14-night itinerary help around Tomar, Coimbra, and Braga

Posted by Joe (Portland, Oregon) on 03/14/22 09:56 PM

Hi, I'd love to get some advice on how to make the most of solo traveling by train/bus during my two week trip to Portugal. I'm arrive next week in Lisbon from US. I only have 14 nights total. Main interests are history, architecture, gardens. I also like to bike and kayak, but not sure if I have time or will find much in that way on this trip and that's ok.

Trip Begins: Fly into Lisbon (arrive in the morning, spend 5 nights) - there's so much to do I'm sure I'll be able to do a couple easy things on my arrival day and fill four full days. Day trip to Sintra, sights around town, Sao Jorge castle/alfama, etc. I don't need to see everything, but feel like this is good amount to get a feel for the city. I have 9 nights left.

Next part is less clear. Where's best to base my next 2-3 nights? My personal interests (Knights Templar history) lead me to Tomar. I wanted to stay there to get a full day to enjoy the sites and soak up the history. I also wanted to visit Alcobaca or Batalha monasteries, either on way to Tomar from Lisbon, or on way to Coimbra. Does it make sense to just do Tomar as a day trip? What's the best transit hub in this area?

For third part, I was planning to spend at least 2-3 nights in Coimbra. Curious about others' experience with activities/sites nearby. I have a curiosity to see Coimbriga archaeological site (the floor mosaics look like the highlight) and/or kayaking on the Mondego River, which I saw in the Lonely Planet guidebook. I would book an experience through tripadvisor or directly with the service. Has anyone done any of these or have other suggestions? I could just keep it down to 2 nights and add a night in Porto.

The final part is 3-4 nights in Porto, which I fly out of to end my trip. Plenty to do here, but I'm also considering a day trip to Braga, which seems more off the beaten path with lots of history. I haven't read much about Braga on here, so curious about others' experiences around there, such as visiting the Bom Jesus. I could also cut another night out of the middle part of the trip and spend a couple nights in Braga so as to have a full day there.

Appreciate any thoughts on this itinerary in advance. Cheers

Posted by Andrew H.

Portland, Oregon

03/15/22 02:32 AM

5687 posts

Hi Joe. I followed pretty much this exact same itinerary in 2018. (And I live in the same town as you LOL!). I did it in less time, only ten days. I also did it all by bus and (mostly) train.

I started in Lisbon, took the train to Coimbra, but I detoured to Tomar for a few hours on the way to Coimbra. Tomar is a lovely little town. If you are interested in Knights Templar stuff, then it's probably worth spending a night there.

I didn't venture away from Coimbra. It's a nice breath of fresh air compared to the touristy Porto and especially Lisbon. But I didn't spend much time there - I actually day tripped from here to Nazaré (Rick's favorite beach town in Portugal as I recall) from Coimbra (by bus). Nazaré is a tacky seaside tourist town, but I actually loved it and wished I had spend a night there. I was there in May so not crowded - imagine even less crowded in March. But it might not be your thing.

Porto is charming but a whole lot smaller than Lisbon (and more touristy than expected). I had hoped to do a day trip from Porto out to the Douro Valley - not even to drink wine but for the scenery - but it was raining heavily by the day I had planned to do that. If you want that many nights in Porto, just know what you plan to do on those days. If in doubt, another night in Lisbon instead might not be a mistake - it's so much larger with more to see.

The trains were pretty easy, except unlike in say Italy, Portuguese high speed trains for some reason are do not tend to terminate in city centers. In most towns, you have to transfer from the fast train to a quick regional connection into the center of town. Not such a problem but a curious little annoyance that makes planning a little more challenging.

I am not afraid to drive in Europe and have in a few countries, but I prefer public transportation when it's convenient. It worked well for my Portugal itinerary, but I understand driving in Portugal is easy, and it's true that it might have made the middle part of my trip a little easier. Actually if I'd have had a few more days in between Lisbon and Porto the car would have made more sense, allowing me a few more stops.