Portugal Iten in September, 2018

You are being a bit optimistic about your ability to do a day trip from Lisbon to Sintra plus the other places you mention. In Sintra alone you could spend several days seeing the different palaces. To do even two of the palaces in Sintra plus the other places you mention will be a stretch. The bus from Sintra to Cabo da Roça then Cascais and Estoril is quite lengthy and doesn’t go to Guincho. It would be more feasible to do one day for Sintra and another for the other places you mention.
And, Nazare would not be my choice as a trip from Lisbon. It’s really a beach town with not much else. With just a week, I would skip Nazare I’m favor of areas closer to Lisbon..
It’s very difficult to do the Algarve without a car as the buses run infrequently.

A week in each place is a good idea. You can easily fill a week in each of the three destinations you mention.

With your interests, you are going to love Lisbon. You mention many interesting Lisbon experiences, but I bet that your most memorable will be just wandering around in the older neighborhoods. You like to walk, and Lisbon is a great city for exploring on foot. If you are interested in fado, I recommend seeing the fado museum early in your visit. You may want to take in more than one fado show. I have found the recommendations in Rick's book to be helpful.
I have found the tripadvisor website to a good source for restaurant reviews for Lisbon. Also, that site lists more than 100 museums in the Lisbon area.
As others have mentioned, I suggest Cascais and Guincho as a stand-alone day trip. There is a nice shore-side walking path that runs east about 5 km from Praia da Raina in Cascais. You will see lots of walkers on that paredao. You can also walk to the west of Cascais all the way to Guincho, but I would recommend renting a bicycle, or taking a bus when visiting Guincho.

About Porto:

Promenade between Vila Nova de Gaia and Matosinhos: that does not exist. Gaia is south of the river, Matosinhos is north, after Porto. Two rivers between Gaia and Matosinhos (Douro and Leça).

Visiting 4 cellars? What for? They are all the same!

Mercado do Bolhão: it is closed for renewal. It will stay closed for at least 2 years.

Thanks for your input, Kathryn! Regarding Sintra, I will have a private driver, so the schedule will be tailored to me. I'm glad for your perspective - as I get closer I will fine-tune this day trip. Regarding Nazare, I saw there was a local festival, and I really like going to those if my schedule permits. Is the Feast of Nazare not a big deal? If that's the case, then I'll probably skip, add a day to Sintra and sleep over. In Lagos I hope to do some drawing and watercolors, so I'm fine if I don't get around too much. A nice beach and some views are all I need. -Mary

Thanks, capttiv4! I can't wait to get to Lisbon. I spent a month in Italy last fall, with two weeks in Florence. It seems like there are parallels between Florence and Lisbon, except for the crowd quotient. -Mary

Hi Helena,

Dang, I'm bummed about the market in Porto. Might you know where those venders are set up during the closure? It seems like there must be a temporary location for those who chose to wait out the renovation? Thanks, Mary

I have not heard of the festival in Nazare. Most towns have Facebook pages. Cascais has a website that lists when special things are occurring so Nazare might also. I, personally, wouldn’t cut time out of your week in Lisbon as there is so much to see.
As you say you are interested in festivals, Cascais has a Festival of Lights later in September. They haven’t posted the dates yet (that I can find), but if it happens to coincide with your last day or two in Lisbon, it would be worth your time. You also might search Belem for festivals while you are here. There seem to be a number there also.

Mary,
Just returned from Portugal where we did a different type of trip as we had a car, but I have some points for you to consider.
1 day in Sintra is good. We had only a morning, so missed the palace, but our tour took us to the western most point in continental Europe and some very interesting coastal view points. We also went to Cascais on this tour, but would have rather spent the time in Sintra. We basically had a drink there. You can easily take a train from Lisbon to Cascais (Same one that goes to Belem).
You have a lot of time in Lisbon, so you'll see everything! I would suggest a day tour to somewhere.
Lagos is very nice, and you'll have time for drawing, etc. Not sure how the buses run, but I imagine you can get a tour to that area from Lagos. You can spend a good day in Sagres area with the sites and great walking.
We stayed in the Douro valley and then to Guimeries. A train ride out from Porto would be fun.
I would highly recommend a food tour of the backstreets of Lisbon. We did this and it was great and we only had 2 others on the tour. Culinarybackstreets.com
Loved Portugal....

Having just returned from Portugal, I can report that the Mercado do Bolhão in Porto has re-opened in a new location about 2 blocks from the old location. It is in the basement of a shopping mall and a bright, shiny space with lots of stalls for vendors of all kinds of "food" products. On our Food and Wine Tour, we were there for the grand opening with the Mayor of Porto and the President of Portugal. Quite a media event, and fun to see.

You are hoping to travel to Nazare on a Sunday, a day when public transport services are significantly reduced. The journey is about 2 hours each way by bus and there are only 3 trains on a Sunday, so this wouldn’t work. I don’t know about the festival, but Nazare wouldn’t be a place that I would rush back to.

Lagos - most of the places you want to see are in the town centre. I would caution against kayaking to the Ponta da Piedade, as the currents there can be very strong and I have seen 2 young kayakers having to be rescued, as they were exhausted. Take warm clothing for your trip to Sagres, as it’s always cold and very windy there.

Thanks, all, for additional information! In particular, I am extremely happy the Mercado do Bolhao is open! Lucky for you, Ken, getting to be a rock star with your new "friends."

Jennifer, thanks for your concern about kayaking. I was planning on joining a small 8 person tour led by Viator - it seems they drive you there and the kayaking is actually in and around the beach and caves.

tgreen, thanks for your feedback. In Porto I am hoping to take cruise out to Douro Valley, then train back. Another day tour - I think 2 vineyard visits and lunch are also included in this package.

Finally, several people commented on plan to visit Nazare. After your feedback and additional research, I am cancelling Nazare, and expect my second day trip out of Lisbon (first is Sintra) will be Evora, Tomar, OR Obidos. Coimbra looks interesting, but I think it would be a better day trip out of Porto, and I just don't think I can fit it in. Maybe, though...

Have a great weekend, all, and good wishes for all the Mothers!!!

-Mary