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Early March Trip To Portugal - Portugal Enthusiasts, Please Help!

I know early March is not the ideal time to visit most places in Europe but that's when we have some time off so we want to make it work. This will be our second trip to Portugal though it's been several years and we were only there for a very short time. We went to Lisbon, saw the main attractions and took a side trip to Bemel. We are open to exploring Lisbon more.

We live in Florida so we don't feel bad that beaches won't be a part of our itinerary and honestly, we aren't beach people. We land in Lisbon late on March 6th and will fly back out on March 12th so not a lot of time. FYI, we do not need to fly back out of Lisbon, we just need to get back to London via any airport that makes sense with an itinerary.

We are big foodies and prefer to eat like locals. We like history, visiting small towns/villages, walking tours and LOVE exploring markets. We are NOT into art museums, hiking, or outdoor adventures.

>>>Now that you have some insight, I would love a Portugal enthusiast to tell me what I must see/where I should go in the short time we have there which is basically six full days.<<<

Posted by
589 posts

Ok 3 possible itineraries that I would enjoy. For context I've been to Portugal twice for two week trips:

First would only have public transit: Lisbon 2 nights, train to Coimbra 2 nights, train to Porto 2 nights fly home from there

Second : Land in Lisbon, train to Evora same day for 3-4 nights. Rent car while in Evora for a couple of days to explore the small towns near there, Estremoz, Villa Vicosa etc. Train back to Lisbon for last 2-3 nights.

Third, stay around Lisbon again for the whole time. Maybe in Cascais or Sintra. Explore what you didn't see last time. Find some new favourite restaurants, could daytrip to Evora on train.

Posted by
7 posts

Thank you Lisa. I love your ideas! Will Evora the small towns nearby have restaurants and stores open for business in early March? (3/6-3/12)

Posted by
589 posts

I'm guessing yes they will, particularly Evora as it is a tourist destination. Having said that, I was there in April. Perhaps someone with more experience can chime in