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.