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itinerary for 12 nights in portugal

Posted by (Canada) on

Hello:

We are two CAnadians travelling to POrtugal in late September for 12 nights. We do not want to have more than four different locations/overnight spots. We are going to have a car rental so will be able to do day trips from our home base. We know for sure we are doing 4 nights in Lisbon and then getting rental car, two or three nights in Porto as well. We fly home out of Lisbon at the end of the trip. Where are the other two locations that people would recommend we stay? We are not really beach people so I am thinking we will not have the time to go to the Algarve. My husband only wants one other location or two at the very most for the 12 day trip. Any suggestions (looking for places that are well situated for day trips). Thank you.

Janet

Posted by
2455 posts

Janet, I will start with two suggestions, likely different from others’ picks:

Sintra, and
Someplace up the Douro Valley, maybe Pinhao, where there is a lovely hotel.

Many do these as day trips, but I think both deserve more time and attention, and time to enjoy them without the scads of day trippers around.

From these four bases, with a car you can go almost everywhere else as a day trip.

Enjoy, it’s a wonderful, beautiful and friendly country!

Posted by
37 posts

Thank you for your reply. Many people love Sintra from what I have been reading. What is the name of the hotel in Pinhao that you would recommend so that I can look it up. Thanks so much. Janet

Posted by
6113 posts

You are right about not covering the Algarve in your timescale.

Personally, I would add more nights to Lisbon to permit day trips to Cascais, Sintra and Evora. I would then drive to somewhere around the Santarem/ Tomar / Fatima/ Coimbra area and explore these traditional towns, then head to Porto.

Posted by
361 posts

We trained to Pinhao on the Douro and toured Hotel Vintage which I think is where RS tours stay. Very nice but did not stay there as was above our budget. We hired a taxi to take us to the Fonseca Vineyards and tasting rooms. There are a lot of lovely towns along the river but we only saw Pinhao. We also trained from Lisbon to Porto which was an enjoyable 3 hour trip.

Posted by
1669 posts

You can easily do without renting a car, as you don’t want or need one in either Lisbon or Porto. I would suggest Coimbra for your other stop and 2-3 nights there, with the remaining time in Lisbon and Porto.

Posted by
80 posts

Hello Janet,

It's great you're coming to Portugal ;)

I agree with kathrynj, Coimbra is a good place to stay... indeed you can take the train to this city and from there the train to Porto with no problems... However, if money isn't an issue, I'd recommend you rent a car in Lisbon and, on your way to Coimbra, visit the beautiful town of Tomar for example - explore the beautiful historic centre and the Castle and Convent of Christ, UNESCO's World Heritage Site ;)

I think 3 bases for 12 nights are good enough but I also agree that Sintra deserves more than a day trip - it is one of the most beautiful places in Portugal.

When in Porto, you can make some great day trips: Guimarães, Douro/Lamego, Braga, Viana do Castelo...

Enjoy your stay and enjoy Portugal ;)

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