Please comment on the following.
Porto 3 nights. Pick up car
Coimbra 2 nights
Nazare, Tomar, Obidos 2 nights I found an Inn somewhat central to all
Castelo de Vide Marvao 1 night
Evora 1 night
Sintra 2 nights drop car in Lisbon
Lisbon 4 nights and 4 full days
I have one more day I can add to Evora? Lisbon?
That’s a lot of driving and a lot of changing of hotels... and, it’s easy to train from Porto to Coimbra before picking up the car. I would find one place in central Portugal then day trip to the towns you mention, including Coimbra. And, staying only one night any place means you have a few hours in the actual destination.
Evora deserves more than one night. My first trip there, we spent two nights and I wished I had one more. In Evora there is a great megalith tour that is worth an afternoon.
When planning to do a lot of driving, be sure to factor in the pretty steep tolls for a lot of roads.
I like the idea of day tripping from one central location but thought that would actually require more driving back and forth. Do you have a recommendation for this location/s?
On my scouting trip before moving here, we stayed a week in São Martinho do Porto. From there we visited Nazaré, Obidos, Peniche, Foz, Alcobaça and Batalha. We picked up the car in Coimbra after the train from Porto. If you could visit Coimbra before leaving that area, that would help. You could spend a night or two in Coimbra then pick up the car. I realize it will mean some driving, but I prefer that to changing hotels or apartments frequently.
Hello Andrea,
I agree with kathrynj... it's too much driving and check-ins and outs for 2 weeks but, on the other hand, those are all amazing places ;) It's true that taking a train to Coimbra is really easy but you'll be more dependent on schedules...
I'm from Porto area and I think you could use your extra day for a day trip to Guimarães and/or Braga (both north of Porto)... Guimarães has a wonderful historic centre (including a castle and a ducal palace) that is listed as UNESCO's World Heritage; Braga has some beautiful churches and sanctuaries like Bom Jesus and Sameiro (if you're into religion).
All in all, if you like driving and money isn't an issue, I believe your itinerary is great... I'd leave out Nazaré and enjoy a little more of the other places but other than that, it's great ;)
Enjoy Portugal, I'm sure you'll love it ;)
Thank you. based on this, we will take the train from Porto to Coimbra and then rent a car. I agree 1 night spots not great, but if the drive is less than 2 hours, we should still have plenty of time to linger at the spots. We did this in Norway, where the drives were scenic and we dawdled from place to place.
I think you itinerary sounds good. I'd add the extra day to Evora as well. You also could consider dropping your car in Sintra if you don't plan on leaving the town. Easy transportation in to Lisbon from there.
I agree with Paulo about Nazaré. It’s not my favorite town unless the surf is really up.
