Portugal Ideas - Lagos Day Trip, Sintra Day Trip, or Somewhere Else closer to Lisbon?

Hello Adam

I spent a few nights in Lisbon a couple of years back. It is a great city. Beautiful. Interesting. Lots to do.

Sintra is a must. I never made it to Pena Palace and regret it.

But I would also like to suggest Belem as a day trip from Lisbon. Also beautiful, interesting and so much to do that you could spend. a whole day there easily. Belem is rich in history.

I was on a cruise and we ported in Porto. I took an excursion to Braga which was also very beautiful and interesting. Very religious community. Lots of churches and a large Shrine to the Virgin Mary.

Welcome to the forum!

I had a solo trip to Lisbon in March of 2024. I was there for 8 nights and never ran out of things to do. My trip report might give you some ideas for your trip:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-lisbon-portugal-my-trip-report

Both Porto and Lagos are about 300km/3hrs each way from Lisbon.
Given the length of your stay, and the riches in and around Lisbon, I would save Lagos and Porto for another trip, rather than spend so much of your valuable time travelling.
Apart from anything else, Porto is worth at least two full days and there are several places worth seeing between Porto and Lisbon.

I would heartily agree with bostonphil7 that Belem has much to offer and is worth
some of your time while in Lisbon. But it's 20-25 minutes on the tram from central
Lisbon, so it doesn't have to be a full day trip, especially if your lodging is down near
the river.

Cascais is also an option for a day trip to go to the beach and get away from the big
city.

Sintra is definitely a day trip. If you take the train, go to the end of the line (Sintra
stop); don't be tempted to get off at Portela de Sintra.

Porto is worth more time than you have to give to it.

I vote for Sintra and Porto.

We just spent a week in Lisbon in November and didn’t have time to do everything we wanted. We did take 2 day trips with https://lisbonriders.com/. We particularly enjoyed the trip to Sintra and Cascais. It’s a small group and transportation is in a van. Our guide was Puri and she was excellent.

I love Lisbon! You should put it on your list to go to Cabo De Roca! Its the westernmost point of Continental Europe and beautiful cliffsides and oceans! You could do this and Sintra in the same day and then circle back to Lisbon. YESSS do Porto! You can take a flix bus, and its super easy and affordable. Spend at least 2 days in Porto, eat seafood (octopus!!), get on the Duoro River for a cruise if you can, and do a port wine tasting at one of the distilleries.

The consensus here is clearly to stay in Lisbon, and with good reason. I lived there for a year, and have spent weeks there on vacation, and there were still things to do! Heading out to Sintra, although I would say it's overrated, is a must do for a lot of people. If you do head there, don't make our mistake -- check the weather before you take off. Sintra and especially Cabo da Roca has a bit of a microclimate. Think 80 in Lisbon and 65 in Sintra with rain and the potential for lots of fog in Cabo. (See parquesdesintra.pt) There is also Belem, with the monastery and a couple other worthwhile sites. I love Porto even more than Lisbon, but I think you'd end up shortchanging both and spending a big chunk of a day traveling between the two. Same thing for Lagos. It's 3 hours+ from Lisbon. Safety isn't really a huge issue in Portugal. Of course be careful at night and avoid iffy areas (I can't remember any of particular concern, but ask locally), stay aware of your surroundings and protect yourself from theft. But, these are admonitions for any travel anywhere these days. Go, have a good time, and save destinations to the north and south of Lisbon for another time.

I agree you don’t have time for Lagos with only 5-6 nights. Or Porto, IMO. You can do Lisbon and the coastal area close to it, though. There are beaches pretty close to Lisbon. A large one quite close is Carcavelos. Or, stay on the train and come all the way to Cascais. Guincho beach is a few miles out of town - easy by Uber - and it’s very nice.

You mentioned wanting to be safe. Unless you go into a few areas in Lisbon that are a bit out of the downtown area, no worries. Portugal consistently ranks in the top ten safest countries in the world. The only real danger is pickpockets.

Thank you for the ideas! Sounds like for what I'm doing, I could do a few days in downtown Lisbon (where I'm staying at my hostel), a day trip to Sintra (Pena Palace) & a day trip in Cascais. Would that sound pretty reasonable, or would that be too much? I'm looking to find a spot that's more relaxing for a day trip, though I do like exploring palaces (when will I do that again)?!? Leaning more towards doing a day (or two days) at a beach and just hanging at a cafe with a good beach view, having some nice food and wine, or even jumping in the water maybe. Being a solo American too, I might want to be careful, when being at a beach, since I could maybe get pick pocketed? Also, Uber/Lyft drivers. Will they scam me, if I'm a solo traveler? One did late at night when I was in London after coming back from a London dance club & a taxi cab driver bailed on me in Versailles, during the Paris 2023 strikes. I don't want any of that to happen again and I don't want to call the U.S. embassy to bail me out. Thoughts?

OP, your new proposal sounds good to me. Everything is within reach and you
won't take up too much time just getting someplace.

There is more to see in Sintra than just the Pena Palace, but that is a bit of a
matter of taste. I would personally suggest the Quinta da Regaleira over
the National Palace, Moorish Castle, or wandering around the town, but all
have merit in their own way.

Use the trains to Sintra and Cascais and you won't have to worry about rideshare
issues, at least for that.

In Lisbon, plan to spend part of a day wandering around the Belem area.

Assuming you look and act like an American, the potential for a scam is always
there, especially late at night (I assume, it's been a long time since I had to
worry about that).

Good to know, thank you! I'll try my best to take the trains to Sintra and Cascais & back to Lisbon (roundtrip). If I feel too stressed about Sintra, I'll most likely just do very nearby cities/beach by Lisbon or Cascais. I'm leaning towards Cascais. Sounds like my thing. I think Cascais would be cool, to see what the Portuguese coast would be like. Any recommendations where to hang out in Cascais? Restaurants/cafes to charge my portable charger/iPhone? Also, if I want to go swim in the ocean, is that something I could do? Do they have areas where I can put my normal clothes and then go for a swim or not really. It doesn't seem like they do, so I could just walk on the beach instead, and put feet in the water or something in lieu. Seems like Sintra has many options for me to go sit at a restaurant/cafe to charge my phone/portable charger.

There are many, many restaurants and cafes in Cascais. Changing your phone at them is something I’ve never thought of or looked for. If I can remember, I will see what I can see when I’m eating out. I know most have wifi and the city itself also does. I just remembered there is actually a bench in downtown they have added a charging feature. It’s right outside the Cordeira Farmácia. It’s a weird looking black thing taking up a good about of space on the bench. I’ll pay attention when I’m by there and can add more info.

Regarding swimming. It would be possible with some thought but be aware the water will be very cold in May. On the Paredão, there are a number of restaurants where you could change in their bathrooms - if you buy at least a coffee. Escotilha is at the end closer to Cascais, but there are others as you walk toward Estoril. You can google the paredão to see how to walk there.

The Yellow Street has many good restaurants but no water view. Casa da Guia has several with great water views but would require a bus or Uber, or a 30-40 minute walk depending on your pace. It’s a lovely walk with along the sea and Boca do Inferno is about half way, which is worth a look.