Portugal

Both Cascais & Sintra are very easy day trips from Lisbon, 1/2 hr train rides. Why waste time changing accommodations?

Yes, we were going to do them as day trips, but thought we’d enjoy being near the water for a couple days. I may rethink it though and do the day trip- thanks!

I’m a little confused with your itinerary. The way I’m reading it, you are staying in Lisbon four nights and plan how many day trips? Four nights means three days so any day trips would be too much for me. And, doing a trip to both Evora and Monsaraz in the same day doesn’t seem doable. Just doing Evora as a day trip is a long day.
Aveiro is over three hours on the train each way, so not really a day trip type visit. And, Nazare is not worth one of your precious days IMO.
And, yes, you can easily see both Cascais and Sintra as day trips. But both would take up a day each. And, getting from Cascais to Sintra is possibly less convenient than from Lisbon.

If you want a day trip to Cascais with bike ride, come out early and pick up a bike at the train station. Or take the bus at the train station (Buscas) to Casa da Guia then pick up a bike and ride back into town. Casa da Guia is a nice place for lunch with amazing views.

Great feedback- thank you. Originally, we were thinking we would want to get out of the city after a few days as we tend to like more open space and the ocean. I’m going to redo some of our plans based on what people are saying. Thanks again!

You might consider staying the whole time in Cascais, rather than Lisbon. You can take a bus from Cascais to Sintra. The commuter train from Cascais will get you into central Lisbon in about 40 minutes. This train departs every 20 minutes. There are other points of interest on this train line.

Thanks, I try to avoid moving around too much, so I will look into your suggestion. I was thinking of Lisbon as a base for day trips and then we’d be able to have a little bit of time near the ocean. Do you think we’d be better off staying in Lisbon 5 nights and then going to the Algarve for a couple nights? I’m wondering how that area compares with the coast from Cascais to Aveiro? Any feedback you could give me would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Are you all set for the Azores part of the trip?

My wife and I stayed five nights (four full days, no day trips) in Lisbon on our 2008 Portugal trip and did not regret it. With eight days on mainland Portugal going to Nazare, as much as we liked it, sounds like too much. Cascais is nice, but I much prefer Sintra. We had a very bad hotel experience in Cascais which clouds my perception, I suppose. As in paying $140 for a room that was a total dump, with grossly stained carpets. That said, we also briefly visited Cascais on our honeymoon in 1999 and have fond memories of walking the town. I always advise staying in Sintra overnight for a couple of nights rather than doing it as a day trip. The bus between Sintra and Cascais is about an hour. Really, Sintra is unbelievably magical with three palaces/castles. I want to go to the Azores too, about 1/4 of ancestry is from there! You are going at a great time.

Carl- my daughter and her husband went to the Azores last year, and we’re following most of their recommendations. They rented a car to tour Sao Miguel, which is our plan too. We are thinking of staying in Furnas, but we’re open to any suggestions people might have. Thanks for asking.

Vftravels- I like the idea of staying in Sintra- it looks like a gorgeous place. I’m checking out places now. That’s too bad about your experience in Cascais- paying money for a dirty hotel can definitely impact your perspective of a places. Thanks for your suggestion.

I just sent you a private message with the link to my Azores guide. Perhaps there may be something in it that will help your trip.

Just a bit of info about Sintra. They recently changed much of the downtown area into a pedestrian only zone. While this sounds good on the surface, a friend who lives there says it is creating a big mess in getting around. So, if you decide to do an overnight in Sintra, definitely do not drive. And do your homework about the location of the hotel you choose regarding transportation. There is a bus that goes to the palaces, but the trips you can take for one price is limited.

Regarding beaches - the beaches in the town of Cascais are small but picturesque. Guincho beach outside of town is large with big waves.
The Algarve is famous for its rock formations along the coast and they are amazing. But, I’m not certain a trip that far for only two nights is worth it. It’s four hours each way on the train.
I don’t know anything about the beaches up north.

I am in Portugal now (on a train leaving Lisbon!). It's true about the "pedestrian zone" creating driving hassles - my friend was in Sintra a week before I was and drove there - and spent literally hours driving around trying to find her hotel! (No idea why she didn't just CALL them - hmm...). In any case, I took the train to Sintra for the day and that was a lot easier. It is a lovely town, and I can see how staying over a night would be fun. I highly recommend a visit to the Quinta da Regaleira, an unusual garden complex with many whimsical designs, by an eccentric artist. It's an easy 15 minute walk from the center of Sintra.