We are a planning 9 nights with 3 nights in Lisbon and 3 nights in Porto. I am thinking to do that the first 7 days and then while heading back to Lisbon, stay a night in Coimbra and a night in Sintra and the last night in Lisbon. Does this make sense? Can it all be done by train or would it make sense to rent a car in Porto to drive back? Thanks for your input.
Posted by
Calgary
1650 posts
I haven't been to Porto and Coimbra, so I can't comment on those, but Sintra is a very short train ride to/from Lisbon. (About a half hour, if I recall correctly.) You would want to stay at places that will let you store your luggage either before check-in or after check-out, since there is usually a 4-5 hour gap between the two, and you probably wouldn't want to haul your luggage around during that time.
Posted by
OP
109 posts
I forgot about the luggage! So if we did an overnight in Coimbra then went to Sintra before returning to Lisbon for the last night, we would just need to find a spot for our bags while in Sintra. Anyone have ideas? Is there luggage storage at the train station?
Posted by
11156 posts
I would rent a car so you can explore more places. Look at Alcobaça and Obidos, Evora.
Posted by
WA USA
1078 posts
I'm not aware of any luggage storage at Sintra (looked into it once).
One thing to think about, you could start the trip in Porto (take a train on arrival) and then work your way back to Lisbon. That way all your nights in Lisbon are together. Sintra is an easy day trip from Lisbon, so something to consider to reduce the amount of time lost by changing hotels, especially since you have limited days.
Or head to Sintra on arrival day (2 nights) then head to Porto, then Coimbra, and Lisbon at the end. Sintra can be a pleasant place to get over jetlag thus the 2 nights.
If you had more time, I'd say yes to the car, but with only 9 nights, I'd stick to the fast train.
I have heard that there is a bus between Sintra and Porto which takes around 3.5 hours if you choose to go that route versus taking a train back to Lisbon and then another train from Lisbon to Porto.
Anyways, just ideas to think about. I love Portugal and you will have a wonderful time.
Edit to add: Seat 61 is a great resource for trains
https://www.seat61.com/trains-and-routes/lisbon-to-porto-by-train.htm
Posted by
Calgary, AB, Canada
480 posts
Why not stay your last night in Sintra? That way you don't need to worry about luggage and can also see it after the day-trippers leave. I would not bother with a car for this trip. You have good trains between Lisbon , Porto and Coimbra and enough to see if those 4 sites for 9 days.