We (family with 2 girls 15 and 14) will fly into Lisbon and 10 days later fly back to US from Barcelona in august. I am trying to figure out if i should stick with those two cities or should i venture out to another city, like Porto. Did anyone do something similar? Should i just stick with only 2 cities? Any suggestion on itinerary would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
Posted by
California 🦋
5298 posts
Have you already booked your flights?
If not, I’d suggest staying in Portugal for the entire 10 days.
Keep in mind that you’ll lose at least half a day when traveling from one destination to the next.
I’d also highly recommend getting a couple of Portugal guidebooks to help you determine what other places you’d be interested in visiting while in Portugal.
Enjoy your trip!
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
Another vote for spending all the time in Portugal! If this isn’t possible, I would just stick to your 2 bases. The first day or 2 will be lost to jet lag. Lisbon itself is a 3 full day city plus there are good day trips to Cascais, Evora and Sintra.
I would have 5 full days plus your arrival day in Lisbon then head to Barcelona for the remainder.
Posted by
Washington DC
28247 posts
You're going to need to fly from Lisbon to Barcelona. Dealing with airports plus a hotel change is going to kill a major chunk of that day, mid-trip. I would not want to do it on such a short trip. It's not as if there aren't many other great places to go in Portugal and in Catalunya.
If you've already bought your flights, I would certainly stick to Lisbon and Barcelona. You'll only have eight full days available to you, plus some scattered hours on your arrival day (when you're likely to be jetlagged and sleep-deprived) and part of the day you move from Lisbon to Barcelona. How to divide the time depends on your interests and what side trips you may want to include, as well as how likely you are to return to Portugal and northeastern Spain. You need to consult guidebooks to see what interests you most.
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
8124 posts
I would stick with those two cities, maybe look at some day trips from those bases at the most.
I also would look at flying from Lisbon to Barcelona, if only because Ground transport can be problematic. For whatever historical reason, there are really no good fast rail connections between Portugal and Spain. To get from one to the other will require a mix of Bus and Rail and a long, long day (12 hrs?) Look at TAP and Vueling as airlines on that route.
Posted by
OP
Michigan
9 posts
Thank you for your replies. Unfortunately, I already have tickets. I do have 10 full days, that is not counting the days of arrival and departure. That is why I thought it would be enough time to visit Porto (it is my wife's favorite wine:) But it looks like i will not have time for that trip. I am buying Rick Steves Portugal guide, that should help with itinerary planning.