Hi All,

My friend and I just booked R/T air in and out of Lisbon for very late July. We are in our 50’s, very fit and well traveled, and will have 8 full days on the ground. Looking for some help (we just bought our guidebooks yesterday) given the very tight timing and expected difficulty in getting reservations. We always like to cover the “must-sees” though also generally prefer charming villages with cobblestone streets, beautiful castles and /or ruins where we can climb around, beautiful scenery and upscale shopping (independent boutiques rather than Gucci, etc). We also prefer upscale accommodations - Superior First Class or higher.

Here is the very tentative itinerary we have so far:

Wed night - fly out, arrive Thurs 5:30 AM in Lisbon
Thurs - settle in, move around in a trance, pass out, sleep Lisbon
Fri - Tour Lisbon, sleep Lisbon
Sat - Tour Lisbon, sleep Lisbon
Sun - Tour Lisbon (or day trip if already covered most of what we want to see), sleep Lisbon
Mon - Drive Sintra, early morning, tour Sintra, sleep Sintra (since it’s Mon, will everything be open?)
Tues - Tour more Sintra in the AM, go to next destination (north to Porto and surrounding area or south to Algarve?)
Wed - Porto or Algarve?
Thurs - Porto or Algarve?
Fri - Porto or Algarve? Drive Lisbon in PM, sleep Lisbon
Sat - Depart Lisbon Noon

Questions -

We’ve heard the Algarve is very nice (particularly Lagos), but we think 3 days is a lot of time to spend there since we’d probably only spend a few hours at the beach on one of the days. If there are charming spots around (fishing villages, beautiful scenery and some other sites), and other things to do, we would like this option. If so, what town would be a good place to base ourselves?

Instead of the Algarve, should we head north to Porto and visit some of the towns near there, including one day in the Douro Valley? And base ourselves in Porto for the full time? If we choose to go to Porto, perhaps we can change our flight home from Lisbon to Porto so we don’t have to backtrack, though not sure we will be able to do this for a reasonable cost.

I assume we will want to rent a car . . . Would we do this on Sunday or Monday and keep for the remainder of the trip?

All suggestions are greatly appreciated - thanks!

By the way, we are not big wine drinkers.

I'm a great fan of Porto, but haven't been to the Algarve and so can't compare. IMO, 3 days is just about perfect for Porto.

You might consider re-ordering your trip: Go straight from Lisbon to Porto by train. That would let you put all your time in Lisbon at the end. When you are ready to leave Porto, you can either pick up a rental car or take a train to Sintra. I think the train would route through Lisbon, but note that a car can be a real disadvantage in Sintra. FWIW, I was glad to have two days in Sintra. Easy transit back to Lisbon for your time there....

Hope that helps!

I'm also a great fan of Porto but not so much of the Algarve. I do know the Algarve and have based in both Lagos in the west and Tavira in the east, purposely skipping the overbuilt middle, around the party scene of Albufeira, and skipping the luxury golf, spa resorts of Vita Vila Parc, Pine Cliffs, etc. There is so much of more scenic beauty elsewhere, imo. And scenic fishing villages one can find elsewhere. Spend a day, for example, out in Matosinhos from Porto on the 500 double decker bus. Have a very nice seafood meal there at one of the noted marisqueiras.
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But..in our case, we're not avid golfers or surfers (the Costa Vicentina has great cliff walks and is a surfing Mecca) or much for spending our days at the beaches.

The Algarve is all about golf, water sports, beaches, sun (much appreciated by Northern Europeans and Canadians in the winter) and just relaxation not monument touring. The very upscale lodging will be at a premium (and expensive) in July/August. You should have more options in Lisbon and Portugal, as there has been a recent hotel boom in both.

The Algarve has few important historic monuments compared to the richness and history that you'll find in the rest of Portugal. And the scenery, at least for me, not as stunning as in the rest of the country, especially in the north. We certainly take far fewer photographs there than in Lisbon, Coimbra, Alentejo, Porto, the Minho, the Douro, etc.

I would consider for you, skipping the Algarve, as kja suggests, especially if you had planned only one beach day, plus the Atlantic waters can be cold- water temperature in Lagos today, 19.4 C.
Instead, you could take the high speed Alfa Pendular or IC train straight to Porto upon arrival at Lisbon airport.

As kja notes, to maximize your time, you could take the train upon arrival at Lisbon airport from Oriente station (2 metro stops from the airport or a short taxi ride), spend your time enjoying the delights of Porto---many fine TRs here to attest to its delights, most recently from yk and other posters---do an advance search for great Trip Reports with gorgeous photos featuring Lisbon, Porto & Sintra.

As for Porto, you may simply want to stay in the city as there is so much to see and do on both sides of the river, in Porto and in Vila Nova de Gaia or enjoy a "beach walking" day out along the beautiful promenade in upscale Foz, where the Douro meets the Atlantic (see yk's report).

In this scenario you will not need a car at all, and you certainly don't want one in Porto or in Sintra.

Then you could put Lisbon at the end, returning from Porto's Campanhā station via the Alfa Pendular (only 2 hrs. 42 min.) or the IC (3 hrs. 7 min.) to Oriente station to transfer to the train directly to Sintra (47 min) for an overnight.
See the rail timetables at cp.pt.

Many Fodorites have enjoyed 2 full days in Sintra simply because it will be so very crowded in July you may find you need that time to tour the monuments properly. Sintra will be very packed with tourists, its problem these days with over tourism.

Please do not attempt to rent a car to go to Sintra! Vehicular traffic (other than residents and some hotel guests) is prohibited in the historic quarter, there is no parking in the Pena Parque hill for visitors and in town very limited parking that gets taken up quickly around the train station. Driving in Sintra is a MAJOR hassle, a car being an albatross there.

Just my thoughts.

Hope this helps!

I went to Porto a few years ago and loved it. I am not a big drinker either, but did a few port tours. One had a concert which was very good. Porto had a very good vibe and there was plenty to do. I found a Duoro tour that was not heavily focussed on the wine. It is beautiful and I hope to return this year.

I also took a day trip by train to Coimbra and that was lovely. Did a tour of the library if that is your thing.

Hi Maribel,

If not the Algarve, what part of Portugal would you suggest to get some sea/ beach time. I agree with the overpriced comment. I have been searching for accommodations in Lagos and not having much luck. It is all either very resort ish or very overpriced or both.

Speaking of Porto and concerts, at the Cálem port wine lodge in (Vila Nova de) Gaia, they have a combined port wine tour and fado performance. Read about it and buy tickets here.

Thanks very much to you both! Sounds like north is the right choice. We would like to start touring in Lisbon first since it is the larger city and will seem much nicer than if we start with a smaller city and then go larger. Also, we will be exhausted after traveling from the US. We are planning to head back to Lisbon
on Friday night so we will still get almost the full day on Friday and it won’t feel like doubling down in Lisbon.

With this plan, I assume we should book hotels in Lisbon, Sintra and Porto . . . And then do some of those northern towns (or the Duoro Valley] from Porto? Or should we stay extra in Lisbon and do those northern towns? (Don’t want to move in and out of lodging more than that - except for our last night in Lisbon.) We would love to remain somewhat flexible so that if we feel we’ve seen enough in a given place, we can do a day trip somewhere. We believe 3 full days in Lisbon (excluding day trips) and 2 full days in Porto will be a good amount of time for our interests in both cities.

Thoughts?

For late July, book your hotels now!!!
Using Porto as a base, 2 nights is not much, but to keep it simple and still see most of the major sights of Porto/Gaia, you can simply go across the river via the bridge to tour the port lodges or the new WOW in (Vila Nova de) Gaia.

From downtown Porto you can take the double decker 500 bus out to Matosinhos (suburb) or the 500 bus or ancient tram 1 to upmarket Foz (actually part of Porto), where you can walk the beach promenade and shop at the boutiques there (lots of nice boutique shopping in Porto as well) IF you have the time.
But again, 2 full days is not a lot of time for Porto/Gaia/Matosinhos/Foz, the last two doable easily by public transportation. You simply do not have time to do much more and not enough time for the Douro, which is an 8+ hour day from Porto..

that was it! Highly recommend!

Hi sueblue ! My son and I just returned from Porto recently and we are not big wine drinkers (and definitely not my son, lol). There are beaches in Porto between Foz and Matoshinos if you want to spend time on the beach. Also agree that at least 1 night in Sintra. We visited Sintra as a long day trip from lisbon a few years ago and we definitely wish we had more time there.
here is my porto trip report
yk + tween Porto/Guimarães/Aveiro; June 2025

You could also spend time in Cascais which is sort of a resort town, although not an inexpensive one as close to Sintra. There are surfing beach destinations like Nazare. You do actually have to check days of operation as well as hours so that you aren't disappointed by visiting someplace only to find it is closed that day.

It all depends on what you are most interested in seeing in various places. We enjoyed our day stop in Aveiro between Coimbra and Porto, as it was very hot in Coimbra, we took advantage of a canal boat ride in Aveiro and we enjoyed seeing the residential architecture while getting some cool breezes.

If you decide to head north you may want to research Viana do Castelo, which is about a 1 hour drive north from Porto. It is a beautiful city, known for its maritime history and has a delightful old town with numerous little side streets, and alleyways full of shops, cafes and restaurants. The beaches (10 min drive) are long wide and beautiful. Lots of surfing. There is also a short boat ride from the city area to the beaches for I believe about 2 Euro, and takes about 5 minutes. The most famous site in Viana would be the Santa Luzia Sanctuary which is atop a very high ground with incredible views. The Sanctuary itself is amazing. The Navio Hospital Gil Eannes museum is also a must see, a hospital ship in the harbor that is now a very interesting museum.

Thank you all! Still researching (with very limited time at the moment so please excuse inane questions and the fact that I’m not fully familiar with all of the recommendations you’ve offered but will certainly get more familiar before we leave) while away for the 4th! Booked our hotel in Lisbon and now working on Sintra and Porto. What is the most central location to stay in Porto?

Thanks!

For me a very central location would be Avenida dos Aliados or Rua das Flores.

Since you mention in your original post "We also prefer upscale accommodations - Superior First Class or higher."
I assume from that you mean at least 4 star or perhaps 5 star??? What hotel did you book in Lisbon, to give us an idea of that?

Look around Aliados at the Intercontinental Palacio das Cardosas, the Eurostars Aliados, the Maison Albar, Infante Sangres, the Editory

Look on or below the Rua das Flores at the Porto Bay Flores, Pousada Porto, Casa da Companhia, Porto A.S. 1829

Thanks and correct! We booked Tivoli Avenida Liberdade Lisboa which an acquaintance recommended. Supposed to be a great location (hopefully since non-refundable reservation &#128521. This same person suggested the Yeatman in Porto which seemed over the top for our needs since we won’t be hanging in the hotel much. (I didn’t even check the prices.) Still working on Sintra - where we will only stay one night. Any suggestions there? (Charming inns are fine also if they have modern conveniences.)

Still deciding on the car thing (if and when) since we like flexibility for day trips. Should we forget this completely and just arrange transport while there either through a day tour or some other means on the fly?

It obviously depends on what you want to see and experience, but I don't see that your itinerary leaves much time, if any, for day trips. If you do, you have options for public transportation. I can not imagine that you would want a car in Lisbon or in Porto, and as already noted, having a car in Sintra can be quite challenging.

Again, I couldn't agree more with kja about not wanting/needing a car in Lisbon or Porto, especially trying the negotiate the heavy city traffic and the tram lines.I leave that to the professional taxi, Uber/Bolt and bus drivers.

With only 2 days in Porto you will have time to see the major sites of the city, cross the bridge, over the river to Gaia (where the Yeatman sits, it doesn't sit in Lisbon), perhaps take the tram 1 or double decker 500 bus out to the beach in Foz (technically a part of Porto).
Based in Porto for only 2 working sightseeing days, I don't see time to visit Viana do Castelo, as lovely as it is, Aveiro, Coimbra, Guimarães, Braga etc.

Now, knowing what hotel you have booked for Lisbon, a 5-star deluxe on the fashion Avenida da Liberdade (I do know it), the hotel options that I mentioned above for Porto are in line with the Tivoli.

For Sintra it may be late to find a charming inn, such as the Chalet Saudade that several seasoned Fodorites have enjoyed, as these get booked up far in advance. But you can try. and may get lucky!

Where you might find availability, an equal 5-star luxury property, is at the Valverde Palacio de Setais a former palace and a former Tivoli hotel, that is on the Scotturb circular bus line 464 that takes you to Regaleira and Monserrate, and that sits right above Quinta da Regaleira. It´s a stunning hotel, member of Leading Hotels of the World, if you want to splurge.

Otherwise look at the Sintra Marmòris Camélia right in the center of the historic quarter. It doesn't have parking but there is parking at its sister hotel, but again, having a car in Sintra is a major handicap. The vast majority of visitors arrive in Sintra on bus tours, or take Uber/Bolt from Lisbon or the commuter train from Rossio or Oriente rail stations.

Thanks so much, Kja and Maribel!

Funny, we weren’t really looking for super deluxe hotels . . . It’s just that friends of mine paid $650 per night at a “Comfort Inne”type hotel near the airport in an upscale town in the Western US! I live in NY and everything is obscenely expensive so $350 per night sounded like a bargain at the height of the season and we’ve had very little time to research options in general. (I also haven’t traveled much internationally the past several years and there is so much noise on the Internet, my friend and I are finding this process really grueling. Booking air alone was a 2 - 3 hour project!)

Will research your suggestions and thanks again!

Just wanted to thank everyone for their help and comments! We were able to book the Chalet Saudade in Sintra for one night (even with just a few weeks to go!) and the Intercontinental in Porto. Funny that with the big international hotels, if you keep asking, they find more and more economical rates (during the same phone call).

Next up will be some finessing . . . Do you think it makes sense to book a tour guide in Sintra for the history there? I imagine it’s pretty easy to find everything though it may be nice to have a professional with us.

Thanks!