travelwithginger

Hello! My husband and I are planning a trip to Portugal for this year (late May to mid-June). We will be there for 14 days/13 nights. We don't mind driving when it makes sense to do so. We enjoy charming towns, history, architecture, beaches, beautiful views, and great food. I am trying to settle on an itinerary. It looks like the airfare will cost about the same whether we we choose to fly round trip to Lisbon or into Lisbon and out of Porto. The two cities that are on the top of our list are Lisbon and Lagos. I want to add a few more cities to stay in, for a minimum of 2 nights each. With all that being said, which itinerary do you think we would enjoy the best:
Flying into Lisbon and out of Porto-
A. .Lisbon 4 nights, Lagos 3, Evora 2, Coimbra or Nazare 2, and Porto 2
B. Lisbon 4 nights, Lagos 4, Nazare or Coimbra 2, and Porto 3
Flying round trip to Lisbon
C. arrive and head straight to Lagos(3 nights), Evora 2,Coimbra 2, Nazare 2, Lisbon 4
D. arrive and head straight to Lagos(4 nights), Evora 2, Coimbra 2, Nazare 2, Lisbon 3
Thank you for listening, and if you have any suggestions regarding any of these itineraries or a whole new one, I'd love your feedback.

aulop

Faro airport is the closest to Lagos ( about 1 hour), if your airline flies into Faro, you can start your Portugal trip there and travel in only one direction ( northbound) so you don't waste time backtracking.

Inside Lisbon and Porto a car is more of a hinderance ( better to use public transit) but it's a real plus to travel to all the other places you mention ( familiarise yourself with driving in Portugal - multi lane roundabouts, pedestrians that cross without warning, etc).

In your planning take travel time into account, between Porto and Lisbon is about 3 hours, between Porto and Faro about 6 hours, either by car or the fastest train.

Assuming this your first trip to Portugal and you're not returning, itinerary A gives you the best coverage of the country, if you're planning on returning than itinerary C ( visit the northern area in a future trip).

melaniemarques0936

I am based in Lagos and can help with a lot of info! Feel free to message me.

travelwithginger

Thank you for taking the time to answer my question and to offer those tips! Your response is so helpful.

travelwithginger

Thank you very much for your kind offer! I might reach out to you.

Michael

Presumably you want to do sightseeing on your way to your stops. For that reason I would not stay in Nazaré but inland. Most of what you would want to see is inland.




You might want to take a look at my trip report which covers that what you are planning. The suggestion that you fly directly to the Algarve is a good one.

Trip Report: Portugal, May-June 2019

travelwithginger

Michael, you are correct in your assumption that we would like to sightsee along the way. I really appreciate your suggestion about skipping Nazare and the other feedback you gave.. Those photos are wonderful, and I look forward to reading your trip report. Many thanks!

leifields

I would pick option B. I've been to Lisbon, Lagos and Porto. Porto is lovely and also has many options for day trips like the Douro Valley region and Guimaraes (1h15min by train), charming and historical town.
B. Lisbon 4 nights, Lagos 4, Nazare or Coimbra 2, and Porto 3

virginiafish

I would pick B. You may want to look at my trip report Wonderful Portugal