Two active youngish(late 60s) active couples looking to visit Lisbon next Spring for 4-5 days. On previous visit to Tuscany, we stayed in a villa outside of Florence where we met locals, shopped locally and most importantly, ate locally. On 2 days or so, we traveled into Florence to see the sites but really enjoyed being away from that craziness. Is that advisable for Lisbon? If so, are there some villages with an easy commute (public or car rental) form Lisbon? If not, are there neighborhoods within Lisbon that can give us a similar experience?

Thanks

I would recommend staying in Lisbon, but grab a rental car and drive to Sintra. It is "Magical" and is a relatively short distance. Better yet, stay there for a night or 2.

The more common areas outside Lisbon are highly touristed, such as Cascais (a resort town with a beach), or Sintra with a former royal palace. Lisbon is not as compact as Florence, where one can take the train to the main train station and walk to the major sites near the Duomo, including the museums. I would stay in Lisbon which allows you to orient yourself in the city, and possibly take some day trips to places like Sintra.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...687310571/show

We stayed in Cascais for a couple of nights and then stayed in Lisbon proper.

Consider staying in the Lapa quarter of Lisbon

Lapa

https://monocle.com/magazine/issues/43/lapa/

https://www.athenaadvisers.com/desti...s/lisbon/lapa/

https://www.homehunting.pt/en/lisbon...estrela-e-lapa

In order to feel the city you should stay in the center, there are a lot of good hotels, and you can experience the city walking through Lisbon's historic neighborhoods. And if you decide to go to Sintra or Cascais you can take the train.

Michael, where did you stay in Lisbon? And what time of year? Thanks!

Just my own two cents from a trip last fall: Even staying in the city itself, it is easy to access neighborhoods where you see few or no tourists. We stayed at Bairro Alto Hotel, lovely but on the $$$ side, but we ate and visited markets outside the center. None of the restaurants save the famous Belcanto appeared to have many non-Portuguese speakers dining. Taxis are very inexpensive and of course there is public transport.

I thought it was a wonderful city, full of energy and beauty.

I visited Lisbon staying in the city this spring and strongly suggest using the city as your headquarter.
I loved the city and stayed at a fabulous hotel THE AVENIDA PALACE LISBON.
Everything about the hotel is superb from the location, the staff, the rooms , the breakfasts, the entertainment in the lounge in the early evening.
Hope this helps

Thanks all, you are so very helpful.... If we are looking for non-touristy areas, I took note of Lapa and will work on it. Any other areas for us to look at? BTW, Bairro Alto Hotel is closed from Nov til Aug.

I just got back from Lisbon with a friend and we went all around (besides the high north). We stayed in Cascais, Ericerica, Sintra, Lagos, and Lisbon. Staying in Lisbon is a lot of fun and can be cheap if you choose to stay in hostels or airb&bs. I'd advise not to stay overnight in Sintra - the city dies down a lot at night. But, I'd highly recommend adding Cascais to your trip. Its a small beach town sort of off the radar but great fun!

This itinerary helped us plan our trip.

https://wimbytravel.com/2017/04/25/surf-the-south/

Sintra and Cascais are the two neighbours you could consider, but I would recommend staying in Lisbon for sure.. its not as easy as Florence to get in and out... we stayed in Graca and really loved it.. here are some ideas :

https://mewanderlost.com/2017/02/22/...-time-visitor/

I was in Lisbon with my wife in early September. Lisbon is a valley with about 5 flat streets going from the river. We were pleasantly surprised.

We stayed at the Avenida Palace. A truly excellent 5 star hotel. It was pretty reasonable. It's also a short taxi ride to the airport.

We were in Lisbon a couple of weeks ago for 4 days. Beautiful city, very walkable, plus cabs are cheap. Trams are all over but long lines to get on and people are crammed in like sardines.

Check out the “International Design Hotel” on Rossio Square...Avenida Palace is across the Sq. Excellent location. So many restaurants around that it’S hard to choose.

Took a tour to Sintra, Cabo da Roca, and Cascais with insidelisbon.com
Small vans with 10 or less people.....this is the way to go. Wonderful experience.
Sintra....the Palace was beautiful. The city of Sintra a tourist nightmare full of tour buses and junk shops.
Cabo da Roca ......gorgeous views over the ocean.
Cascais......fantastic. A beautiful town with lovely beaches, great restaurants & shops. This is a town we could spend some time in.