Hello - We are thinking of a trip to Portugal in late May/early June 2023. It will be me, my husband and our son, who will be 17 by then. Lisbon is a definite, but we're debating about adding a few days in Porto. Is there enough there to appeal to a teen boy? He's into music (mostly rock), technology, military history and offbeat shops and markets, and also plays tennis. Not much for hiking or outdoor adventures although he does enjoy the beach.
Thank you for any advice!
How much time do you have for traveling in Portugal? I am in favor of adding Porto.
We were planning on 4 to 5 nights, but if we add Porto we'd probably do 4 in Lisbon and 2 in Porto. We'll be flying to Rome from Portugal, if that is a factor - it looks as though there are more flight options from Lisbon.
We are just back from Portugal, I have to say I didnt' enjoy Lisbon, too crowded, too hot, too big city,.
We saw a few sights that interested us in Lisbon but Porto was more to our liking. A bit cooler, loved the old center, walked on the top level of the metal bridge, walked up and down Flores and then explored the upper town too. There is a major street in Porto with tons of shopping and gelato shops and cafes. No car traffic which is great.
In Lisbon we walked to the castle (get there at 9AM when they open and buy your ticket on line BEFORE you go) We came out after about 45 min and the line to buy tickets went for ever! We basically had the grounds to ourselves at 9AM.
We did the Hop on Hop off bus in Lisbon that took us out to Belem, so we went to the tower. We skipped the monastery, as there was a huge line there too. It was fun for a couple of hours to get an overview of Lisbon.
Good to know. He really likes big city vibes, so Lisbon actually might be more his speed.
You can probably spend the entire time in Lisbon. We spent a week there in April and still didn't see everything.
Lots of stuff to see and do in Lisbon. Fun city just to wander.
Visit the Time Out Market for lunch.
https://www.timeout.com/lisbon/things-to-do/the-best-things-to-do-in-lisbon
Regarding the castle, we went there at sunset. Beautiful views and also not crowded at that time.
Alternate view - we preferred Lisbon to Porto. Everything was pretty crowded last month, but the sites are more spread out and numerous in Lisbon. Porto being smaller meant the tourists were packed into a tighter area.
Susan - our thoughts exactly! We've been to Lisbon three times, and it's one of my favorite cities in Europe. We just visited Porto last month for the first time, and it felt dark and claustrophobic to me. Way too many tourists there on wine vacations!
I'd like to suggest using Lisbon as your base and do at least one day trip to Cascais area or Sintra via train. The two cities are both beautiful in their own right. Porto has beautiful buildings and is easily walkable like Lisbon. He might enjoy the Leao bookshop or a river boat ride. If he likes soccer, the Porto stadium and museum. Climb the Arribada bridge.. go by Tram 1. A surf lesson?
