Going in June for 2 weeks but our schedule is flexible. We usually prefer to rent a car to see off the beaten path towns unless there are certain areas that are a nightmare for driving. Our thought is fly from Boston to Porto, 3 nights, drive to Lisbon, 3 nights, drive to Algarves/Faro 3-4 nights. drop rental car in Faro and fly to Azores 4 nights. Fly back to Boston from Azores. I'd first like to figure out my travel path and amount of nights needed in each area before exploring best stuff to do in each area. Anyone have thoughts on our (very loose) plan?
Posted by
3327 posts
I wondered about taking the train from Porto to Lisbon and renting a car after Lisbon.
Posted by
San Franciso Bay Area, USA
1118 posts
Unless you are planning to stop along the way, I would save the rental for when you leave Lisbon and take the train from Porto to Lisbon. You will not need a vehicle in Lisbon and parking can be a challenge.
Posted by
Connecticut
148 posts
I agree with the two preceding commenters. The train from Porto to Lisbon is fast, convenient and cheap. Lisbon is no place to have a car
Including the Azores in your first visit to Portugal seems like way too much to me. You will be spending too much time packing, traveling and unpacking to truly get to know the country.
Considering the short and cheap flights from Boston to the Azores, why not save it for a separate trip all by itself?
Regards,
Dennis
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
230 posts
I'd go a step further and take the train from Lisbon to Faro and only have the car in Faro. That's what we did. The train ride was lovely viewing for my father and perfect napping for me. Plus you save on all the toll roads as you head down south.
Posted by
Lisbon - Portugal
4 posts
It’s a good idea to always have some cash with you while traveling in Portugal. Many smaller cafés, bakeries, and family-run shops still prefer cash, especially outside the big tourist areas.
Even when a place accepts cards, it’s common for them not to take American Express, mainly because of the higher transaction fees that businesses pay. Visa and Mastercard are much more widely accepted.
ATMs (“Multibanco”) are easy to find throughout the country and generally reliable — just avoid using the ones labeled “Euronet,” as they often charge higher fees.
Posted by
OP
Boston
28 posts
Thanks for all of this great info! After talking to a few friends that have gone we've decided on this for our timeline: Fly to Azores (4 nights), rent car in Azores for our time there, Fly Azores to Porto (4 nights), train (or drive) to Lisbon (2 nights), train (or drive) to Faro/Algarve (4 nights), if train then we would rent a car while in Faro, train back to Lisbon to fly home (no direct flights from Faro to Boston that I could see). Anyone have thoughts on that timeline? We are far more country folk than city which is why 2 nights in Lisbon. Do the trains run often and do you recommend pre booking? Do you think a car is needed while in Porto or do you recommend a tour for the wineries etc.? We don't mind a cool tour here or there but we really prefer to do our own most of the time to allow for some spontaneity and to see cool areas not on tours. Also don't love being roped in to specific timelines which is why we often prefer to have a car over trains. A bit concerned about train from faro back to Lisbon as we would be flying out that evening around 6 PM. Are the trains typically reliable? Last year we did 5 countries in Europe we did a car and our friends did the trains. They had a lot of issues with inconsistency and timing some days, and a lot of thought and scheduling had to occur. We really like keeping a bit of an open schedule whenever possible. Love to hear more on this from people that have been!