My wife and I, late 60’s, reasonably fit, have 12 nights in Portugal late May through early June. Flying in and out of Lisbon. So far we have 3 nights Lisbon followed by 4 nights Porto via train. We will spoke out for day excursions from those hubs to places like Sintra, Braga, Douro Valley. After Porto I’m not sure if returning via train to Coimbra and Tomar are best, or taking another route closer to the coast for Fatima and Obidos? Need to end final night 12 in Lisbon. Suggestions appreciated.
Posted by
Pacific Northwest
882 posts
Lisbon is worthy of more than three nights - especially if "day excursions" are being considered from there. Evora is a recommended day excursion.
Posted by
WA USA
1104 posts
Consider taking the train to Porto on arrival day so your time in Lisbon isn't split. We did that and it worked out well, napping a bit on the train.
How many days will you have that you plan to spend between Porto and Lisbon? Have you considered renting a car for that portion? Take a look at Alcobaca and Batalha which are amazing monasteries. But easiest to see if you have a car. In my opinion, it's best to have a car for the Silver coast.
Posted by
Massachusetts, USA
1616 posts
I agree that Lisbon deserves more than 3 nights. We spent 5 nights in Lisbon, including a day trip to Sintra, and I wish we had an extra night in Lisbon. If you like castles, there are a lot of interesting castles and palaces to see in Sintra so I recommend spending 2 nights in Sintra. That is what I wish we did. Seeing Sintra as a daytrip is better than not seeing it at all but I think the best way to see Sintra is to spend a couple nights there.
Posted by
Cascais, Portugal
1680 posts
Coimbra and Tomar are much more interesting than Fátima and Obidos. While Obidos is quite cute it’s overrun by tourists and quite small. Both Coimbra and Tomar have significantly more to see and are easier to walk around due to fewer tourists. If you are not planning on stopping in these towns, the train will be much quicker with the Coimbra route.