6 nights Portugal - Lisbon or Sintra or Cascais?

Sintra was a great location. It has a number of great sites, and is only 45 minutes by train from Lisbon's Rossio station. Rossio is walking distance from most Lisbon sites and others can be reached by metro or tram. We loved Sintra.

Karrie, based on my own experience, I would spend 2 nights in Sintra, then 4 in Lisbon. Sintra, with many places worth visiting at leisure, is much better as a stay, enjoying early morning and evening there, rather than just a day trip. During the heavy visitor season, I have heard that Monday is the most crowded day in Sintra, since many museums in Lisbon are closed that day, but that might not be true in March. I have not visited Cascais, so I can’t comment on that, others on the forum can.

It is very easy to travel from Cascais to Lisbon and, to a lesser degree, Sintra. The train between Cascais and Lisbon runs often, is cheap and easy. Getting to Sintra requires a bus, which is less convenient than the train. But, at that time of the year, the crowds will be somewhat less.

You might want to check on the date for Easter in 2019. Cascais would be uncrowded during March - unless it’s Easter week. Then, it’s more crowded.

All that said, both Cascais and Sintra are very easily accessed from Lisbon.

A car is much more trouble than it is worth in Lisbon. You don't mention your interests, so I can't give specific recommendations. Cascais is very pleasant, with a few hidden gems. Not at all touristy in March. The train to central Lisbon runs every 20 minutes, and takes about 40 minutes. There are interesting stops along that train line including Belem.

I spent ten nights in Lisbon and highly recommend it as a base. It is easy to get to those other towns by train or tram. Lisbon has so much to offer.

Lisbon is best as a base.

I agree with Larry that you should spend 4 nights in Lisbon and 2 nights in Sintra. We were in Lisbon last April for 5 nights, and we visited Sintra as a day trip. It would have been nice to spend 1 or 2 nights in Sintra because there are quite a few castles/palaces to see, and it is quieter at night after the day trippers have left.

Or my other suggestion would be to use Lisbon as a base, so spend all 6 nights there with a day trip to Sintra and a day trip to Cascais. We LOVED Lisbon! There are quite a few interesting sites, such as the Gulbenkian Museum, Coach Museum, Sao Jorge castle, Jeronimos Monastery, Discoveries Monument, Belem Tower & Tile Museum, along with some smaller churches. it's a great city to wander around and visit the miradouros (viewpoints).

I agree with two nights in Sintra and four in Lisbon. Cascais is nice but Sintra is one of the most magical towns I have visited, in over a dozen Europe trips. Lisbon is good for three full minimum, it really is one of the most underrated big cities in Europe.