach but don't swim.

My research is very preliminary.

What are the not to miss Unesco World Heritage sites worth seeing?

Would we be able to travel by train only? I heard driving is crazy?

Where to listen to fado music and have a decently priced seafood dinner? (Even nontouristy)?

Lisbon (day trip to Sintra)
Algarve- base? Selema? Lagos?
Evora (this part seems like we need a car?)
obidos
Nazare
Cabo Da Roco
coimbra
Then I'm stuck is Porto a must for nonalcohol drinkers? Everything I read is focused on the wine, lol.

Help!

Evora can easily be reached by train from Lisbon and Faro - Lagos seemed like one of the few Algarve towns with old-world flavor - anyway for lots on trains check www.cp.pt; www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Personally I'd cut the Algarve area as IME is mainly a modern resort area outside of a few neat towns like Lagos and put more time into Porto as a base - Batalha Monastery is a UNESCO WH site that is an easy day trip from Nazaree by bus - twin it with Albacaca Monastery also by bus.

Braga and Guimares and Duoro Valley are great day trips from Porto by train - Duoro may be better by excursion tour from Porto.

Thank u PalenQ! Would u say algarve is like Marbella in Spain? Took my kids there when they were little and my kids loved it .. resort with swimming...but I was bored because very little to do other than the beach.

Hmm the Azores islands seem interesting. Would any recommend going to Sao Miguel island instead of Algarve?

Yes Algarve IME experience was just about like Marbella and Costa de Sol -one of Europe's most popular beach areas because of nice sandy beaches and warmer weather.

Have not been to Azores but must be more whatever you are looking for plus probably sweet beaches.

Here's my trip report, a little old, but with a few exceptions, named World Heritage Sites do not change.

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...m#last-comment

The day trip day to Sintra you could well do Cabo da Roca as well - I did by train to Sintra - trekked up to see castle on the hill and one in town then took bus to Cabo da Roca and from there bus to Cascais - faded but famous resort and from there train back to Lisbon. Very easily done sans car.

A lot of visitors to Porto focus on the wine, but Porto not just about wine. There's plenty else about the city to enjoy.

We drove all over Portugal and had no difficulty. The roads are very good and are easy to navigate. We loved the Douro Valley. Absolutely gorgeous!

Sberg - which car rental company did you use?

Sberg - which car rental company did you use?

We stopped at the Azores for a few days before going on to Lisbon. I'm sorry we didn't stay longer. The people were wonderful, the roads easy to navigate. Look into hiking trails. I'm sorry we didn't take more advantage of them. We loved all the fresh fish we had in all of Portugal. Enjoy your trip!

hen I'm stuck is Porto a must for nonalcohol drinkers? Everything I read is focused on the wine, lol.>

Not at all - and you could enjoy the tours of riverside port wine wineries in Porto and not have to touch a drop of wine to enjoy that but to me Porto was just such an old-world town - a time trip it seemed and astounding churches and edifices with those lovely azuelos are everywhere:

https://www.google.com/search?q=azue...w=1536&bih=759