Please sign in to post.

Portugal trip in May with teens - itinerary suggestions

Hi;

We have 8 nights in early May - traveling with 18yo boy and 18yo girl -- have rough itinerary and looking for feedback. We like to explore; don't want to just be in cities the whole time. There are so many places to see; I have done my best to research and pick what I think will be interesting for my family/kids.
Please let me know what you think of the following:

Fly into Lisbon from US and arrive late morning.

Spend 4 nights in Lisbon with one day being a trip to Sintra/Cascais (private guide arranged for this already)
So that leaves 2 full days and 1/2 day (the arrival day) to explore Lisbon
5th day pick up rental car at airport and drive North - thinking about stopping in Obidos briefly then Tomar and head to North Portugal -- booked 2 nights in Guimaraes (a cool converted monastery that I think my kids will like). I know this will be a long day/drive.
Spend 6th day Guimaraes/Braga or national park doing some hiking
Leave early on 7th day for Porto and spend last 2 nights in Porto.
The one thing we are skipping is trip to Duoro Valley - none of us are wine drinkers and I don't think my children would be interested but I wonder if that is a mistake?

Posted by
3277 posts

Not seeing the Douro Valley would not be a mistake, however, if you do, you want to drive between Peso da Régua and Pinhão. Peso da Régua is 1h 15m from Porto, Pinhão is 45m from Peso da Régua and Pinhão is 1h 45m from Porto.

Posted by
6113 posts

Of course skipping anywhere isn’t a mistake. Go for what YOU want to do, not somebody else. You have a given time there, so do what you want. Your trip looks well paced.

Posted by
1826 posts

I agree with Jennifer. Your trip looks good to me, especially in the light of not being interested in wine.

But, do be aware you may not have time for both Obidos and Tomar if you plan to drive all the way to Guimaraes. I drove from Cascais to Guimaraes a few years ago without stopping anywhere except for lunch - and we didn’t arrive until 3:30 p.m.

Posted by
15794 posts

I'd skip Obidos - by the time you get the car and drive there it'll probably be mid-morning or later and it will be crowded with tour groups. I think Coimbra is a more interesting stop than Tomar.