We're planning a 2-week trip to Portugal, and we plan to rent a car. We're considering stopping at Monsanto for a few hours while we travel between Peso de Regua and Tomar. I'm figuring we'd spend about 5 hours driving that day, and 4-5 hours in Monsanto. Is it worth the drive? Coimbra is not on our itinerary. Would it be more worthwhile to fit Coimbra in, and skip Monsanto? Also, this will be our first time renting a car outside the U.S. Are Portugese drivers more aggressive or about the same as in the U.S.? (We're in the Chicago area, so we're used to some aggressiveness.)
Posted by
11614 posts
I can’t imagine skipping Coimbra especially in a two week long trip to Portugal. We had no problem driving in Portugal and if you’re from Chicago, you shouldn’t have any problems.
Posted by
Portland
3644 posts
There is a terrific Roman archaeological site near Coimbra.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7208 posts
We’ll be staying in both Coinbra and Tomar on our trip. Monsanto is a 2 hours drive, each way, out of the way considering where you’re going from and to. If you do decide to visit Monsanto, places I bookmarked to see are Miradouro Do Forno, Miradouro de Monsanto, and the Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo. In my opinion, for what there is to see in Monsanto and how long it would take to see it, your time would be better spent elsewhere. Because of its distance from the towns we’ll be staying in, we’ve dropped it from our itinerary and save it for our trip to Extremadura.
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1826 posts
With the amount of time it takes to get there, I’d skip it this time. Especially if it would sacrifice Coimbra. It is very unique but very tiny and some of the roads getting there are winding and take time to navigate.
Posted by
Paris
7312 posts
I agree with the others, I don't think Monsanto is worth including in your roundup of destinations. It is far east, and many east-west roads are slow due to the mountainous terrain.
Posted by
Martinez, CA, USA
1554 posts
Monsanto is a unique village but it adds a lot of time to your driving. Coimbra has much more to offer and would be a better choice for this trip.
Posted by
OP
5 posts
Thanks to everyone who replied! It sounds like we should revise our itinerary, and opt for Coimbra rather than Monsanto. We'll look into the archeological site outside of Coimbra, too. Good to hear that driving shouldn't be a problem. I appreciate your advice!
Posted by
Martinez, CA, USA
1554 posts
The archaeological site is Conimbriga, worth a visit.