Please sign in to post.

Itinerary Suggestions

I am looking for feedback and any thoughts on the below itinerary. We will be coming and leaving out of Lisbon in early May.

  1. Day 1 - Lisbon/Explore Free Day
  2. Day 2- Lisbon/Explore
  3. Day 3- Day trip to Sintra/Cascais
  4. Day 4- Pick up rental car and head to Douro Valley and stop along the way in Tomar
  5. Day 5- Explore Douro Valley (wine tasting/river boat cruise)
  6. Day 6- Head to Porto. Stop along the way in Amarante, Guimaraes and Braga
  7. Day 7- Explore Porto 8.Day 8- Explore Porto
  8. Day 9- Head back to Lisbon and make stops in Coimbra and Obidos
  9. Day 10- Head back Home

A few other other questions. What is the best way to see Sintra and Cascais for a day trip. Should we rent a private driver to take us around? We are not picking up our rental car until we leave Lisbon and head to the Douro Valley.

What are thoughts on renting a car for the second half of our trip? I think we will be able to see more on our own schedule and make stops along the way. Is cell service reliable when driving? We were going to rent a GPS but curious if our cellar data with google maps would just work instead.

Any guidance or suggestions are welcomed!
Thank you!

Posted by
6732 posts

Is your "Day 1" the day your flight arrives? If so, don't expect too much for yourself that day. If so, you only have one day for Lisbon, which is short-changing yourself - I'd try to allocate two (real) days there.

Sintra is a great day trip, but it's a full day - there's plenty (some would say more than a full day) to see and do there. Not sure how you would squeeze in Cascais on the same day (I have not been to Cascais so don't know how much there is to see there). Sintra is best done as a day trip by rail, IMHO. It's easy, direct, ideal, and I see no need for hiring a driver. But I'd allocate a whole day for it.

Posted by
362 posts

I like a I want to see what I can on my vacation. In September spent 2 nights in Lisbon & Porto, then in October went back for more-Lisbon 2 nights, Porto 3 nights, Sintra 2 nights. I found I like Porto & Douro Valley over Lisbon(personal preference). Totally & unexpectedly impressed by Sintra. I day tripped to Cascais, just OK. In order to make the best use of your time I would set up a private guide to get tickets & handle the transportation in Sintra. From the train station in Sintra it is a good 20 minutes to the Pena Palace/ Moor Castle. The public bus will get you there but adds time. Tomar yes, a good stop city. Coimbra you need more time. Not sure you have the time to squeeze in Braga, Obidos, Guimarães. The train is so fast from Porto to Lisbon I suggest you drop the car in Porto and take the fast train to Lisbon.

Posted by
1654 posts

A few thoughts...
You need more time in Lisbon.
You cannot do Sintra and Cascais in one day. I’m an advocate of a private driver in Sintra as the buses are over crowded, slow, etc.

Dont pick up your car until you get close to the Douro. It’s easier and cheaper to train from Lisbon to Porto. You don’t stop on the way to Porto to see the places you listed. They are north of Porto and a considerable drive.
You won’t be able to make stops in Coimbra and Óbidos both on your way back to Lisbon. Coimbra will fill an entire day if you visit the university and library and spend any time at all wandering. You could spend the night then stop at Obidos on your way to Lisbon the next day. Óbidos won’t take longer than a couple of hours.
You are likely trying to cover too much ground in too few days. I would skip Tomar, Visit Braga or Guimarães - not both and skip Amarante. Focus on Lisbon area, Porto area with a stop in Coimbra overnight. If you slow down a bit, you will enjoy the trip more, IMO.
Lastly, you can likely manage with cellular data, as long as you have a data plan that won’t charge you an enormous amount. The main highways in Portugal have good signage, so you likely will really need it in towns where you will have good cell service.

Posted by
5 posts

Thank you very much for the feedback! I think we are going to still drive from Lisbon to the Douro Valley and then drive to Porto but now drop off our car in Porto and take the train back. Not sure yet which stops we will make along the way to Douro Valley but I think we will just do less and see what we can knowing that if we make many stops that we will be rushed. Any recommendations to see then on our drive from Lisbon to Douro Valley.

Posted by
5687 posts

I'd probably take the train to Porto immediately upon landing in Lisbon, then pick up the car after a few days in Porto, explore the Douro Valley, drive back to Lisbon (stop in Tomar, Coimbra, etc. beforehand), then fly out at the end. That way, you won't have to split up your time in Lisbon, and you won't have to park the car in Porto.

Google Maps should be fine (I have been to Portugal but not driven there; I have driven elsewhere in Europe with Google Maps on my phone). You don't need mobile data to use Google Maps for driving - you can download the Portugal map "offline" ahead of time, but the mobile data helps for exploring on foot and with public transportation, using Google Maps. So your mobile reception while driving isn't important for GPS-type navigation.

Posted by
7595 posts

When in Porto, I highly recommend a fantastic B&B. It is the In Patio Guesthouse. Book early, since it only has five rooms. It is in a great location.