jeterray

We plan to stay in Portgual for about a week . We prefer to stay at one place, and make day trips to neighboring places. Would Lisbon or Porto be best base for a week ? If Lisbon is best, what neighborhood is preferable ? Is there perhaps another city or area we should consider ?

jeterray

So sorry about misspelling Portugal. I know better, but still make mistakes.

Michael

It all depends on what you want to see. Make a list, take a map and decide which city will be closer to the places you want to visit.

But Lisbon would be the better choice in my mind for what the city itself has to offer:

https://flic.kr/p/2gws85B
https://flic.kr/p/2gwtVBU
https://flic.kr/p/7RYLeT
and her is the entire album:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjqa5h5k

jeterray

Thanks Michael- We are typical seniors who love traveling to different places. We are fond of food, wine and historic places. I will do a bit more research, but Lisbon does seem to be the best choice. I haven't picked a neighborhood. We like an area that allows us to walk to sights. BTW- Love the photos.

Michael

We took two trips to Portugal, and for each there is a trip report:

Trip Report: Portugal, May-June 2019

Trip Report: Portugal and Galicia, June 2006

KarenWoo

I recommend Lisbon although we have not been to Porto yet. We visited Lisbon for 5 nights in April 2018 and absolutely loved it! You can visit Sintra, Cascais and Estoril as day trips. If you wish, you can click on my name to read my trip report of Lisbon and Sintra.

Seamus

On my first trip to Portugal I had planned to spend the week in Lisbon but on recommendation of a local took the train to Porto for an overnight trip and loved it. On subsequent, longer visits have split time between the two. If you really must limit to one, then I guess Lisbon for the ease of day trips as KarenWoo mentions.

millie2112

I have been to both Porto and Lisbon and if I had to choose one I would pick Lisbon. There is plenty to see and do and you can also do a day trip from here if you have time. We did trips to Sintra, Belem and Cascais.

MoBro

We stayed in Lisbon for five nights, and loved it. We day-tripped to Sintra, Cascais and Estoril, by train.

Highly recommend the Hotel Avenida Palace: https://www.hotelavenidapalace.pt
Great location, awesome customer service, fantastic breakfast in a gorgeous dining room, elegant rooms. . ..

jeterray

We don't have a schedule yet, so we can add some days to our trip. As I posted. we prefer to stay in one place, and do day trips. I think we will stay in Lisbon for 5-10 days. I take it from your responses that trains are adequate to make day trips to and from Lisbon to many cities of interest. Are the trains reliable ?

aulop

Hi
The trains are good and generally reliable except for labor strikes, weather events or accidents.
Check cp.pt click on the menu for English.
They have info on all the train lines and ticket options ( personally its confusing to understand all the ticket options).
They also offer "tourist circuits" to different cities, and train / bus combo ticket for Sintra and Cascais.
I suggest avoiding the commuter trains during rush hour, as a tourist you can plan to travel at the less busy times.
Lisbon is a great city but be aware that it's called the city of the seven hills so walking can be an uphill / downhill challenge. The stone sidewalks are very slippery when wet, use rubber sole shoes.
Also keep your valuables / ID safe from the very skilled pickpockets.
Happy travels

KarenWoo

I know you prefer to stay in one place. However, if you are going to spend 10 days in Portugal, another suggestion would be to spend 5 days in Lisbon and 5 days in Porto. This way you get to see both cities you are interested in seeing, including the surrounding areas for day trips. Just a thought.

HelenaFatima

There are a lot of interesting places near Lisbon, where you can visit Sintra, Évora, Óbidos, etc. If you really like to stay just in one place, my opinion is that you stay in Lisbon.

jeterray

KarenWoo- Thanks again for your thoughtful input. If we decide to stay in Portugal for a longer period, I do want to consider spiliting the time. In that event, is Porto the best choice for the other half ? We had thought about traveling to Brugge, Belgium for the second half, or maybe doing a river cruise on the Duro river.

geetika

I wouldn’t break up 10 days over two countries, you’ll miss almost a full day in travel and check-out/check-in, etc.

5-6 days in Lisbon with the rest in Porto would be a good mix. The Douro river cruise is just a day trip I believe, but perhaps you might like to stay overnight at one of the quintas in the Duoro valley and do some tastings too.

lrice

Jeteray, I am debating the same for 2022. We too like to stay in one place and really soak it up.

I haven’t been to either city but Porto was recommended if we want to settle for a couple weeks and enjoy a slower pace. Lisbon was recommended as having much more to see and experience, and has easier/closer day trips.

Again I haven’t been yet but am just starting to plan…

KarenWoo

I agree with geetika that you shouldn't visit 2 countries in 10 days. I suggested both Lisbon and Porto because you had originally mentioned those two cities. I haven't been to Porto yet, but based on research I have done and reading trip reports, I think that would be a very interesting combination. And it seems like there is enough to do around Porto, too, such as the Douro River cruise. I think you can also visit Braga and Guimaraes from Porto as day trips.

shelemm

The OP is not proposing visiting two countries in ten days, just two cities. I have done this, two cites in two different countries, and it works out remarkably well. The question is one of inspiration and where that leads you. If the OP is not inspired to spend more time in Portugal, that's fine. Or sometimes two or more people traveling together have different priorities, so compromise is necessary. One wants to see Lisbon, the other Brugge. It's all good.

Or to put in another way, if someone wanted to spend 5 days in Paris and 5 days in the Dordogne, public transportation is in the same ballpark.

jeterray

After a bit more research, I wonder if it is resonable to visit Porto on a day trip from Lisbon ? No one addressed this possibility, so I worry. We want to be in Lisbon during our trip, but how can we make it to Porto on a day trip ?

MinnBeef

What Karen said.

FWIW, I found Porto much more interesting than Lisbon.