hello all,
i am starting to think about a travel itinerary during my summer break from school. considering portugal to complement my trips through italy and spain. starting to scoure the internet and will probably purchase a guidebook/s soon. interests have narrowed over the years to mainly museums (paintings), churches (earliest examples to baroque), and small villages (medieval, stone and brick, cobblestone, etc.). big cities don't interest me by themselves nor do beaches and tourist hot spots. not into gastronomy, wine, or shopping either. I only travel by public transportation and stay in airbnb's. usually spend 5 to 8 weeks on the road. given all that i would love to hear your thoughts and suggestions. i know this is casting a very wide net but would help me tremendously to hear personal experiences and get a sense of the country.
thank!
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
4437 posts
Commenting as a reminder to follow this post. We'll be basing in Lisbon for a week or two in late September.
Posted by
OP
North Carolina, USA
369 posts
thank you gail for your reply! will check out the places and the thread you listed.
allan, hopefully, the replies will be useful to many!
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4156 posts
We’ll also be there late September, early October. I was hoping it wouldn’t be too hot.
Posted by
California 🦋
5291 posts
Traveling via public transportation is very doable (and inexpensive) in Portugal.
My daughter and I visited Portugal mid May to early June (2019) and the weather was pleasant to hot.
This was our itinerary:
Fly to Lisbon and go directly to Sintra (3N)>>
train to Évora (3N) >> trains to Tomar (2N)>> train to Coimbra(3N) >> train to Porto (5N) >>
train to Lisbon (5N)- day trip to Cascais >> fly home.
We’d originally planned to take a couple of day trips from Porto ( Guimarães & Viana do Castelo) but became ill so ended up skipping the day trips.
I’d be happy to share a link to my trip report if you’re interested.
Happy planning!
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1780 posts
I will second the Julie Dawn Fox recommendation as she covers the smaller places very well.
Be aware, the smaller places are more challenging to access with public transportation. It’s doable but will take many hours as opposed to driving.
Posted by
OP
North Carolina, USA
369 posts
thank you all for your replies. i will look up the julie dawn fox report/s. regarding public transportation, unfortunately, driving is not an option for me.
@Priscilla: i would love to have the link!
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
1697 posts
I highly recommend spending 5 or 6 nights in Lisbon which has some outstanding museums. The Gulbenkian is one of our favorites. We also enjoyed the Coach Museum. We didn’t have time to visit the Tile Museum but I understand it’s outstanding.
You can spend a day in Belem and visit the Jeronimos Monastery, Belem Tower, Discoveries Monument. Take the elevator to the top of the Monument for beautiful views of the Monastery and the waterfront. The Coach Museum is located in Belem.
We loved exploring the Alfama, the oldest neighborhood in Lisbon. It was not destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. Visit the Sao Jorge Castle on the edge of the Alfama.
There are other smaller churches. I don’t have the information with me (I’m not home) but you can find them in guidebooks.
There are miradouros (viewpoints) where you can sit, have a drink, and admire the scenery.
For guidebooks, in addition to Rick Steves, I recommend Lonely Planet, Michelin Green Guide, Fodors, and Rough Guides.
Posted by
OP
North Carolina, USA
369 posts
thank you kmkwoo for your input!