Sintra or Estoril as Base?
 

We can't decide whether to use Estoril or Sintra as our base for 4 days while in Portugal. We want to see Lisbon but don't want to stay there. Which place would be easier to stay if we won't have a car?

Well Sintra is super easy to get to and from Lisbon. The trains run every 20 min or so, and drop you off right in the heart of downtown.

"We want to see Lisbon but don't want to stay there" Why is that? If you are just going to be there 4-days it might be better to be right in the heart of things. I recommend Residencial Estrela do Saldanha on Avda. de la Republica, 17. It's at the Duque de Avila exit of MetroLisboa Saldanha station. It's about 500m from the main bus station and you can get Lisbon buses from Plaza Saldanha to just about anywhere. Carlos Ferreira, co-owner / manager speaks pretty good English. You can contact him at [email protected] or do a google search - he has a web page.

You can get to Sintra or Estoril or Cascais by public transport (probably from Entre Campos - 2 stops from Saldanha on MetroLisboa)

I also don't understand why you don't want to stay in Lisboa. Why take the train(s) back and forth all the time? Lisboa is a very charming, beautiful city. But, if you have to pick between Estoril or Sintra, I would pick Sintra. Sintra is more scenic than Estoril, but it is hard to compare the two because Estoril is a beach town and Sintra is "woodsy." It is easy to reach Lisboa from both Estoril and Sintra by train. (The train to from Sintra to Lisboa is dangerous at night, however.)

I highly recommend the Britannia Hotel if you stay in Lisbon.
As to Estoril or Sintra, I much prefer the latter. It's a "sweet town" where the Pena Palace was the highlight of our trip to Portugal.
Either way, Lisbon or Sintra, you can't go wrong.

We used Sintra as our base. The train from Sintra was easy, although crowded at peak times.

Train from Estoril is just as easy as Sintra. If you like ocean views, I'd suggest Cascais, a charming town with an interesting market, neat shops, great restaurants, and a pleasant waterfront for walking if not for swimming.

We went to the tourist bureau and rented an apartment for 3 nights in Sintra. But I would not recommend using Sintra as a base to visit Lisbon. It's an hour train ride to Lisbon from Sintra and we would have rather stayed in Lisbon.