Rick Steve’s Portugal tour

I have not been on that tour. I looked up the itinerary and it misses the touristy beach area of the country that to me isn’t a big loss. It does hit the main towns most tourists tend to visit.

Rick is not a fan of the Algarve so the tour excludes it. More importantly the tour did not go to Sintra. We arrived early in Lisbon and did that on our own. We really enjoyed this tour despite some quirky tour mates.

Wonder why RS tour does not include Sintra.

That’s a good question. My son said Sintra was magical. And I’m actually giving the tour more thought now.
I’ve been to Italy twice, what are your favorite places?

I was on the RS Portugal tour in May. It is an outstanding tour. My tour guide, Cristina Duarte, started the RS Portugal tours and is the best of the best. And, I got the impression that all the RS Portugal tour guides are a very experienced, tight knit group who are passionate about showing their country to RS tour members. https://www.ricksteves.com/tours/guides/cristina-duarte

I did not at all feel slighted because the tour skipped the Algarve.

And, I was GLAD that the tour did not include Sintra. The more I read about Sintra, the more I became convinced that the crowds there would significantly detract from my enjoying it. I chose to do other things during my 3 days in Lisbon prior to the tour's beginning. My view is that RS is wise to let tour members decide whether they want to see Sinta on their own prior to the tour's beginning.

The highlight of the tour for me was visiting a family owned cork oak farm in the arid Alentejo region. The owners only do on site tours for RS tours. This is an experience you won't get anywhere else.

I would highly recommend that anyone that visits Portugal spend a day in Sintra.

Anyone have experience going to Sintra in early October? I wonder how the crowds would be at that time of the year.

I'll be on the Portugal tour starting in early October. We arrive on a Sunday, and meet our group at 5 on Monday. We've arranged a tour of Sintra through Cristina Duarte on Monday. We'll be picked up at our hotel around 8:30, and Pedro, her associate who does the driving tours, will have us back by 4:30 in time for the tour meeting. We will be going to the Royal Palace but not the Pena Palace. That's the colorful one and is supposed to be quite crowded. I suspect that while the interior is probably quite lavish and lovely, it isn't that different from other spectacular palaces we've visited. I'm sure it will be a lovely day.

I would love to spend some time in Sintra. I plan to arrive in Lisbon 1-2 days early, so a visit there could happen. Lois, are you going with Rick Steves? I wanted to go in October and am on the wait list for those tours, but booked Sept 18. If October opens up, I may take that instead. Can you share the information on the tour you’re taking please?

I'm on the RS tour that begins Oct. 2. But I'm sure that one starting on Sept. 18 should also have good weather. Hope you post a trip report--I'd be interested in reading it!

I spent two nights in Sintra prior to the start of the RS tour (I also spent 3 additional nights in Lisbon). I stayed at Chalet Saudade in Sintra which was recommended by several people on this board. It was a lovely place to stay. I took the metro from the airport to Oriente where I changed to the train to Sintra. If I were doing it again, I’d probably just get a taxi from the airport to Sintra.

https://www.saudade.pt/

We took this tour last September into October. We arrived three days early with thoughts of visiting Sintra. Our friends did ( we did not) and didn’t enjoy it due to pouring rain. I loved the tour and don’t feel I missed seeing the Algarve. My plan is to visit Portugal again and see areas I missed on the tour. One idea is to stay a few days in Sintra before moving south.
It’s a great tour. I loved the cork farm too.

Our favorite palace in Sintra was the National Palace built in the 1400s not Peña Pslace which was constructed in mid 1800s. .

You ladies have good points to consider. I’m assuming that one day in Sintra would be enough and then I could take the train back to Lisbon where I would start the tour the next day? It looks like there are 5 castles there, talk about rich families!
Questions to all……I know Portugal has become “the” hot spot to visit. So, is it more crowded? Also, if you were to consider another tour, would you choose Portugal or the Best of Germany, Austrian and Germany.?