My husband and I and another couple are planning (I'm planning, they are coming with!!) about a month in Portugal. We prefer to spend our time in small villages or towns and use them as a base for sightseeing in other places, staying at least 3 nights each at Air BnBs or small hotels. We will have a rental car which we will pick up as we are leaving Lisbon. I'm having some difficulty narrowing down which "charming villages" would be the best for a base to truly experience Portugal. I realize that many I list here are very close together, but we want to have an low key, easy trip and prefer to avoid the hordes of tourists during the day. We have found, in many countries, the life and beauty of a place is best experienced in morning and evening after the tour buses depart. Does this selection of bases lend itself to absorbing the true Portugal?? Lisbon, Sintra , Obidos, Aveiro, Coimbra, Porto, Viana do Castelo, Evora, Lagos, or should we consider other places instead of or in addition to these. I'm thinking maybe 3 nights for most of these...perhaps more or less for a few of them..... And we do have the option of adding a few days to our month long stay.... Thanks so much for any help or advice.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
1715 posts
So far I have only visited Lisbon and Sintra, so I can't comment on your other destinations. Last April we spent 5 nights in Lisbon, including a day trip to Sintra. If you are staying overnight in Sintra (which is preferable than a day trip), then I recommend at least 4 nights in Lisbon. Lisbon is a wonderful and very interesting city with lots to see. You mention that you want a low key and easy trip. I personally think 3 nights in Lisbon would be too rushed. Of course, this depends on what your interests are. Lisbon is also very interesting just for wandering through the different neighborhoods; the miradouros (viewpoints) are beautiful and nice places to relax with a drink.
So I recommend at least 4 nights in Lisbon and 1 or 2 nights in Sintra. Hope this helps.
Posted by
OP
Reno, Nevada, USA
195 posts
Yes, it does help! Always helpful to hear other's opinions and thoughts!! I did neglect to mention that Lisbon was one of the places we want to spend 4-5 nights. We also want to spend at least 3 nights in Sintra and not do it as a day trip. Lisbon looks so interesting, and wandering the neighborhoods is just what we do best!! But we do want to savor Sintra as well, so plan at least 3 nights there and will do day trips from there, not from Lisbon. Cascais is one of the planned day trips from Sintra . Thank you for your thoughts!!
Posted by
Paris
7312 posts
Cascais is worth the day trip!
I can comment on the northern bases: Porto, yes, good 3-night base (very scenic town but not as many sights as Lisbon). So is Viana do Castelo especially during beach season. Really enjoyed the vibe there in August years ago, full of families enjoying themselves. In between Porto and Viana, you might enjoy Guimarães too. Only spent a night there and wished it was more. All of this was a decade ago so can't comment in further detail, but it is a great memory!
Posted by
8322 posts
Lisbon, Sintra , Obidos, Aveiro, Coimbra, Porto, Viana do Castelo, Evora, Lagos
Haven't been to Lagos, Aviero or Viana do Castelo.
Lisbon deserves three days. It is a large city, but you really don't notice that it is a large city like Rome, Paris, Madrid or London.
Sintra is a day trip from London or wherever you stay.
Obidos is a smaller town surrounded by an ancient Roman wall. Don't miss it. I don't think staying there would be a problem, there is a nice hotel there, one of those paradores.
Coimbra is worth a couple of days.
Porto is fantastic as is the Douro Valley. There are some neat little towns on the river that you might like.
Evora is worth a day trip from Lisbon, it has a lot of Roman historical items.
Cascais is on the ocean, you might like it, but it might be expensive. Navarre is a place you might consider.
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1826 posts
Do not use Óbidos as a base. It’s very over run by tourists, even though charming. Some smaller towns in the central Portugal area you might like would be Tomar, Ericeira (but fairly close to Lisbon), São Martinho do Porto, and Coimbra.
Evora is worth at least two nights to give you time for the wonderful Megalith tour.
Setúbal south of Lisbon is also quite nice and not as over run as some other places. Azietao and Palmela are also charming. Both are quite close to Lisbon.
If you are coming during the summer months, you might want to skip Lagos. The Algarve as a whole is very built up and not very charming, IMO. But, the rock formations are pretty spectacular.
Guimarães and Braga in the north would be good. Pinhão in the Douro valley is quite small but would give you an opportunity to see the Douro.
If you are using RS as a reference for Portugal (and other places), remember he only includes his favorites. There are many other places in Portugal well worth your time.
Posted by
Washington DC
28247 posts
Agree on Guimaraes and would add Viseu. I also remember enjoying the Thursday market in Barcelos. That was long ago, but I think I checked 1 or 2 years ago and it still seemed to be operating. Not saying you need to stay in those places; you may already have identified potential bases that are close enough for day-trips.
Posted by
OP
Reno, Nevada, USA
195 posts
WOW!! So helpful....all of you! Thank you so much for the great information and suggestions! I did forget to mention that the trip would take place mid April to mid May so we will avoid the summer crush, I think. I am using RS as only one of many sources as I, too, have discovered that he only includes his favorites, and that rarely is our favorites!! Several of the places mentioned by responders sound intriguing and I will look into those. I'm taking notes on all of this and applying it to our trip where I can. Please do keep the information flowing....every bit of it helps!!! Portugal is sounding more and more appealing!!!