xyz99

I did not want to hijack progol's post, even though there is a lot of overlapping in us planning similar trips. We had planned this trip in 2020, then 2021, and now, fingers crossed it might actually happen in March-April 2022. We have TAP vouchers, and I keep tinkering with the itinerary; I need to stop. We're looking for a mix of scenery, great views, architecture, history, good food, photography, nature walks, at a decent pace. We don't need to see everything, we always stop for a sit-down lunch and don't want to drive more than 2 - max 3 hrs each day. Here is what I have for now:

Days 1-3:Fly to Faro, get a transfer to Lagos, 3 nights in Lagos. Pick up car the next day and explore the area.
Day 4: Drive to Evora, 1 night there
Day 5-9: Drive to Lisbon, drop off car, 5 nights
Day 10-12: Train to Sintra, 3 nights. On day 12, pick up car, Cascais.
Day 13-15: I was thinking Obidos, but maybe Tomar? 3 nights. Definitely with a day trip to Batalha and Alcobaça.
Day 16-18: Coimbra (3 nights), with a stop to Conimbriga, and a day trip to Aveiro.
Day 19-22: Porto (drop off car), 4 nights, with a day trip (tour? private driver?) somewhere. Maybe Douro valley? The nature part of this trip is very light so I think I'd like this better than Guimaraes. Although, that one sounds wonderful too. Which one do you recommend?

In a different plan, we had Evora only as a quick stop between Lagos and Lisbon, but I think it deserves more time. The thing we cut was a day trip from Obidos to Peniche; I think the Peniche fortress would be a very nice photo opp, but is it worth it? Everybody talks about Evora, but not too many people mention Peniche.

Then the other dilemma: Obidos vs Tomar. I hear about how busy/touristy Obidos is, but usually these towns are very enjoyable after all the day trippers leave. If we stay in Tomar, we'd only have 2 days/3 nights there. One day for Tomar, one for Batalha and Alcobaça; no time to get to Obidos. If we stay in Obidos, we'll spend the 2 days the same way, but at least we'll get to see Obidos in the evening. So, which one to pick?

Hope you can help me with these decisions, I'm getting cautiously optimistic about this trip. It would be our first international one since before Covid.... Thanks.

Maribel

xyz99--Your time in the Alentejo seems short to me, but admittedly it's one of my 2 favorite areas but not in summer when it's beastly hot! Again I'm not an Obidos fan due to the tourists crowds and the ubiquitous trinket shops on the main street, especially during the day, and would consider it at most a short stop. We did enjoy Tomar very much. We stayed at the Hotel Dos Templarios but there are also rental apartments, Flattered to Be In Tomar, and a newer hotel, Thomas Boutique. Tomar is a real, atmospheric city while Obidos seems to me overrated and too tourist oriented, but it certainly has its many fans, so ignore this!. Here's a Portuguese resident, Julie Dawn Fox, and her take on Obidos. https://juliedawnfox.com/see-do-obidos-portugal/
Your time in Coimbra sounds fine. For the day excursion to Douro from Porto, it makes for a long day as it's 90 minutes there and back. The organized excursions from Porto tend to emphasize wine touring/sightseeing rather than hiking, which visitors tend to do on their own in the vineyards and around with an overnight or two in a quinta in the valley. I haven't been to Peniche. Just some thoughts.

Michael

I would say a minimum of two nights in Evora and take a day trip to Monsaraz and Estremoz:

https://flic.kr/p/2gqDZTF
https://flic.kr/p/2gpZrso
Just make room to visit the bone chapel in Evora:

https://flic.kr/p/7Rsj8x
Just I wrote a trip report on our travels from Lisbon to the Algarve via Evora and other sights in between. Click on my name to find my trip reports, if interested.

xyz99

Thanks Maribel and Michael for your input. Michael, l loved your TR and photos, I need to re-read it. Maribel, after reading Julie Dawn Fox's blog, the decision is even harder
Maybe...add 1 night to Evora and cut 1 night (the day trip) from Porto? I'm still torn about Tomar vs Obidos.
We have 3 weeks in Portugal, and I know it's more than a lot of other people get, and it's still not enough...

Maribel

We've spent a considerable amount of time in Alentejo over the years, and we find much to see and do there (megaliths, castles, wine estates, cork farms, historic towns-, the eagles' nests of Marvão (my favorite) and Monsaraz (where bullfights used to be held within the castle), overlooking Western Europe's largest dam/reservoir, the pretty spa town of Castelo da Vide in the Serra de São Mamede---but all of that may not hold as much interest to you--but that's just why it struck me that your time in Evora is short. We also like Estremoz (with castle-turned-Pousada) and the marble town of Vila Viçosa,

If you do decide on Obidos I would avoid the weekends and bank holidays.

xyz99

Maribel, good point about weekends. And as it happens, the days there would be on a weekend, so I think that makes the decision easier: we'll stay in Tomar for 3 nights instead of Obidos
So it looks like:
3n Lagos
2n Evora
5n Lisbon
3n Sintra
3n Tomar
3n Coimbra
3n Porto

The outlier here is Lagos, but the coast and scenery there look amazing, I don't think I can cut those days. Hopefully everything else will give us a good enough feel of Portugal and maybe we can go back some day. How does this itinerary look?

Maribel

xyz99,
Just a couple of questions first--
Is this the proposed order of your journey?
Where will you fly into? Lisbon? or Faro, the airport for the Algarve?
If you plan to fly into Lisbon, the drive south down to Lagos can take up to 3 hours. From Faro west to Lagos via the fast toll A22 will take an hour.
From what destination (US, UK, EU country?) are you flying into Portugal?

xyz99

This is the order of the trip. We're thinking to fly directly into Faro, via Lisbon (from East Coast US). Then get a transfer from Faro to Lagos, because I don't think driving after the long flight is a good idea. We'll get a car in Lagos the next day.
We have TAP vouchers, so we're limited to that airline, and the layover in Lisbon is 4 hours (longer than what we'd like).

Maribel

Thanks xyz99, That's what I suspected. I think your itinerary is fine. It's a very good idea to hire a transfer from Faro to Lagos then pick up your rental there.

xyz99

Thanks, Maribel. Wish we could add at least a few more days to this trip...

xyz99

We'll have time for a day trip around Evora, and there seem to be so many choices. I'd like to keep the driving down to 2 maybe 2 1/2 hrs, so what do you suggest, Monsaraz, Estremoz, Elvas, something else? I think we can see 2 out of 3 in a day, what do you think? Any recommendation for a cork farm visit? Thanks.

Maribel

xyz99,
The fortified hill town facing the Alqueva reservoir, Monsaraz, would be a one hour drive, one way from Evora. There are dolmens and cromlechs on the way, the Menhir da Bulhoa.

Maribel

For cork farms, look at
Corktrekking Tours in Alentejo - Getting personal with South Portugal

xyz99

Maribel, this is sooo cool. I think we will limit ourselves to one village, but allow time for a cork farm. I mean, how often do you get to see something like that???

Maribel

Sounds good!

If you're still set on the western Algarve, there are several companies that offer boat excursions from the Lagos pier to the rock formations and grottos of the Ponta da Piedade. Here's one
https://www.bluefleet.pt/en/experiences/

We didn't spend too much time in Lagos, although it has a nice historic quarter, because we were based west of town in a quinta between Lagos & Praia da Lux. So our explorations took us west, driving out to the windswept Cape of São Vicente and on to the Costa Vicentina for walking above the pristine (and almost deserted in early Nov) beaches--Amado, Bordeira, Arrifana, Monte Clérigo, Carrapateira and as far as the Alentejo coast border at Odexeixe. Some writers have called this "Europe's Empty Corner" and in Nov. we did have it relatively to ourselves, since the surf schools had closed up shop for the season. There were walkers, though, doing the Rota Vicentina "Fishermen's Way".
https://rotavicentina.com/en/
Thankfully there is zero ugly high rise development because it's protected by the Costa Vicentina National Park.

xyz99

Yes, still set on the Algarve, it looks amazing and I bet I will love photographing the coast. Thank you for the boat company link, there seem to be so many choices in the area, it's hard to figure out which one is a reputable one.
We will only have 2 full days in the area, so we need to be smart about spending them. As of now, I'm thinking:
- 1 day for Benagil cave, a boat ride in the area, hiking some of the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail, a stop at Praia dos Três Irmãos
- 1 day for the Lagos area, its beaches, a boat ride to Ponta da Piedade
I wish we had an extra day for the Cape of São Vicente area. But then again, I would like an extra day in Porto, and extra day to get to Marvao, and extra day or two for Guimaraes, and so on.
Do you suggest doing something else in the 2 days we have in the area?
I keep reading about dolphin boat rides in the area, is March a good time for dolphins?

Maribel

xyz99,
What you can comfortably do in two days would depend on where you plan to base. Will you spend both days based in Lagos?

This company does offer dolphin watching in March and beyond from Lagos with marine biologists on board.
https://sealife.pt/en/

We didn't get to Praia dos Três Irmãos since we concentrated on the western beaches of the Costa Vicentina and skipped the middle section around Portimão when we switched from the west coast to the east coast of Tavira.

xyz99

Yes, we'll be based in Lagos both days.
I wonder if we should get the rental car the day we get there, to maximize the time the next morning. And the rental car place in Lagos is only about 10 min drive from our hotel...

Maribel

I meant to add that we didn't have time for the 7 Hanging Valleys Trail (Percurso dos Sete Vales Suspensos), but I think hiking enthusiasts wouldn't want to miss it. The photos look incredible. It would have taken us slow pokes 6 hours or more to do the round-trip, but it was suggested just to do the section from Praia da Marinha to Benagil. If you have a sunny day, you may want to make it a priority so I would rent the car upon arrival so that you can maximize your time while Lagos based.

xyz99

Thanks. We'll probably only hike part of it, Praia da Marinha to Benagil, to allow time for the boat to see the caves (there's a 2.5 hrs boat from Portimao along the coast and it looks better than the short 15 min one, just to the cave + back). Getting the car the day we get there doesn't seem too bad, even for our jet lagged bodies.
I'm getting very excited about this trip 😄