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Looking for input on Portugal trip

Posted by (California) on

I am planning a 3 week trip to Portugal + Azores. No car; just local public transportation and local tours.
Flying into Porto for start of trip.
1 day flying in
1 day for departing Portugal from Azores

4 days Porto (Porto tour, Douro Valley cruise, Guimaraes Braga,
5 days Lisbon + Sinatra + Belem
4 days Azores (too much?)

6 days left to visit Coimbra, Aveiro, Tomas, Fatima, Nazare, Obidos, Evora.
Is this enough days to visit all of these areas?
Is there an efficient way to see all of these?
Where to stay to make this part of trip efficient?
What means of transport is to be used in these areas?

Do I need more days to cover Algarve?
Where can I find train/ bus schedules?

Thanks for any input I can get

Lakshman

Posted by
5202 posts

My daughter and I spent 3 weeks visiting Portugal in the Spring of 2019.
This was our itinerary:
Lisbon > Sintra (3) > Evora> (3)> Tomar (2) > Coimbra (3) >> Porto (6) >> Lisbon (5) -day trips to Belém, and Cascais.

We traveled solely via public transportation (mostly trains and one bus)

Depending on your travel style, you may not have time to get to all the destinations on your list during your time frame.

You may check train schedules & book your tickets here: cp.pt

I’ve not visited the Azores Islands (yet) but you can get more information by reading Carl’s guidebook- check out the first post on the Portugal forum here: Azores Islands Travel Advice

Enjoy your time in beautiful Portugal!

P.S. I’d allocated 6 nights in Porto to allow us 2 day trips but our plans changed due to feeling under the weather with GI issues.

Here’s a great blog full of practical information: Julie Dawn Fox in Portugal

Posted by
362 posts

You mention Azores twice then Algarve, not sure if that’s an error .. very different places. The Azores are several volcanic islands 2 1/2 hrs flight west of the mainland while the Algarve are beach towns in southern Portugal and more British than Portuguese.

If Azores .. we just came back from Ponta Delgada, hired a guide for 3 full days & highly recommend t4wazorestours, Delphim. Otherwise one definitely needs a car to see Sao Miguel island as public transportation is geared for locals not tourists. Ponta Delgada itself is very small.

If Algarve, you still need a car to get around to the different beaches. We based in Lagos, renting an apt just above Praia Dona Ana beach, beautiful sunrises.

There are tours from Lisbon that will cover several of your destinations. Coimbra & Evora warrant more than a day each. Be sure to try leitoes, roast suckling pig.

Train scedules: www.cp.pt

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