Please sign in to post.

Itinerary help for 14 night Portugal trip late Aug 2019

We are an active couple in our 60's planning a 14 night trip to Portugal. We enjoy history, culture, art, food & wine. I enjoy travel photography. We hope to balance city with a few nights in other areas, but we're not as interested in the beach areas. We do love wine country everywhere! We'll have a car after leaving Lisbon. We will return car when we get to Porto, and take the train back to Lisbon for final night before departing home to California. Open jaw was not ideal for us on this trip. We've presently booked part of our trip, but could use advice on a few details:

Arrive Lisbon (8/20) have booked 5 nights. Plan day trip to Sintra, at minimum. Pick up car upon leaving Lisbon.

Evora - 1 night booked

Next stop for 1 night is "open" - we hope to make progress north. Nazare is an option. So is Obidos. I am leaning towards Obidos as staying the night will allow us to see the town after the crowds have left.

Coimbra is next. We've booked 2 nights.

Our "plan" is to head to the Douro Valley for 2 nights - rest, enjoy wine, see the countryside. Need recommendations on where to stay in the DV. (Pinhao, Regua, Amarante, or somewhere else?)

From Douro Valley, we plan 3 nights in Porto. We'll return car upon arrival in Porto.

From Porto we'll take the train to Lisbon for a final night before flying back to US.

Are there any "must-see" things I've left out, or any suggestions for night between Evora and Coimbra? Best place to base for 2 nights in Douro Valley? Anything unworkable in this plan?

Posted by
567 posts

I would personally stay the second night in Evora. We really like Evora, and also like some of the towns near by, Evoramonte, Vila Vicosa. We had planned to stay 2 nights and stayed a 3rd with a drive to those spots. If you do prefer to be closer to Coimbra, then I agree with you that Obidos is best seen once the crowds leave. Otherwise, I think your plan seems quite sensible.

Posted by
5298 posts

Carol,

Are there any "must-see" things I've left out, or any suggestions for night between Evora and Coimbra?

Consider going to Tomar and visiting the amazing castle and Convent of Christ.

Enjoy your trip!

Posted by
15794 posts

I thought Obidos was only worth 2-3 hours and was touristy. Nazare has a very large sandy beach, with lots of tourist shops and cafes on the other side of the road. I believe the highlight is the views of the cliffs. I've driven scenic Hwy 1, so I skipped that and wish I'd used the time to visit one of the fishing villages along the coast instead. Tomar is a good base to visit the monasteries at Alcobaca and Batalha, both of which I thought much more beautiful and interesting than the one in Tomar itself. With two full days in Tomar, you'd have time to day-trip to all those places and see Tomar as well. Coimbra was one of my faves. One full day was perfect for me, including a fado concert. I happened to be at the university on graduation day so I spent more time there than I would have otherwise.

Posted by
6113 posts

I second everything Chani has said.

Nazaré in August will be hideously busy and it’s just an average beach resort. Caldas da Rainha is near the coast, but a proper town rather than a beach resort if you want an alternative. Obidos can be seen in a couple of hours maximum.

Posted by
21 posts

Thanks for the feedback! We've decided to add Tomar as our overnight between Evora and Coimbra. Had planned to visit it anyway, and it helps getting us further towards Coimbra and it convenient for side-tripping. For the Douro Valley stay we've booked two-nights in Pinhao.

We'll definitely look into Fado in Coimbra!

Posted by
28 posts

We stayed 2 nights in Salema, including a day trip to Cape Sagres, which we loved, and Lagos, which was just OK.