Fine Tune 6 day Portugal Itinerary

Its been 3 decades since we traveled with a teenager so not sure if still qualified in that subject (back then was before kids had their noses buried in smartphones but still managed to remain oblivious if they felt like it 😄)

Your itinerary sounds doable albeit not giving you much if any time in Lisbon, and completely misses Porto, Coimbra (a college town and thus the populace tends relatively youthful), and the Douro (the only place I'm aware of with a host of tour-oriented wineries).

I totally agree about hiring a car. Driving is easy and drivers are courteous and not maniacal (apart from inside Lisbon and Porto, so pick up your car at the outskirts or airport), parking in small towns is not the nightmare it is in say Tuscany. Having your own car will save you from time wasted getting to and from stations and waiting for trains or busses. We found Uber the best way to get round in Lisbon.

I’d love to hear how your trip goes. We are planning a 6-day Lisbon + day trips OR Lisbon + Algarve trip in late June with our 19yo.

Sounds like a wonderful trip for you and your family. The trip you have outlined is doable, however, there is a lot of transit time between city and in a short trip, it doesn’t leave you a lot of time for enjoying each city. As for public transportation, again it is doable, but given the number of stops you are making, it may be more efficient for you to rent a car.

If you want to wine taste, Evora is in the center of Alentejo wine region and has some excellent options for tasting in town if you are staying overnight or there are also wine and cork tours that are best accessible by car.

The Evora visitor website has some overview of the wine and tasting options: https://www.visitevora.net/en/alentejo-wine-portugal/.

One alternative to consider is to home base in Lisbon and Evora and take day trips. From Lisbon you can take a tour to Fatima, Obidos, and Nazare, we did one this past September and it was a lot of fun. We did a private tour so that we could allocate more time in Fatima, had an amazing seafood lunch in Nazare (walked down the beach), and then end the day in Obidos (which in my opinion doesn’t need more than a few hours). We also visited Sintra as a day trip, super easy to get to by public transportation.

I hate to be the one person with a negative comment, but here goes.

You are trying to do way too much for six days! Way too many one night stays. You are going to leave Portugal feeling you didn’t do much other than spend time on the train, bus or in a car. Or just checking into and out of hotels. I realize the temptation to see as much as you can, but try to resist that urge.

For six days, two bases would be good. You can day trip to Evora from Lisbon. Literally, the only thing in Fatima is the shrine, which can be seen in a couple of hours or less.

I would encourage you to rethink your many moves and one night stays. You will enjoy this beautiful country more seeing fewer places in a less rushed manner.

That would be too much moving around for me.

Have you considered staying in Lisbon and doing some small group tours? That is a great way to see multiple places in one day without having to change hotels.

I took the Sintra and Fatima tours with Lisbon Riders in 2024.

https://lisbonriders.com/#grouptours

I agree with kathrynj on there being not much to see in Fatima. That was my least favorite stop in Portugal. And I’m Catholic.

I would stay in Lisbon except for one night in Sintra. From Lisbon do a group tour day trip to Fatima, Nazare and Obidos (lisbon riders group tour was good) and another day trip to Evora on your own by train. I think there's too many things in Sintra for a day trip.