16 nights - Porto to Lisbon itinerary help

My Portugal experience is from before Covid. In May of 2018, Porto was more touristy than expected and Lisbon was touristy too. Public transit in Lisbon was often inadequate to handle the tourist mobs; the trams were often packed with tourists and sometimes too full to let anyone else on, so that was frustrating - I've never encountered that anywhere else in Europe (very rarely on the Paris Metro). Coimbra on the other hand was not touristy at all - it was quite a relief compared to the cities and had a lot of character. But it's also fairly small and there aren't a ton of things to see for a tourist.

Five nights in Porto would have been too many for me, but I don't usually need two days to acclimate upon arrival. Maybe you do. I wanted to see the Douro Valley not for the wine but for the scenery, but it was rainy while I was there.

Nazare is a tacky tourist beach town, but I loved it. Some people hate it. But I was there in May when it wasn't crowded. I also visited Cascais while in Lisbon. Cascais was lovely and certainly more appealing in many ways, but I didn't care for it as much.

The little town of Tomar was lovely and charming - wasn't in Rick's book yet in 2018 but I think it is now so might have more tourist traffic. With a car, it might be a fun place to stop for a night on the way to Lisbon, depending on the direction you are driving.

I was alone and took the train the whole way. but I understand driving in Portugal is easy. I'd pick up the car when leaving Porto and drop it off as you get to Lisbon and take public transit in the two cities while there.

I agree that 5 nights in Porto itself is a bit much, but you do have the possibility of day trips to Guimarães, Braga, or the Douro Valley.

First - let your kids know that speaking Spanish in Portugal is not looked on with favor. The Portuguese people are very proud of their (very difficult) language and feel insulted if visitors think they should understand and speak Spanish.

I don’t think 5 nights in Porto is too much. But, that’s coming from someone who loves the wine stuff. However, a trip out to Matosinhos for a lovely fish meal, a day trip to Guimaraes or Braga and a short cruise on the Douro is quite nice. And, one of the things a lot of visitors miss is having long lunches with a view and slowing down - which is very Portuguese. But, I admit your kids might make that challenging.

For the central area, Coimbra is great, IMO. Nazaré not so much. Conimbriga- outside of Coimbra is well worth a stop. It’s an old Roman town with a lot of intact mosaic floors. Tomar, Alcobaça, Batalha are other places you could access with a car. Ericeira, closer to Lisbon is also very nice.

While Carcavelos beach is lovely, you might also consider going out to Guincho, between Sintra and Cascais. Bigger waves and more picturesque.

Since you have the time, why not spend a night or two in Sintra? We visited Sintra as a day trip from Lisbon, but I think it would be a lovely place to spend a night or two. We weren't able to see everything and I know there are quite a few major castles, fortresses and parks to visit that require more than a day. Or spend a night or two in Evora? We didn't visit Evora but I remember from my research there there is a lot to see there and some interesting remote villages to visit.

Without day trips, I would spend 4 nights in Lisbon. But with day trips, then 5 or 6 nights.

As far as speaking Spanish while there , we stopped after a Cuban couple we met told us not not to use any Spanish and they had switched to English. They felt that the use of Spanish had a negative effect.

Concerning language (and this is not the point of this thread, but I feel that I, as portuguese, should clear things): it's perfectly fine to use Spanish if you are from a country wich mother language is Spanish. Like Spain, for instance. Or Cuba, Venezuela, Argentina, Mexico, Bolivia, etc. But if you are from a country wich language is not Spanish, why in heaven would you speak it? (Very barely, most of the times)? Please, speak English!

We all (portuguese) speak (or at least understand) Spanish. But... we don't speak or understand Spanglish! I'm perfectly ok speaking Spanish with someone that speaks it. But I feel an urge to laugh at people that don't speak it at all, and are trying to comunicate in Portugal with us, locals, in a language that is more difficult for us than English (or even French).

The same goes to those who speak Portuguese and try to speak Portuguese in Spain! I understand that you had lessons of Portuguese and you want to use it hardly, but our Spanish brothers are not going to understand you! Please, speak English with them!

Helena

In response to Andrew on public transportation in Lisbon, I was there in June '19 and did not find subways or regular buses overcrowded or difficult at all. There are a couple trams (#28 and 15 I think) that are supposedly notorious for tourist crowds and pickpockets but those couple trams are not necessary for getting around.
I agree with Andrew on recommending Tomar.

I spent 3 nights in Porto and could have happily added a couple more with side trips. I may have misunderstood, but I think your kids would probably enjoy a Duoro day trip fine. The drinking age is 18 and maybe younger for wine; the wine tasting tours are tastings not heavy drinking.

On language, I found that knowing some Spanish was a help in interpreting signs even though the words are not the same.

Thanks everyone! At the moment, the itinerary is: 4 nights in Porto with a day in Guimaraes. 3 nights in Coimbra with a day driving to Lousa & Gois and maybe another half day in Conimbriga. Then 4 nights around Obidos/Foz do Arelho - with some beach time and Tomar, Berlengas, Mira de Aire and maybe Alcobaca. Then 5 nights in Lisbon with a day in Sintra and maybe another day trip. We'll have to come back for Evora and the south!

And I'll tell my sons to save the Spanish for a trip to Spain. :) Appreciate your input. Car rental is crazy expensive now, by the way (not the $250/week as Rick mentions in the latest RS Portugal book). Really looking forward to the trip.

We were in Portugal in October 2021. They have nice picnic tables at Conimbriga. In Tomar, don't miss the matchbook museum. In Coimbra, we recommend the Italian food at Il Tartufo and the leitao sandwich at Porta Larga. In Porto, we recommend the roasted chicken and fries at Pedro dos Frangos.