We are planning on flying in from Seville to Lisbon and have 6 nights before we head back to the states. We want to have our Portugal time include Lisbon city, Beaches and Sintra. Would you recommend doing 3 nights in Lisbon and 3 nights somewhere relatively close and easy to get to like Cascais where we can get our beach fix? Or should we plant ourselves in Lisbon for all 6 nights and do day trips? We will be traveling with a toddler and will be renting houses/apartments.
Thank you!
For our trip years ago (without a toddler), we were in Lisbon for 3 days and avoided having a car, using public transportation to get to Sintra. Once we were ready to head farther out, we got our rental car and headed north to Obidos, and east to Evora, but spent no beach time anywhere. Evora's remarkable, with a great town and also ancient Roman and even stone-age sights in the area.
When are you coming to Portugal? I'm asking because I'm portuguese and find the water very cold almost all year! Do you pretend beach just for sun batch or you want to get into the water? There is a nice beach near Sintra, "Praia das Maçãs" (apple beach) but I find it very windy. Althoug I'm from north country I would advise Sesimbra or Tróia, not far from Lisbon.
Do you have a Portugal guide book yet? If so, great. If not, we got a RS Portugal Guide Book, which can be ordered elsewhere on this web site, which we have found very helpful in planning for our trip to Portugal this coming June.
You might consider renting an apartment in Cascais for the whole time. There are lots of things for kids to do in Cascais including the beaches and a couple of nice parks. It is an easy 40 minute train ride into central Lisbon, and there are a number of interesting sites along that train line.
Thank you everyone! We found a house near Cascais and will be staying there the majority of the time while also doing day trips into the city and Sintra.
