Will be spending 7 nights in Lisbon in mid October. Renting an Airbnb. Want to just explore the area and do day trips. Can anyone suggest good day trips. We will do Sintra, but other than that just started doing research. We will not have a car so will rely on public transportation. Appreciate the help. Also any suggestions on best area of Lisbon to rent apt .
Posted by
St Paul
138 posts
We were in Lisbon last Christmas and stayed in two different apts as we eventually went from two people to five. The first apt was north of city center and we had to take the metro everywhere, though it worked fine as metro was at the end of the block. The second apt was in Barrio Alto which was about ten minutes from the metro/train station and Time Out Market. The close to metro locations worked well for heading out to other places, getting from the airport and then getting to the train station to go to Porto.
It was very easy to get to Belem, Cascais and Sintra on public transport. Research short trips from Lisbon and decide what interests you. Cascais is more of a resort town and we enjoyed walking around on a very nice weather day. In Belem, besides the usual recommendations, we went to the National Museum of Coaches which was quite impressive. Unfortunately, our day in Sintra was a bit limited as we were there Christmas Eve and things closed by three so we didn't have as much time to explore the town as we would have liked.
Posted by
Boston, MA, USA
248 posts
https://54santacatarina.eu
This was an Aparthotel we stayed at in the Bairro Alto. Spotless and spacious. Terrific concierge/manager with excellent restaurant suggestions.
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1671 posts
You might want to look in the Chiado area, as well as, Bairro Alto. Cais do Sodré area is also nice but I’m not certain about how many holiday rentals have popped up in that area. It’s an up and coming area with lots of new restaurants and is close to the Time Out Market and the river.
Regarding day trips, Evora is a doable day trip and would give you a glimpse of the Alentejo area of Portugal. It’s easy as a day trip by train. I agree that Belem is a must see. But, be aware that it’s pretty crowded into October..
If you decide to come to Cascais as one of your day trips, let me know and I can give you an itinerary to make the most of your day.
All of these are easy by train and relatively inexpensive.
Posted by
OP
Grand island, Ny
236 posts
Thank you so much. Kathryn we do plan on doing a day trip to Cascais. I would love an agenda to help plan the day. I have been looking in the Bario Alta (spelling) area and have found some very reasonable and cute apartments. Does look as those we are moving our dates to arrive on November 8, 2019 and depart on November 15, 2019. Hopefully the weather will be good. We did Spain in late November and early December last year and had wonderful weather.
All suggestions appreciated.
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1671 posts
November will be better in terms of crowds, and the weather is a toss up these days anyway! Thankfully, it never gets really cold so usually a sweater or light jacket will br enough. Unless you currently live in a very warm climate.
When it gets closer to your trip, feel free to send me a private message and I can give you some ideas. One thing to tell you now, though - if you can plan your trip to Cascais on a Wednesday or Saturday, you can visit the Mercado. It’s well worth your time.