John_R

We have plane tickets in and out of Lisbon, May 24 - June 4th 2019 (10 nights). Planning 3 nights in Lisbon, then getting a car and 2 nights in Evora, then 3 in the north near Porto (exact spot undecided as of yet). So we will have another 2 nights to spend and it would be great to do it in a place near enough to the Lisbon airport to make the drive there easy for a 10:30 am flight home (so probably within an hour).

We are in our late 40s and just travelling as a couple. Love good food/wine, interesting historical sights, nature, walking. We're not huge on visiting major cities, which is why Lisbon/Sintra seems like it will be ok in just 3 nights on the front end.

As a comparison, last year we went to Spain and flew in and out of Madrid. We spent most of the time in Andalusia and the last two nights in Toledo, which made the drive to the Madrid airport easy for the flight home. It was a fantastic trip.

I was thinking about Obidos for the last 2 nights as it seems somewhat centrally located and looks beautiful. Seeing the comments about it being very touristy and small has made me hesitate however. Is there is another spot that checks the box for being easy to get to the airport in the morning but is also a scenic spot and a good base for other short trips?

Thanks in advance,

John

thursdaysd

Why not put Lisbon at the end - take the train to Porto and work south. That way you could visit Coimbra or the Douro valley. You don't need a car in and around Lisbon, and you can take the bus, metro or a taxi to the airport, it's not far.

John_R

We have considered that. The downside would be getting off a transatlantic flight and immediately having to try to catch a train for another three hours of travel. Add in the fact that it is in a city we've never been to before and where we don't speak the language. It would be doable but perhaps asking a lot for an already long travel day.

My thinking is that it would be much easier to transition in to the vacation by just settling in Lisbon for 3 nights. Get acclimated to the time change, culture, language, etc in Lisbon before heading out to see more of the country. This plan does make the back end of the trip a bit harder to figure out, granted.

Potentially considering Nazare as a substitute for Obidos...

John

HappyTrvlr

Obidos is cute, pleasant and exists for tourism. We stayed there in the Pousada which was nice. It would be fine for one night. We stopped in Nazare and enjoyed being there by the ocean.

nanabee

Nazare is the hottest surfing spot among the big wave surfers around the world right now. In fact, 60 Minutes just did a segment about it. Waves can get well over 50'. Yikes!

John_R

We are starting to think this might be a better plan:

Day 1, land in Lisbon, drive to Evora
Night 1, 2 - Evora
Day 3, drive north to somewhere like Guimaraes for a base
Nights 3, 4, 5 - Guimaraes (or similar)
Day 6 drive south
Night 6, 7 - Combra or Leiria or Nazare or etc
Day 8 drive to Lisbon
Night 8, 9, 10 - Lisbon

The initial drive to Evora shouldn't take too long and getting the car at the airport should be easy. Then on the back end things should be much simpler since we'll already be in Lisbon, like thursdayd suggested.

Or this alternative #2:

Day 1, land in Lisbon, drive to Evora
Night 1, 2 - Evora
Day 3, drive north to somewhere like Combra or Leiria or Nazare or etc
Nights 3, 4 - Combra or Leiria or Nazare or etc
Day 5 drive north to somewhere like Guimaraes for a base
Nights 5, 6, 7 - Guimaraes (or similar)
Day 8 - Train from Porto to Lisbon
Night 8, 9, 10 - Lisbon

The wife likes alternative #2 with the train from Porto to Lisbon. I checked and the drop off fee in Porto for the rental car isn't a problem, so this is pretty viable as well.

Decisions, decisions...

thursdaysd

Please don't drive right off an international flight! Research has shown that it is just as dangerous as driving drunk. And surely taking a train (or bus for Evora) would be more restful than driving. You don't need to worry about language - lots of English spoken in Portugal. However, given you are at the airport, you could just fly to Porto.

Fodorite018

We stayed our last 3 nights in Cascais. We were very happy with that decision, and it was an easy location for getting to the airport for our return flight.

Michael

We also stayed in Cascais which is a beach resort town. For us it was a place to stay while visiting the Sintra peninsula.

millie2112

I spent an afternoon in Cascais, and if I had 2 nights to spend somewhere near Lisbon that would be my choice.
I

John_R

Thanks for all the feedback. I think we are going with alternative #2 and will head straight to Evora. That should allow us to see what we want to and make everything a bit simpler.

If anyone has advice on the best option for a 2 day base in the Combra or Leiria or Nazare areas feel free to share.