Portugal Itinerary - need to cut a day or two

It is difficult to cut timr but I would in coimbra. Half day is fine there. U are covering some long distances in a day on your itin. It becomes difficult to enjoy portugals uniqueness in a rush.

I agree with the other poster that you are really doing a lot of driving. And, as has been written on this forum a number of times - I would encourage you to rethink staying in Salema for four nights. There are many more enjoyable places to stay in the Algarve. Lagos is my favorite and it is very close to the amazing rock formations of the region. You could also do a day trip to Tomar - possibly - which would save you a one night stay.
That night could be added to Evora - which I recommend. There is a megalith tour from Evora that is amazing and only one night here wouldn't give you time to do it.
Driving from Evora to Nazaré and touring Óbidos on the way would be a very long day. The distances are deceiving and spending so much time driving may leave you feeling all you did was drive while you are here.
Also, driving from Nazaré to Coimbra with all those stops is not very feasible. Unless you are catholic and have a vested interest in Fatima, it would be an easy thing to drop. And, Batalha and Alcobaça are fairly similar so only one of those would suffice - especially if you will visit the Jerónimos Monastery in Belem. I've seen them all and can't remember which is which.

I understand the wish to see as much as you can, but slowing down a bit would likely be a more enjoyable trip. Portugal is a lot about the ambiance, having long lunches and experiencing the slower pace.

I too agree that Salema is overrated. If you have a car, Furnas, Figueira or Beliche beaches are better than Salema's or Luz's.

When are you travelling? If peak season, drop the Algarve. Unless you take the toll road, it will take 3 hours to drive from Salema to Tavira and you only have one night there. Evora - another night here would be beneficial and possible if you dropped the Algarve.

Thank you everyone for your replies. This is incredibly helpful. Looks like we need to rethink things....either dropping a couple of stops or waiting until we can spend three weeks in Portugal rather than two. I do appreciate the advice that we will be spending a lot of time traveling rather than enjoying places, and the latter is what we'd rather do. Dates are uncertain but likely either May or September next year. The reason for Salema was Rick's Portugal guidebook but it seems that recommendation is not uniform.....will look into other options. Dropping Algarve is probably not an option as it's atop my wife's list of places to see in Portugal. Thanks again.

The RS advice on Salema is IMO 10 years out of date. There has been a huge residential development (out of scale for Salema) that went bust and remained partially complete for 5 years. The bank has now sold it and it has been bought and finished as a resort, rather than individual homes.

Tavira has far more traditional character and is a great base.

Seems like we should skip Salema and go with Tavira or Lagos as our base, based on what you all say here and on other threads. Which one is "best," or what is the difference between the two?

SLG, we did the Algarve 5 years ago and it was the best place we were at for the 3 weeks we were in Spain and Portugal so don't let some naysayers sway you away from it. It was our kick back week of the 3 and we loved it. We were there in Sept so weather may have been warmer than when you are going, but beautiful beaches are still worth it if not warm enough to swim in the water. We came from Spain and took bus to Tavira, which we loved. Lots of character and we stayed at a place right at the wharf where you could take the ferry to the beaches and did this everyday. The town is small enough to see before going to the beach and after we got back. You will not see the gorgeous grottos that are further west on the Algarve but coming from your direction you will have seen it all by then. We were trying to avoid the crowds, so rented a car from Tavira and bypassed Faro and Lagos and went directly to Salema, with some stops along the way to check out some gorgeous beaches. I do agree that Ricks info is a bit old, but what I recall was a small fishing village with some great local fish restaurants and more great beaches we could walk to from our apt (which I do remember had no character at all but we were barely in it). We then drove to Sagres and up the entire costal road to Lisbon where we dropped the car.
If you were in Salema a few days, going to Sagres and up the coast some will get you to rough and untouristy beaches and lots of surfing to watch. That could take up all of a day so I don't think you are that far off in getting the full taste of The Algarve if you are trying to avoid the crowds/partying atmosphere. I can't speak to the other beaches some have mentioned but wanted to let you know our experience since we were in those exact places. You will love it, whatever you choose to do!!

I made an error in my previous post that may have confused you. I meant to write you could potentially day trip to Tavira - not Tomar - from Lagos.
Lagos is much bigger than Tavira and the rock formations are what makes the Algarve so attractive IMO. It's more in the western part while Tavira is close to Spain. You are closer to Sagres and the western coast in Lagos. Both have walkable old towns and Lagos has a nice market where you can buy fish, fruits and vegetables. I don't know about Tavira.
As the previous poster stated, you will likely enjoy your trip no matter where you end up staying.

I think your itinerary is possible with a few tweaks. Having said that, it combines what we did in 2 two week trips! However you've given lots of time to Lisbon and the places you need to mostly.

I would try to do Belem on day 3, or alternatively on Day 5 on your way to Cascais. That way you can get going early on day 6 to the Algarve. I agree 4 nights in Salema may be to much, we had 3 and it was plenty, and we drove to other towns each day. If your wife really wants to see the Algarve I would not only go to Tavira, the pictures she has seen are closer to Lagos or Portimao. We also had only 1 night in Tavira, and we actually didn't enjoy it, but we had very windy weather, and arrived on a Sunday afternoon when most things were closed. It is a pretty town.

The drive from Tavira up to Evora is lovely. I think you have to give Evora at least 1 more night. We stayed 3 and drove to see a few other lovely villages, Vila Vicosa and Estremoz are both worth seeing.
If you beached in the algarve, I would skip Nazare. Stay in Obidos as it is nice to see when the crowds leave. Otherwise my only other suggestion might be to skip Douro, I feel you are cutting Porto short, but I've not seen the Douro yet, so can't comment.

Have a great trip.

I also preferred Lagos to Salema. Lagos just had more to do and see and the rock formations at the beaches were gorgeous. But I would only go to the algarve if it will be beach weather. And I agree that Coimbra could be cut down to a 1 or 2 day visit at most. Do not cut down your time in Lisbon (you must see Belen and visit Sintra!) or Porto (that was our favorite place in all of Portugal!).

Thanks again everyone. Rick doesn't provide many hotel/inn options for Lagos. In fact, only two, and both are tepid recommendations. Any recommendations? We typically don't do the "splurge" hotels, but don't need to stay in the budget/hostel category either.

I really should not do this...Burgau is a gem on the coast. Apartamentos Os Descobrumentos if you are staying more than 3-4 nights. Hotel Burgau will book shorter stays, request sea view. Walk to Luz or Salema on the coastal path and feel the ocean breeze. Luz for a stay if you would like a more luxurious room and meal. Sagres itself was a bit disappointing but the view is great. Alcobaca and Batalha could be done a bus tour from Lisbon. My preference is the Tomar Castle. Sintra and Belem are tourist meccas, plan your time well. Guard your valuables. I would narrow down your choices to middle and south or middle and north, maybe even skip east.