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First visit to Portugal - Is this a good itinerary?

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Hi there! We are going to Portugal in mid-Sep 2023. Retired, very active 60+ couple. We want to hit Porto & Lisbon as well as the Algarve. Realize there's much more to see but we can always come back! We are self-driving and expect to take 3 or 4 tours (e.g. Viator) during our visit. Flying into Porto and back home from Lisbon. Would appreciate your comments & suggestions re: our tentative itinerary. Thanks!

Day 1 – Fly from EWR>OPO. Arrive mid-morning in Porto. Spend the day exploring Porto. Overnight in Porto.
Day 2 - Explore Porto. Overnight in Porto.

Day 3 - Douro River Valley cruise. Overnight in Porto.
Day 4 - Leave Porto and drive south to Lisbon. Stop at Coimbra (and also maybe Obidos) along the way. Overnight in Lisbon.
Day 5 - Explore Lisbon. Overnight in Lisbon.
Day 6 - Explore Lisbon. Overnight in Lisbon.
Day 7 - Day trip to Sintra. Overnight in Lisbon.
Day 8 - Leave Lisbon and drive south to the Algarve. Visit Sagres, then work our way east to Lagos. Overnight in Lagos.
Day 9 - Explore the Algarve beaches & towns. Overnight in Lagos
Day 10 – Take a tour of the caves. Spend the rest of the day on the beach. Overnight in Lagos
Day 11 – Leave the Algarve and drive to Lisbon. Take return flight home from LIS>EWR.

Posted by
6598 posts

I think you’re shorting Coimbra. Óbidos can been seen in a few hours. Since you’re just making cursory stops, skip Óbidos and give Tomar (Knights Templar/Order of Christ Hq in Portugal) a visit. To me both Coimbra and Tomar are worth at least two nights.

Posted by
394 posts

I agree - Coimbra is worth more time. Personally, i would skip Obidos altogether...or spend just 1-2 hours there.

Posted by
78 posts

I would definitely go to Coimbra.
I would also skip Obidos but I would recommend Evora as a day trip from Lisbon

Posted by
484 posts

With your current itinerary you don’t really need a car until after Lisbon. Why not train from Porto to Lisbon with a stop in Coimbra ?

Posted by
1681 posts

With only 11 days, I recommend skipping the Algarve. There are very nice beaches between Lisbon and Coimbra. And, so many more authentic Portuguese places than the Algarve, too. Coimbra, Tomar and even Obidos give you a much better idea of Portugal, it’s history, people, food, etc. It might be cool enough by mid September for a visit to the Alentejo and Evora. It’s worth a couple of nights so you have time to take a tour of the megaliths in the area.

I also agree with the idea of not having a car in either Porto or Lisbon. And, the driving times you find in google maps, etc. are vastly shorter than you will find in actuality. So, plan accordingly.

Posted by
25 posts

We recently returned from two weeks in Portugal and I agree with everyone here. You need to spend more time in Coimbra. Also--you DO NOT want to be driving in Porto. Trust me. The streets are extremely narrow and pedestrians everywhere and then there's parking. And you really won't need a car. We spent two weeks in Portugal and two weeks in Spain and never had a car. (We walked everywhere in Porto--I guess it depends on where you're staying in Porto.) You will save yourself lots of stress by taking public transportation. We took a train from Porto to Coimbra and then buses after that. Coimbra to Nazare to Lisbon to Lago. Have a fabulous time! We LOVED Portugal!

Posted by
394 posts

My recent Rick Steves tour of Portugal included two taxi rides in Porto that fell under the category of "hair raising." Reminded me of some crazy taxi rides I took in New York City years ago. There is NO WAY I would want to drive in Porto.

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