We are planning a trip over an 8 day period and are looking for suggestions in a condensed time of what to do and what to skip. I don't mind driving (have done several times in Italy). Probably flying in to Lisbon and out of Porto. We decided against the south and the beach areas since it's winter. I know Sintra is a must, but we don't have 2-3 days to see it all. We will be travelling with a seasoned 8 year old. Any suggestions and tips will be great
thanks
Check to see if those cities will have large crowds over New Years.. We went to Rome this New Years and it was gridlocked, mobbed with crowds, mostly Italians.
Caveat: I don't know about that time of year.
Sintra is usually best as a 1-2 night stay. The best thing to do is take Uber or taxi from the airport. It's a 30-40 minute drive and not expensive. It cost me about €33 by Uber in the other direction.
Use the AP trains - fastest, most comfortable. Here's the official website. A convenient overnight stop on the way is Coimbra, but if you are already spending nights in Sintra, you should stick to Lisbon and Porto. The main train stations are Lisboa-Oriente (easily reached by metro - or Uber) and Porto-Campanha, which is a bit out of the center. Take a taxi, not expensive. I took Uber and it was difficult to find the pick up spot and then there was a long wait and the only unsatisfactory Uber driver I had, though I used it quite a bit.
There are not big mobs of tourists at that time of the year, so no worries about that.
Five nights in Lisbon and three in Porto would be my choice. If you want to do an overnight in Sintra, I wouldn’t do more than one with your limited schedule. But, a day trip from Lisbon can be done easily. Caveat about Sintra - it’s not my favorite place, mostly due to the crowds. So take my opinion that that in mind.
If you spent four nights in Lisbon, then went to Sintra for one night, there is an express bus from Sintra to Porto that is absurdly cheap - currently less than €6! If you just see Lisbon and Porto, you don’t need or want a car.
If you happen to be in Lisbon on New Year’s Eve, I wouldn’t take an 8 year old to Praça do Comércio for the fireworks. It’s the only time and place you will find mobs of people!
