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Portugal 6 days Sept. 27- Oct 2

Posted by on

Spending six or seven days in Portugal late September/early October. Flying back to the US from Lisbon, so will spend time there on the backend of the trip. Flying in from Milan. I assume we should fly into Porto and eventually end up in Lisbon. Do we have time to spend time in the Douro Valley? Can Porto be a home base for exploring the Douro Valley or should we stay in the valley? We are originally from the Napa Valley, so it will not be our first wine region trip, but excited to tour the area.

Any must do’s, and how much time to dedicate to each area, Lisbon, Porto, Douro Valley?

Is the train the best way to get from Porto to Lisbon?

Thank you in advance of any recommendations.

Posted by
11164 posts

If you drive from Porto to Lisbon you will get a much better view of this wonderful country.

Posted by
1097 posts

With 6 or 7 days and wanting to see both Porto and Lisbon, then I would say the train is the best way since your time is so limited. I know some do the Douro Valley as a day trip, taking the train to Pinhão (2.5hrs) and then a river cruise from there (1 hr). Makes for a long day though, so perhaps spend the night. Personally, I haven't been to the Douro Valley. I really liked Porto, so I spent 5 days just in that city. On another trip, I spent a week in Lisbon.

Posted by
1200 posts

Do you arrive on Sept 27 and depart on October 2? That is only 5 nights and only 4 full days, which is not very long for two major cities.

The arrival day is used up with landing, checking in and getting a meal. The departure day is used up with packing, checking out, getting a meal and getting to the airport 3 hours before an international flight.

Throw in a travel day and city/hotel change in the middle will not leave you much time in either city. Perhaps, consider staying in just one city.

Posted by
8 posts

Thank you all for your responses, they are helpful! We actually will arrive early on the 27th and depart on 10/3, so basically 6 days, and we may add a day or two upfront.

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