Bimal456

we are embarking on Portugal/Spain trip in Mid December for 18 days and thinking of spending about half the time in Portugal. Please help us with suggestions about following tentative itinerary for Portugal. We are a couple in mid 60's and not much into adventure etc. We are not beach people also. We are interested in history and places etc. Below is what I am thinking:
Dec 14 :arrive in Lisbon, half a day for sight seeing Lisbon
15: Lisbon
16: Lisbon
17,18 : Day trips from Lisbon. (which ones? Sintra is one for sure, what else can we pick? Evora? Coimbra? Obidos? or something else?)
19: Train to Porto, half day Porto
20: Porto
21: Porto Or Day Trip?
22: Fly to Granada Spain

TPAYT

We chose “Inside Lisbon” for a tour company. No more than 8 people in a small van.

We did the Sintra, first tour listed.
Sintra was very touristy and crowded
Pena Palace was great….our driver got us there early before the huge crowds arrived.
La Roca on the coast was beautiful
Our favorite was Cascias. What a nice town. We could see ourselves staying there some day.

https://insidelisbon.com/?gclid=EAIa...SAAEgLFN_D_BwE

maitaitom

With that schedule I would do Lisbon and Porto (our favorite place we visited) with no side trips. Both are wonderful places to visit. If you did one side trip, I would do Sintra, Below link is my 2022 trip report covering 21 days in Portugal. This could give you some ideas.

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

Photo of Porto from Gaia.

mlgb

i would recommend an overnight in Sintra instead of a day trip. Lets you get into sights early before the crowds. No reason to do a tour for Sintra, the train is very easy and is a commuter line so runs frequently. BTW there is a senior discount if you buy direct at the train station (show your passport). You can also taxi or Uber there (not that far, really) probably just as cost and time effective for two people as the train and then a taxi from the station if your hotel isn't very close. I stayed at Casa da Pendoa which is on booking.com now (the ownership and management has changed since my stay).

You can use a taxi or Uber as well inside Sintra (you don't want a car) or take the public shuttle buses. I would look at some of the Fodors trip reports from independent travelers.

Good website for trip planning Sintra
https://www.sintra-portugal.com/index.html

victoriainwanderland

I personally move very quickly when I travel so your timing in each place seems fine to me though if you prefer to see things at a more leisurely pace, you may find you are missing out on things.

A few other things I would note:
1. In Lisbon you can save a lot of time and walking up hill by catching free escalators and elevators - on Rua da Vitoria, on one end is the Elevador do Castelo (a free lift which, if you then walk around to find the free lift in the Pingo Doce supermarket on the street behind it, will take you up near the entrance to the Castle of St George in Alfama) and on the other end is the Baixa-Chiado Metro Station (which has free escalators up to the Barrio Alto neighbourhood) - these will help you cut down on time getting around.

2. Sintra is do-able as a day trip but an overnight stay may be better just because there is a lot to see and many people as equally interested as you. I did an overnight stay and this allowed us to get to Pena Palace at the opening time and beat the crowds from Lisbon who were pouring in by 10am. Highly recommend the tourist bus that takes you on the loop to the main sites as Pena Palace and the Castle of the Moors in particular are far from town - on the map it doesn't look far but by foot it is a nightmare 45min steep walk up a one way twisting road.

3. From Porto, I would highly recommend a day trip to the Douro Valley - we did a guided tour to try the locally grown port wines (which included a cruise on the Douro River) and it was one of the best things we did in Portugal!

Bimal456

Thank you all. The only thing about doing Sintra overnight is we are averse to frequent packing and unpacking, so we decided for the trip of this duration (18 days) we will have no more than 4 chekins, 2 for each country. But we can still think about it if it makes sense. Will the crowds be any less in December than the peak season? Also, we are non drinkers, so does it make sense to take Douro valley tour or is there any other day tour we can take? Thanks a lot.

maitaitom

Also, we are non drinkers, so does it make sense to take Douro valley tour or is there any other day tour we can take?

I would then say no to a Douro Valley tour. There's plenty to do in Porto without having to take a tour.

Maribel

Another no to a Douro Valley tour if you're non drinkers. The Douro is all about the wines/ports.