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What to do with three extra days in Portugal....

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I am traveling to Portugal for a conference in July and booked an extra three days at the end to just enjoy being their. The conference is in Palmela, and I was hoping to get some recommendations on what to do with the extra three days. Initially, I had considered going up to Porto, but now I am wondering if I should stay in the Lisbon area.

Option 1.) After the conference, stay in Lisbon (where I am flying out of) and see the city as well is Sintra.

Option 2.) Try to see Lisbon and Sintra during the conference (it is a week long, so there will be some spare time), and then travel to a different location for the last few days before coming back to Lisbon to catch my flight home.

For ease of travel, I am leaning toward my first option, but I am not sure if there is enough to do or if will get bored. Is three days too long for this, or is it just about right? I am liking the idea of not having to travel back to Lisbon to catch my flight... I am also open to recommendations that are not listed above.

Please let me know your thoughts! Also, if you have specific recommendations on things to do in any of these places, please feel free to list them!

Posted by
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Years ago, when we initially visited Lisbon for 3 days, we felt at the end of our trip that there were sites we missed, so we returned last yea., and there was plenty to see which we did not get to during our first visit. It will be hot, so you may not want to overplan, and take some time to rest from the heat.

During your time in Lisbon, be sure to take a tram ride 5 miles west of Lisbon to the Belem area to see 1) Jeronimos Monastery; 2)Monument of the Discoveries; 3) National Coach Museum; 4) Boat ride up the Tagus River; 5) Pasteis de Belem bakery, considered to have the best pastel de Nata pastries.

We enjoyed taking the 1.5 hour train ride from Lisbon to Coimbra, an historic medieval town, whose University has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its magnificent Joanina library is its showplace. It was a good midpoint stop for us to spend the night there and then continue to Porto, but you can do Coimbra as a day trip from Lisbon if you decide not to go on to Porto.
Enjoy your trip!

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