Help with my Portugal Trip!

I think adding time to Lisbon would be smart, even if you didn't want to go to Porto. Cities are usually better destinations when the weather is iffy.

However, your trip is rather short, and 3 destinations will have you hopping around a lot. I'm betting you have 8 nights in Portugal, right? Are you flying in and out of Lisbon, or do you have other gateways? Do you have a rental car or will you be using trains and buses?

Your arrival day may find you zombified due to jetlag and sleep-deprivation. Even if you are functional, that will not be a full day, so you really start with about 7-1/2 days. Every time you grab your suitcase and head to another hotel it costs you about 1/2 day. Now you're down to 6-1/2 (less than that if you're flying into and out of Lisbon, because there's an extra transfer there).

My point is that if you have 8 nights on the ground in Portugal--which of course is just an assumption I am making--there's no way you have 8 days of sightseeing time to spread among the 3 destinations. If the total trip is 8 days and you have just 7 nights on the ground, I would want only two different hotels.

You're exactly right. I have 8 nights flying in and out of Lisbon. I will be renting a car as well. So it sounds like I should spend more time in Lisbon and limit my stay in the Algarve area?
I really appreciate your help!

With your timescale, as it’s late November, I would skip the Algarve. It certainly wouldn’t be my choice to stay in Albufeira at any time of year (popular with youngsters looking for cheap alcohol and stag parties). If it has to be the Algarve, I would opt for Tavira, which retains the most character. Some places on the Algarve will be closed for the winter.

There are many fine towns such as Tomar, Alcobaca and Coimbra closer to Lisbon that you may find more appealing than the Algarve in November.

Porto is better as an overnight trip from Lisbon rather than a day trip.

Lisbon itself can fill at least three days plus day trips to Sintra or Cascais.

Skip the Algarve this time, especially in November. You can easily fill your limited time in the Lisbon area, and a trip to Evora. Evora is worth two nights as that would give you time to do the Megalith tour, which is great.
And, day tripping to Porto isn’t really possible. And it’s really not worth the time investment for only one night. I suggest staying in Lisbon and Evora. There are day trips from Lisbon that will more than fill your time.

Skip the Algarve and spend more time in Lisbon and the area. Evora is nice.

Sintra, Obidos and Bathila Cathedral can be done from Lisbon.