Very excited for first trip to Portugal: 7 nights
 

We are excited to see Portugal for the first time, in late August. We have booked airfare into Lisbon, then we will travel to London from there. We are in our early 60s, like to walk as much as possible, want to stay in one place for at least 3 or 4 nights (no less).

So, first question is: stay in Lisbon the entire 7 nights, and take day-trips from there? Or would we miss seeing an outstanding town or site, by doing that?

If so, we could stay in Lisbon 3-4 nights, and another place 3-4 nights. What do you think? We are not hectic travelers. We prefer to take our time to explore.

I already booked the Hotel Avenida Palace in Lisbon for 7 nights, taking advantage of a special deal, but we can cancel or change without penalty. This hotel seems to be in a good location for exploring Lisbon? It has very good reviews.

The Sheraton Lisboa has their special 40 euro offer available for two nights. But reviewers say it is in a business district and not very lively with restaurants, etc?

Also, we would prefer to use public transit, and are wondering if that will serve us well. or do we need a car?

We have not yet booked transportation from Lisbon to London, but we plan on flying.

Thank you for recommending your favorite sites in Portugal!

The food is specatular, especially the bread. The people may seem a little morose but they are very kind.

While in Lisboa be sure to take the train to Sintra. I am the furthest thing from a romantic, but there is a true storybook quality about that town.

If it is on the menu try the espada, the ugliest fish in the world.

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...IISQ8wSN0Mz_DA

Have a great time.

Visit Sintra and stroll Cascais. get to Belem, too. It would be comfortable to be at same place for 7 days IMO, but as I said earlier, I am not an expert.

I think Evora would be an easy do-it-yourself by train / bus from Lisbon. Also there are companies that do a day tour to I think Fatime and Obpios (something like that). We are going to Portugal in May and we will be spending 5 nights in Cascais and doing Lisbon and Sintra from there. We had planned to stay in Lisbon for the 5 nights so I had investigated day trips from there - I am sure there is plenty for a 5 day stay in the area.

I would split between Lisbon & Porto (3 hrs by train or bus). You can always fly to London from there. You don't need a car (presently combined metro/tram/bus/lift day pass is 5 euros). Sintra is 2 euros o/w from Rossio (40 min). I was skeptical about Porto but now prefer it to Lisbon.

I would also split between Lisbon and Porto. From Lisbon you can make an easy daytrip to Sintra (although Sintra deserves more than one day).
We ourselves did it the other way: we stayed in Sintra for 5 nights and daytripped to Lisbon. So glad we did, 'cause we found Lisbon to be very hectic. Much preferred Porto over Lisbon. Stayed in Porto for 3 nights.

I personally would not split my time between Lisbon and Porto for a first trip. But this is your trip. I could easily spend the whole time staying in Lisbon but I understand wanting to see more of the country.
There is so much to see in and around Lisbon....Belem, Sintra in and of themselves will burn three days easily.
If you want to venture outside of Lisbon I would either go toward Evora and the Alentejo. Or I would head toward Obidos and the coast which will be a lot cooler in August, believe me.And a car for part of the trip would give you a lot of flexibilty to explore outside of the city.
But whatever you decide maybe you might want to meet up for a Lisbon GTG. We will be there at that time too.

Dear Sir/Madam,

Thank you very much for choosing the Avenida Palace, hope you have an enjoyable stay. Let us know if there is anything we can do for you.
Sincerely Yours
Pedro Costa

Lisbon is a great city, but 7 days might be too much in one place. Evora would be a great destination for a few nights, since it's just big enough to not get bored, and the surrounding countryside has lots to see. I would recommend renting a car for this part of your trip - driving in the flat, uncrowded countryside near Evora is very easy, and you can explore pre-historic ruins, sleepy little villages and spectacular hill towns near the Spanish border. Just realize that central Portugal gets very hot in the summer. Another nice spot for an overnight (especially if it's hot!) might be Sesimbra, a small fishing village/resort town with a great beach just an hour south of Lisbon.

Thank you, everyone!

(Wow, I am surprised that the Avenida Palace found this thread. Maybe they can comp me a night or two for advertising for them! haha)

I think we might have to cut one night from Portugal, having 6 instead of 7. Still looking for conference and hotel confirmations in London, so I'm not sure yet.

DH loves trains, so I think we will avoid getting a car. We are most interested in seaside towns and seeing interesting spots near the ocean. We prefer not to have to pack/unpack, move hotels, etc., as that always seems like a huge chunk of vacation time wasted.

We are not opposed to day-tripping by train to a destination up to two hours away, if we can get there and back in one day.

I will check out flights from Porto, though, just in case.

More suggestions?

The train system is pretty good (and good time keeping) I'd take trips out to Evora and Faro. Many people would say Faro in August (you must be mad) but you get to see lots of interesting things on the journey and the station is right on the sea. You step out into what looks like a little rough area, but the actual town centre is good and there are some good local restaurants/shops as summer/beach tourists tend not to come into Faro.

No real need for a car for the whole trip.

Lisbo to Porto is a good train journey and if you have an interest in Port wine then worth a trip. Porto is nice in a slightly de-sheveled way but it is a long journey.

I have a bunch of links at http://www.mybikeguide.co.uk/Algarve_Guide.php which might prove useful

Sintra is the best. Rent and car and travel the cost.

Thank you for the advertising, unfortunately the comp night is not possible but if there’s anything else…
Jill is right, visiting Sintra is very important, and by car you can do the all coast, through Guincho, Cascais and Estoril, in this area without a car you will miss a lot.

Best regards

Pedro Costa

Sintra is easily accessible by train. We also loved the town of Cascais which was once Portugese royal retreat. The waterfront area of Lisboa was redeveloped for the 1998 World Expo and has many attractions (the Oceanarium, the cable car, the entire water front development). We spent 2 weeks traveling Lisboa and Southern Portugal by rented motorhome and fell in love with the area. The people are friendly, kind and generous with their time. If you have the transportation, I highly recommend getting off the beaten path in the South. That being said, be aware that many of the tourist areas are dominated by Sun-seeking retirees from the UK and the Netherlands (I am sooooo envious!).

I agree with Pedro. Rent a car for the Sintra & neighbouring seaside resorts part. Getting to Sintra from Lisbon by train is easy but once in Sintra station you will have to take a bus to get to the centre. If you could rent a car over there, it would be very easy to get into the city and to the beaches.

On the other hand, the most beautiful beaches (IMO) are in the south of Portugal: Algarve. Many places are overrun by sometimes loud tourists but you can easily avoid these places (such as Albufeira, Praia da Rocha, Lagos) by staying in the fairly unspoilt eastern Algarve. Tavira - close to the Spanish border - is so pretty and authentic. And the beaches - which are in fact islands - are long stretches of the finest white sand.
Another two months before we'll be there again ...

Hi,

I traveled to Portugal years ago and we did Lisbon & Lagos. We took a bus directly from Lisbon to Lagos. It was a few hours (maybe four?) but it was worth it. Lagos was a beautiful place. I have heard Porto is like that too. People were extremely friendly, food was great, and it was very relaxed. We were able to take a boat ride with one of the locals that took the little motor boat through the caves there and it was great. We also did parasailing which was very fun. I would definitely check it out if you are looking to combine the Lisbon sightseeing with something a little more relaxing too! Enjoy.

Thank you, all! We are not sun-seekers, and I particularly do not enjoy hot weather. So maybe we should head north, not south of Lisbon?

Anyone care to suggest a daily itinerary for us, based in Lisbon, using public transit to see towns and sites on the coast, north of Lisbon?

North of Lisbon will be as hot as South of Lisbon, you are going in the hot season. If it gets really hot you will soon understand
1) why the day should be broken into 8-12 and 4-8 with a sleep in the middle
2) why town squares have a good restaurant on the shady side.

Have you found http://www.cp.pt/cp/displayPage.do?v...c0RCRD&lang=en

yet. A very useful planning tool with a good english section.

In August I would certainly avoid the Algarve, it will not only be hot but crowded.

If you only have six nights (five days) I would just stay in Lisbon. I spent seven nights there in 2008 - see http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ing-lisbon.cfm - and went back for more last year.

With seven nights (six days) you could consider taking the train to Porto. With longer I would explore the Duoro valley from Porto, but you don't have time. Instead, you could cnsider a day trip to Evora from Lisbon.

You don't need a car. You can get a day pass for all the transport to and around the Sintra/Cascais/Estoril area. You don't need to go to Porto to taste port - visit the Solar do Vinho do Porto in Lisbon.

The Avenida Palace is in an excellent location. It is close to the place I stay (Residencial Florescente), close to the Rossio station (for Sintra etc), the metro, the funicular, the elevador and bus and tram routes.

Great suggestions. Thanks again! I will read your travel report and check that link.

The more I find out about Portugal, the more I look forward to this trip!

Any more day-trips with transport tips are most helpful.

This website is FULL of fun info!

www.lisbonlux.com

http://www.lisbonlux.com/magazine/th...fes-in-lisbon/

These two reports were most helpful to plan my trip few years ago - hope they might help you with your planning also:
THINGS TO DO IN AND AROUND LISBON
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...und-lisbon.cfm
The Lisbon Dining Club
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ining-club.cfm

I loved Sintra and think it deserves more then a day trip.

If you are interested in art at all, see the Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon. It is just the right size, with a cafe, and a "shopping list" of great works from Egypt, Greece, Rome, Turkish empire, & Europe. You can see it in a few hours without any "museum fatigue". From our hotel downtown, it was a few euros cab fare each way.

Day trips: Obidos, Evora, Sintra,Cascais.
We spent ten days in Lisbon and went to Sintra and Cascais as day trips, stayed overnight in Evora and Obiidos after Lisbon but could do them as day trips too. Loved Evora.
We enjoyed driving north towards Porto and ur stay there, but with so little time, concentrate on Lisbon and environs.

Stay in and around Lisbon would be my suggestion. With seven days, a day in Sintra, one in Obidos(h), and spend some time in suburban Belem. Lisbon itself will keep you busily interested. The Avenida Palace is full of intriguing history...a den of Axis and Allied spies during WWII. We stayed next doot at the VIP Eden, all close to Rossio Square and the train station, the tram up to Bairo Alto, and walk most everywhere in town. Street tram to Belem, same for the castle Sao Jorge...(if you can make train reservatons for Obdidos(h) you can avoid renting a car).

Lisbon and the surrounding area is great to explore and I thoroughly enjoyed my trip there 2 years ago.

lreynolds is a wealth of info and was most helpful to me in my planning:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-of-lisbon.cfm

http://picasaweb.google.com/stuarttower/Portugal2008#

Peace Out , these pics may give you an armchair feel for the city, Sintra and Obidos(h), among other locations...such as Evora, Nazare', Cascais, Marvao, etc.

Thank you all so much. I will look at those resources. Am out of town on a mini-vaca now with my sis, so haven't been checking this thread or responding.

We spent four nights in Lisbon and three in Porto and felt that the timing was just about right for a first trip. If the place is worth visiting, you never want to do everything in one trip - at least we don't.

Avenida Palace is a spectacular hotel, you cannot possibly be disappointed.

Wine in Portugal is outstanding; it's a shame that, other than Port, it doesn't travel well. I think you'll have a great time whatever you decide. I didn't want to go at all and I'm really happy that we did despite some unfortunate travel problems.

Stu Tower: great photos! we were in Portugal about a year and a half ago and your shots brought back some great memories. Thanks for posting the link. We stayed in the same inn in Obidos (I think at least partly based on your recommendation) and really enjoyed our couple of days in that town. This forum is a wonderful source of information, isn't it!
Regards,
Gail

Great photos, Stu!

PeaceOut et al:

Wanna quick glimpse of the <b>Avenida Palace-of-Intrique</b>
in 1940? Here 'tis!

https://picasaweb.google.com/stuartt...92316827366162

Thanks! Very cool.

I am so glad I chose Lisbon to visit. It looks wonderful.

I think we will stay put in Lisbon for 7 nights. The hotel looks awesome and I got a good price w/breakfast and free wifi. We don't usually spring for a 5-star hotel, so I want to enjoy it!

Love the walking tour info. But it was deleted by editors? Maybe it was an ad? I hadn't had time to read it through.

tower, great peek of the Avenida Palace in the 40’s, thanks a lot!
PeaceOut, hope you enjoy your stay, let us know if there is anything we can do to make your stay ebven more memorable.
Best regards
Pedro Costa

".....let us know if there is anything we can do to make your stay ebven more memorable.
Best regards
Pedro Costa"...

I could think of a couple things! he he he

you go first Lina..then I'll see if I can top your request!

I am totally confident that Avenida Palace will make this trip as memorable as they can.

bookmarking -- thanks

I think Pedro Costa will be looking out for lincasanova and tower!! haha

As you may remember, PO, we have done Portugal at least 7 times, usually as part and parcel of the beginning or ending of a cruise. My thoughts would be, for a first visit, do not spend it all in Lisbon, but if you do, the train system is excellent and you could do a day in Cascais, or Obidos, forget Sintra, and if you get going early, you could center in Porto and see some of the north country; fabulous mountain/grape country--or favorite little villages. If you are interested, I can recomment a favorite little guest house, high on a mountain that has been there for 400 years, Full of antiques, wonderful hosts and history. If you have the time, keep going north from there to Viana Do Costello and stay at the Posada there....incredible.!!

If you like beaches and lots of tourists, go sounth to the Algarve. The coasts of Portugal are incredible.

in Cascais we stayed in the Albatross, the one on the beach in the city of Cascais, and it is magnificant..(There are several with the name "Albatros" so be sure to identify.

Also may read some of my trip reports of Portugal to get a sense of how it seemed to me.

Have a great time...We will probably be in Portugal in November and are trying to think of a part of that country we haven't seen. They have very good roads, good sinage, and many folks speak English, lots of history and variety in the terrain--rivers, mountains, beaches...

Me, I am not a city person, so we have left Lisbon as soon as possible...but I am sure there is much to see and do there.