Hello, for those of you who have been to Lisbon/Porto/Coimbra this year are there any major sights that are currently taking advance reservation and have you found it to be vital at any of them? I don't recall making any in the past in either Porto (2019) or Lisbon (2008). TIA!
Hmmm. We booked tours ahead of time, like the Secret Food Tour in Lisbon and the University Tour in Coimbra. . I think we had timed entry at the Peña Palace in Sintra. We had timed reservation at port lodges in Porto for tastings (across the river). I can’t think of any other sites which required a timed entry.
We did a Sintra tour through Lisbon Riders and I would highly recommend. Manuel was so knowledgeable about all things Portugal. He Dropped us at the various sites at just the right times of day when they weren't too crowded. We didn't have to worry about tickets, etc. Defintely worth it.
We also toured with Lisbon Riders to Sintra and the coast and enthusiastically recommend them as well.
I think it's wise to book the University tour for Coimbra in advance. I tried to do it on the same day but didn't get a spot.
Another vote for Lisbon Riders. We took the Sintra Tour that was mentioned up thread. We were there about 5 years ago. I have been recommending them over the years. Several forum contributors recently took the tour and raved about the journey. Manuel was our guide and he was very knowledgeable & engaging. They do other tours from Lisbon as well.
Lisbonriders,com