Hi all,
Again I humbly request your experienced advice for my fall trip to Portugal and a touch of Northern Spain this year.
First of all brief history, my DH and I are in the 50+-60+ year age group. We are active and interested in most things. We love architecture,history,wine and food, ( if they are all at the same time even better!)
We have been to Spain a couple of times before and Portugal briefly, ( 5 days many moons ago.)
So we have seen some of the highlights of both.
I have the beginning and end of the trip mapped out but cant seem to complete the middle as the more I read, the more I want to see....
Here's what I have:
Arrive Porto October 5th mid-day
2 nights Porto
Depart Porto October 7th for Santiago de Compostela ( take all day to drive stopping in interesting places along the way.)
** Suggestions for stops enroute???
3/4 nights Santiago??
**How many nights do you think for this city and the environs?
I am thinking we make our way from there to Evora with stops in the Douro Valley, maybe Coimbra?
We will have until the 19th when we fly out of Lisbon
We have been to Lisbon but briefly so I would like 2/3 nights there before flight.
In general we prefer to stay in the same location as long as possible and take day trips like the spoke of a wheel. We really love the ability to go back to the same place for late afternoon libations and conversation with the locals. We find those connections are better if you hang out a few days.
I like to paint so I enjoy time to sketch and observe, wander and take lots of pictures.
Love charming villages, historic city centers and friendly people.
Seems like Portugal has all of those in spades!
I also am intrigued by the area around Merida and Careres in Western Spain. Seems like it might be possible to pop across the border to hit those spots as well???
As you can tell I really need some expert Fodors advisers!
Thank you in advance,
Kim

Was this too much info? Should i re-writes my questions?

I'm sorry I can't answer your questions, because I haven't been to these places yet. BUT take heart -- the Fodor's web-site was down for most of the night and day, so many people won't have seen your request yet. Check again tomorrow....

That is quite a schlep from Santiago to Evora.

Between Oporto and Santiago there are number of places we like including Braga and Viana do Castelo in Portugal and the Rías Baixas and Baina in Spain.

Sounds like you plan on making day trips from Lisbon. The most popular and easy day trip from Lisbon is Sintra. To get there, you’ll catch a train from Lisbon’s Rossio Station at Rossio Square in central Lisbon. See:
http://www.sintra-portugal.com/guide...to-Sintra.html

You noted you’d been to Lisbon before but didn’t offer details on what you saw last time. Don’t miss out on Lisbon itself.

Spend a good part of a day in Belém, visiting Monastary of Jerónimos,
http://www.mosteirojeronimos.pt/en/i...identificador=
Berardo Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (free admission):
http://en.museuberardo.pt
Belém Tower:
http://www.golisbon.com/sight-seeing/belem-tower.html
Many people also enjoy Belém’s Coaches Museum:
http://www.golisbon.com/sight-seeing...es-museum.html
And Pasteis de Belém, home to Lisbon’s famed custard tart:
http://pasteisdebelem.pt/en/
To get to Belém, take Tram #15 from Praça da Figueira or Praça do Comércio in central Lisbon.
http://lisbon-portugal-guide.com/lis...-15-route.html

Another Lisbon highlight is the historic Castelo de São Jorge:
http://castelodesaojorge.pt/en/
The views from this castle are wonderful.
Tram 28 goes close to it. Watch out for pickpockets on this touristy tram.

Many people enjoy the Gulbenkian Museum.
https://gulbenkian.pt/museu/en/
You can catch the metro, which is just a short distance from the museum.

Then there's the Tile Museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo):
http://www.golisbon.com/sight-seeing/tile-museum.html
You'll need to catch a taxi or a bus to this museum.

I enjoy the food stalls at Mercado da Ribeira:
http://www.lisbonlux.com/lisbon-shop...a-ribeira.html

Lisbon also has a great aquarium, but it’s some distance from the centre in the modern Parque das Nações:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisbon_Oceanarium
The metro goes close to the aquarium.

It’s also fun to just wander around Lisbon’s historic centre.

In Porto, I enjoyed a day cruise up the Douro River, a visit to the port lodges in Vila Nova da Gaia (especially Graham’s with great restaurant and views over the river and city), viewing the decorative tiles at São Bento train station, taking the Tram #1 (eléctrico) to Foz do Douro (at the mouth of the Douro River).

Porto's historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site so it's also fun to just wander this part of town. It's very hilly.

<i>Depart Porto October 7th for Santiago de Compostela ( take all day to drive stopping in interesting places along the way.)
** Suggestions for stops enroute???</i>

Braga; Valença; Tui; Cambados.

<i>I am thinking we make our way from there to Evora with stops in the Douro Valley, maybe Coimbra?</i>
Route suggetion:
Ourense- Chaves- Douro Valley
Douro Valley is much more than just wine.

Wow, thank you for your responses!
I have been to Lisbon only once 10+years ago and only for a couple days. We did see Sintra and while in Lisbon we visited a maritime museum, the castelo de São Jorge. We walked and walked but couldn't say where we were. I will give Lisbon more time on this trip.
Is 3 days enough???
In my reading I have become intrigued by the Alentejo area. Maybe I don't need to go all the way to Évora to experience the best of this region??
Thank you again,
It's such a pleasure to hear from all of you !

There is actually much that is very interesting in the regions you are visiting, and if you like to stop to sketch or reflect, you will really need to be selective. All of have our favorites -- I would pick Pontevedra over Braga, for instance, as a stop. I definitely like Tui, and there is also Guimaraes. If you at all have an interest in books and libraries, the library in Coimbra is a world class gem.

You are spending a very short time in Porto if you like one-of-kind towns.

I have taken all your advice to heart, here is a revised plan.
What do you think
3 nights Porto with day trip to Guimaraes
1 night Portevedra
3 nights Santiago de Compostela
2 nights Douro area stopping in Ourense
2 nights leave open for flexibility?? I figure mid October things aren't that crowded?
3 nights Lisbon

How does this look to all you experts on the area?
Recommendations for those cities would be great....
Thank you again,
Kim

1 night Portevedra; Why? It can be done as a day trip from SdC. just save a night unpacking and packing--time wasted checking in and out.
Working in the hotel trade I can assure you one night stands do not work.

I agree I don't normally do "one night stands" I just thought one night on the coast would be nice. I hear what you are saying and will add one night to SDC.
How does the rest of it look?

One-night stays can work perfectly well. Some people don't like them, but for those who are willing, they can be a great option.

3 nights Santiago de Compostela>

what are you going to do for 3 days there - pray - seems a bit too much - nice but not spectacular town with the famous pilgrimage church.

Maybe put a day more into Lisbon - day trip to Sintra and its fantastic castles.

Hi,

The name of the town is Pontevedra. It's not exactly on the coast, so if you want water views, you might consider that.

My travels Spain have taught me that what I enjoy most about a beautiful historic town is the hours between 5pm and 10pm. That is when the town is at its most lively, with Spaniards enjoying the plazas and the bars. Certainly that was my experience of Pontevedra, which is a beautiful small historic city, -- very attractive to look the buildings just in themselves -- but which is filed with amazing local life once twilling arrives, hundreds and hundreds of people of all ages you might not have suspected lived there if you arrived in the late morning and left after lunch. I also really enjoyed cafe hopping in the evening in Pontevedra. The food was varied and good.

I have traveled all my adult life and probably stayed in more hotels than anyone who ever ran one. I suppose one can always encounter a poorly run hotel desk that takes forever checking you in or out, but I very rarely do, if you pack the night before you go to bed, get up in the morning and leave, relocating to another town for a night is no different than walking to the train station without your suitcase and taking a day trip. And guess what? You won't waste time retracing your steps that day getting back to the same hotel. You're free not to worry about a train schedule, free to wander, free for the whole day -- and if you pack smartly, you don't have to "unpack" to get to bed that night.

Hope you get the point.

Pontevedra is on not on the coast. Look at a previous suggestion of mine; Cambados.
Pontevedra can get very smelly if the wind is in the wrong direction. The pulp factory is just on the river outside of the city.
This advice about one night stands.
It does not come from my personal experience, but from the many who have stayed here. If you want to boast about numbers as above I can because I have had more guests then they have stayed nights in a hotel!

10pm (22.00hrs) the bars and restaurants are just coming to life.

I don't think the above poster will accept any view of travel in Spain but their own, but in the parts of Spain where I have visited, including the area you plan to visit, Spaniards enjoy being outdoors in the city in the hours before the traditional dinner hour of 10pm. But even if that gets denied, it would only underscore that a day trip is not the best way to see a Spanish town or city unless you are only interested in the buildings or museums.

Regarding my having no difficulty whatsoever with one night hotel stays, I always suspected I might be a unique person. Maybe you are too.

I like to think I am unique@frencharmoire��
I agree my favorite thing about traveling in most cities I have been in is that very time of day. I can't think of anything I like more than sipping a glass of wine, sketching and watching the world go by....
I also really don't want to over plan this particular trip. That time of year do you think we will be ok doing some "winging it?" I would like to leave 4-5 days open to make adjustments to our itinerary if we fall in love with someplace or the wind blows us a certain direction....
We love to get a good map and take the roads less traveled sometimes.

That time of year do you think we will be ok doing some "winging it?" I would like to leave 4-5 days open to make adjustments to our itinerary if we fall in love with someplace or the wind blows us a certain direction...>

I have done it twice at that time of year and never a problem getting accommodations. so yes.

Thanks PalenQ, that's what I had suspected. Sometimes I get bogged down in over thinking it... Travel is about the journey right?

as you drive from duoro valley consdier lunch in Cambados (about 180 miles - 3 hrs) heard great things about A Fonte Do Vino #1 on TA great seafoodA Fonte Do Vino Plaza de Rodas | Plaza das Rodas, 3,