Help with 24 nights in Portugal May 3-28, 2020

We loved Portugal and our favourite region was the Minho, north and west of Porto. We based in historic Guimares and recommend that option. Your earlier itinerary is similar to ours but we skipped Tomar. We had lunch in Aviero which was a good plan. We stayed in the Pousada in the center of Guimares which I think is gone now. There was another one just outside of town.We did a day boat trip up the Douro and were the only English speakers. Very nice boat but scenery got boring, terraced vineyards all along the route.
Our favourite site in Sintra was the 15th c. National Palace in town with it's beautiful tile work.
We thought Alcobaça was very impressive. The Royal tombs are there; google the story of King Pedro and his Inés. We stayed where they had their liaisons in Coimbra, La Quinta de Las Lagrimas. Very nice hotel with a wonderful dining room.
We got our car as we left Lisbon, turned it in at the airport when we got to Porto. Later took a cab across the Spanish border to get a rental car for Spain and continued our trip in Galicia and northern Spain. Enjoy Portugal!

My two cents:
- your trip is at a relaxed pace, you have time and I would head north of Porto, and Guimarães is a good place to stay! Good for day trips too (eg Braga).
- you can go to Belém whatever day, and it's more of a half-day really unless you add Ajuda palace (Belém tower is best looked at from outside, Jerónimos monastery is beautiful but empty, and Archeology and Navy museums are skippable)

I would visit the Coach Museum in Belem. Also, take the elevator to the top of the Discoveries Monument in Belem. The view is spectacular! And there weren't any lines. There will be lines at the Belem Tower.

Perhaps you could add a night to Lisbon so that you could visit Cascais as a day trip from Lisbon. We stopped in Cascais briefly on a bus tour. We liked what little we saw and wished we had more time there.

I suggest reducing you time in Evora by one day and add a day from Porto to take the train up the Douro River Valley.
I have traveled all over Europe and seen scenic river valleys like the Mosel, Danube, Rhein and Rhone, but the Douro beats them all. It is amazing.

Also, if you can book the In Patio Guesthouse in Porto, it is the BEST B&B we have ever stayed in.

Visit Braga - mainly Bom Jesus do Monte; plan to stay near the church (there are 4 hotels). Amazing.

Thanks everyone.

We’ve decided to skip Tomar and have added Braga and Lamego. Wanted to stay in Guimaraes but lodgings with parking/easy access are quite limited there. (Dropping car in Guimaraes is not an option anyway- super expensive drop off fee!)
Braga is not much better but I did find a place that will work- have to head up to Braga after Coimbra though- seems there might be some big event in Braga over that weekend as so many places already completely booked?

Sampa-
The hotels up near Bom Jesus are not accepting reservations for 2020 yet - I like the look of those hotels but am concerned it will be too much of a trek to go in and out of town each evening. We will definitely visit the church.

kmkwoo-
Belem- the only sight we had planned to actually enter is the Coach Museum so we may be able to add a trip to Caiscas after that- we’ll see.

geovgriffith- An all day boat trip is not our thing- we’ve done those on Danube, Rhein etc and while we’ve enjoyed well enough we found them to be so very monotonous and a bit pricey! We’ll do a short drive from Regua to Pinhao then probably a 1 hour boat ride from there. Unfortunately the little steam train doesn’t start running til June.
You will be happy to know I have booked InPatio for 4 nights- a little out of our budget but I see nothing but good reviews so we’ll splurge a bit!

So this is what we have planned now:

Sintra- 2
Lisbon- 4
Pick up car as we leave, drive to
Evora- 3
Sao Marthinho- 3
Coimbra- 3
Braga- 3
Lamego- 2
Drive to OPO drop car
Porto 4- possible day trip to Aveiro

Would have preferred Coimbra>>Lamego>>Braga>>Porto but I think this will still be OK.

Thanks again!