8-9 days in Portugal this October - itinerary help wanted!

With such a short amount of time, I would encourage you to skip Porto and stick closer to Lisbon. Traveling to and from Porto would take most of two days, and you would end up traveling more than enjoying.

Sticking close to Lisbon and even an overnight trip to Coimbra could be done without a car. And, one of the joys of Portugal is slowing down, having long lunches with a view and not racing about.
I have read about Berlengas but haven’t been so can’t offer advice there. Do some research about public transport to Berlengas before making that decision. But, day trips to Sintra and possibly Evora would more than fill your limited time.

Berlengas??? Really??? Read a bit more about ir (IMO a completely waste of time).

Hi Rachel,
I think it can be a little too much.

A night in Coimbra is useless. Unless you have friends there you rather spend a day and then head to Porto or Lisbon. There are 1 day trips to Douro Valey. Don't recommend Berlangas in such a short schedule. Remember that we, portuguese, have a different pace. Time also runs slower here :).
You can also stay in Lisbon and have an entire day at Sintra. It's only a 30 minute train ride. A lot of people live in Sintra and commute to Lisbon on a daily bases.

Here's some pointers to Lisbon: http://cozzy.pt/5-simple-things-to-know-before-visiting-lisbon/

And Porto: http://cozzy.pt/what-to-visit-around-porto/

Hope I helped. Have a great time.

Thank you for the advice, all! I'm now thinking:

• 3 nights in Lisbon with a day trip to Sintra (any other day trips you'd recommend? Is the Alentejo too far?)
• Train to Porto
• 3 nights in Porto with a day trip to Douro Valley
• 1 night in Coimbra (my partner really wants to see it)
• Last night back in Lisbon

We just returned from Portugal and Spain, spending 8 nights in Portugal. We arrived in Porto staying 2 nights (but should have stayed longer) and it was our favorite city. We saw Coimbra on our drive south after picking up a car in Porto. We spent the majority of the day there and it was enough for us. I wouldn't skip Porto or the Douro Valley, but I would skip the night in Coimbra. We spent the next 2 nights in Nazare and day tripped to Obidos before heading to Lisbon where we returned the car. We could have stayed 1 night in Nazare instead of 2, but it was a very relaxing beach town with great seafood. And it was a nice break before hitting the crowded, crazy city of Lisbon, which we also loved! Good luck with your planning.

In Porto we found the most amazing B&B, it is the InPatio Guesthouse. Book early, they only have five rooms.

A week is not much time, and in my opinion, you would be better off making Lisbon your base for the whole time. The itinerary you list includes a lot of travel time between locations, and many hours spent checking into and out of hotels. If you really must visit Coimbra, this can be done as a long day trip. It is about 2 1/2 hours travel time between Lisbon and Coimbra. Sintra is an easy day trip from Lisbon.
You can do a day trip to Berlangas, but why?
I visit Lisbon several times a year, and I have found Rick's book to be very helpful. My advice is to not try to see everything, but go a little deeper in a few locations.