Is 10 days too long in Lisbon

Have you thought of maybe splitting the time with Porto? You can't go everywhere just having a single base and having two bases will allow for a wider range of easy side trips (plus you'll see a broader swath of the country). Of course you can spend 10 days in any interesting city and be happy provided you're not in a rush or wanting a whirlwind trip. So there's nothing wrong with your idea either, as long as you are Ok with the limitations that poses.

I wouldn't try to add Spain in the mix - there are plenty of places to see just in Portugal that have easier transport connections.

I would also recommend splitting your time with a visit to Porto. It's an interesting city and would afford the opportunity to take a day trip up the Douro River into the wine producing area. You might even decide to do an overnight to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. If you do, I'd keep the hotel room in Porto and pack super-light for just a one night stay. SdeC is a very interesting city in which to wander, has a beautiful cathedral to visit and you get to watch the pilgrims arrive after completing the Camino de Santiago.

Thank you both for your suggestions. How many days would you recommend in Porto? We'll by flying in and out of Lisbon so I'm wondering if we should start the trip in Porto and maybe Santiago de Compostela and then spend the remainder of the trip in Lisbon.

I agree that it would be better to spend all your time in one or the other.

I've spent about a week in each and 10 days would have been better. Both have lots to see in the city and nearby. Both have great food. Lisbon has Fado. Seville has Flamenco. Seville may be warmer than Lisbon, but Lisbon is right on the river. Lisbon is also easier to get to with nonstop flights from the East Coast.

If your first inclination is to center on Lisbon, do it. Be sure to go to the National Tile Museum, the Jeronimos Monastery and Pasteis de Belem where we had lunch and pasteis of course. A bus or tram is required to get to them.

We went to 2 Fado places. Sr. Fado de Alfama was our favorite. Very small and intimate. The food was great. The place closed up and the Fado went on after. That was in 2011, so things may be slightly different now. Reservations are definitely required.

Now this is going to sound really weird, but the metro is beautiful. The stations are tiled in a variety of ways. We spent some time just taking all the routes to see the stations! Do a Google Images search for "metro lisbon stations" to get an idea of some of them.

I tried to learn a little Portuguese before we went. If you do that, be sure you are learning Portugal Portuguese, not that spoken in Brazil. I found the language very difficult. About all I remember now is Bom Dia. We needed to go to a pharmacy for my husband. The pharmacist spoke English, but I was able to use the Portuguese greetings and polite words. She was very impressed and said that most people don't even try.

We had an interesting back door experience at the tile museum. I can PM you about that if you want.

I have nothing to contribute but wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you for this posting and all the replies. Lisbon is our intended destination for Spring or Fall 2019; a whole new city experience for me. (Yes, I do like to plan ahead, 2 trips ready to go this year-May and Sept/Oct) The more I read, the more I want to go and I don't think 10 days in any (larger) city is too long-at least not for me. So much to see, so much to do, and then there are those day trips.......Thank you, all who took time to post-lots of good information here.

You could definitely spend your entire 10 days in the Lisbon area with day trips to Sintra, Evora, Tomar and Obidos. If you did all of those, you would have 5-6 days left for Lisbon.

If you end up going to Porto also, I disagree with the Santiago de Compostela suggestion because of the distance from Porto. You could do three nights in Porto and the rest in Lisbon and not feel so rushed. That said, I just did a 5 night trip to Porto and didn’t make it to the Douro. So, there is a lot to keep you busy.

If you haven’t purchased your plane tickets, you could fly into Porto and out of Lisbon, which would make stays in both places easier.

Either way, I would suggest staying in Portugal the entire time and not spend the time it would take to get to Sevilla.

In my opinion, 10 days is not too much in Lisbon. This city holds many hidden treasures, and even after several dozen visits I am still discovering interesting gems. Of course, it depends on your interests, but if cultural encounters are important to you, it takes some time to get acclimated and to get the feel of a place. I like small, quirky museums, and the TA site lists more than 100 museums in the Lisbon area. I have been impressed with the average quality of the 30 or so museums I have visited. In addition, there are at least a half dozen good day trips out of Lisbon, nice beach walks in and near Cascais, and great food everywhere. You mention exploring - the Portuguese tourist office does not do a very good job promoting "minor" points of interest, of which there are hundreds. I think you will find that there are many rewards for the curious wanderer. Take the time to chat with locals, both Portuguese and ex-pats, and you will hear about many interesting places to visit.

With only 10 days, I would save Seville for another trip. My husband and I loved Porto, and were very happy that we visited it as well as Lisbon. Porto had a more relaxed feel to it, yet we had more than enough to do during the four nights we spent there. Porto had some wonderful local restaurants with terrific seafood. We did take a day trip from Lisbon to Sintra and that was an enjoyable experience.

I would chime in here to agree that you shouldn't assume 10 days in Lisbon and surrounding area is too long. I think staying in one place really allows you the time to enjoy and get to know an area. With so many places around Lisbon (all mentioned above) it would be easy to fill all 10 days and not run out of things to do. Sometimes trying to see too many places, you spend your time in transit and moving in and out of hotels, when you could be spending that time just relaxing and watching the world go by with great Portuguese pastries and wine/port sitting at a miradore watching the beautiful sunset!!

I have been to Portugal twice and enjoyed Lisbon very much, but 10 days is too much, even doing day trips to Evora, Sintra and other places.

Porto is wonderful and suggest 3-4 days there and in the Douro River Valley.