Portugal Itinerary

Posted by Marco (Coral Gables, Florida) on 12/28/25 01:34 AM

Any advice is welcome. The trip is for 17 nights from late February into mid-March. Flying in and out of Lisbon.

From the airport go to Porto.

Porto: 5 nights (Douro Valley day trip)
Coimbra: 2 nights
Evora: 2 nights
Sintra: 2 nights
Lisbon: 6 nights (Fatima, Nazare, Obidos day trip)

Does the order make sense?
I prefer to use public transportation, but does renting a car make sense for a portion of the trip?

Are these hotel locations good (I prefer to walk over metro, buses):

Porto: Cale Guest House
Lisbon: Madalena by The Beautique Hotels

Posted by Chani

Tel Aviv

12/28/25 09:25 AM

15943 posts

If you are locked into your rooms in Porto and Lisbon, renting a car probably won't help much, since you don't have enough nights in the other 3 towns for day trips. However Evora is an outlier on your trip and will take many hours to get to by train. Use the official site for times and prices and booking. It looks like you'll have to change trains in Lisbon to get from Coimbra to Evora, and again in Lisbon to get to Sintra. Or maybe there are bus routes that give better options. OTOH you'll only want a car for that part of your trip. There are fast trains to Coimbra. Maybe it's worth it to rent a car when you leave Coimbra and drop it when you get to Sintra. You won't want to drive in either town.

Porto is mostly walkable. Lisbon is much larger. I think you'll want to use public transportation at least some of the time. Metro is generally faster than the bus, because of traffic in the city.

Posted by Marco OP

Coral Gables, Florida

12/28/25 12:26 PM

457 posts

If you are locked into your rooms in Porto and Lisbon

I’m not locked into them.

Posted by kathrynj

Cascais, Portugal

12/28/25 01:44 PM

2001 posts

You might want to check out Flixbus for the trip from Coimbra to Evora. They have some routes that are easier than the train and this might be one of them. Or another possibility would be to rent a car in Coimbra, drive to Evora and Sintra (drop off when you arrive in Sintra), then do Lisbon by train and public transport once you get there.

You are coming at a good time for minimal tourists but do bring warm, water proof clothing and shoes.

Posted by Chani

Tel Aviv

12/29/25 09:54 AM

15943 posts

Kathryn has the best advice for Portugal.

I don't know how scenic the Doura Valley will be in February. I remember Italian vineyards in late March that had only black stumps. If you are interested in port wines, consider an overnight there at a quinta.

If you want to rent a car and can take nights from Porto and Lisbon, you can drive to the Douro Valley (optional), then Coimbra for 2 nights (arriving late and leaving early), then stay in Tomar for day trips to Obidos, Nazare, Fatima, drive to Evora, then return the car at the Lisbon airport and take a taxi or uber to Sintra. When I visited several years ago, uber fares from the airport and the city were the same. Getting to Sintra by train is a PITA.