Hi Everyone:
We have had Portugal on our radar for a few years so we are going September of 2024. Any suggestions on itinerary? We will have about 12 nights. We were thinking of something like below
Lisbon 4 nights (day trip to Fatima)
Sintra 1 or 2 nights (take train from Lisbon)
Take train to Porto for 2-3 nights??
Duoro Valley for 2-3 nights via rental car? I heard driving is tough in that area but you can take a car there and then arrange tours?
Thank you for any thoughts
Chris
Hi. We two spent 10 nights in Portugal in late Aug 2023, Porto-Coimbra-Lisbon. It was our first visit to this country. Our trip report might be good reference: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-portugal-aug-sep-porto-coimbra-lisbon-then-to-spain
Note that we spent 4 nights (instead of 3) in Porto simply because it was our first stop after arriving from N. America, and we gave it an extra night to help us get past jet lag. We chose to fly into Porto (and thus make it our first stop) rather than out of Porto because the flight departure would have been early in the day.
Thank you Geoff. This is great info. I was also looking at Coimbra as a stay and just doing Sintra as a day trip from Lisbon.
Much appreciated
Chris and Linda
I can only help with the Lisbon and Sintra portion. Whether or not to take a daytrip from Lisbon depends on your interests. Also, what time will you arrive in Lisbon? Don't forget that you need a day to get over jetlag. So your arrival day might not be too productive. So, what are your interests?
We spent 5 nights in Lisbon and that included a day trip to Sintra. So we basically had 3 full days in Lisbon and the day to Sintra. I wish we had an extra day in Lisbon. It's a wonderful city that is very interesting to explore. It's very enjoyable to explore the neighborhoods and sit at miradouros (viewpionts) with a drink to enjoy the views. We spent a lot of time at the Gulbenkian Museum, which is fascinating. Spent a day in the Alfama neighborhood, first visiting the Sao Jorge Castle and then exploring the Alfama neighborhood and then the Mosteiro De Sao Vicente De Fora. We spent a day in Belem at the Jeronimos Monastery, The Discoveries Monument, and the Coach Museum. We didn't have time for the Tile Museum, and I would have liked more time to wander through neighborhoods.
So, if it were me, I wouldn't do the daytrip to Fatima while in Lisbon. Don't forget that 4 nights gives you 3 full days, and I personally think you need those 3 days for Lisbon. Perhaps you could visit Fatima on the way from Sintra to Porto? Check to see if the train goes there. Or perhaps you could hire a private driver for the day if you don't want to rent a car.
You are wise to spend a night or two in Sintra. I think that's better than visiting Sintra as a daytrip.
Thank you. Great suggestions. I always would rather spend 1 too many nights in a city then cut it short. You can always just grab dinner and relax. Appreciate it. I will consider even adding a 5th night in Lisbon with 1 of those days to Fatima (with a driver or tour). Not sure if we will rent a car to go to Porto or just train it (if our neighbors come we will probably rent a car). If not we may just train it. We will definitely stay in Sintra for a night. We are in the early stages of planning (just returned from Belgium and Amsterdam) so your suggestions help. Love Europe been 10 times. I could do 5 nights Lisbon and 1 Sintra and 3 Porto and then do either Coimbra or Duoro Valley. I hear its beautiful.
Thanks again
Chris
We recently spent 3 nights each in Coimbra and 4 nights in Tomar, as part of a longer trip, taking day trips from each. We also spent 3 nights in Porto. The trip is detailed in my trip report.
