Feedback on a 10-day Portugal itinerary

Here are my completely subjective thoughts.

Obidos/Sintra. Sintra deserves a full day and you don't want to go there by car. The cheap way to get there is by train from Lisbon (you can pick up a rental car at Oriente Station when you return). The fast way is by taxi/uber which is not expensive. I guess Obidos is a good choice to see a hill town if it's the only one you will see, but 2-3 hours there is all you need. Stay 4N in Lisbon, using one for a full day in Sintra, then get the car and stop in Obidos on the way to Coimbra. Then go to Porto and find a place to park the car - avoid driving in Porto as much as possible. Evora was my least favorite overnight stay on my 3-week trip. I'd stop for a night in Tomar and then only one night in Evora. That will give you time to see the beautiful monasteries of Alcobaca and Batalha.

It's less than 1-1/2 hours to drive from Evora to the airport when there's no traffic. However you can get bogged down in morning rush hour and it could take twice so allow plenty of time.

Yes, you have a lot of stops, but it's not too bad with a car, especially if you're light packers. You could easily add a day or even 2-3 more to several of those places and there are a lot of great places won't get to at all. It depends on your travel style. Some like fewer places and more time to sightsee in depth, some prefer more variety.

I agree with Chani regarding doing a day trip to Sintra and that you need a full day. Even with a full day, you will not be able to see everything.

With such a short trip, I would skip Obidos or, if you must see it, stop on the way to Coimbra. If you do two nights in Coimbra you would have time to drive out to Conimbriga, which is pretty amazing.

I like Evora but it also can be done as a day trip from Lisbon.

Definitely add another night to Porto, if possible. I’m not a fan of one night stops so would likely change my overnights to Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra. And, pick up your car as you leave Lisbon, not while you are there.

Thanks for the feedback so far!

After reading the comments so far and chatting with a friend that was in Portugal a couple years ago, we've decided to amend our itinerary. Knowing that there is a Roman ruin at Conimbriga made it easier for us to decide to bypass Evora as it's a bit out of the way and we can make better use of our route.

So, this is what we're now thinking:
1 night Sintra (flight arrives early in the morning, and we can pace ourselves better with an overnight in Sintra)
3 nights Porto
2 nights Coimbra (including a half-day trip to Conimbriga as it's a short drive away)
3 nights Lisbon

I like your revised itinerary as you’ll have more time to visit Sintra and some of its amazing sights.

If time permits, I highly recommend a visit to Tomar, either on your way to Porto, or on the way back to Lisbon.

Here’s my trip report for more details on
Sintra and Tomar, Coimbra and Porto

Wishing you a wonderful trip!

Edited to add...
I found this blog very helpful when planning our trip:
https://juliedawnfox.com/blog/

Please write back and share your trip with us!

Thanks, Priscilla.

So many interesting places and so much to consider, yet not nearly enough time to do everything in between!

In Portugal right now. Landed in Lisbon and spent 3 nights there—took a day trip to Sintra one of those days. Hired an Uber and arrived at Pena Palace by 9:30 am—before the crowds were crazy. If you stay overnight there, you will be able to enjoy the town at quieter times, but I would go to Pena first thing in the morning.
We loved Coimbra and saw two great Fado shows there at A Capella and at the Coimbra Fado Association. It is different than Lisbon Fado, but very enjoyable and inexpensive.
Arrived in Porto last night and it is FULL of tourists! Pretty impossible to get a table in a restaurant without a reservation made days in advance. People go from cafe to cafe to see if it is possible to get a table. I would guess it will be less crazy in November.

You have a nice itinerary. Glad you dropped Obidos. Evora was one of our favorite places and we didn’t want to leave. You don’t have enough time to do it all and can return someday.