7 day base in Tomar

We used Tomar as a base between stays in Porto and Lisbon. We had a car and there was a parking lot just above the main square. We stayed at the Hotel Republica boutique hotel right on the main square. It’s a very friendly town and we had some fabulous ice cream at a place just steps from the hotel. We went every night in the early evening, it was that good. You can’t miss it cause it is always crowded.

We stayed 4 nights, using one to explore Tomar. Took a tuk-tuk tour we booked when we got there. We visited Obidos and Alcobaca in one day and one day to Fatima. With more time you could visit Nazare, Coimbra, or a few other small places mentioned on the forum or in Rick’s book.

As a bonus, while walking around we found a laundromat just across the square and add on a street. We went early in the morning and finished up pretty quick before we left Tomar.

While I like Tomar, I’m not certain I would stay 7 days, especially without a car. The trains aren’t that great to the smaller towns. Flixbus might be an option, but you would need to check out their routes in that part of the country.

I have stayed in that area 2-3 times but always had a car. With the car, it’s quite enjoyable as there are a number of nice day trips. If I were going to stay in the central area of the country with only public transport, I might consider Coimbra. It’s a bigger town with much better train service.
Or, driving in that area is quite easy and car rentals are usually quite inexpensive. I rented for a week last month for just over $100.

Like the others, we spent four nights in Tomar, but had a rental car for day trips. As already mentioned, it is a nice town, but not one I’d want to stay at for seven nights. Our day trips from there included Almourol Castle, Fátima, and Batalha Monastery.