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Obidos as a base?

We are planning to be in Lisbon in late October. We have a tour that includes 2 days in Lisbon and then a 7-day Duoro River Cruise. We are looking to arrive a few days early and wonder if Obidos could be a base for a few day trips. Piodao is of interest-is this a reasonable day trip from Obidos? Are there other suggestions for day trips? My sister and I will be traveling with our father who is a very active, healthy 86 yo. However, he does not want to move around to different hotels every couple of nights and really wants to stay in the castle!

While in Lisbon, would a day trip to Berlenga be worthy? The tour we are booked with has an itinerary for exploring Lisbon, but we like to get off the beaten path!
After the cruise, we travel to Compostela de Santiago for a couple of days. Any suggestions for day trips from there? This part of the trip will be on our own.
This is our first trip to Portugal!
Thank you in advance for any insights.

Posted by
6506 posts

We liked Obidos but felt we got enough after a few hours. We really enjoyed Piodao and our drive to get there. It's at least 2.5 hours drive from Obidos. I would suggest just spending more time in Lisbon. Or spend a few days in Coimbra which is a somewhat reasonable base for a day trip to Piodao and is closer to the Douro River for the start of your cruise.

Posted by
4273 posts

Finesterre is a day trip from Santiago we are looking at when we are there the end of September. It is billed as the end of the world.
The cathedral in Santiago also has English language tours in the evening which look amazing. They sell the tickets 2 weeks out.
We’re staying in Tomar as a 4 night base but if you look at a map, Coimbra is much closer to Piodao.

Posted by
7166 posts

I agree with jules m about Óbidos in that it can be seen in a couple hours. After seeing the castle and walls there’s nothing else to see there. One can only walk the main street through town so many times. Coimbra is definitely closer to Piodão than Óbidos and is larger with more things to do. I’ll assume you’ll have a rental car as I don’t see any public transportation options to Piodão.

Possible day trips from Santiago de Compostela might include Muxia, Baiona, Betanzos, A Coruña, or Lugo with its Roman wall that encircles the town that one can walk along. The Parador at Baiona is a former fortress so maybe it could substitute for Óbidos castle. Baiona is less than 1.5 hours from Santiago de Compostela.

Posted by
37 posts

Thank you all for this information. I understand the limited time necessary to see Obidos. Would it be reasonable to use it as a place to come back and sleep and get dinner for 2-3 nights? I did initially think we would base ourselves in Coimbra and then stop in Obidos on the way back to Lisbon (our tour starts in Lisbon), however, I am trying to limit the # of times we change lodging for my father's sake.

I will look into the suggestions for day trips from Compostela de Santiago-Finisterre looks magical!

How is the drive to Piodao? Overall, what is it like driving in Portugal?

Any insights on Berlenga?

Posted by
6506 posts

The drive to Piodao was fine, parts of it was mountain type driving but nothing scary. It really is too far from Obidos for a day trip. We didn't find driving to be difficult at all in Portugal. Plan ahead and know where you'll park.

By Obidos, with reasonable drive times:

Caldas da Rainha (we didn't go, but it is known for pottery
Coastal cities of Nazare (liked walking through the tangle of streets off the beach, and make sure to go up to Sitio) and Sao Martinho (pretty overlooks)
Alcobaca and Batlha have monasteries worth visiting

Posted by
7166 posts

I looked at Google Maps and part of the drive to Piodão is mountainous, 2-lane with no shoulders, and some switchbacks. The road itself seems to be in good repair. Other that the slow drive I doubt there is much traffic.

I can only speak for myself and what I noticed last year. Parking at the castle in Óbidos was at a premium and was full the couple times we were by it. When we were leaving town we made a wrong turn and ended up by the castle. The castle lot wasn’t well marked from the lower town. The free lots are downhill at the other end of town. We spent one night in Óbidos and found a parking spot along the wall near our hotel. For us, one night there was plenty.

Personally, I wouldn’t want to drive 2.5 hours to visit Piodão then drive back Óbidos when Coimbra is only 1.5 hours from it. On our trip was had plenty of time so took backroads as much as possible to stay off toll roads.