Hi,
I am traveling to Portugal for 6 days in mid-October. I fly into Porto late Sunday night and fly out of Lisbon late the following Sunday. I would appreciate any suggestions for an itinerary. I plan on staying in Porto for 2 nights (have booked a place via Airbnb) and then was going to rent a car. I am not so concerned with the beaches since I have spent most of my life on the coast in either Florida or Southern California. I love to wake and would like to see the "real" Portugal not just the tourist sites. Also any suggestions on which area of Lisbon to look for accommodations. Thanks for the help
Posted by
Washington DC Region, USA
7049 posts
With only six days, you barely have enough time to see both Porto and Lisbon (and any short side trips like Sintra, Braga, Guimaraes, etc. which are easily reached by train/bus). I'm not sure what you'd get out of renting a car in such a short time period unless you are willing to take time away from Lisbon and spend it elsewhere (maybe some towns in between like Coimbra). With such tight time constraints, I would minimize time spent in transit and would concentrate just on seeing these two cities.
Check out the Lonely Planet book for Portugal - it's very helpful.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
I had thought of one day in Evora and one day in Obidos which is why I was going to rent a car to go between Oporto and Lisbon. Any thoughts
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1671 posts
Evora is really quite a bit out of the way between Porto and Lisbon. It's a lovely town but you would spend so much time driving, you wouldn't have time to do it justice. If you can't do without renting a car, Tomar might be a better small town to visit between Porto and Lisbon. Obidos is lovely but can be visited in a fairly short time. But, with such a short time, sticking with Porto and Lisbon only will increase your enjoyment (IMO) of both.
Regarding area in Lisbon in which to stay, Chiado or Barrio Alto are great areas with lots of restaurants, etc. They are also close to public transport which the Alfama really is not ( except for trolley's which aren't great for general transport).
Posted by
Calgary, AB, Canada
480 posts
I think it depends on how you like to travel. We really liked both Obidos and Evora. I think Evora in October would be lovely, but do agree it is a long drive, so I feel you need to want to do that drive. I would consider 2 nights in Porto, 2nights in Evora and your last 3 in Lisbon. Alternatively 2 nights in Obidos would save you a bit of driving, and there are a lot of sights close to it.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
80 posts
I also think that Evora is a bit out of the way with only 6 days- my suggestion would be 2 nights in Porto, 3 in Lisbon, and maybe one in Obidos, which is in between and can easily be explored in one day. I think that would maximize your experience and minimize your driving time. Adding Evora would mean losing one of your few days in Portugal to travel, more or less.
In Lisbon, we stayed by the Rossio Square and Metro station- we thought it was a terrific place- but Lisbon is very walkable (if you don't mind hills!) so many places would be great choices as for where to stay. Portugal is amazing- you'll have a great time.
Robert in Montreal