It’s all about perseverance. We’ve canceled (for the 3rd time) the trip to Portugal, but I’m planning it again for fall this year. And I’m adding a few more days, so we’ll have about 4 weeks now. I’m thinking October, is that a good month to go, or should we move it a little bit earlier?

As before, I’m looking for diverse experiences and sites, history, great views, photo opportunities, and because this is a longer trip, a somewhat relaxed pace. We don’t need to see everything everywhere, but soak in the atmosphere and enjoy the trip.

Here is what I’m thinking this time:

4 nights Lisbon - we’ll be jet lagged the first afternoon, so 3 full days with one in Belem

3 nights Tomar - we’ll pick up a car for this. First day in Tomar, then 1 in Obidos and 1 day in Batalha and Alcobaça.

3 nights in Coimbra - we’ll stop in Conimbriga on the way, 1 full day in Coimbra, and 1 day in Aveiro

4 nights in Porto - considering the short distance from Coimbra, this will give us 3 1/2 days in Porto. We’ll drop off car here, and plan for 2 1/2 days in Porto proper and 1 in Foz do Douro.

2 nights Douro Valley - we’ll get a car again, and this part is new. I’ll need to read older posts here to decide where to stay. Looking for nice views, opportunity for some walks, proximity to 1-2 other wineries to explore/taste, maybe a boat ride on the river.

2 nights Marvao - we’ll drive there via Monsanto, and then we’ll have a full day in Marvao.

3 nights Evora - we’ll spend the first 1/2 day in Evora proper, then 1 day trip to Monsaraz and 1 to Estremoz + Elvas

4 nights Algarve

4 nights Sintra, with a day trip to Cascais. We’ll drop off car when we get to Sintra.

How does this generally sound? Too much/too little in any place? Any change suggestions?

Any recommendation for an apartment in Porto with a washer/dryer? Alternatively, a Quinta with laundry facility? Thank you.

If you can manage to be in Estremoz on Saturday, there is a wonderful market.

Good to know, thanks. I love markets, and always try to include them if possible.
I need to check my older notes, I remember there are days when we should avoid being in Belem (Mondays?) and Sintra (weekends?).

Hi xyz99,
Early to mid October is a great time to be Portugal from our experience. In the Douro, it's quite busy in September in harvest season, as that's when all the wine touring companies descend on the valley, and lodging needs to be booked far in advance. Post harvest is when we go, when we make a fall trip, and we have one coming up at the beginning of October this year.

All that said, I would choose earlier in October for the Algarve rather than later in the month, as things begin to shut down in late October (surf schools close on the Costa Vicentina, and boat rides are very dependent on good weather----it can be rainy then), and overall options are more limited.

I like your itinerary. I was going to say that you don't necessarily need 2 nights in Marvão, but since you'll be visiting Monsanto, you'll have only 1 day for touring, so I think it's fine.

I need 3 nights in the Douro simply because it takes much longer than expected to move from one spot to another because of the curvy and slow going, narrow roads.

I would need at least 4 nights in Lisbon especially if it's my arrival point with jet lag (we just finished up our Lisbon 7-night stay with 3 additional nights in the Cascais-Sintra area, coming from Madrid with no jet lag). I find so much to see, but I'm an avid museum goer and explorer of this city. You might take a night away from Sintra, have just 3 nights, and add it to Lisbon. But others may feel differently.

As to Porto apartments, I have friends (a family) who've used Your Opo Apartments, most of which have washers. They receive a score of 9.3 on Booking.

https://www.booking.com/hotel/pt/you...otal&#tab-main.

As to quintas, the one where we've stayed has laundry service but not a washer/dryer for guests' personal use. You can add a "washing machine" filter to "room facilities" to a search on booking.com, but be very careful about the location of the quinta that has an apartment w/washing machine, as it may not have river views, may be far inland, may be as far down as Mesão Frio or may be way up a very "challenging" drive.

About Belém,
Most monuments-museums are closed on Mondays. That's when everyone heads to Sintra.
You may not be able to plan this, but the best days for Sintra are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. It also gets very crowded on weekends.

I agree with Nikki about the Estremoz market, especially if you like rustic pottery with naif patterns. The rustic pottery towns in Alentejo are Redondo (Olaria Pirraça) and São Pedro do Corval, with its main drag lined with olarias (pottery shops).

Just things for you to consider

Maribel,
Great advice, as always, thank you. I had a feeling you (and others too) would say that about Lisbon. I had my doubts too. I think 3 1/2 days would've been fine before, when Lisbon was not the first stop after the long flight. The jet lag will change that, so I think I'll add an extra day. We're not big museum goers, we prefer walking the streets and exploring a city's architecture, but Lisbon seems to have plenty to keep us busy for a few days.
Noted about timing. If we do last 2 weeks in Sept, first 2 weeks in Oct, that would put Douro Valley right around Oct 1st, and Algarve around Oct 7-8th. Is Lisbon too hot mid-Sept? We don't care about the beach in Algarve, but love the seascapes, rocks, we're planning some walks and boat rides, and just enjoy the scenery.
I'll add 1 more night in Douro.
If we can find an apt with washer/dryer, then we don't need laundry facility at the quinta. Or the other way around. We just need a way to wash some clothes mid-trip, so we don't have to pack a lot.

xyz99,
Lisbon can be quite warm still in September. When we were there last week it was "shorts" weather, sunny and in the mid-sixties during the day, although we had one day of cooler temps with some intermittent showers.

I think it's easier to find the washing facilities in an apartment in Porto rather than at a quinta.

Hmmm...."They" say: The average temperature still reaches a high of 26°C (that's about 79°F), and never dips any lower than 17°C (about 63°F). That average is a little bit too much. What if we do the loop differently: start in Sintra - Algarve - Evora - Monsanto - Douro Valley - Porto - Coimbra - Tomar - Lisbon? By mid Oct, temps in Lisbon should be cooler, what do you think?

I think that’s better, xyz

Hi!

Sorry, but this made me laugh!

"4 nights in Porto - considering the short distance from Coimbra, this will give us 3 1/2 days in Porto. We’ll drop off car here, and plan for 2 1/2 days in Porto proper and 1 in Foz do Douro."

LOL...Okay.....what did I say that was so funny?

Shuffle, shuffle....thanks.

Sorry, xyz.

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! It's just that name does not exist here. We have (coming from the city center) Ribeira, Restauração, Arrábida, Calém, Passeio Alegre, Foz.

There's not a place called Foz do Douro, and I cannot imagine what someone would do there if it existed.

But, well, there is a river, and there is an ocean, and a place where the two meet, and perhaps this is it.

You can have great pictures, and visit the lighthoue... maybe... usually the waves are big.

YES! That's the place, where the river meets the ocean....let me check that google map again.....you need to laugh at Google, they call it Foz de Douro, are we talking about the same place?

Yes, I'm laughing at google. I hope goole has a lot to do and visit there, where they call Foz do Douro, worth a day long.

That's so funny 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Now, on a serious note: any recommendation of a nice place to stay in or around Monsanto? With the new loop direction, we'd be coming from Evora, visit Marvao and end up in Monsanto for the night. We'll leisurely visit the town the following day. So we need a place for 2 nights. Not a self catering, but a place with a nice breakfast. For some reason, that's important to us when we travel. Cereal or oatmeal every day is perfectly ok at home, but not on vacation. Thanks.

I am happy to hear that you are spending 5 nights in Lisbon instead of 4 nights, especially since you will be experiencing jetlag when you arrive. And you do say you want to take things slowly. We spent 5 nights in Lisbon and that included a day trip to Sintra, and I always wished we had an extra night. Lisbon does have some amazing museums but I see that you are not interested in museums. If you change your mind about museums, I can highly recommend the Gulbenkian and the Coach Museum. And there are lots of interesting neighborhoods to explore and miradouros (viewpoints) where you can sit, enjoy a drink, and the lovely scenery. And small churches to visit.

Oh, I just noticed that you might change the order of your trip because of temps. Still, I would spend 5 nights in Lisbon. You won't be bored. Sounds like an awesome trip!!! I hope I can return to Portugal some day to see the rest of the country!

KarenWoo,
Yes, the order changed, and we'll have 4 1/2 days in Lisbon at the end of the trip. The flight back is at 11 pm, so yes...I'm counting that day too. Sintra is separate.
We are not huge museums goers, but we do visit some, and the 2 that you mentioned (Gulbenkian and the Coach Museum) are already on the list. Those, plus miradouros, plus stops to enjoy a drink, plus churches, big and small, there is a lot to keep us busy. I'm a lot happier with this extended itinerary, I feel we'll get a better sense of the place and its people.

xyz99,
The Coach Museum in Belém is delightful and interesting for all, I think. The Gulbenkian is the most wonderful former private collection I've ever seen and such an "easy see" in about 2 hours, with every piece displayed just exquisite. I would add another: the Tile Museum, not only for its beautiful display of Portuguese tiles but also for its chapel, dripping with gold and quite beautiful.

Monsanto--how about the Monsanto GeoHotel Escola? Booking.com guests rate its breakfast as "fabulous".
https://www.monsantoghe.com.

Old Stone Flats in Porto (their Ribera location) have washer/dryers.

https://oldstoneflats.com/book-now-ribeira/

i have stayed there many times. Always best to book direct.

why don’t you stay in Porto four nights and visit ‘where the river meets the ocean’ from there?

Unless there’s a specific lodging in Foz where you want to spend 1 night you can reach Foz easily by double decker bus 500 from Porto or the rickety privately run tram 1 that takes you only to the Jardim Passeio Alegre, where you. can walk up to the beaches, Praia da Luz etc. We have stayed in Foz several times at Casa las Naranjas and have a rental there in October only because we like to be near the ocean and our favorite hang outs are there. Uber can also get you to Foz cheaply.