Lauren_Behie

My fiance and I are planning on going to Portugal for our honeymoon. At first we went to a travel agent to book our trip, but were blown away by the airfare pricing linked in with the tour. We decided to book the trip ourselves and plan a 10 day tour custom to our interests. Can anyone recommend places that are must do/see while we're there? We love everything - wine tasting, museum tours, the beach and hiking!

ColeConners

Portugal has some perfect honeymoon destinations. The first should be Sintra, just outside Lisbon, filled with a romantic atmosphere of real fairytale palaces. The other is the medieval village of Obidos which was actually a king's wedding present to his bride. I'd also recommend the peaceful Alentejo region to the east of Lisbon, especially Evora and the breathtaking villages of Monsaraz and Marvao.
If you enjoy wine tasting, the city you should not miss is Porto, world-famous for its port wine: http://www.gooporto.com/
There you can also take a cruise to the Douro Valley.

As for Sintra and Obidos, here are a few helpful webpages: http://www.lisbonlux.com/sintra/ and http://www.lisbonlux.com/obidos/

bilboburgler

Evora, Porto, Lisbon and then the Alentejo are all wonderful.
Azores and out of this world while Madeira is good if you like walking.

I have a whole series of articles on riding a bike along the south coast. Have a look at the article section as well as
http://www.mybikeguide.co.uk/Algarve_Guide.php

Rastaguytoday

Now is a good time to go to Portugal. Their economy is shot, so bargains galore.

Google up day tours in Portugal. You'll find a plethora of tours.

The Portugese wine industry is getting much better as they move away from Port into local varietals. There's some very nice wine out there at reasonable prices.

One good site for hotels is www.venere.com I use them because they have fair pricing on hotels, show where the hotel is on a map, and have actual reviews from people who've stayed at these hotels. Saved me grief many times.

crckwc1

I too have used venere.com with good results; however, I recommend checking their pricing against www.booking.com. Be sure to read the "fine print" -- what's included, what's not included. When you find a hotel you like, always check the hotel's own website to compare pricing further.

SloJan2

I second the recommendation for a small side trip to Madeira. The levadas are wonderful for hiking and the island itself is beautiful.

What time of year are you going?

I like the idea of Obidos, Marvão, Coimbra, Sintra and Evora. Lisbon, of course, should be included. The beaches of the Algarve are the most beautiful, but in July and August, they are full of Northern Europeans. I like the Algarve off season best. The hiking there is also wonderful.

The Alentejo is known for its red wine and there are many Portuguese varietals. Many tours leave from Lisbon. Esporão is the largest in the Alentejo and is in the SE of the region. There are many right around Evora that are open for visits. Cortes de Cima, J. Portugal Ramos, Quinta do Carmo, Casa Santa Vitoria, Herdade dos Pinheiros are all ood. Check out the book "The Wine and Food Lover´s uide to Portugal". It is a wealth of information on the country and lists the wineries.

If you do o to Madeira, please, please do a tour of the Madeira wines. It was one of the highlights of our trip. It wasn´t too touristy and it was delicious!!!

jamikins

We spent two weeks in Portugal over NYE in 2010/2011 and had a great time. We loved Sintra and Lisbon, Obidos Evora and Marvao were great as well. You can see our pics and trip report here:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...l-20102011.cfm