Main Attractions in Portugal

Time of year will make a difference. The main draw in Óbidos is the wall and it’s free. When we were in Porto, Coimbra and Tomar last autumn there were either no lines or short lines at the main sites.

Thank you for your response. I am visiting from March 29 through April 6.

That's Easter week, so expect crowds. You'll need reservations for Pena Palace in Sintra and probably for the monastery in Belem (Lisbon).

Thank you for your response. This is helpful information. Does anyone have restaurant suggestions for dinner?

In Óbidos we enjoyed Adego do Ramada. It’s casual dining. In Tomar we had a good meal at the upscale Restaurante Mouchão. In Coimbra Restaurante Dom Espeto was unexpectedly good and very reasonable. We also had good Italian just up the street from Dom Espeto at Restaurante Il Tartufo. In Porto we ate at Pimms Café and had a good experience. It is very casual. We had pastry paired with port at the popular with tourists Majestic Café and felt it was way overpriced, but the atmosphere was nice. We were pleasantly surprised with Honest Greens Santa Catarina. It is casual dining where you order and pay at the counter and the food is brought to you.

I'm not a big foodie, but I can suggest you try Taverna Antiqua in Tomar for the experience of pre-Columbian dining - they very much reconstruct what a restaurant would have been in the 15th century (e.g., no tomatoes, no chocolate, no electricity - they do take credit cards). The food was good and the experience was terrific. There were 3 American couples at the table next to me and they kindly invited me to join them, which made things even better.

Thank you for the restaurant suggestions!