Travel in Portugal

Where are you flying into ? What are you interested in doing seeing? We were in Portugal and although we sadly didn't have time to go to Porto we thoroughly enjoyed Lisbon, Belem, Tomar, and Obidos. We were a little disappointed with Coimbra but I think that had more to do with the fact that we had just been to Salamanca a university town but in Spain as well as spending time in Segovia.
We spent 2 nights in Coimbra, but wished it had been just one.

Thanks for the information. We are flying into Lisbon and ending up in Santiago de Compostela. I have seen and heard the same about Coimbra. We like to see and do a lot of everything. We have 3 weeks total

Actually, if you are going in May, Coimbra has the University graduation ceremonies going on. If you can make those, they are worth seeing. And it has a great place to see the traditional Portuguese music. Coimbra was the first place we stayed in our 2 plus week trip through Portugal, and we enjoyed it. We went all the places you mentioned, and they were all worth seeing. There is a Rick Steves recommended restaurant in Evora (the one where the manager picks the menu) that was quite good. We spent one night in the Algarve, near Cape Sacre, and I would have liked to have spent more time there. But you can't do everything! Dont forget Lisbon. Lots of stuff in Lisbon worth seeing. Hopefully the jacaranda(?) trees will still be blooming. Those were gorgeous.

If you go to Coimbra, you have to eat some roast suckling pig. If you like wine and port, then you could spend several days in the Porto/ Douro valley area. You could drive up the Douro and spend one night somewhere in the valley - the scenery is fantastic. If you like wine tasting, there are many interesting wineries to visit. There is also a combined boat and train day trip up the valley from Porto if you are interested. If you like the countryside, you could in fact spend quite a few days in the Douro valley. I went specifically for port and wine tasting. We made Porto our base for a week and spent time sightseeing in Porto and visiting port houses across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia as well as touring the Douro valley. We spent a couple of days in Porto as it was St. John's eve and Day which is a huge festival in Porto.

I was also disappointed with Coimbra, but I loved Lisbon, Belem, and Obidos. I have not yet been to Evora, but I may go when I have 3.5 days in Lisbon this April. Porto is also great (I highly recommend the Pestana Porto hotel - make sure you get a room overlooking the river). I would say 2-3 days in each of Lisbon and Porto, for sure.

Hi Greg, I'd be inclined to skip Nazare - it's a bit tacky and certainly not the best beach in Portugal. Personally, I'd allow 3-4 days in Lisbon with an extra day if you want to visit Sintra. Obidos is definitely worth a visit - very pretty, medieval town and they have regular festivals in the castle grounds so check the website to see if there's anything on when you're there: http://www.obidos.pt/CustomPages/ShowPage.aspx?pageid=4599458f-bac1-4466-88ea-398e0e24c9ee Evora is ok but a day trip is plenty and if it's out of your way, you could skip it. I really like Coimbra but then I live nearby so I'm probably biased. It depends on the weather though - very pretty when the sun's shining, especially at the riverside park with its cafés and restaurants. Porto is worth at least 3 days - you'll need 1/2 a day just to go to the Serralves museum and gardens. Definitely go for the Douro cruise - I've heard excellent reports even though I haven't done it myself. Guimarães is the birthplace of Portugal and the historic quarter is full of granite medieval houses. Ponte da Lima is really pretty too and on the Santiago da Compostela pilgrim route. Hope that helps! You might find some other ideas on my blog, Julie Dawn Fox in Portugal: http://juliedawnfox.com

I agree with most of the comments above. We enjoyed Evora (1 day) but it is somewhat out of the way. Do not miss Sintra (day trip from Lisbon) and give yourself at least 3 days in Lisbon. We enjoyed Coimbra, the riverwalk, the university, the Fado. Also enjoyed Nazare, the food, the funicular. Porto and the Duoro valley are very very nice. I would try to stick to the RS guide for 3 weeks and I don't think you will regret it.