Is this too much for one Portugal trip?
 

My fiancee and I will be traveling to Portugal for 12 days/11 nights at the end of October/start of November for our honeymoon. The only things locked in are that we're flying from the US to Porto at the start of the trip and flying out from Lisbon to the US at the end of the trip. Our initial thinking goes something like this:

- 3 or 4 nights in Porto - would likely include a day trip to the Douro Valley
- 3 or 4 nights in the Algarve - would take a cheap flight from Porto to Faro and then take a taxi/car service to our destination (thinking Lagos?)
- 4 nights in Lisbon - would take taxi/car service to Faro and then high-speed rail to Lisbon. Planning to take a day trip to Sintra and possibly Cascais as well.

Does this seem doable or are we jamming too much into one trip? Is there anything we should make sure to do/visit no matter what? Appreciate any recommendations.

Congratulations :)

Just quick -- (I've only been to Portugal once so not sure about some of the in-country travel details) . . . but "traveling to Portugal for 12 days/11 nights" -- eleven nights does not equate to twelve days. 11 nights = 10 days. And day one you will likely be jet lagged and keyed up/exhausted after all the wedding festivities..

What is the purpose of Lagos? Sight-seeing or just looking for a beach to relax. If the former, I suspect that the amount of sightseeing aside from Lagos itself will be disappointing unless you rent a car to visit various locations. Almansil, Loulé, and Silves or Monchique could be a day's outing.

Thanks! I believe it's 12 days. Arriving in the morning and leaving in the late afternoon. We want to maximize the experience with so much to see (however you're right that we'll be jet-lagged the first day and will take it easy).

The latter, looking for a beach to relax. Since we don't plan on driving in Portugal, one town/city with great beaches and a few nice restaurants is what we're looking for if we go to The Algarve.

Nope :(

You can't count your arrival day for very much at all. Arrival, immigration formalities, transiting to your hotel, likely unable to check in until late afternoons so drop luggage but not able to freshen up so slogging through an unfamiliar place wishing you could just have a quick shower, back to hotel to check in, a shower, early dinner and collapse. Then on departure day you will need to be at the airport 3 hours prior to your flight out -- so with packing, checking out, and transit to airport, between 4 and 4.5 hours of that day is shot too. Arrival and departure days really aren't 'sightseeing days' except for maybe a nice walk in the vicinity of your hotel.

I'm not a beach goer, but from what I've seen Lagos has only one beach within easy walking distance of the town, The others are between the cliffs and I do not know how people get to them.


For beach time, the peninsula opposite Setùbal might be a better choice. This is the beach on the bay side:


There is a modern resort town closer to the ocean side.

Sounds good to me although I ddn't go to the Algarve when I was in Portugal. Relax and enjoy and congratulations!