hubs in Portugal for 14 day visit
 

we will be in Portugal for a 14 night visit next June. The basics:
1. yes we will have a car
2. we are most interested in historical sites, museums of all kinds (art, handicrafts, history, culture), botanical gardens, and just wandering through villages, hiking in national parks
3. we'll probably skip the algarve as if we wanted beaches we could do that closer to home

So here's the question. most of the guidebooks seem to suggest itineraries that involve driving from village/town to town with only one night in each. We've learned in the past that when we do that we end up spending half the time checking out, finding the next place and getting our bearings. So we want to identify 3-5 hubs to stay in from which we can venture out. Minimum 2 nights in each, preferably 3 (except maybe last night in Sintra). I'm thinking start with 3-4 nights in Lisbon before hitting the road.

potential "hubs" I've identified to date in addition to Lisbon: Coimbra, Evora, Tomar , Obidos, Oporto and Viana Do Castelo.

which would you recommend given our interests and how many nights would you stay in each. It's a little hard to tell from the books how long the travel time is between stops, but again, I would rather stay put and venture out than try to relocate too often.

thanks

We stayed in Sintra 4 nights (took the train to Lisbon, drove around the beach area, hiked in the area. A beautiful place. We Drove to Obidose from there and stayed one night. It is pretty small. i would not stay there more than one night. We then drove to the Douro Valey which we LOVED! Stay in a Quinta. We stayed at Quinta Nova. You could not find a more picturesque place. If you like Port there are lots of tastings . We then drove to Porto for 3 nights. Very interesting city. Lots to do. We loved Portugal . Hope you have a great trip.

thanks so much sberg, I just looked at Quinta Nova on line and it looks really nice. How many nights did you stay there and were you able to use it as a base to visit other areas?

Don't overlook staying at any of the outstanding Pousadas. I understand the new one in Porto is awesome.We have stayed in several and have never been disappointed. With a car you can do lots of wandering.Guimares comes to mind for a northern hub. Obidos is a pretty little place. Tomar was interesting and convenient for wandering. Setubal is likewise a good spot from which to explore. Portugal is a magical place and the 2 weeks will fly!!

You can't use the Douro Valley as a base to go other places as it is pretty remote. Quinta Nova is a bit of an adventure to get there. It is on a winding mountain road. Once you get there it is your destination. You can wander the vineyards, take a tour and they have a lovely restaurant. We had our most memorable lunch of fabulous cheese, jam, fruit and sausage ( which was cooked right at the table) and some great wine overlooking the Douro . Had a lovely dinner there too (as we would never drive that road in the dark) Great place to relax during a busy trip. There are many other quintas on the other side of the river which would be easier to get to but i loved Quinta Nova. We only stayed in the Douro one night but wished we had stayed two. We changed our plans and stayed there one night and took a night off of Oporto. It was a good choice for us.

We stayed at Pousada Do Porto - Palacio Do Freixo in Porto. It was a beautiful hotel but not in a great area. Not really close to the city and very depressed area right next door. If I had to do it again I would stay in the city so I could walk out the door and walk around. We had a car but used taxis as it would not be an easy place to drive.

Stayed four nights at Tivoli Palacio de Seteais in Sintra. Loved it! Got a great deal on Expedia. It was a bit expensive but really fun. There are a lot of really nice B&B type places there too which are a lot more reasonable. It is a fun area. If you rent a car get a small one as streets are very narrow. There are two castles overlooking Sintra which you can hike up to. Train to Lisbon took about 30 minutes. We don't love staying in big cities but like to visit them. Lots to do in Sintra.

I will be with my wife for 20 days in Portugal next May and I sign below the statements of lauramsgarden, including the fact that I don't want either to change much of lodging. So we're in the same search of hubs. I think we can profit much from this thread. As we will precede you perhaps you may benefit from our experience...
We will start in Porto for some days before hitting the road, going afterwards North, so we need a hub there, while visiting Braga, Guimaraes and around.
Later we shall drive South, via Aveiro and visit Coimbra, which I think cannot serve as a hub to the other attractions below, like Batalha, Tomar, Alcobaça, Óbidos etc. So we are looking for a hub there.
Later we will stop in Lisbon, that will serve as a hub to Sintra and other places around (like Sesimbra), now by train.
Évora is a candidate for a new hub if we still have time to explore that region.
I have mapped points of interest all over Portugal (too much to be feasible) in this map here:
http://www.voyajo.com/viewTrip.aspx?trip=142764
from where I shall cut a lot of places.

I'm following this tread as the more I read about Portugal, the higher up on my list it moves!

We used 4 base locations on one trip to Portugal:
Cascais[ Lisbon and Sintra]
Obidos[ Nazare, Alcobaca etc]
Viano do Castello[ Pousada---Guimares, Minho area]
Marvao[ Pousada---Alentajo]

It is worth your time---April is a good time.

In the area around Tomar I would also include a visit to Alcobaca and Batalha. If you are planning a visit to the National Park (Peneda Geres), it can be easily reached from Braga/Guimares or Viana do Castelo. Definitely include Guimaraes in your itinerary. The Pousadas usually have a Passport scheme that includes 4 or 5 nights. Not sure if it will be available next year http://www.pousadasofportugal.com/passport.html.

@sberg - do you know if there is any hiking near Quinta Nova?

gracias to all, I am loving the way this thread is unfolding. Bob, your list may be the winner. Tomorrow I will try to post several of the itinerary options we are considering for feedback

Bob are we related or just have the same good taste??..Aren't the pousadas wonderful and they often offer great deals..Would love to hit them again.

We did not have time to do any hiking. We did walk through a lot of vineyards. At Quinta Nova we walked (hiked) down to the river ( as they had a small chapel down there) and then back up to the Quinta. We did so much walking during our trip seeing all the sights we didn't leave too much time for hiking. The scenery on that side of the Douro was amazing though. Wouldn't be surprised if you could hike over there. We LOVED the Douro. We hiked in Sintra as you can hike from the town up to both castles.

I have stayed at 5 Pousadas during my time in Portugal and love them. I have avoided the more expensive ones like Obidos and Evora. In Obidos I suggest Estalagem do Convento.

Look at the senior discounts at the Pousadas.

amer_can---I think it is just good taste.

Ok Bob if you think that is the reason but we did follow or lead in each others footsteps. Also stayed @ Est.do Conv, but did another time did the pousada. Over time travel years we made 7 pousadas to stay and 10 to eat. Our luck was awesome. Only poor old "Donna" in Queluz was wearing out and getting a much needed facelift. A tiny bit of inconv. but for the price she was still very much worth it! There are often freat bargins at "pousadas.pt" Portugal is magical.

I agree with all of the other suggestions (especially Guimaraes and Marvao) but would throw out a coupe of more suggestions. The Douro Valley is beautiful. How about a coupe or 3 nights in Mesao Frio (either in the pousada or in Casa Canilhas). You can take the train out and back from Pinhao to the end of the line (stunning), expore the vineyards, etc. Maybe a quick trip to Amarante.

No one has answered your question about hiking, but the best place I've been for day hikes is the national park Penedas Geres. There are two pousadas there, and several decent old thermal spa hotels in the town of Geres. Both the pousadas and the tourist office have hiking maps. Take a beautiful drive to Pitoes das Junias and then a short hike out to a 12th century monastery in ruins plus a gorgeous water fall. Closer to Geres there are many great trails, you can walk as long or as short as you want. A few pics: https://picasaweb.google.com/1041057...CJWXia2F6tugUw

more recent, though many of these are from further north: https://picasaweb.google.com/1041057...CLSty_qLlYCuCg

@Ireynold -- wonderful photos.
I didn't start this post (thanks, lauramsgarden), but appreciate all the info being provided.

oh my exquisite pictures thanks so much everyone. I definitely want to stay in the pousadas except maybe in Lisbon and Porto. what counts as senior citizen in Portugal? maybe I can squeak in