Hello! My husband and I will be traveling to Portugal at the end of February. We have been watching a lot of YouTube videos and Rick Steves episodes to give us ideas where to visit outside of Lisbon and Porto. We have a few cities locked in already, but want to get the forum's opinions on which of the others we should consider. We are planning also to see the Santiago de Compostela religious site (the end of the holy pilgrims walk) in Spain while we are in the north. We would appreciate any thoughts on Braga (we know there is a beautiful monastery/cathedral area there), Aviero (canals), Coimbra (golden library), Nazare (big waves), Leiria, Monserat (big rocks) and Tomar. We are booked in Sintra, Monseraz and Obidos so far. We stayed in Evora on a previous trip so we are not planning to stop there this time. All suggestions will be appreciated! Thank you in advance.
Posted by
Bay Area, California
1650 posts
Braga is a short train ride from Porto. You have to see Bom Jesus.
Posted by
Washington, DC USA
530 posts
I liked Tomar, found it interesting, especially the Convento, and different from Lisbon or Porto. I was disappointed in Aveiro. The canal is not very extensive; the beach won't be of interest in February and is not that close.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7238 posts
I can’t speak to the weather in any of the places in February. When we visited in 2023 we had a rental car.
Nazaré is a typical beach town worth a day, especially if you’re there when the waves are big. We spent less than two hours in Aveiro and that was enough. If there hadn’t been a huge construction zone by the canal when we were there we might have enjoyed it more, but it was just a stop en route to Porto. We didn’t take the tourist centered canal boat ride.
Both Coimbra and Tomar are worth a full day at a minimum. The self-guided university tour takes a couple hours or longer. You’ll get to spend 30 minutes in the library, no photos allowed, and it is timed entry. If you haven’t been to many convents or monasteries it would be easy to spend 3-4 hours in the Convent of Christ.
The drive to Santiago de Compostela from Porto is about 3 hours. Santiago deserves two days at a minimum. When we were last in that area we spent a night in each Tui and Baiona. We also made a stop at Castro Santa Trega at A Guarda to see the Celtic ruins.
Good luck deciding where to stop and what to see.
Posted by
2838 posts
We spent two nights in Coimbra and 1 night in Tomar. We liked them both. We took the university tour in Coimbra which was quite good. Make sure you reserve ahead of time as it gets booked up. We were there mid October and there were two women begging to be added to a tour with no success.
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1834 posts
You don't mention how long you will be here. Your itinerary is pretty extensive so you will need plenty of time.
Braga I really loved and agree with taking the time to visit. Guimarães is also very nice and close to Braga. As the previous poster mentioned, it’s quite a drive to Santiago and couldn’t really be done without a couple of nights.
Aveiro isn’t my favorite. Tomar is worth your time. In February, there would be the possibility of seeing the giant waves in Nazare but it’s challenging. The friends I know who have done it report parking is extremely difficult and there is always the possibility of fog, preventing you from actually seeing the waves.
Monsanto is the town built around the large rocks. It’s a significant drive from the other places you will be visiting.
Coimbra is very nice, especially the university library. Taking a walking tour would ensure you get in the library, as timed reservations are required. Conimbriga, outside of Coimbra is worth your time, also. It’s a Roman settlement with very nice intact mosaic floors.
As you likely know, it will be colder in the north and there is a likelihood of rain throughout February. But, the sunny days are wonderful in winter.