We are traveling to Lisbon at the end of February, and going to drive up to Porto. We are only there 7 days and have rented a car. We were going to take a day trip to Sintra, and possibly stay one night in the Douro Valley. We don't want to spend all our time in big cities. Any recommendations on places to stay that are more rural that have cute restaurants where we can just walk the streets? We are active so were looking to do some biking or hiking tours as well. Thanks a ton
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Mid-Atlantic area
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Unfortunately it gets dark fairly early in February and seven days isn’t that long. Make the most of your time by visiting places on the trip up to Porto. If spending a night en route, Tomar is about the halfway point.
One somewhat rural place we stayed was the Parador Insua Penalva do Castelo. It was built in the late 1700s and even has an on-site museum. It has an on-site restaurant or one can walk or drive into town.
We had more time on our trip and we visited Óbidos, Nazaré, Alcobaca and Batalha monasteries, Fátima, Conimbriga ruins, Almourol castle, and Coimbra.