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Just returned from Portugal-Thanks for all the in put

My husband and I and another couple recently returned from a 12 day trip to Portugal. It was wonderful and I wanted to thank everyone on the forum for their advice and input.
We started our trip on September 21 and found that the taxis were on strike. We started our adventure taking the train which was fine.
We spent 4 nights in Lisbon, the first two days exploring Lisbon and Belem,then a day trip to Cascais and a day trip to Sintra. We took the train to these destinations for very nice day trips. It was very hot (high 30's C /90F) every day. Due to jet lag, I would have liked one more day to relax in Lisbon, however we did do a lot.
We were debating on how to get from Lisbon to Evora and decided to use a service called mydaytrip.com. They picked us up at our hotel and drove us to Evora. We had a few options if we wanted to stop anywhere and we decided to go to the Almendres Cromlech, the "Stonehenge" of Portugal. It was late afternoon and very quiet. It is worth a stop. There are beautiful cork trees all around as well.
We spent two nights in Evora and it was wonderful. We didn't know that Evora is know for it's cuisine and we were pleasantly surprised both nights with incredible dinners with the proud chefs visiting the tables, talking to us about thier food, etc. One place was called Tabua De Naldo. (I give it 5 stars). The other I can't remember but a google search will find it. Make reservations for both places. We were happy we made the stop in Evora. It is a beautiful place, lots of history, the second oldest University in Portugal, etc....Don't miss the Chapel of the Bones.
We also hired mydaytrips to drive us from Evora to Coimbra. We spent the day with our surper nice driver, Ivo, and made 3 stops along the way: the caves at Gruta de Aire, Batalha monestary (Unesco WHS), and finally Conimbriga, to see the Roman Ruins. All three stops were excellent.
We arrived in Coimbra about 6:30, got settled into our apartment and went to eat. We did notice that reservations are needed most nights and if you don't make plans, you can wander a bit looking for a place....which is what happened to us a few nights.
Coimbra was a great stop-2 nights there were well spent. There is a lot to do and see. We visited the University of Coimbra, the oldest in Portugal. It is an amazing place. There is a lot to see here in general. The views from the hill top are amazing.
Once more, we hired mydaytrips to drive us from Coimbra to Porto with two Stops-one at Aveiro-the "venice" of Portugal. We took a boat ride but then didn't have much time to explore the city. I would either allow more time or skip the boat ride...Next stop was Igreja Paroquial de Valega. Amazing tile work inside and out. Also a beautiful cemetery. We had the place to ourselves. Great stop.
Finally we reached Porto. We had a great apartment just outside the city. It was a quick 10 minute walk to get to the Old Town. We liked the location because we were in a neighborhood with locals, and we ate at an excellent local place 2 times for dinner! (Called Madureira) We also saw almost everything in Porto and had a day to take the train to Guimaraes. It is wrth the trip. A beautiful place with a lovely old town about a 5 minute walk from the train. I can go on and on. We loved Portugal, it was a great place with great people, food, sites, etc.
I am pretty sure we will go back to see all the places we didn't have time to do this time around!
Thanks agian for all the input....

Posted by
3961 posts

Thanks for sharing your amazing journey to Portugal. We took the RS Portugal Tour 2 years ago and added time for a day trip to Sintra & Cascais as well. Everything you described was spot on. We have fond memories of Coimbra. We were there in September when the students came for orientation. Totally agree that Portugal was a special place, kind people, great food, history and amazing sites! Yes, we think Portugal warrants another visit! Obrigada!

Posted by
5188 posts

Mztish,

Thanks for sharing your trip with us, it sounds like you had a wonderful time!

Would you mind sharing the names of your accommodations in Lisbon, and Evora, thanks!

Which city/ town became your favorite and why?

Thanks again!

Posted by
19 posts

Hi there! We stayed at The Noble House in Eviora. It was a very nice hotel with great breakfast and evening wine and Sangria.
In Lisbon we stayed in an apartment. We found it in the HomeAway site. While the apartment itself was very nice, the stairway was very scary and the keys to the building and apartment were hard to work. It was in a good location and had a washer and dryer....
The address is 185 Rua da Prata. It is three bedrooms and 2 baths. Located in third floor. We didn’t need the 3rd bedroom but wanted two bathrooms.
I really loved the people in Portugal. They were very friendly and most spoke numerous languages making it easy to communicate. The food was also very good. The sites of course were amazing. We enjoyed just walking around and enjoying the place. We really enjoyed the day trip to Guimarães. If you plan to take the train, pick up the tickets the day before. It makes for a less stressful trip to the station. Lines for tickets can be long and you might miss the train!
It is hard for me to choose one place. I really liked Evora. I also really liked Porto. It was all good!

Posted by
5188 posts

Mztish,

Thanks for answering my questions!

Just wondering. If you’d more time, would you have considered staying in Guimarães, or was a day trip enough?

Posted by
19 posts

I think a day trip was enough. We took the early train from Porto and got back late afternoon/early evening.