If you could relive your Portugal trip, what would you skip; what would you include?
 

I'm planning a two week trip to Portugal in November and have found it very helpful to read trip reports and other posting. One poster noted that in retrospect she would have skipped Coimbra and added a day to the Alentejo. I too often consider what I'd do differently if I could redesign my vacation after having taken it.

Please help me by sharing 1) your least favorite places in Portugal, as well as 2) those you loved the most or wish you could have spent more time in. Thanks.

Any ideas?

I would have skipped Coimbra and added a day to Evora and Viana do Castelo.

Add 2-3-4 nights on Madeira (Funchal) if you can-it's a totally different atmosphere on the island vs mainland Portugal - in a very nice way! Hopefully you already have Lisbon, Cascais and Sintra on your itinerary, with a stop at Cabo da Roca as well. Portugal is beautiful - ENJOY!

I would definitely spend time in Lisbon, I'd go back to Obidos, Alcobaca, and Batalha in a heartbeat. I'd skip Fatima. Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Cascais were nice but one time is enough. There are so many other places I want to explore in PT that I definitely plan to return!

I completely agree about Madeira, it is the finest place on earth!! The call it the floating island because there are so many flowers. I liked Lisbon too, but if I could only revisit one part of Portugal, there's no question it would be Madeira.

I thought Porto was wonderful and now the metro goes to the airport much easier. I would not eat Green soup (disgusting). I think the Azores are much nicer than Madeira and well worth the visit even if they have a year of weather every day

I have only been to Lisbon and would definitely include again a visit to Sintra and the Palácio de Queluz, Queluz Palace. I would have liked to have spent more time in the seaside resort towns of Cascais and Estoril, lovely area. Have fun!

Another vote for Sintra...a little touristy, but very fun.

Also, Sagres - the end of the world. Amazing town.

well, depending what you're looking for. I have only been to one place in Portugal and it was absolutley incredible. That is Lagos in Faro on the Algarve Coast. INCREDIBLE beaches! Amazing night life! and you could not do any better by the people! We were supposed to stay 2 nights and stayed 7! It was a blast and memories to last forever! Any questions let me know! A very relaxing place as well, especially after a lot of big city type of places! great for end of trip! HAVE FUN wherever you do go!

http://www.lagos.me.uk/

I think you may get so many different opinions from travelers that the results may not be useful, but here's my 2 cents:

Just got back from 2 weeks in Portugal--loved it. Had a superb trip all around. This may be heretical, but I'd skip Obidos. It's very pretty but was totally mobbed and given over to tourism. It felt like Disneyland. If you know California, it reminded me of Sausalito (once an artist town but now a tourist town). I stayed one night. The crowds left about 6:30 and I walked around the pretty streets, had a beer on a beautiful quiet terrace overlooking the area, walked the town walls. That took about 2 hours. There was a piano concert at the Casa de Musica, Bach, Beethoven--nothing very original. The castle is a Pousada so there is no access to the inside if you don't stay there. The restaurants were unremarkable. If I had it to do over I'd skip it. There are so many more interesting places in Portugal (including, I think, Coimbra!--there are some great day trips from there). I could have spent more time everywhere else in Portugal , but Obidos was was my least favorite.

That said, the hotel I stayed at was absolutely lovely--my favorite accommodation in Portugal. It's a beautiful old family home, filled with antiques and run by very nice people. It's Casa de Sao Thiago do Castelo. If you must go to Obidos, stay there. Also, November will probably be quieter.

I would also skip Obidos and Sintra. Nice, but once was enough.
Once for Fatima was enough. But I am still glad we saw them.

I would spend more time in Lisbon. Three days wasn't nearly enough. Also, I would see more of the Lisbon coast. If there wasn't so much of Portugal that we haven't seen, I would return to Lourinha because I enjoyed driving up and down the coast from Porto to Sintra.

But mostly I am sorry we did not spend more time in the Douro Valley.

With two weeks, my heartfelt suggestion is not to spread yourself too thin.
Pick places to enjoy and do just that. Plan to return.

bkm