Is the following order of these cities correct for a road trip / sightseeing adventure? Can it be done in a day (starting at the Lisbon airport around 9:00 a.m. and arriving in Porto the same evening?
[Lisbon to Nazare to Fatima to Alcobaca to Comibra to Porto]
If you do this drive in one day, all you will see is road since this is over 5 hours driving. You will not have the opportunity to see the sights on your trip. Also, from Nazare, you'll want to go to Alcobaca and then Fatima. Leaving Lisbon, I'd make my first stop in Obidos and then continue to Nazare. I would arrive in Fatima toward the evening, stay overnight and then pick up the journey the next day. There are wonderful things to see in all of these cities but trying to give them their due in just one quick trip is impossible.
Thing is, we only have a one day sojourn up from Lisbon to Porto. We'll be in route for 2 nights there. This is our first visit to Portugal, and clearly there are so many place to see (and eat), but our time is limited.
That being the case, if you were headed to Porto from Lisbon with the intension of arriving by early evening --- what 2 sights and cities would you recommend with the time we have available?
FYI: This is a last 10 days of December adventure. I suppose that might have a bearing on where we stop and for how long (?)
If you're flying into Lisbon from the US or Canada, I don't think it's prudent to set out on a 5+ hour drive, what with jetlag and probable sleep deprivation. If you're arriving from elsewhere in Europe, never mind.
Nope. That's not the case at all. We're global travelers - have been for some 15+ years. Allow me to clarify:
We're in Lisbon for 3 full days and nights prior to starting out on the route in question. We're picking up our rental car on the morning of our 4th day, then heading up along the route we're currently discussing. The two days road trippin' will be the [brief] Northern leg of our adventures. Then, we return to Lisbon for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. From there we have another 4 days over to Seville and then back into Portugal for a 2 day trip along the coast back to Lisbon.
What I'm doing with these posting is trying to clarify our best options for route you've been helping with in there interchanges. Any details in that regard are most appreciated.
If I were to choose two stops, they would be Obidos and Coimbra.
in december I would skip nazare.
i would stop in obidos, then either alcobaca or baltalha and on to porto.
Thanks so much for taking the time and interest to help sort out my request...
Still sorting our road trip out from Lisbon to Porto. Please advise if this is possible time wise:
Leaving Lisbon airport around 9:30 a.m. in route to Obidos. Then on to Alcobaca, Baltalha, and Coimbra. We'd like to be in Porto by 7:00 p.m. or thereabouts. Is that all doable, or should we drop one of our sightseeing stops along the way? If so, which stop would you recommend leaving off?
NOTE: We'll have been in Lisbon for 3 days already. We're only at the airport to pick up our car rental.
Hello @bpatcher,
I'm Portuguese and I think if you visit Coimbra, you should drop Alcobaça and Batalha, otherwise you can visit Alcobaça and Batalha and leave Coimbra.
Óbidos - Coimbra - Porto would be my choice for sure... Alcobaça and Batalha have the monasteries and almost nothing else for tourists to see; on the other hand, Coimbra has the Cathedrals (Old and New), the University buildings, two monasteries, the beautiful Gardens of Quinta das Lágrimas and so on...
Enjoy your road trip ;)
Still trying to fine tune our road trip out of Lisbon. Is this workable:
Out of Lisbon (by car) around 9:00 a.m. / Up to Obidos for a short visit / On to Alcobaca for a couple of hours + lunch / On to Coimbra for sightseeing / Then on to Porto in time for dinner?
That sound like a race and not a fun one. Not realistic at all from my point of view.
That sound like a race and not a fun one. Not realistic at all from my point of view.
Wondering what hours the University library are open on weekdays in Coimbra? It's a must see on our road trip from Lisbon to Porto. I'd be so disappointed to make the hike up the hill and find it closed. Please advise...
I would strongly encourage you to thoroughly research your visit to the University Library. They control the number of people who visit and how long one can stay to protect the books, etc. If you google Coimbra University Library, you should be able to find the information you need. This is not one of those places where you just stop in. And, a lot of people take some sort of a guided tour to enhance the experience and purchase their tickets ahead of time.
And, I will echo the other feedback you have received. I can’t imagine making all the stops you mention in one day between Lisbon and Porto.
Thanks so much to everyone who's responded to my request(s). We continue to scale back our adventure plans from Lisbon to Porto. Clearly 10 days isn't nearly enough time to take in all the sights (and yums) in Portugal. [Lisbon/Alcobaca/Coimbra/Sintra/Seville/Largos/Sarges]...we'll narrow down our plans once we're on the ground.
Our first 2 days are planned for touring the Lisbon area. Our host there will be able to help us fine tune our stops along the way (beyond the city) once we hit the road.
The on line input has already been most helpful. We depart in just over a week, as our excitement grows.
