My family of 5 (adults) will be travelling to Portugal Thanksgiving week. I know it is not enough time but want to see what I can. We are staying three nights in Lisbon, 2 nights in Pinhao, and 2 nights in Porto, in that order. I know it will be expensive, but because our time is limited, I would like to hire a private driver to get from Lisbon to Pinhao and not deal with bus or train schedules. May also want a driver from Pinhao to Porto if the trains would take longer. Any recommendations for a driving service that could get us from Lisbon to Pinhao and/or Pinhao to Porto? Thanks!
Posted by
Chicago
309 posts
I can't comment on Lisbon to Porto, but the train between Pinhao and Porto is only about
2 hours and very inexpensive. Even if the drive time is markedly less (and I don't think it
is), the train is fun.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
The train from Pinhao to Porto does sound very doable and fun so that will work. My biggest hurdle is figuring out how to get from Lisbon to Pinhao. I really want to cut that time down and go direct by car instead of train or bus.
Posted by
Chicago
309 posts
You might try using the website findtransfers.com - they will take your request and
route it to multiple taxi/shuttle companies who will submit bids. That way, you can
at least get a price/time for a driver to compare against the plane/train options.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6575 posts
If you get a rental car, from Lisbon, get on the A-1 towards Coimbra. It will turn into the E801/IP3/A24 around Coimbra. Stay on it towards Viseu, then Lamego. Near Viseu the roads changes to the A24. North of Lamego, when you reach the Douro River, you head east on the N222 to Pinhao. Total time without stops or making a wrong turn is just over 4 hours. Recently I drove a portion of that drive, Coimbra up to Lamego, and the road is all interstate. There are toll portions of that drive.
Posted by
San Francisco
184 posts
We had good experiences with MyDayTrip.com for a driver between Lisbon and Coimbra and the Coimbra to Porto. We were able to arrange stops along the way too.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thanks everyone for the great suggestions. I really appreciate it.