Portugal!

Buy a Rick Steves guide book if you haven't already.

Have already, of course!

We've taken two separate trips to Portugal and really liked all of the places that we visited. Both times we combined our Portugal travel with time in Spain. Lisbon is a unique city and a great destination for 2-3 nights. Check out all of the neighborhoods and take a tram ride to Belem. Also, make sure to attend a Fado performance. Salema was a fun beach destination with great seafood restaurants. We liked our stay at Pension A Mare B & B. Coimbra is a fun college town - we enjoyed visiting the university there. In the north, we liked Porto and went on an interesting tour of one of the port wineries. A boat tour is a great way to see the city from the river perspective. Next trip, we'd like to visit the Douro Valley. I know that there are many other great cities in Portugal - hopefully others will have suggestions as well!

Do you have a region in mind? You did not say how long you will be staying. Will you be renting a car or using trains? Although Portugal is small, you get a better feel for the towns by staying two or three nights. In addition to the towns mentioned by others, if you stay in Lisbon you could also visit Sintra which has a few castles to visit. Tomar is not too far and has a great monastary/castle and is less than an hour from Ourem which also has an interesting castle (although most of it is ruins). Tomar is also close to Coimbra which has one of the oldest universities in Europe and which is built on hills so there are many interesting street/steps to climb. Nazare is a neat coastal town from which you can visit Batalha and Alcobaca, both very interesting. If you are religious, there's Fatima. If you will be in the north Porto, Guimaraes, Pinhao (on the Douro River) all have much to offer. From Pinhao you can drive to Foz Coa, an archaeological park with rock engravings said to be 15 to 30,000 years old. From Guimaraes in addition to their castle and palace and fine churches you can visit Citania de Briteiros, ruins of an iron age settlement. If you want to go south, the Algarve is also interesting. Tavira is a great little town, Faro is larger; for beaches we like Quarteira which is a little quieter than some of the other 'resort' towns. Without specifying an area, the length of time you have, and your interests it's difficult to narrow down our suggestions. There's so much to see and do. We love Portugal and have been there several times and just returned from our last trip in October. So go and have a great time!!

Become a fan of Port wine! If you're in Porto, I highly recommend the Solar do Vinho do Porto after a day of touring the Port loges. There's also one in Lisbon, but it doesn't compare to the one in Porto.

we followed what RS guidebk said and had a wonderful time. Def. include fado one night.
If limited for time I would skip Algarve and spend more time in Obidos, Porto, Douro Valley, Lisbon, Sintra, Belem.

We followed the Rick Steves guide, visiting all the stops except Duoro Valley and Algarve. We spent five nights, four full days in Lisbon and left wanting more. Staying overnight in Sintra is wonderful, don't just do it as a day trip. Nazare and Obidos are great. Spending a couple of nights in Nazare is a must, Obidos is fine to do as a day trip.

We are staying about two weeks, plan 3 days in Lisbon, renting a car, doing the Rick Steves itinerary, albeit just a bit slower. So, looking for good tips to fill up those extra dates.

If you want to expand your trip a bit, drive north from Porto into Spain & visit Santiago de Compostela. It's only about a 2-3 hour drive from Porto and more than worth it. If you want to overnight along the way, a great stop is Ponte de Lima (Portugal), one of the prettiest towns in the whole country. There are many old manor houses around there that have been converted to B&B's. It's in the vinho verde wine country. And if you're lucky you'll hit it on market day.

I absolutely agree with Tom's suggestion of going a little further north to Santiago de Compostela! It's one of my favorite cities in Spain.

We spent 2 weeks in Portugal last fall and loved it. Rented a house in Salema (Algarve) for a week, then drove north into the Douro Valley and rented a house for 3 nights (with a day trip by train into Porto), then 1 night in Coimbra, ending with 3 nights in a rented apartment in Lisbon. Although we missed some places we wanted to see, there's no way to see everything and our itinerary worked out great for us. Some insights: - Book a house or apt in advance if you're going to stay in one place for any length of time. Check out VRBO.com, HomeAway, etc. We did all our bookings through sites such as these. Cheaper than many hotels, more room, cheaper to eat since you can cook for yourselves. - If you go into the Douro Valley (which takes time and can feel quite remote but is beautiful), drive, boat, or train up to Pinhao - the heart of Port country. - Porto is a nice city. Only spent part of one day there and wish we'd had more time. - Lisbon is a great city. Lots to see, very walkable, though hilly. Use the trams and busses to get around. - Coimbra is a nice city, but not a "must-see" in my opinion. Others may (and do) differ, so you might really like it.
- The Algarve is a natural wonder, though some of the over-development in the past 20-30 years detracts somewhat. In addition to Salema, Tavira is a nice (and larger) town. Have fun. You'll love it.

We also combined a trip to Portugal with Spain. Did not allow enough time but enjoyed Lisbon and Sintra is not to be missed-short train ride from Lisbon. There are two castles there and incredibly beautiful gardens-also a Moorish ruins. Stayed in Biaxa area of Lisbon and it was perfect and inexpensive. Excellent restaurants in that area. Also a must, a trip to Belem. The Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon is well worth a visit. Enjoy!

You must visit Alejento region, stay in Evora at Albergaria do Calvario. GREAT place - right in walled city with under ground parking - so charming and fantastic owners - Peter is a really cool guy. We loved Portugal. Can't wait to go back and visit Porto - we did Cascais, Evora, and Lisbon. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g189106-d253488-Reviews-Albergaria_do_Calvario-Evora_Alentejo.html