Lisbon & Porto 10 days

Posted by tdurkee on 05/02/19 03:16 PM

My wife and I decided to take a last minute trip to Portugal at the end of the month, May 26 - June 5. I was hoping to get peoples thoughts and suggestions as the trip is being planned so quickly. I'm thinking we'll split our time between Porto and Lisbon with possibly a day trip in each location. Though we're flying into Porto I'm thinking we'll take the train straight to Lisbon. We have an earlish return flight (11:30 am) so a long first day seems better than stressing about getting from Lisbon to the Porto Airport on time. If anyone has done Lisbon to the Porto Airport I would love to know your thoughts.

For Lisbon 4.5 - 5 days seems like a good amount of time to see the sights. We're planning to see most of the big sights Belem, neighborhoods strolls, the castle, museums and churches. Depending on time I was thinking of side trip to Sintra or Évora, I'm leaning towards Évora.

For Porto 4.5 - 5 days seems like it could be more then we need. We love wine so we'll most likely dedicate more time to the Wine Lodges. I'm also thinking we'll do a day trip to the Douro Valley. I can't decide if it makes sense to rent a car for the day or just sign up for a tour. Does anyone have a recommendation for a good Douro Valley wine tour? We're hoping to visit some smaller family run places and wineries that produce more than just port. Are there other good day trip options from Porto? Would it make sense to do one less day in Porto and an additional day in Lisbon?

Posted by Ken

Vernon, Canada

05/02/19 10:56 PM

32200 posts

td,

I can't think of any suggestions at the moment except that it might be helpful to have a look at the RS Portugal guidebook. There's lots of information there on sightseeing options in both those cities.

Posted by kmkwoo

Massachusetts, USA

05/03/19 12:13 AM

1600 posts

In April 2018 we spent 5 nights in Lisbon, and that included a day trip to Sintra. So I think your allocation of time is a good one. If you don't have a guidebook, I suggest getting one or two to help with sightseeing, restaurant recommendations, etc. For museums in Lisbon, I highly recommend the Gulbenkian Museum; it houses a modern collection and the Founders Collection which includes paintings, ceramics, furniture, etc. We enjoyed both collections. I am not a fan of modern art, but I found the modern collection very interesting. It included not only paintings but unique and bizarre sculptures, along with an exhibit detailing the history of Portugal.

We also enjoyed the Coach Museum and the Mosteiro De Sao Vicente De Fora, which houses beautiful blue and white tiles. If you visit the Mosteiro, be sure to go to the rooftop terrace for awesome views of Lisbon and the river.

While in Belem, I suggest going to the top of the Discoveries Monument for awesome views of the Jeronimos Monastery, river and port. You take an elevator to the top, and the line was non-existent when we were there. We didn't go to the top of the Belem Tower because of long lines.

If you like shellfish, I highly recommend Cervejaria Ramiro, recommended by the late Anthony Bourdain. And have a meal at the Time Out Market.

Be sure to wander the Alfama. Some people consider it touristy, but that's only true close to the castle. We followed Rick's walking tour of the Alfama and got away from the tourist crowds. We visited the castle and Alfama on the same day, and that was one of our favorite days in Lisbon.

We did not go to Porto so can't comment.

Posted by Chani

Tel Aviv

05/03/19 09:27 AM

15579 posts

It looks pretty simple to take the metro from OPO to Porto-Campanha and then either AP or IC train to Lisbon. AP trains are newer, more comfortable and somewhat faster (under 3 hrs) than IC trains (3+ hours). Assuming your first day is not effective anyway, you might as well push on to Lisbon. I am always a little nervous about getting to the airport on time, so I would not want to be a 4-hour journey from the airport, with the only sure alternative a very expensive private transfer. Oh, just saw that your flight is at 11.30. That means getting to the airport by about 9 am at the latest, no way from Lisbon!! The first train out only gets to Porto-Campanha at 9.46.