PORTUGAL HELP!
 

we have 7 nights to spend in portugal in the middle of May. we want to see sintra and lisbon, and then spend a few days in a more resort type of atmosphere. is it too cold for cascais/guincho/estoril in may? should we go to the algarve?

This is the fourth time you've posted threads with vague titles in all caps, with exclamation marks - THAILAND HONEYMOON HELP! SAMUI RESORTS!! BANGKOK HELP!! etc. etc.

Caps and exclamation points are meant to convey a sense of urgency and emergency that has arisen due to factors outside the person's control (e.g., one's hotel or airline has just cancelled on one at the last minute, i.e. two weeks before departure.) Is this the case here?

Hello there.

First, feel free to hop onboard the Lisbon thread:

THINGS TO DO IN AND AROUND LISBON - http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...hText=portugal

Many things you'll want to check out there. And feel free to post any ?s. I think your best bet if wanting to stay in Lisbon first is to forget the Algarve totally - perhaps not worth it just for a few days. Cascais and Estoril can be reached on a short scenic train journey and therefore you could stay in Lisbon for the whole time. Likewise Sintra. May should be warm in the late 70s mid 80s but who can really predict anything these days.

Matt

Thank you Matt. That is helpful. Sue, are you the website administrator? An English teacher? or just an obnoxious jerk?

Not at all, you'll see my email on the 2nd post or something so please feel free to email me if you wish.

Matt

We were on the beach south of Obidos in early May last year.
We could walk on the beach and there were some people swimming but it was too cold for us. It wasn't cold to walk around, but the water.
But as Matt says, who knows.

How about this itinerary--
3 nights in Lisbon (inc. day trip to Sintra)
2 nights in Cascais/Estoril
2 nights in Setubal or Palmela

or, would it better to stay 2 nights in Lisbon, 2 nights in Sintra, and 3 nights in either Cascais or the Setibal area?

Should it be me this is what I would do.

Stay in downtown Lisbon area - Baixa Chiado or similar thus to be in the centre of things. Then instead of staying in Cascais/estoril catch the train from Cais Do Sodre early in the morning and then return late in the evening thus maintaining the same hotel and not having to up sticks. Likewise the same with Sintra - an early train from Entrecampos and return in the evening.

You haven't said whether you will hire a car - if so then staying in Palmela would be good for you could visit Serra da Arribida, Sesimbra, Azeitão (esp good for the wine tour at Jo´se Maria Fonseca) - there is a nice Pousada in Palmela castle if you can afford it. However if you are not hiring a car I think you would find Palmela very limiting. For it will be difficult to get around. It would be better to catch the train to Evora (Unesco World Heritage Site) and stay in the Pousada there - spending a very nice 3 days in this beautiful north Alentejo town which has a much greater tourist centre than Palmela.

Evora is a much more beautiful location than Setubal which I find to be quite industrial but then I don't know it that well.

Matt

It's true that Sintra is a short train ride from Lisbon, but I think it's worth a few days stay. And there are some places of interest nearby that you can reach by car or bus tour.