Portugal in late October/early November

Posted by mchan1116 on 09/14/17 05:05 AM

My husband and I will be visiting Portugal in late October through early November. We intend to arrive in Lisbon and travel for 2 weeks. Planning to visit Lisbon, Salema, Evora, Nazare, Coimbra, Douro Valley and Porto. Just wondering if:
1. we pick the right cities,
2. best way to travel to all these cities - to rent a car or via local transport?
3. should we base ourselves in Lisbon and Porto and do day trip or stay a night or two in each city?

Any other recommendations or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by kathrynj

Cascais, Portugal

09/14/17 08:41 AM

1669 posts

For a two week visit, you might want to skip the Algarve. It's not beach weather and going that far will take a lot of time when you can find beaches closer to Lisbon if you have to see a beach. Nazaré has a very nice beach with possible large waves at that time. And, if you go to the Algarve, don't stay in Salema. The RS recommendation for Salema is very old and not accurate currently.

You could easily split your time between Lisbon and Porto with maybe a night in Coimbra between the two. If you do those cities, you can easily use public transport and not rent a car. Nazaré would be more difficult without a car. You can do a day trip to Evora from Lisbon. And the Douro can be easily visited from Porto.
Rushing around with a number of one night stays takes up so much of your precious time, I would encourage you to minimize your hotel moves as much as possible.

Posted by Jennifer

Tunbridge Wells

09/14/17 09:50 AM

6113 posts

Another vote for dropping the Algarve - it's not the best time to visit and there is plenty to keep you occupied further north, without being too rushed.

Posted by Philip

🏝️ Hobe Sound, FL⛱️

09/14/17 02:17 PM

3161 posts

I drove into the Algarve from Seville and stayed in Salema in early November. It was totally dead at that time of year so I would agree with other posters, don't go out of your way to visit when there's so much more to see in Portugal.

I would spend a minimum of four nights in Lisbon including a day trip to Sinatra and two nights in Porto. If you drive from Evora, a great place to stop is Casa da Cisterna in the disused hill town of Castelo Rodrigo adjoining the Coa national park near the border with Spain. The owner offers tours to see the Paleolithic era etchings in the park at dusk - one of the best things I did on my trip! From there you could enter the eastern end of the Duoro valley, spend a night in a finca and then go to Porto. Driving back to Lisbon, you'll be able to visit all the cities you've listed and I would definitely visit each one and I'd add Obidos. You might want to read the itinerary of the Best of Portugal tour to give you more ideas.