Traveling with Mom

When are you planning to do this adventure? That could make a difference in all your planned activities. I was on a RS tour of Portugal in early June 2019. It was unexpectedly chilly. Not many of us were prepared for that.

We fly into Lisbon on May 22.

We didn't make it to Algarve even though I really wanted to see the caves and rock formation there. but even without out it, we loved Portugal so much. I traveled with a group of elder ladies (one celebrated her 83rd birthday in Portugal!). Our trip was much shorter and we only stayed in 2 hotels, in hindsight, I wish we spent the night in the Duoro Valley at one of the wineries. I think that would be so wonderful. Please consider that if you enjoy the scenery and then you can get a nice river cruise on one of the Rabelo boats. We did it as a day trip from Porto, and it was a bit too much in one day because I wanted to add dinner at the winery and as such, we didn't get back to Porto till 11 pm. So, I would recommend spending at least one night in the region.

Good luck! I am sure you and your mom will love Portugal!

Thank you very much!

A lot of the lovely places in Portugal are quite hilly, including Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra and Sintra. You won't find cities like Paris or Barcelona. The US West Coast has cliffs and rock formations galore. Because I've spent a lot of time there, I skipped the Algarve. Also because there is so much to see in the center and the north!

Cascais is on the sea and very picturesque. Most people find it enough to visit as a day trip from Lisbon. On a windy day, you'll enjoy walking out to Boca do Inferno (Devil's Mouth) and watch the waves crashing on the rocks. Sintra is one of the prettiest towns I visited and there are major sights. Pena Palace, which I think of as Gaudi meets Disney is often very crowded, best to get there first thing in the morning or late afternoon. Besides the building, there are beautiful shady gardens to wander through. The National Palace is very good, avoid the daytripping crowds and go in the afternoon. There are other sights as well. I like the idea of spending 1-2 nights in the lush green Douro Valley at a quinta. I stayed at Quinta de Marrocos just outside Regua. Their winery tour is interesting, their wines and dinners were very good.

You really need a car for Salema as public transport is poor. Salema has the steepest hill in the Algarve - it makes me breathless and I am in my mid 50s! I wouldn’t bother going all the way to the Algarve just for 2 nights, as there is plenty amazing scenery to see between Lisbon and Porto.

I will reassure you it’s ok to cut the Algarve. The spectacular scenery in the Algarve is really all about the coast and beaches. And, yes, it will take most of a day for the trip down and a day back. There are lovely beaches in the central portion of the country and even quite nice ones outside of Sintra.
Be aware that the Porto area is much more lush and as you get closer to Lisbon, it becomes more arid. There is great coffee pretty much everywhere in the country.
If you have to choose between Óbidos and Coimbra, Coimbra is better IMO. The hordes of bus tourists in Óbidos make it less desirable.

Very excited to receive all of your helpful responses.
Thanks again!