Lisbon in July
 

We are planning on traveling to Portugal for 10 days in July. I have read that Lisbon is extremely hot in the summer but would like to get feedback on whether we should spend 3 or more days there. Also, where would you recommend for the rest of the trip? We have never been to Portugal. Thanks!

Yes, Lisbon will be hot and do not expect air condition in restaurants, shops or museums.

It will be pretty warm everywhere in Portugal in July, but directly on the Atlantic coast, the seabreeze will help a bit.

The Algarve offers spectacular scenery and beaches. It is a popular destination even in July.

We were thinking of starting out in Lisbon (where we are flying in) and make our way up to Porto perhaps along the coast. We were told to stay away from the Algarve - too many people!

like traveller1959 said there are beaches to soak up the sun instead of fighting it near Lisboa. check out Sintra for a day trip.. there's a palace and castle there that are just out of this world with the views. only a 35 min train ride from Rossio in central Lisbon. Porto is a bit farther north and gives you a different side of Portugal (think wine!)

wherever you end up definitely try the fresh cheese, bread, and olives (couvert) at dinner. just keep in mind they're not free. Refuse them and they'll be taken away and you wont' be charged

"extremely hot" is relative. Compared with more inland destination, Lisbon is a quite breezy spot.
Highs around 30C would be somewhat normal.
But 30C would not be "extremely hot", no matter where you go in Portugal in July.
It's normal summer weather, a bit warmer than northern Spain, a bit cooler than southern Spain.

The Algarve is pretty busy around Albufeira. It is high season in July.
The famous arches and beaches are west of Armaçao. The more west you go from Armaçao, the less high-rise condos you will see. West of Lagos even the tourist towns on the beach are quite small and not hectic. The southwest coast, technically not the Algarve anymore, has huge beaches and very few tourists, and it's one of Europe's finest surfing regions.