Hi All – Two retired couples (age 67 - 70) are planning a trip to Portugal in May 2024 (10-12 days, including travel days).

We are active and fit retirees, but one of us has some mobility issues, so I am a little concerned about the walking and hills that I've read about. We enjoy: absorbing local culture and scenery, trying local cuisine, visiting notable sights to learn about history. Once situated, we plan to walk and explore, but at a leisurely pace. We enjoy trying local cuisine and wines. We are definitely not into shopping -- more inclined to take a cooking class, a food tour, or have some other experience where we learn or try something new. We are happy to hire a guide to drive us to a destination, if that makes traveling between places easier. That said, we could also rent a car as needed. We'd prefer to be in 3-4 places max, so we are not constantly packing and unpacking.

Itinerary questions:

-- Lisbon or Porto first? We live in Northwest Connecticut, and would prefer to fly non-stop if possible.

-- Adding time in Porto to add day trips/excursions with the help of a local guide, vs. staying over to explore at a more leisurely pace -- ie, the Douro Valley and/or other cities in the northern region that could be explored as an easy day trip from Porto (Braga, Guimareas or Aviero)

-- Adding time in Lisbon to add some day trips/excursions with the help of a local guide, vs. staying over to explore at a more leisurely pace -- i.e., Sintra, Evora, Coinbra, Cascais

-- Visiting the Algarve at the end of our trip -- vs adding other towns as suggested above. We are not that interested in sitting on beaches or hiking the bluffs -- perhaps there another coastal town that is worth visiting and easier to get to/around, instead of visiting the Algarve for several days, for coastal scenery and food? Torreira or other?

We've come up with the following itinerary, and would love some help to fine tune things based on the community here on Fodor's.

1. Day 1-4 (or longer): Porto.
Visit Douro Valley as a day trip via guide or boat, or stay in the DV overnight?
Lodging Douro Valley: Quinto du bosc -- comments?
NOTE: One of us has an extreme fear of heights and is put off bu the 'vertiginous' roads...
Stay longer in Porto and add day trips to Braga or Guimareas or Aviero?
Porto Hotel: Le Monumental Palace. Comments?
2. Day 5-8 (or longer): Lisbon
Connect Porto to Lisbon via high speed IC train?
Lodging: Hotel Valverde on Avenida da Liberdade or Hotel Baixa? Comments?
Stay longer in Lisbon, for day trips to visit Sintra/Evora/Coinbra/Cascais -- or stay overnight in one of these towns (if too far for a day trip)?
3. Days 9-12: The Algarve (if we decide to add that)
Rent a car in Lisbon to drive down to the Algarve, or is there an easier way to get there? Do you need a car in the Algarve?
Lodging: in Tavira, at the Villa Campina Guesthouse. I've also read about Faro or Lago as a home base. Comments?
Activities: Boat ride to tour caves ... visit pretty towns ... not hiking the cliffs or sitting on a beach! ... other suggestions?

4. Day 12: Depart either Faro (if we add the Algarve) or Lisbon

5. Misc: Regarding guides for day trips, friends suggested Viatour for tour guides and walking tours ... any comments or specific guide suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

-- Ronnie

Even with 12 days, you say it includes travel days. That means you lose 1 at the beginning and another at the end, so it seems as though you have too much listed.

It would be easier if you think of it in terms of the number of nights in each place instead of number of days.

Twelve days is not enough time for what you list. Drop the Algarve as a start.
Evora and Coimbra are very good stops to stay. They both have lots of important history.
We rented a car when we left Lisbon and dropped it off a week or so later when we arrived in Porto.We spent about two weeks in Portugal before heading north into Galicia, Spain.
We stayed in Lisbon, Evora, Obidos, Coimbra, Guimares and Porto.
Doing so many day trips is harder, more tiring than changing hotels every few days. Note location of the university city of Coimbra; it pairs better with Porto.
Start into whichever city has best airline arrivals from your home airport.

Cramming way to much in such a short window

Former Fodorite Lobo Mau gives walking tours in Lisbon. When I met him in 2006 he was working at a desk job but arranging get-togethers in Lisbon for people from this message board. He loved sharing Lisbon with visitors. We became friends and have gotten together in Portugal on my several visits over the years. When he retired, he started giving tuk tuk tours and now he is giving walking tours. You can find him here: https://www.otukdojoao.com/en/

As a non-beach person I can recommend the Algarve. Having a car would be useful. Here's my trip report:

Trip Report: Portugal, May-June 2019

and here is the 2006 trip report:

Trip Report: Portugal and Galicia, June 2006

The links to the photo albums for the 3006 trip report do not work anymore. So here are the albums:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmELyB7t (combines photos from both trips)

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjpXpD1k

and again a compilation from both trips:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjqbGicw

@Nikki ... than you so much for the guide info. Much appreciated.

All: Thanks for your responses. The consensus is that I am cramming too much into too short a time.

Rethinking ... If I were to drop the Algarve and add one city for 1-2 nights besides Lisbon and Porto, which would it be? And, if I was to select a single day trip from both Lisbon and Porto, which do you suggest?

Hi, Below is linkto my trip report from last year with lots of photos (there are many more trip reports here on Fodor's, as well). We visited Lisbon, Sintra, Tomar, Coimbra, Douro Valley and Porto. Lots of points in between, too. Loved it all, with Porto being our favorite. Have a great trip. Personally, I'd skip the area south of Lisbon and concentrate your 12 days on Porto south to Lisbon route.
https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/portugal-2022/

Porto

You actually do not have as much time as you think for Portugal. You will lose one day going and another day returning plus another half day moving from one city to another assuming you have 2 destinations in Portugal. So if you have 10 days you have 7 1/2 days divided between 2 cities. If you have 12 days you have 9 1/2 days. Subtract another 1/2 day if you have 3 destinations within Portugal. If you live in western Connecticut you will need to use Newark to fly to Lisbon or Porto open jaw non stop. ( if you want to use JFK there are only direct flights to LIS) I suppose you could use Hartford but that would require a connection each way. If mobility is an issue it may take you more time to get around so I would just do Porto and Lisbon with day trips to the Duoro and Sintra.

Definitely Porto and Lisbon, you just don't have enough time to go down to the Algarve for a meaningful visit. Of the two, Lisbon is the more time absorbing but if one of you has mobility issues ten it may be a problem. Both cities are very hilly which could cause problems with moving around and sightseeing, There are areas that a car won't access too.

On the other hand, the Algarve is relatively flat in comparison and allows for much easier access to hotels and restaurants. I'd certainly recommend a car for the area to get to the western tip and the area east of Faro.

You probably need to make a judgement about how mobility will affect you and choose your destination accordingly.

seat61.com
cp.pt
for train info
I often travel in Portugal and really many of the finer cities are just easier on trains and public transport especially for people used to US cities. However, if you want to go to Lands End (south western tip) then you need to drive. I'd focus on Lisbon and Porto with other ancient cities

May is a nice time to go, but note that the tourists will be already arriving.

Ronnie,
You've received really good advice above.

Yes, Lisbon and Porto are "vertical cities" and challenging for those w/mobility issues, but you can make use of very inexpensive taxis or Ubers and the ubiquitous tuk tuks in Porto for a day long overview and trip out to the ocean to Fos and the one that Nikki recommends for a day long overview there.

I would just second that if you enjoy absorbing local culture and exploring at a leisurely pace, it would be best to limit your 12 days to Porto, Lisbon and just one point in between (Coimbra, for example, reachable by AP or slightly slower IC train from Porto, then on to Lisbon on the AP or IC as well).
In this I agree with maitaitom.
And I also agree with mike 1728 and Happy Traveler regarding your taking on too much and with Rubicund that you don't have time to go as far south as the Algarve.

Or do as mjs suggests and keep it very simple, limiting your time to Porto and Lisbon with easy day trips from each via private or small group tour.

Sintra is a very difficult day trip for those with mobility issues as it's extremely hilly, especially with the May crowds, and if trying to visit 3 or more of the monuments there.
Some have taken that day trip the "easier" way, via a small group day tour that only visits one Sintra monument then moves on a circular route to Cabo da Roca (the other Portuguese "land's end") for a photo op, then along the coast to Cascais, which is a lovely seaside town that is both very attractive and flat, then the trip continues past the Estoril coast and back to Lisbon.

Evora is also a possibility but it can be very warm in the Alentejo region in May.
https://yourfriendinlisbon.com/evora...in-luxury-car/

For a day trip from Porto you could choose between the pretty, historic, UNESCO heritage site of Guimarães, the "cradle of Portugal, or a day trip private or small group to the Douro Valley, which because of the distance is more time consuming.

Viator is simply a middle man, a booking engine, clearing house for tours and guides. I would go directly through a local company.

The typical 8-9 hour Douro day trip usually consists of a visit to two wineries, a one-hour boat ride from Pinhão up river to Romaneira, lunch and a trip up to the scenic view point, the Miradouro of Casal de Loivos.
A company that I've used for the Douro day. Their Golden Experience is first rate with a gourmet lunch.
https://douroexclusive.com
Companies that Fodorites have used for both Guimarães and the Douro
https://www.efungpstours.com
https://www.thecooltours.com

Companies for the "easier" Sintra-Cabo da Roca-Cascais-Estoril coast day trip, requiring less climbing/walking (only 1 Sintra monument visit)
https://lisbonriders.com/group-tours/sintra-cascais/
Sintra and Cascais » Lisbon stories - belong to the city!

For food tours in Lisbon
www.culinarybackstreets.com
For Porto
https://tasteporto.com

I would fly from Newark via Delta or TAP into Porto and out of Lisbon, as Newark has better Portugal connections now than JFK. You can check the possibilities for a multi city fare through a search at matrix.itasoftware.com.

From Porto to Lisbon you can take the comfortable "higher speed" Alfa Pendular that takes only 3 hours. And cp.pt has a 50% senior discount that make this ride very inexpensive.
https://www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/dis...enior-citizens

Hotels in Porto: Le Monumental Palace, Porto Bay Flores, Intercontinental, Infante Sagres

Hotels in Lisbon in the flat area of Baixa: Corpo Santo on a more quiet corner of the Baixa, Pousada right on the Praça de Comércio huge gateway square, Hotel da Baixa on a very busy Baixa street but well regarded. (the smaller, elegant Valverde on the very posh Avenida da Liberdade is on an incline but not a steep one and sits quietly above the fray of the crowds in the Baixa)

Thank you all for the incredible advice, considering the length of our stay and realities about moving around. We will keep it simple, visiting Porto and then Lisbon, selecting one or two day trips as suggested, saving the Algarve for a future visit.

Noted about NEWARK ...

Maribel (and others), thank you so much for the detailed info, tour/hotel suggestions, and insights re: the lay of the land. So helpful, much appreciated!

Followup Questions: It sounds like May is starting to get crowded. We have flexibility to go any time in the spring (April-May) or fall (September-November), and were concerned that April may be too rainy and was looking forward to warmer temperatures. Additional thoughts on timing?

Finally: can you suggest a 'beach town' (for lack of a better term) between Porto and Lisbon, or closer to Lisbon to the south, for a relaxing overnight -- to enjoy seafood and just stroll a quaint smaller scale town without going all the way to the Algarve? Might be a nice way to end the trip, returning to Lisbon to fly home.

May does start to get crowded and is a popular time for cruise ships to dock both in Lisbon and Porto. Easter week is also an extremely popular time, but Holy Week falls in 2024 from
March 24-31. I would go after Easter Sunday when the Holy Week crowds dissipate and before it begins to heat up in May.

More about Porto from a native whose blog I read---lots of tips about her city.
https://portoalities.com/en/

And you can taste wines to your heart's content at the WOW (World of Wine) in Porto on the other side of the river in Gaia where the port lodges sit.
https://www.wow.pt

ronniehu,
I lived for 14 years in the Northwest corner of Connecticut (Kent, Sharon, Lakeville, Washington), a beautiful part of the country!

ronniehu,
I didn't address the "One of us has an extreme fear of heights and is put off by the 'vertiginous' roads". In that case, I wouldn't do a Douro day trip via small group van, as one of you may be very put off by the narrow, vertiginous road required to reach some winery or a scenic viewpoint (miradouro).
A private driver, however, could customize or tailor make the trip for you, to avoid those vertiginous roads, to stay close to the N22 and not venture "up into the hills" and you could visit an easily accessible winery (there are some).
Weather wise, it can be quite warm in the Douro as well as in the Alentejo region in mid to late May. And again, it makes for a long day.

The shorter, as in closer, day trip from Porto would be to Guimarães, and to my eyes, this lovely city is far more rewarding than Aveiro, with more to see overall and steeped in history.

" It sounds like May is starting to get crowded. We have flexibility to go any time in the spring (April-May) or fall (September-November)"

We arrived in Lisbon in mid September and our final days in Porto were in early October. Lisbon and Sintra were very crowded, but it really didn't bother us for the most part. Maribel's choice of Coimbra is a great one. The tour of the university was terrific, and we enjoyed the town, even with some late night serenading by some local students. As for mobility, let me say from experience to pay attention while you walk. There are some uneven steps along the way, but if you pay attention (unlike one stupid me), it will all be great.

Maribel: Small world that you lived in Northwest CT. We are in Goshen CT, a stones throw from your old stomping grounds

Alll: Thank you for the added insights!

We've decided to stop in Coimbra en route from Porto to Lisbon. Do you have any suggestions for hotel or guides in Coimbra? Any iLinformation on trains from Porto to Coimbra and Coimbra to Lisbon would also be appreciated.

Thanks again!

Yes, I know Goshen well, having spent years living in Kent, right next door!

In Coimbra, we enjoyed staying at the 5-star Quinta das Lagrimas, which is a lovely 18th century manor house, just across the river, an historic hotel with ample parking, indoor pool & spa (which I used), an outdoor pool (which my polar bear friend used in October), and two restaurants.
I had always wanted to stay there and luckily my husband and 2 best friends agreed. It has a lovely gourmet restaurant, Arcadas, in the former stables for evening dining, where we had a special celebratory meal with our friends whom we hadn't seen in a year, and the Pedro e Ines restaurant for a nice and very well priced lunch. It also has an English style bar serving light fare at night if you don't feel like going out after a long day of touring. We stayed in the spa wing in a garden room but the special rooms, of the deluxe level, are found in the historic building, which are probably worth the splurge.
This area of Coimbra, across the river, is flat----no hills to climb.

And the Quinta has lovely, romantic gardens. You'll be informed all about the tragic love affair between Pedro & Ines, part of the palace's history.

This lodging would be on the par with your choices in Lisbon and Porto, which I know.
It's a member of Small Luxury Hotels, yet I found it reasonably priced and worth the money spent, as our stay was very relaxing, it was a special occasion, and our rate included a lovely breakfast and welcome port drink upon arrival.

We taxied one morning to the University for our tour but after a full day visiting the Coimbra sights, including the wonderful Museu Nacional Machado de Castro, we walked back across the bridge over the Mondego river to the hotel. We also took our car to Conímbriga to tour this Roman site.

https://www.quintadaslagrimas.pt/pt/
https://slh.com/hotels/quinta-das-lagrimas
https://guide.michelin.com/en/coimbra/coimbra/restaurant/arcadas

As to guides, I´ve personally used the services of Madomis, which is a local company. Their web page is in Portuguese, but the guides and staff speak perfect English.
https://www.madomistours.pt/portfoli...passo-a-passo/


Go to cp.pt to see the schedules of trains from Porto Campanha to Coimbra and from Coimbra to Lisboa Santa Apolonia. We have taken the AP, Alfa Pendicular several times in both directions. It's a bit faster than the IC and very comfortable. We've booked Confort Class. The beauty of the Porto-Coimbra-Lisboa connection is that it's all on the same high-speed train line.

Maribel, we appreciate all of your suggestions ... truly, we can't thank you enough!

PS Such a small world that you were in Kent ... do you now live n Portugal? How have you accumulated such detailed knowledge of the country?

We stayed at the Intercontinental in Porto in June. We picked it as it seemed to be in a good location in the middle of most things we wanted to visit. Subway construction in the front but work only during the day so it did not bother us much. We had a room facing the back so we did not hear much construction work noise in any case. Might be keeping the rates lower than usual although not inexpensive by any means. Room decent size but smaller than the sq feet would suggest as we had stairs in our room. Location did turn out to be very good. The hotel was fine for our purposes and had a nice breakfast. Day trip to the Douro. I also do not like heights but was not bothered by our tour drive.
We also stayed at the Quinta das Lagrimas in Coimbra that we picked mostly due to the ease of parking (valet)and decent reviews. We had a huge two story room with upstairs bedroom. Nice outdoor lap pool (cold) and spa. Uber in and out of town. Uber is cheap in Portugal. Pleasant stay.
We really liked our Lisbon hotel and would highly recommend it. The Corps Santo is in the flat area near the waters and you can easily walk towards the middle of the city. Clean, good size rooms with an excellent breakfast. Lots of extras like two different guided walks per day, afternoon happy hour, free 24 hour ice cream in the lobby, one free 20 minute massage as intro to spa, snacks like sandwiches available late evenings. Close to Time Out. Excellent service. A terrific boutique hotel. Would stay there again.
I have no real recommendations for a seaside resort for you. Possibly Cascias or Estoril as they are close to Lisbon? Nazare in-between Porto and Lisbon?
We drove to Setubal to try to visit the park Natura da Arrabida but the road was closed. Did have some nice inexpensive seafood in Sesimbra. Best seafood meal however was in Porto towards the ocean.