20 Days in Portugal with Car after Lisbon

I’m glad you’re at least popping into Obidos. I’d love to stay at least the night, and did that on our last (shorter than your) trip. That trip, we also drove through lots of cork trees, but didn’t have any tour. That sounds interesting. Have dinner at the Posada in Evora, if you aren’t doing anything else at any Posadas.

Thanks Cyn! I will note the dinner idea for Evora. What time of year where you in Portugal?

You are going to be doing a lot of driving! Way too much IMO. Also, with all the two night stays, I’m concerned you will be rushing around so much you won’t enjoy Portugal as much as you might if you slow down. I realize this means cutting out some stops. And, even though Google maps or whatever you are using gives you a time estimate to drive distances, I’ve found I need to add onto that time considerably.

First, you likely won’t be able to see both Alcobaça, Batalha and Tomar in one day - which is what you will have with a two night stay. It might be possible if you stay in Tomar instead of Nazare then squeeze the other two into the trip to Coimbra. Nazaré isn’t my favorite in that area.

Three nights in Porto isn’t enough if you want to day trip to Braga or Guimaraes. You could add another couple of nights then day tour into the Douro instead of driving. There are a number of good tour companies which would enable both of you to enjoy the scenery and get a taste of some of the wine.

Driving all the way to Monsanto for one night wouldn’t be worth it for me. Driving in that area of Portugal is slow going as the roads are winding.

I’m not certain the Algarve is worth four nights of your trip in January. I have my doubts if they even rent kayaks in January. Most of the cork forests are closer to Evora than the Algarve. A lot more wineries in the Alentejo also. If you spend more time in Evora, you would have a better chance of those activities. Also, there is a great megalith tour out of Evora.

Regarding gardens - don’t miss Quinta de Regaleira in Sintra. The gardens are the main attraction and are very nice. There are gardens in Lisbon. Not so certain about other areas.

I’m sure you already know to expect rain at that time of the year. But, it should be significantly warmer than Canada!

I'll add to Kathryn's excellent advice. Look at google maps (or similar). If your drive is mostly on the toll road, estimated times are reasonable, but allow extra for some traffic in and out of towns and for parking. When you're not on the toll road, driving times can easily be 50% more than google estimates. Most of the roads are narrow, 2-lane without shoulders.

I didn't care for Nazare which is maybe the most touristy place I went to. Also I was there on a windy day and even though it was warm and sunny the beachfront was unpleasant - the wind picks up the sand. I stayed in Tomar and it was a very good base for Alcobaca and Batalha. It also has good restaurants and lots of parking.

Driving in Lisbon and Porto is awful - narrow, winding, hilly streets, plus traffic. I would not advise day tripping out of the city by car. Sintra and Cascais can't be done reasonably in a single day. Sintra needs at least one full day and is much better as an overnight stay. Do you have 3 full days in Porto or 3 nights (2.5 days).

Sorry, but another vote for reducing the area you are covering. I don’t like Nazare and would stay in Tomar.

I wouldn’t head to the Algarve before early/mid March and this is the section that I suggest you drop. I have seen very fit looking men in their 20s having to be rescued from a kayak trip in June when they got into trouble with the currents there, so I doubt they run in January.

Head to the Alentejo not the Algarve for the best wine. Evora is a good base for this area.

Driving on non toll roads always takes far longer than Google Maps etc suggest - add at least a third.

This is all great advice!! Please keep it coming.

Toll Roads may cost some $$'s but save us important holiday time. So i will rent a Toll things with my rental car and save the hassle of each stop.

Now as for Tomar - where would you recommend staying?

All of your expert tips are really appreciated. Peggy

The toll roads make for dull, uninteresting driving as they bypass places. Whilst they save time, you will be missing out on the charm of Portugal by not seeing something of local life.

I stayed in Caldas da Rainha for a week when I visited Alcobaca, Tomar etc so I can’t help on Tomar accommodation. Caldas has a great market and was the centre of the traditional tile industry, so many of the older buildings are covered in these tiles.

I have only been to northern Portugal and therefore cannot comment your itin in the south.
Coimbra--1 night is enough. You can even do a daytrip from Porto
Braga or Guimares--can combine on the same day if you drive

We were in Portugal 10/5-10/15 and did a day trip to Guimaraes and Braga. Both cities were lovely. I wish we had more time at Bom Jesus in Braga. There is a lovely little park at the top with trails and a pond. We really could have spent an afternoon there. We spent 2 nights in Coimbra and loved it. Did a hike in the Bucaco Forest one of the days and spent the other day wandering Coimbra. Saw a wonderful Fado show at A Capella there.
I loved the gardens at Fronteira Palace in Lisbon; would have loved to see inside the palace, but the tour hours are very limited (like 2), so check the schedule beforehand.

Excellent input. I'm going to work on some itinerary changes now and will get back to see what everyone thinks. Thanks so much again.

I stayed at Thomar Story - Guest House in Tomar. The room had a kitchenette and small balcony. All modern, very comfortable. No on-site parking but there was ample public parking a block away.

We spent several nights in Obidos , a huge mistake. This town is worth two hours at most, packed with tourists. We stayed in the Pousada which was a lovely escape from the crowds.
If you have to choose between Alcobaça and Batalha, Alcobaça wins hands down! Coimbra needs at least two days.
We spent time in the Minho north of Porto, our favorite area. Guimares is a must see, stay overnight at least one night.
We did not visit the Algarve or Monsanto.

Hello Peggy!

I am portuguese. And I live in Portugal. So I know the country quite well, but from a local point of view, not a touristy point of view.

Anyway, I think it might be usefull for you to have all kind of opinions.

Let me start with Algarve. Algarve in January? Kayaking? This is the Atlântico, you cannot do that in January!

Nazaré: I love Nazaré, it is an opposite position to other members of this forum, I love the cliff, the legend of Sítio, the food, the surroundings (Like São Martinho do POrto). But never in January. I also love Tomar, even more than Nazaré, and I believe it is a very good place to stay in January. There are lot's of things to do and visit. In my opinion (and that's just my opinion) the best place to stay is still the old "Hotel dos Templários" (have I ever stayed there elsewhere... well...no.). Read the reviews, there are many other options.

Porto: you cannot trust anything I say about Porto, as this is my city. I was born at Ordem do Carmo, that is the hospital of the congregation of Carmo, next to the church of Carmo, that you will visit for sure due to it's lovely tile work. Of course I will say 2 days are not enough. Concerning Braga and Guimarães, they are completely different, but both very agreable. I prefer Guimarães, but also like the comercial center of Braga: lot's of shops, in old buildings, some old coffee-shops, vibrant, open air.

Monsanto: night in Monsanto seems magical. I never overnighted there, but it is in my plans, and I could not imagine a better time than Winter. Douro Valley is not that interesting in January, so I believe your plan is correct. Try to work a litle bit more on this area, and include Piodão.

And... that's it for now. Hope you enjoy planning your trip!

Helena

Helena is clearly an expert, much more than me, and I fully agree! The Atlantic coast in January has a 90% chance of being rather...bleak. I would therefore definitely skip the Algarve. As for Nazaré, if you are lucky there can be huge waves in January: interesting to see but otherwise no need to stay.
And you will need the Algarve days to add to other locations and slow down the trip.

Thanks so much Helena - your input is really appreciated and from a totally different type of appreciating and angle. And i am definitely going to try and do a quick stop in Nazare just to see the waves if weather is agreeable.

So after quite a few tweaks here is my current itinerary idea - FEED BACK PLEASE:

Lisbon – 4 nights
1) Settle in
2) Site seeing Lisbon
3) Day trip to Sintra
4) Casais or final day in Lisbon at gardens
• Pick-up Rental Car – drive to Obidos to tour the town and then if possible a stop at Nazare to see the waves
Tomar – 2 nights
1) Arrive at Tomar and walk around for dinner seeing the place at night
2) Tour Tomar
Leave early to visit Alcobabaca for the day and then on to Coimbra
Coimbra – 2 nights
1) Arrive in Coimbra and walk around for dinner seeing the place at night
2) Tour Coimbra university and grounds and main sites
Leave Coimbra and leave for Porto – if weather is good see sites at beginning of Duro Valley if not head straight to Porto to start enjoying.
Porto – 4 nights
1) Arrive in Porto and walk around to see the place at night and for a nice dinner
2) Site seeing in Porto and heading to the Port/Wine cellars tours before they close and possibly for dinner
3) Head out after breakfast to see Guimares and/or Braga if time allows for both
4) Tour of Douro Valley if weather is good for viewing otherwise a relaxing day
Leave Porto to drive to Evora and stop along the way
Evora – 3 nights
1) Arrive in Evora and walk around to see the place at night and enjoy a later dinner
2) Evora site seeing the major sites in town
3) Day trip to outside of town to visit wine and cork areas and possible tour
Leave to head to the Algarve area with possible stop at Arraiolos
Lagos – 3 nights
1) Arrive in Lagos and watch sunset or enjoy a relaxing evening settling in
2) Tour Lagos and the shoreline areas pending weather conditions
3) Drive to Sagres to see the cliffs and light house area or alternative ideas
Leave Lagos for a leisurely drive back to Lisbon along the coast
** Drop off rental car unless parking can be arranged at the hotel
Lisbon – 1 night
1) Arrive in Lisbon to enjoy a night walk and dinner out if you have dropped off the car
• If NOT then we will need to stay near the airport. Night re-packing and preparing.
Leave hotel to drop off car and fly out to Heathrow mid-day

*TBD - when and where to get out Rapid COVID tests?? Lagos??
*TBD - if we are staying any longer can we fit in Monsanto?? – 1 night if possible – driving from Porto after the Douro Valley and then on Monsanto. Then carrying on to Evora the next day would be best circle route option on google maps?

Suggestions treasured! and appreciated as i need to pin things down so i can book accommodations next.