2 weeks in Portugal (mid-Sept)

I think Porto is worth more than two nights.
You don't say when you are travelling. Some Portugal beaches are quite northern .

I can only comment on Lisbon since Lisbon and Sintra are the only 2 places we have visited so far in Portugal. I suggest spending 3 or 4 nights in Lisbon. It's a wonderful capital city with lots to see and do, and it's wonderful for strolling around and exploring neighborhoods. We loved the Gulbenkian Museum; loved exploring Alfama; Castelo De S. Jorge and the Mosteiro De Sao Vicente De Fora. This monastery was quiet and cool and filled with gorgeous blue and white tiles. Be sure to follow the signs for the towers and rooftop terrace for awesome views of Lisbon and the river.

We spent almost a day in Belem visiting the Mosteiros dos Jeronimos, the Coach Museum, and the Discoveries Monument where we took the elevator to the top for stunning views of the monastery, the river, and the Belem Tower. There were no lines here! You can also visit the Belem Tower but there are usually long lines.

Lisbon also has miradouros, or viewpoints, where you can sit with a drink and enjoy the scenery.

Are you interested in Sintra? Sintra has many castles and palaces. We visited for a day from Lisbon but many people like to spend 1 or 2 nights in Sintra. Cascais and Estoril are nice, too, located on the water. Some people visit as a daytrip from Lisbon, and some people like to stay overnight.

Hope this helps. I am sure others on the forum can help you with Porto, Tomar and beaches.

we will be flying into Lisbon mid-September, heading north to Porto and then on to the southern beaches. We end our two weeks in Lisbon in late September when is cooler.

Steve & Diane

We have wonderful memories of our two week road trip through Portugal, also in mid-September. The highlights for us were Porto and the white village of Monsaraz. Least favorite, but still enjoyable, stops were Lisbon and Sintra. Food is fabulous everywhere.

Hopefully you mean you'll rent the car for when you leave Porto. We were staying in town and parking was €50\night. We had rented in Lisbon and drove to Porto, we paid the parking instead of leaving the car because it was cheaper than the drop off charges.

We liked Lisbon but loved Porto. Especially liked our day in Gaia which is across the river.

In Porto, in late September 2023, we stayed at Hotel NH Porto Jardim because it had its own parking garage and was easy to reach with the rental car. Parking was €15 a night. We liked the room, its location, and it had a good breakfast buffet.

We spent a couple nights in Nazaré. It is a typical beach town and has a nice beach. We just walked along it as the water was pretty rough. The road along the beach was busy as would be expected. The upper town is where anything of interest is located. The lower town has the restaurants and shops. We stayed at Hotel Magic while there. The room was large and had a kitchen had we wanted to cook in the room. It had free parking in its garage a few minutes walk from the hotel. A few miles outside of Nazaré is Alcobaca monastery.

We spent 4 nights in Tomar at Thomar Boutique Hotel. There is a free parking lot outside the hotel front door and another a couple minutes walk away. From it we walked to the Convent of Christ and it only took 20 minutes. At check in we were given a glass of port. If you like aqueducts, there one right outside of town that used to carry water to the convent. From a tower you are at eye level with the water channel at the top of it. If you like castles, visit Almourol Castle. It’s 30 minutes from Tomar in the middle of nowhere. You pay a couple Euros for a boat to take you to the castle, walk around for 30 minutes (plenty of time), then take the boat back. From Tomar we took a day trip to visit Batalha monastery and Fátima.

There are free parking lots at Alcobaca, Batalha, and Fátima. You can look them up on Google maps. If you can’t find them, PM me and I’ll let you know where we parked.

Don’t assume it will be cooler towards the end of September.

We spent 10 nights in Portugal in Aug 2023, staying in Porto, Coimbra, and Lisbon. Our trip report might be useful reference for your planning: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/trip-report-portugal-aug-sep-porto-coimbra-lisbon-then-to-spain

The Porto suburb of Matosinhos has a nice beach. It's a 1 euro bus ride from the city center.