msmars

I will be going to Portugal in September - arriving in Lisbon on Sunday Sept 13 at 12:30 pm and departing Lisbon on Saturday Sept 26 at 1:00 pm. That gives me 12 1/2 days to explore. I just started to put together an itinerary and realized There is no way I can do everything from Porto and Douro Valley to Albufeira in Algarve and all that is in between.

I am looking for itinerary suggestions. I have read in several places not to bother with Algarve so I’m curious why? I would like to do a beach day if possible - I heard the weather is still warm that time of year. Are there any nice beaches near Lisbon? These are some of the places I was considering - Lisbon,Sintra,Batalha, Evora, Nazaré, Fátima, Alcobaça, Aveiro, Mata do Buçaco, Coimbra, Porto and Douro Valley. Is this possible or too much? What do you recommend ?
Thanks!

jpie

I think from most of the research and reading I have been doing here and other places that most people especially want to avoid the Algarve in the heavy tourist summer months when it seems like most of England goes there especially! I think the ambiance will be very different by mid-September. But I do think you are right that it will be hard to see everything on your list in the time you have. You don't say if you plan on renting a car or using public transport. But you might fool around on rome2rio.com and/or google maps as a start to get an idea of distances by either public transport or car and see which areas might be better to include or eliminate. You also might be able to be a bit more efficient by taking some day tours out of Porto or Lisbon to some of the surrounding areas that interest you.

Friends went to Comporta for the beach and loved it. It isn't too far from Lisbon but I don't think it is easy to get there without a car.

Maribel

For Comporta you would need a car. It's quite in vogue these days among designers, royals and celebrities and has been dubbed by travel writers the Portuguese Ibiza or St Tropez. Just a note that it has a quite serious mosquito problem at sunset, as it sits close to the rice fields, so you would need to take plenty of repellent.

The Algarve is not my favorite part of Portugal because much of it, especially the middle section, is simply quite overdeveloped, like the Costa del Sol.
It's famous for its golf, beaches and water sports. There are nice beaches near Lisbon, easily accessible by commuter rail in Estoril and Cascais. Also nice beaches in Ericeira, the surf Mecca, which for me is a nicer spot than Nazaré.

But it you do decide to include the Algarve, for the most beauty there and to avoid the overbuilt up area in the middle, I would stick to the western side, to the Lagos and further west, for the wonderful, expansive beaches of the Costa Vicentina and the dramatic, scenic cliffs above. We were in the Algarve last November when it was very quiet, but mid-September would be a pleasant time.

But again, I would personally rather spend my time in Lisbon, Sintra, Evora and all of the castle-rich, historic Alentejo towns like Estremoz and Elvas (plus blindingly white Moorish eagle nests villages of Monsaraz and Marvão), visit the monasteries of Batalha and Alcobaça rather than Obidos and Fátima, the Knights of the Templars' Convent of Christ in Tomar, pretty and prosperous Viseu, Porto, the stunning Douro Valley, the Minho cities of Braga, Guimarães and Viana Do Castelo. But of course, not in only 12 days! There's so much to see in Portugal!

You'll need to do considerable pruning but I'm sure you'll be able to do this with further research to see what most appeals to you.

As said above, you could also do several of these locations by day trips from Porto and Lisbon.

Michael

Just south of Lisbon, taking the ferry from Setúbal to cross the bay there are nice beaches bay side, and probably sea side. This is bay side, taken from the ferry:

https://flic.kr/p/2gvmceM
I would not go to the Algarve for beaches, but there are sights inland that are very worthwhile:

https://flic.kr/p/2grQVZW
I wrote two trip reports on travels in Portugal. Click on my name to find them.