Go Back  Fodor's Travel Talk Forums > Destinations > Europe
Reload this Page >

Seville to Lisbon in 10 days - Zafra, Monsaraz, Evora, Sintra?

Seville to Lisbon in 10 days - Zafra, Monsaraz, Evora, Sintra?

Old Aug 28th, 2012, 08:26 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Seville to Lisbon in 10 days - Zafra, Monsaraz, Evora, Sintra?

After much indecision my family and I have decided to skip the Algarve coast/Sagres and travel directly north from Seville to Zafra, then head west to Lisbon. We have 10 days for this part of our trip.
The draft plan is:
- Day 1: Travel from Seville to Zafra (1 night)
- Day 2: Travel from Zafra to Monsaraz (1 night)
- Day 3/4: Travel from Monsaraz to Evora. Spend 2 nights and complete a day trip to Evoramonte & Estremoz
- Day 5/6/7: Travel from Evora to Sintra (3 nights): Visit Obidos & Cascais
- Day 8/9/10: Travel from Sintra to Lisbon & flights home.

Any other suggestions for how this could play out & key destinations that should be included/excluded?
deassube is offline  
Old Aug 29th, 2012, 10:11 AM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 8,827
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
If you want to include Óbidos in your itinerary, then I would drive from Évora directly to Óbidos for the night, then down to Lisbon (2 nights) and drop off the car. You can take the local commuter train out to Cascais and to Sintra.
Robert2533 is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2012, 12:21 AM
  #3  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: May 2012
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks Robert. That makes good sense.
deassube is offline  
Old Aug 30th, 2012, 07:04 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,181
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
The one change you might consider is the leg from Zafra to Monsaraz. It's 111 kms without any great stops on the way (I've been to Jerez de los Caballeros but wouldn't say it's a must see stop). Monsaraz is really a "one horse town." It is very tiny, picturesque, but really not much to see other than the bullring at the end of town, a street or two of white stucco houses and a castle wall. It's very pretty, though, so it may fit your idea of a great way to relax for a day.

But if it were me, I'd head from Zafra for 166 kms up to Marvao for the night. It's another castle town, but this castle provides a lot of opportunities for exploring and climbing. It's got a pretty cool cistern and a nice small museum. The town itself is still a town, not a city, but it's got a lot more going on than Monsaraz. And the view is equally spectacular.

The advantages of this alternative, IMO, are that (1) the drive from Zafra to Marvao is nicer than the drive to Monsaraz; it takes you through Elvas, which is a town worth a stop, as is Castelo de Vide closeby and (2) the drive from Marvao to Evora allows you to stop in Estremoz on the way to Evora. Evoramonte is essentially nothing more than a small castle to visit but it has a few interesting architectural features. That would mean you would arrive in Evora having already visited the things you had planned for a day trip, which means you can just spend extra time in Evora or take a different excursion (and like others, I'd suggest ARraiolos, especially a visit to the pousada and a coffee in its cafe or a walk through its grounds plus a trip through the rug-making streets of town). Other possible day trips from Evora would be pottery in Redondo or Sao Pedro de Corval (but beware, there is a LOT of junk in Sao Pedro) or maybe Beja and Serpa to the south.

Though I've been to Obidos several times and appreciate that it is very well preserved and picturesque, I wouldn't say it's a must see stop if you've already visited some of the other castle places. It is also, depending on time of year, extremely full of tourists, lots of day trips on buses from Lisbon.

Just my ideas. Laurie
lreynold1 is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
Waterloo12
Europe
3
May 2nd, 2019 10:28 AM
bjamie
Europe
6
Jan 16th, 2018 03:19 AM
utrechtman
Europe
23
May 6th, 2012 09:35 AM
pknaster
Europe
5
Feb 27th, 2011 11:20 AM
Susan Darby
Europe
6
Oct 24th, 2002 06:13 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -