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finalizing 2-week DIY tour of Portugal (mid-September 2026)

Posted by (Simsbury CT) on

Hello.

My wife and I are flying from Boston to Lisbon mid-September 2026 for 2 weeks. This is our first time in Portugal and our goals include limiting 2-night stays and experiencing Portugal's diversity (cities, beaches, food, scenery, off-the -beaten-path towns, etc.).

Our rough outline has us landing in Lisbon and taking a train to Porto. Stay in Porto for 2 nights and then rent a car at the airport and drive up the Duoro River Valley, staying at/near a vineyard for 2 nights. Then drive to Coimbra for 2 nights before driving to the Algarve area (stopping in Tomara on the way) for 3 nights. We end the trip in Lisbon for 3 nights and are considering a 1/2-day private tour guide to get our bearings when we arrive.

We are considering the Algarve area so that we can explore, relax on the beach and find great seafood. We are not opposed to the Silver Coast, although the pace may be a bit hectic/ crowded?

Any thoughts?

Posted by
1928 posts

The Algarve will be much more crowded and filled with British young people partying than the Silver Coast. I also wouldn’t go all the way to the Algarve in a two week vacation. The Silver Coast area is more authentic Portugal. If you want more quiet, take a look at Sao Martinho do Porto. It’s used a lot by the Portuguese people and if your trip is later in September, the kids will be back in school so even more quiet. From there you can access several nice towns and monuments.

Posted by
19 posts

Depending on where you end up choosing for the beach, this might not work out, but we loved arriving to Evora on a Sunday mid-afternoon. An afternoon and evening stroll meant the town was quiet with easy viewing of the outside of all major sites. We also stayed on a Friday night in Reguengos de Monsaraz. We found the town square lovely, saw few if any other tourists, and enjoyed the municipal pool complex. It is near a dark sky observatory if that is of interest to you.

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