My husband has a 5 day conference in Lisbon in early June. We are going to tack on a weekend (2 days) to see some extra things. Where would you go for those two days? We would need to be able to get these easily via train or bus and I would prefer no more than 2 hours travel time.
Also, what day trips out of Lisbon would you suggest for me while he is in the conference. I know I want to go to Cascais and possibly Sintra.
We were in Lisbon last March, loved it and the surrounding area. Sintra is lovely, besides the palaces just wander around. Capo de Roca is interesting as it is the farthest west you can go on the European continent, great views. Be sure to try the very, very tasty little custard pastries that Lisbon is famous for. Read Rick's Portugal book for more info., and try to eat at least one meal in the Alfama area and order a Cataplana, also wander the streets there. The Portugese are a very friendly, warm people, and most speak at least a little English. Enjoy your time there.
I have the Lonely Planet guide (the RS 2009 edition isn't out over here yet and I don't want to buy the 2007 one). I was just hoping someone here could recommend a spot not to far away from Lisbon that we be good for our extra two days.
Loved Sintra (but this is an easy day trip). I thought Porto a fascinating city and is easy on the train and doable in 2 days.
The other place I would consider is Evora - well worth an overnight. I believe it is only 2 hrs or so away from Lisbon but this was a long time ago. You could google to find out time and distance or check the LP guidebook.
Definitely Sintra - not to be missed. Also the Belem district/suburb of Lisbon (not sure if that counts).
The Algarve is an obvious choice, but is not simple/quick unless you have a car.
Our first day in Lisbon we participated in a walking tour of the city with Inside Lisbon Tours. It was an informative and interesting introduction. Be prepared to do a lot of walking! We also took a daytrip arranged through this same company. We visited Obidos, Nazare and Fatima. Our guide was young, multilingual and enthusiastic. This was a great way to see quite a bit of the countryside and I thought that the price was reasonable. This company offers walking and biking city tours as well as several other daytrips --http://www.insidelisbon.com so you might want to check them out. It would be easy to do a trip or walking tour like this while your husband is at his conference.
If you are in Lisbon on June 13 you will be able to attend the celebrations in honor of the Feast of St. Anthony, patron saint of Portugal.
The town of Tomar caught my attention as I was researching for our trip to Lisbon but we didn't get a chance to get there. That would be an interesting daytrip.
