Where to go in Portugal
 

My wife and I are planning to visit Portugal in September or October for a week. Originally we wanted to do the south thing, but are now open to all suggestions. we will only have a week and know we cant see the entire coutnry. We dont mind going to just one area and staying there. thanks for the help

Jaredleon, if you have only a week, make Lisbon or Cascais your basis and rent a car . This way you can visit Lisbon and make day trips to Sintra, Obidos, Evora (my tips, being Portuguese) and if you have time go to Fatima and Tomar (if you can make it to Tomar visit Castelo de Bode).
The south, Algarve,is only worth going to if you're looking for beaches. Otherwise stay in the center. You have highways and everything is very close to Lisbon.
If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Teresa

Tere, thanks for the suggestion. i think we would like to stay in the countryside at a smaller hotel/inn or 2 places. Coming from New York City we would rather not go to another "big" city at this point. any suggestions?

thanks again

You could base yourself in Sintra for a smaller town feel and day trip into Lisbon by train. With your car, you could easily get to Tomar, Obidos, Batalha, Alcobaca, and Fatima. As a second base, you could use Estremoz or Evora to also visit Monsaraz and Marvao. Marvao and Tomar were our favorite places in Portugal.
Pousadas provide wonderful accomodations. We found them (with only one exception) to be a great value for the money. We also stayed in smaller places--Casa Miradouro in Sintra and Monte dos Pensamentos in Estremoz and were happy with those. Both of those places are listed in Fodor's guidebooks as well as the internet.

While I don't disagree with the way your general direction of advice here is going, I do very much disagree that the south of Portugal esp. the Algarve is all about beaches.

Because the small villages immediately north of the beach have traditionally been poor, the history has not been put in a museum and catageorized, doesn' mean its not there right in front of you.The towns just beyond the beach strip are fascinating and deserve a second look.

For example, Monchique has a working open fireplace for the entire village, used to bake family breads to this day. Estoi has the ruins of a Roman bath from 500BC just sitting out in a open field. The Moorish architectural influence is strong and very beautiful. The seafood and hicken pir-piri of Goa is amazing and very cheap and the service throughout is friendly and charming.

A good detailed guidebook could tell you so much more, but don't discount the whole of the south b ecause Albufiera is overrun by beach hounds!

Have a good week, in any case, and try the sardines!

Jaredleon, pousadas are really the best place to stay while you're in Portugal.
Sorry but I have to disagree with LJ about Algarve. Monchique may be nice and some places like Tavira are very nice also but I was born and raised in Portugal, I'm 47 and I know my country very well.Be sure that there are really lovelier places in Portugal than in the Algarve . In a week you won't be able to see much and I think you'll miss the most beautiful Portuguese places , going north of Lisbon.
xxxx gave some extra good tips too. Anywhere you go, have a wonderful trip.

Just a note about weather - We stayed in the north for a few days in October and it rained a lot - a pity because the countryside is so scenic.

We then moved to the Alentejo, staying first at the Torrão Pousada (very, very nice, small, intimate and not anywhere near as stuffy as some), then at the Horta da Moura near Monsaraz - http://www.hortadamoura.pt/ - which was our favorite place in the whole country.

Depends on what you want I suppose - we found the Alentejo in October to be perfect for us - gorgeous open landscapes, wonderful medieval villages, empty roads, and a real sense the country. It was far from the tourist hype and congestion of Lisbon and the nearby coast.

Here's my 2 cents worth.
Since my wife and I are also from the NYC area we basically skipped Lisbon.
We headed stright for the countryside.
Sintra was flawless!
It's less than an hour from the airport and very charming. After finding a room we spent the day hiking all over those amazing Moorish ruins.
We had a fine time finding some quiet beaches down south. By the way, Tavira is a really nice town.
Some of the old walled towns, near the Spanish border are really incredible.
Marvao is one of the best! Do NOT miss it!! Obidos is nice but a bit touristy.
Go early, buy some pottery, eat, leave.
Nazare, though discovered, is pleasant.
Next time we'd skip the far north.
We had 12 days and did not want to leave. (3 spent in Spanish Andalucia)
Pete

We are not beach people. We stayed in Cascais in the hotel Baia overlooking the harbour, and took trains into Lisbon to see the sights there, and the car to Sintra and for a lovely day driving the Estoril coast.

Even if you want to avoid cities, at least go to Belem (west side of Lisbon) for a day because there are so many cool things to see there.

Tere - can I ask your advice on what to do for an afternoon tour in Lisbon? Short time I know but I'd like to do a tour and see the most interesting things. Any ideas most welcome?

Tere - can I ask your advice on what to do for an afternoon tour in Lisbon? Short time I know but I'd like to try and see the most interesting things. Any ideas most welcome?

Clbc,if you have only an afternoon in Lisbon you shouldn't miss Belem. Belem is from where our navigators left to discover other places and is full of historic monuments and interest. The Monastery of Jeronimos is a monument not to be missed, the Tower of Belem, monument in honor of navigators, are all there and many good museums. Also, there is the Cultural Centre of Lisbon ( CCB) , the best we have with cultural performances , painting and art exibitions.
It's very easy to go to Belem. If you are in Lisbon centre you catch the train in Cais do Sodre (you must take a train that stops in every station and these trains leave every 15 minutes) and 7 or 8 minutes laTER you arrive in Belem.A taxi from Lisbon center is also cheap. In Belem,
stop to have an afternoon cofee or tea in a coffee house called "Pasteis de Belem" and have at least one of the Pasteis de Belem (cakes).I'm sure you will love them!
Having just an afternoon in Lisbon that's what I would recommmend but if you have time go to the Castelo de Sao Jorge. It's a lovely castle in a typical portuguese place with the best view of Lisbon.
I hope you have an excellent time and feel free to ask anything else you may want to.

Teresa

Did any of you tavel around by public transportation rather than by rented car? Gardyloo and Pete1222, I'm especially interested in whether it might be possible to travel in the Alentejo or between some of the towns near the Spanish border by public transportation.