Solo/tour Portugal extra days

Could you easily share the rough itinerary of the organized 1.5 day tour in Lisbon? What are the sites/sights?

The first day is arrival, meet later to greet tour guide. So I should have about 6 hours to explore on my own. Next day Jeronimos Monistery & cloister, Belen tower, monument to discovery. Free time to take a side excursion to cascais , cape Roca, queluz. Next day off to Obidos. One part of the trip stops off at Lago, Promantory of Sagres, cape St, Vincent, but there is no overnight stay, so it’s shuffling through this area.

You could easily spend the time in the Lisbon area, especially if you will be in the Algarve on your tour, I wouldn’t go back to that area. The Algarve isn’t very doable without a car, imo. And, the buses are limited - as are the trains. You also don’t mention the time of the year you will be traveling. The Algarve is much less attractive in the winter.

And, there is no way to see all Lisbon has to offer in such a short time. You could leisurely see Sintra staying a couple of nights. If your tour doesn’t do Evora, that’s a great day trip.

Thanks, I’m going in May. Considering I’m solo, I’d prefer going via train and Metro. The southern area seems incredible, but not sure about driving. Is staying in Lisbon proper too much for a week?

i agree with @kathrynj recommendations. I recently returned from Portugal where I spent 6 nights in Lisbon. This included a day tour to Sintra and one to Evora. I could have spent longer in Lisbon.

If you stay longer in Lisbon, you have a couple of options to augment your trip. All this can be done by train, metro/tram, or bus.

• Take a food tour: it is one of my favorite ways to learn the culture of a city and as a frequent solo traveler, it is a great way to share a meal (s) with new travel companions. In Lisbon, we took the Eating Europe Tuk Tuk Tour which provides an hour Tuk Tuk ride (primarily through the Alfama) and walking portion of the tour to visit about 4 eateries. We also took the Devour, Fado Tour. We loved this tour, the food and Fado was amazing. The only caveat is this is an uphill walking tour.
• Sintra: you can easily get to Sintra by train, then transfer to bus to get to the Pena Palace. There is plenty to see in Sintra and it is worth a day at least. A couple of caveats, go early to avoid the crowds in good weather. If it is rainy and windy, Sintra is miserable. May you should be good on weather.
• Evora and the surrounding area is worth a visit. You can get to Evora by train or bus. If you like wine, the Alentejo is one of well known wine regions of Portugal. There are tours you can take to combine wine tasting and Evora.

One of the best things about taking extra time in Lisbon is just people watching. I spent most of my evening (when it wasn't raining) on the miradouro (viewpoint) near my hotel in the Barrio Alto, having a drink and/or coffee and watching the families, listening to music, and enjoying the sun.

SandyO, can you share the name of your hotel please?

I stayed at Chiado Arty Flats. It is on the border of Chiado and Barrio Alto, about 6 minutes from the Rossio train station.

I loved this hotel. From the moment I booked, Tomas and Catrina were warm and welcoming. It is an apart hotel, so we had a small kitchenette, but the services of hotel. The breakfast each morning was served to our room and it was more than satisfying. Fresh fruit, pastries, eggs, bacon, yogurt, cheese, fresh orange juice.

It is a modern hotel with a very cool vibe. We had an outdoor patio. It was partially covered, so could even enjoy in the rain.

The area has amazing local restaurants, bars, shops. It is a short walk to the metro, tram28.

I was really sorry to leave. Hope this helps.

I'm doing something similar in April. Joining an RS tour group in Lisbon. I'm working on ideas, researching activities and sites in Lisbon as well as the Algarve. The tour does not go south of Lisbon. So in addition to extra days in Lisbon, I'll take a train or bus to Lagos for a few days and explore the area on my own. Will take a bus to other towns. I've watched some YouTube videos on sites to see in Lisbon. There is plenty to do there for at least 4 or 5 days, so will have plenty of options for things to do. Plus day trip to Sintra. I'll add some extra days at the end of the tour in Porto, as well.

I’ll be Interested to see how you will get around the Algarve region. Yes I know that there is a train for Lagos but some of the more scenic areas Carvoiero, Lagoa… seem difficult to reach.

Thank you SandyO

Thanks all for your advice. Finally booked São Miguel island for 4 days. The Kawaii looking views and hot springs was the deciding factor. Renting an automatic car, fingers crossed it’s in good shape. Decided time to learn a manual in case of an emergency too. I’ll spend a couple extra days in Lisbon checking out the art or a day trip to Sintra.
:)