mjs

Going to Portugal late May. Have booked 4 nights in Porto and 4 nights in Lisbon. Have a rental car booked for leaving Porto and have 3 nights free. Was considering the Algarve but thinking now about staying more in the north and middle of Portugal. Would appreciate recommendation for route and places to stay and things to do. Considering Sintra as last stop before Lisbon vs day trip from Lisbon. Some scenic drives would be good. Lodging recommendations with a budget of less than say 300 Euros would be good. Considering Coimbra and Obidos.

Michael

In Coimbra, visit the old university:


and the old town:


The monastery is Tomar is a must:


This photo album covers a good deal of what there is to visit between Coimbra and Lisbon and might give you further suggestions:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsjqbGicw

maitaitom

Hi mjs, Here is my recent report (in link below) on our 22 days in Portugal (tons of photos, too). Chapters Seven thru Fourteen detail our time in Sintra, Tomar and Coimbra (agree with Michael about Tomar and Coimbra). Also some very cool sights along the way. I recommend getting the combo Unesco Heritage Monument ticket that includes entrance to Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Alcobaça, Convento de Cristo (in Tomar) and Mosteiro da Batalha. Have a great trip!

https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/portugal-2022/

mjs

Thanks. Rented a car though Auto Europe/ Europcar but another form feels that Zest is a better option? Comments?

mjs

Thank you both for your photographs and trip Report. So many options and so little time! I know we will spend at least one night in Coimbra. Considering Aveiro and the Paiva walkway, Penda-Geres-National Park, Nazarene,Tomar possibly even Evora. Also considering a stop in Sintra before heading to Lisbon vs a day trip from Lisbon to Sintra.

bilboburgler

I'd stick to AutoEurope, I don't rent often but when I do I've had them pull me out of silly confusions. Meanwhile my sister, who rents cars like a drunken sailor, gets stiffed right left and centre and thinks it is normal.

Staying north is a much better idea than going to Algarve

mjs

Deciding on the Vincci Ponte de Ferro vs Intercontinental in Porto by tomorrow. The Intercontinental just dropped its prices by 30% so it's still more expensive of the two by about $125 a night but the rooms are much larger at 377 sq feet vs 215 at the Vincci. Have also decide to stop in Coimbra for two nights after leaving Porto at the Quinta das Lagrimas. Unfortunately they do not have a reasonably priced room the first night after we leave Porto so we are looking for a place for one night somewhere interesting. Considering the Pousada at Obidos but parking seems to be a problem. Therefore considering Tomar at the Casa dos Officious or the Hotel Republic or Dos Templarios. I realize this has us backtracking to Coimbra before heading to Lisbon but the distances are not great. Staying at Corpo Santo in Lisbon.

LoriNY1

DH and I stayed in the intercontinental in Porto a few years ago and liked it very much. Great location.
DH and i just returned from the Algarve (which was amazing) but it would be a far drive from Porto. I would make that a separate trip. When we went to Porto a few years ago, we also rented a care and drove to Obidos. We stayed at the Marriott in Obidos, right on the beach. Also a great location to get to Fatima,Peniche, Nazare, etc.

mjs

Just spent 4 nights at the Intercontinental. Location was great except for the subway construction in front. Had a room towards the back so noise was fortunately not an issue for us. You do have to leave the hotel out back through the restaurant if you want to go left from the front of the hotel as that way is currently blocked. Did not particularly care for the 17 steps inside our room to get up to the room itself. Took up almost a third of the space so it was nowhere near the 377 sq feet advertised. Decent breakfast and helpful concierges. Took an Uber to the airport Europcar to pick up our Renault Megane via Autoeurope. Got talked into upgrading to an Alpha Romeo SUV for $20 a day. Drove to Tomar
for a one night stay at the Dos Templarios and a visit to the castle. Hotel was easy to get to with nice outside parking. Inexpensive hotel used by tour groups. Nominally a 4 star in need of refurbishing, but clean with nice sized rooms and with a decent bathroom shower. Breakfast was alright. The next day we drove to Nazaré for lunch and to Óbidos for the castle. Now in Coimbra for two nights at the Quinta das Lagrimas before heading to Lisbon. This is a pretty hotel, received complimentary room upgrade to a nice suite, good light dinner at the hotel gastropub.

maitaitom

Thanks for the update. Enjoy Coimbra.

janekirstine

I booked 4 nights at the Intercontinental for October long ago and now concerned about the noise in reading TA comments.

mjs - Would you stay there again? My plan was to stay in Porto for 4 days and then take the CP train to Lisbon to catch a cruise. I have done Porto previsously.

Can I fill 4 days in Coimbra?

mjs

The Intercontinental is in a very good location in Porto except of course for the subway construction going on for the next year or two. The construction stops at night and weekends. We were on the fourth floor backside so all we could hear/feel during the day was very muted distant pounding that was very easy to ignore. It is not an issue during the night. I would stay there again at a rate of $360/night including breakfast. It was easy to get to the Gaia across the top bridge and easy to get down to the Ribeira. Also easy to get to the University area and the Bolhao market. We loved the market. Met a local attorney, his partner who runs a Vietnamese restaurant, and a friend of theirs who is a local CNN reporter. We sat next to their table as we dined on oysters at the market and they shared a bottle of a reserve white wine with us. They gave us a lot of advice as to what to see and do locally and in Portugal. Insisted that the best seafood in Porto was out at the ocean, so we ended up eating at the O Valentim Restaurante the next day and the grilled fish was indeed fabulous. It's about a 20 minute Uber ride from downtown.
We left Porto to Tomar via the Serra da Estrela mountains in part to their advice as we wanted to see more of the countryside. It was a very pretty drive.
As to the question about Coimbra, one full day is I think fine. I suppose if you have a car you could Coimbra as a base to explore more of central Portugal. We left Coimbra to visit the Parque Natural Arrabida. Had a lovely grilled fish meal while visiting Sesimbra. Unfortunately the coast road back to Lisbon was closed so we drove to the Lisbon airport to drop off our rental car. There is a very convenient BP gas station right at the entrance to the airport for refueling. Uber into the city. Four nights at the very lovely Corpo Santo hotel.

janekirstine

mjs - Thank you so much for your reply and excellent information and recommendaitons. I have had the IC hotel booked with points since Nov 2022 knowing that was where I wanted to be. My nights are Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun so per your message the weekend should be quiet. Last night I decided as a back up to head straight from the airport OPO to Coimbra for one night and then stay at the Mr. & Mrs. Smith hotel in Lousa and hike/tour from there with a car. Glad I picked the refundable option so I can keep my original Porto plan!

After the Lisbon-Lisbon cruise, I will immediately take train to Tomar for three nights, then train to OPO for one night airport hotel before early morning flight home. Did you spend the night in Tomar or do a day visit? I hope to stay at the new Vila Gale which is due to open in July. Trying to get reservations by email, as they have not opened up online availability after October.

Travelling solo! I again thank you so much for the valuable first hand information ! Porto is such a great city and I hated to bypass it!

skatedancer

JaneKirstine: In Porto, maybe consider this IGH property instead: Vignette Collection Casa da Companhia. Can't say enough good things about it. With the Intercontinental, even if the construction noise is not ongoing, you're still stepping out every day into a pretty messy landscape. Casa da Companhia is nearby and is an incredible respite. Quietest room i've ever stayed in (we were right next to the elevator and the street and I never heard a peep). Wonderful facilities, staff and breakfast!

In Coimbra, we stayed at Hotel Oslo. Excellent location and free parking in a garage across the street. It's directly across the street from the old city, but without the difficulties of navigating those streets. Has a great rooftop patio with a view of the old city. Only complaint is that there are no dressers (but a short stay unpacking wasn't necessary) and the breakfast quality wasn't as good as other hotels, but for our purposes with needing parking it was a great option. I highly recommend the Museu Nacional de Machada de Castro. A chronological look at the progression of art in Portugal. Absolutely wonderful small museum. Fado ao Centro was great, too. So informative and wonderful musicians! Buy tickets in advance for that though! We spent two nights in Coimbra to have one full day there.

mjs

We stayed at the Dos Templarios in Tomar because parking was easy and outside and the hotel was very close to town and easy walking distance. Also inexpensive. Easy enough to drive up to the castle in the morning but otherwise we did not think we needed a full day in Tomar. We tend to prioritize easy parking in Europe as 3 of us in my family have had scratches parking within the last 20 years. If you have a car I think you could use either Coimbra or Tomar as a base to explore central Portugal. The roads are good and there is not much traffic and the distances are not great.
In Porto we selected the Intercontinental for location and decent room size. As a couple we like our space and find 400 sq feet to be about right for us if the space is designed well. We found that the construction in front of the hotel not to be much bother as we often left the hotel through the restaurant to the back although going out the front was fine. The stairs in our room probably decreased our available space from 377 to 320 or so but it was still a lot more than the 200-250 sq feet we were seeing in many other hotels for similar prices. We actually stopped by the Vincci Ponte in the Gaia and the rooms were quite small.

janekirstine

Thank you skatedance and mjs for your great feedback and hotel details. I rechecked IHG availability for the two hotels using points and/or cash for my November dates in Portugal and booked the Vignette Collection Casa da Companhia for a great three night stay post cruise (and then flying home). Great rates in November.

For now, I am keeping the Intercontinental in Porto pre cruise in October until I decide how I want to use those four nights getting from Porto to Lisbon. I have some time to come up with a good plan! There are some good shuttle bus options from Porto airport to various cities where I could rent a car if needed.

Very happy with the Casa da Companhia for November. Rooms there also very nice size like the Intercontinental.

Thank you again!

skatedancer

oh i'm so glad! Be sure to go up on the rooftop lounge at Casa da Companhia, both during the day and at night, when the cathedral is lit up and flocks of seagulls illuminated circling it overhead. (at least they were flying in May when we were there!). The storage in the rooms at the hotel is also fantastic: especially with drawers which we often found limited at other hotels.