I'm trying to decide how many nights in each city. I originally planned 3N in Lisbon/2 N in Porto.
After some research on FB Portugal travel group, thinking of flipping. RS book shows Lisbon as "must see" and Porto as "try hard to see".
Our group is not planning on visiting beach.
Either way, you will be short in both cities. Two nights typically equates to 1 day, not enough for either city.
I would read the RS guidebook and watch the shows, and decide what are YOUR must sees.
Lisbon deserves 4 nights minimum, more if you do day trips to Evora, Sintra and Obidos.
Two nights in Porto are good. Try booking the best EVER B&B, The InPatio Guesthouse. It is amazing.
The thing about Porto is that you should visit the Douro River Valley, one of the most scenic in Europe. Take a cruise up the river or the train that runs along the north side of the river. Go to Regua and Pinhao.
I like jules m answer. Do the research and decide what your priorities are; yours might not be the same RS or the Facebook group. BTW, it would be easy to spend a few weeks in each city on vacation (really, I have, and that was after I lived there). I totally disagree with the "try hard to see" recommendation for Porto. It's a great smaller city. To me it's more a question of how much time you have and what your priorities are. Lisbon and Porto have very different personalities and different types of tourist sites, so it's hard just to say pick A over B. Go with your gut. Let us know what you decide!
We did four nights in each city. For both Lisbon and Porto, one of the days was for a guided tour out of the city.
We could have spent more time in each, but not less.
Enjoy.
Lisbon really needs 3 nights because it’s bigger, spread over hills, and has more major sights and day trip options. Porto is more compact, so 2 nights are enough to cover the highlights at a relaxed pace. I’d recommend sticking with 3N Lisbon / 2N Porto.
Finally decided and made a decision.
3 N in Lisbon/2 Nights in Porto
Staying in Douro Valley before Porto. Plan on arriving in Porto early morning to give me 2 full days to sightsee.
I can't spend as much time as I want with limited vacation days.
