Portugal
 

Hi all - hope 2024 has started well for you.
We are a group of 4 (adults) and are travelling to Spain and Portugal in May and June 2024. We have nearly got all of our trip sorted but I wanted to get some ideas on the last leg of our trip. We will be leaving Lisbon and heading to Porto where we will fly to London. We have 5 days to get from Lisbon to Porto so was wondering if we are better of taking the train from Lisbon to Porto and doing day trips out of Porto or if we should drive from Porto to Lisbon to explore the Douro Valley on the way. If you think driving is a good idea where would be the best places to stop on the way? Are the roads good to drive on - we are from Australia so drive on the left:) Also if we chose to drive that would obviously mean little time in Porto so would that be a mistake - is there much to see in Porto? Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond. Kind regards Sally

The train from Lisbon to Porto takes about 3 hours, but I think that I'd want to stop in Coimbra for at least a night. It has a great mediaeval old town and a lovely cathedral so is well worth a stop off. The train takes a couple of hours and after a stay you can continue to Porto. It would be shame to miss Coimbra, so do include it. It will still give you plenty of time in Porto although you could go direct to Porto and do Coimbra as a day trip by train in about 75 minutes.

Just a question, do you have 5 days between the end of your Lisbon stay and the beginning of your Porto stay?

If so, what Rubicund says, if you prefer to keep it simple and use the very inexpensive high speed train line.

In any case, I would dedicate a couple of nights to Coimbra, the university city and taxi out to the Roman ruins of Conímbriga.
For booking the Lisbon-Coimbra and Coimbra-Porto very comfortable high speed Alfa Pendular (AP) trains, book here on the official Portuguese rail site, Comboios.

Bookings can be made 60 days in advance, and the Promo fares are extremely reasonable. We chose to travel on this route in Comfort (First) Class.
The Lisbon rail station for the AP and IC high speed trains is Santa Apolonia, the Coimbra station is Coimbra-B and the Porto station is Campanha.

Thanks so much Rubicund. So are you thinking it is better to do the train rather than hire a care and not go to the Duoro Valley?

Thanks Marwe have 5 days in total - we leave Lisbon on the 15th and fly out of Porto on the 20th. So are you suggesting not to hire a car and not to include the Duoro Valley?

You could do a day trip from Porto via a tour which would be much easier than renting a car. Also would not want to drive and drink especially if you are not used to driving on the right. Roads are quite good in Portugal and the distances fairly short so you could drive from Lisbon to Porto but since you need I think a minimum of two full days in Porto you don’t have much time with stops in Coimbra and the Duro.

If you only have 5 days after you leave Lisbon on the 15th and fly out of Porto on the 20th, that doesn´t leave you much time. I agree with mjs that a minimum of 2 full days (I would prefer 3) is necessary in Porto, you don't have time to rent a car and drive to the Douro Valley. If the Douro is very important to you (and it's really all about wine touring), I would take a small group day tour from Porto instead. There are many companies that offer this.

As Maribel says, if the Douro is important to your group, then take a tour. That way everyone can taste and enjoy the wine. Otherwise, if it's not that important, use the trains and relax while your moving between destinations.

If the Douro is indeed important to your group of 4, the following company (well recommended on this forum) has a small group, 9-hour tour that visits 3 wineries with lunch at one winery and picks up and drops off at your Porto hotel-
https://www.efungpstours.com/douro-v...-a-winery.html

If you wish to take an exclusive, private tour, the following company (that I have used) offers a luxury tour, including gourmet meal at Casa do Arco, a visit to a DOC winery, a port winery and 1-hour rabelo boat ride, or since it's a private tour, the company also offers a bespoke experience, tailored to your group's interests
https://douroexclusive.com/the-new-gold-experience/

Thanks MJS for your response. Yep never drink and drive regardless of what side of the road I am driving on:)

Thanks Maribel for your response and for the very helpful links.

Thanks Rubicund for your input