Newbies Lisbon-Sintra and Porto

The Ribeira district is a nice place to stay - in Porto.

Lisbon is a much bigger city than Porto. Are you saying three nights in Lisbon, one in Sintra, and three in Porto? With the Douro Valley trip, that's probably a good amount for Porto. Three nights in Lisbon would be a minimum I'd think, even if you have one other night for Sintra (which could be done as an easy day trip from Lisbon, though some people do like spending a night in Sintra instead).

I stayed in the Baixa area in Lisbon, near Rossio Square. Lisbon is mostly a hilly town as you probably know. (Porto too), but Baixa is a fairly flat area. It's convenient, a little touristy. The Al Fama neighborhood is much older and more interesting, I'd say, but less convenient. Airbnb vs hotel - take your pick. Personal preference. I stayed at a little budget hotel, but I was on a solo trip. With five people, a house that can accommodate all of you is probably a much better deal.

Try to fly an "open jaw" ticket - into Porto, out of Lisbon or vice versa. Book as one ticket - "multi-city" instead of two one-ways. This will save you the backtracking between Porto and Lisbon should you want to consider doing a round-trip to Lisbon instead.

Andrew, thank you. I was thinking staying 4 nights in Lisbon and doing a day trip to sintra on the train.

Yeah, that's how most people do Sintra from Lisbon. Very easy. Just be sure to buy tickets in advance for Pena Palace - otherwise, be prepared for big lines at the ticket booths and machines at the entrance when you arrive.

Many people like to stay in the center of Lisbon, such as Baixa, Barrio Alto, and Alfama.

However, we did something different. I found a hotel I really liked (Hotel Real Palacio) near Edward VII Park and Marques de Pombal. Several times we walked down Avenida de Liberdade to get to Rossio Square, Baixa, etc. and we actually enjoyed the walk. It took about 20 minutes, and I couldn't walk fast at the time because of arthritis problems. Depending on where we were going, we would either walk to the center, or take a taxi to our destination, such as to the Castle or to Belem. This neighborhood might not appeal to everyone, but we enjoyed it because it forced us to see other neighborhoods that we otherwise might not see, and as I said, we enjoyed the walk down Liberdade. The hotel is about 10 minutes from the Gulbenkian Museum, which is one of the highlights of our trip.

Does anybody know where I buy the Pena Palace tickets in advance? Is there a website I can buy them on? I leave in 2 weeks. Thanks

Yes, the official website is www.parquesdesintra.pt

Hi!
We are doing almost the exact trip with 5 adults in March! I got so much advice from this forum. Very nice and helpful ppl here!
We are doing 5 night in Lisbon and 3 nights in Porto. Flying into Lisbon and flying home from Porto.
Check out rentals from Feel Porto. This management has several properties and they all look nice and their communication is very prompt.
We found one right on Ribeira!

As for Lisbon, we haven't booked yet, but narrowed it down to: https://lvpremier.com/hotel/ch1-chiado-2/
you can book directly through them or on Homeaway or Airbnb.

Have a wonderful trip!
Grace

Grace, thanks for the info. I will definitely check it out. If you happened to have made yourself an itinerary, I would love to see it too. I know some people just have an idea what they are doing, but we usually are very planned so as not to miss the things we really want to do. Thanks Cyndi

Also if you pick a place in porto let me know LOL

I can claim no great expertise but in our very few visits to Lisbon we've stopped in the flat, centre part which would, I guess, mean Baixa and/or the bottom of Av. da Liberdade. It is touristy, I suppose, but that means plenty of restaurant choices. (For example, last visit we used the Sofitel to give you an idea of where I mean). Having a base around here was convenient for walking Baxia and the aforementioned Ed VII park areas themselves; but had good transport links up to the hilly parts either side using the elevador and to the tram/bus going along the river towards Belem, the underground system (which we've never used much), the ferries across the river and Rossio railway station for Sintra.

Since we are far out, not all details are planned. By Dec, I'm sure my sister will have everything mapped out! Once we do, I'll run it by this forum for their input!
This is general itinerary so far:
3/28- arrive Lisbon.
Hire private transfer from airport to rental place.
Check in. (Not sure where yet)
Rest.
Just explore around our rental (Chiado)
3/28-4/1- explore Lisbon. Day trip to Sintra
4/2- hire private transfer from Lisbon to Porto. Add a quick half day tour of Coimbra. Found a company that will include a tour enroute to Porto
Check in. We rented this place below. Hope link works.
Check out this HomeAway rental:
https://t.hmwy.io/L6uZ2getyZ
4/3-4/4- explore Porto. Port wine tour for sure! (Not Duoro though)
4/5- fly out of Porto.

We are hiring private transfers bc we're traveling with parents in their 70's and my dad has a bad back. We don't want to deal with public transportation with him.

Hope this helps!
Grace