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Need advice for my Portugal trip plans, from those who have been there done that

Posted by (hamilton) on

Hello folks. This will be my first trip to Portugal.
I will be arriving Lisbon on May 9th and flying out of Porto on May 17th or 18th. I will be travelling solo and like walking around cities, visiting museums and good food and wine, but also want a few days relaxing near the beach. I hope to combine public transport and a rental car only if needed.

Lisbon 4 nights with a day trip to Sintra and maybe Evora- bus to
Naraze for 2 nights explore area, relax at beach and maybe visit Obidos- then bus to
Coimbra for 1 night- bus or rental car?(any suggestions) to
Duoro Valley and Porto 3 or 4 nights

I realize this omits the towns south of Lisbon, is this a mistake. Salema seems to touristy for me and I don't think it would be worthwhile to go to Lagos for 1 night only, I don't want to be changing lodging too much. Please offer any advice on this area....to see or not to see.

I also would like to know if I should rent a car for the Duoro Valley area for 2 nights? Are the sights there accessible with public transport or will I be missing out by not having a car? Has anyone used a GPS in Portugal or do you have to rely on maps, maps are tough when driving solo?

Thanks

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Posted by
80 posts

Hi jill,

I have been to Portugal only once, but we did a similar thing- skipped the Algarve altogether- the furthest 'south' we went was to lovely Evora for 3 days. These are my opinions, people who have been more often may have a different take on some of your questions.

Evora is some distance from Lisbon, and I think with a day trip to Sintra, you probably have enough to do in Lisbon without the trip to Evora. We loved Obidos (stayed one night), but were pretty meh about Nazare- pretty, but it's a beach town- I didn't see anything special about it, but it might be a perfect beach stop for you- it did have a nice beach. Coimbra was charming, and we loved Porto. The city walking was (and will be) fabulous in Lisbon, Porto & Coimbra.

We looked into a train/boat trip up/down the Douro, but decided on taking a car- it was a spectacular, beautiful and memorable trip, even though it was about 40 degrees C (105 F). You can find train/boat combinations that leave from Porto, but it was an all-day event, and we were less interested because of that.

We bought & downloaded Portugal e-maps to our Garmin GPS, but they never worked correctly, so we traveled by map and road signs- the old fashioned way, which worked great for the most part. We had a car, so I can't comment on how easy the bus will be..

Whatever you decide, your trip will be fabulous. Good luck!

Robert in Montreal

Posted by
1669 posts

By my count, you have 8-9 nights. IMO changing hotels 4 times will lead to a lot of packing and unpacking - and less time actually enjoying your trip.
I totally agree that Nazare was pretty underwhelming to me. If you want beach time, you can easily take public transport from Lisbon to Cascais. There are a couple of small beaches here and one very large one (Guincho) outside of town. In May, the water will be very cold, so swimming might not be very enjoyable. That said - I've seen people in the water off and on all winter!
I didn't go south of Lisbon my first trip here, and have no regrets about that decision.

In my 'scouting' trip last spring, we rented a car and drove all around the Silver Coast area, visiting Coimbra and Obidos, plus Nazare and other things you won't have time to do. Driving is very easy in the smaller towns.
In Porto, you can easily take a day tour of the Douro - which is what we did. I feel I got a good feel for the area and the day was very enjoyable. We used CoolTour Oporto. Their prices are very reasonable and it was a very good tour.
Portugal is very easy solo. I've moved here solo and have never felt unsafe.

Posted by
119 posts

I agree with the earlier posts. There are good beaches in the Lisbon area, within 30 to 45 minutes by train from downtown Lisbon. I would skip Nazare. Six nights in Lisbon would not be too much given your interests.
I recommend walking tours of Lisbon, see the RS guide. These are a good way to start. Also, the 28 tram will give you some idea about interesting neighborhoods to explore later.
Sintra is an easy day trip from Lisbon, but not very interesting in the evening.

Posted by
3 posts

Hi Jill,

You're lucky. Spring time is a wonderful time to come to Portugal!
Your trip seems well planned. Don't worry about the south, you will come back for sure!

Concerning the Douro Valley, if you like driving, the N222 between Régua and Pinhão is the best road in the world to drive on (by "the Telegraph")! Going by train is possible but you'll probably miss the really good vineyards, ending up visiting one of the most comercial ones (propably Dow's or Sandeman).
I was born in Lisbon and currently a city guide in Porto and Douro Valley, National park guide in Gerês and I have my own scooter rental shop in central Porto.
If you consider to rent a scooter, send me a private message if you wish, and I'll tell you the best roads, city spots, and vineyards to go to, ok?
Cheers!

Posted by
26 posts

Thank you for all the info.

I think I will skip Nazare and spend 6 nights in Lisbon. I will just do a day trip to one of the recommended beach towns if the weather is warm and sunny. I really want to explore the Duoro Valley, and will use your tips for driving and rent a car for 2 days.
I am so looking forward to this trip.

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