Destination advice for Portugal
May 28th, 2023, 08:49 AM
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Destination advice for Portugal
Hello all!
My husband and I are planning on going to Portugal in January, 2024 with about five days worth of sightseeing. Unfortunately, due to work policies and university schedules, we cannot extend the days of our trip. We are in our mid-30s, moderately active, and enjoy museums and walking around neighborhoods. We are also open to easy hikes as well if it's the right season in Portugal to do so. When my parents went in February, 2023, there was a storm in Porto, so they have a voucher from the Duas Porto hotel for three nights, so the three nights in Porto is also a non-negotiable. Here are my thoughts so far with how to spend the trip, and I would appreciate your advice. We also will not be renting a car, so to go from one city to another, we would need to use trains and buses and use public transport and taxis within cities.
Day 1: Fly to Lisbon
Day 2: Arrive in Lisbon, take train to Porto, sightsee in Porto (Duas Porto stay)
Day 3: Sightsee in Porto (Duas Porto stay)
Day 4: Sightsee in Porto, maybe daytrip? Final night in Porto
Day 5: Take train to Lisbon, with stop in Aveiro?
Day 6: Full day in Lisbon with sightseeing or day trip to Sintra
Day 7: Sightseeing in Lisbon
Day 8: Fly home from Lisbon
First of all, does this itinerary sound realistic or too ambitious, particularly where daytrips are concerned? Second, given that we have a limited amount of time to spend seeing Portugal, which museums do you find should be higher priority? Same goes for churches? I have heard there are two tourist public transport passes in Porto? Which one have you used and prefer? How often do train workers seem to strike, and are last minute buses an option if they do strike? Finally, any hotel recommendations for Lisbon? Thanks!
My husband and I are planning on going to Portugal in January, 2024 with about five days worth of sightseeing. Unfortunately, due to work policies and university schedules, we cannot extend the days of our trip. We are in our mid-30s, moderately active, and enjoy museums and walking around neighborhoods. We are also open to easy hikes as well if it's the right season in Portugal to do so. When my parents went in February, 2023, there was a storm in Porto, so they have a voucher from the Duas Porto hotel for three nights, so the three nights in Porto is also a non-negotiable. Here are my thoughts so far with how to spend the trip, and I would appreciate your advice. We also will not be renting a car, so to go from one city to another, we would need to use trains and buses and use public transport and taxis within cities.
Day 1: Fly to Lisbon
Day 2: Arrive in Lisbon, take train to Porto, sightsee in Porto (Duas Porto stay)
Day 3: Sightsee in Porto (Duas Porto stay)
Day 4: Sightsee in Porto, maybe daytrip? Final night in Porto
Day 5: Take train to Lisbon, with stop in Aveiro?
Day 6: Full day in Lisbon with sightseeing or day trip to Sintra
Day 7: Sightseeing in Lisbon
Day 8: Fly home from Lisbon
First of all, does this itinerary sound realistic or too ambitious, particularly where daytrips are concerned? Second, given that we have a limited amount of time to spend seeing Portugal, which museums do you find should be higher priority? Same goes for churches? I have heard there are two tourist public transport passes in Porto? Which one have you used and prefer? How often do train workers seem to strike, and are last minute buses an option if they do strike? Finally, any hotel recommendations for Lisbon? Thanks!
May 28th, 2023, 10:21 AM
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We are in Lisbon right now and your itinerary is too ambitious just for Lisbon and Porto. You have part of a jet lagged day plus two full days in Porto and two full days and ? for Lisbon? I think you are ok for Porto. The hills of Porto and Lisbon will give you plenty of walking. Temperatures in January will be something like 15/8 with about a 1/3 chance of rain with somewhat shortened daylight hours. Sintra is pretty much a whole day trip which doesn’t allow you much time for Lisbon.
We are are staying at the Corpo Santon in Lisbon and like it a lot but do not know your budget.
We are are staying at the Corpo Santon in Lisbon and like it a lot but do not know your budget.
May 28th, 2023, 05:15 PM
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Can you arrange your flights to fly into Porto and out of Lisbon? Would give you an extra day to play tourist.
Love the location on the waterfront, but your hotel is a bit out of central Porto, though it looks like the tram runs quite nearby. Uber is also readily available. With your limited time, you might think about taking one of the free (tipping additional) walking tours offered by Porto Walkers in the morning. Their afternoon port wine tasting tour is not free, but quite fun and well worth the price. After the tour you can hit up the nearby food hall at Mercado Beira-Rio for a laid back atmosphere and multiple food and beverage options. If you would like to explore the Douro valley vineyards and wineries where the grapes for port wine are grown, I can recommend the day trip offered by efun tours which visits three wineries and includes lunch at one. It's limited to a small group (8 people max) and they pick you up in their comfortable van at your hotel. There are also Douro valley visits via boat but everyone I know who has done that said it was downright boring after the first fifteen minutes. If you enjoy museums, do not miss the Serralves museum in Porto.
There is much more to see and do in Lisbon than you will be able to accomplish in the available time; suggest you have a look at the stellar info in Maribel's guide to prioritize your activities. The National Tile Museum is surprisingly great. The Mercado da Ribeira market has been rebranded as the Time Out market but is still well worth a visit, with a great variety of eating and drinking options.
Love the location on the waterfront, but your hotel is a bit out of central Porto, though it looks like the tram runs quite nearby. Uber is also readily available. With your limited time, you might think about taking one of the free (tipping additional) walking tours offered by Porto Walkers in the morning. Their afternoon port wine tasting tour is not free, but quite fun and well worth the price. After the tour you can hit up the nearby food hall at Mercado Beira-Rio for a laid back atmosphere and multiple food and beverage options. If you would like to explore the Douro valley vineyards and wineries where the grapes for port wine are grown, I can recommend the day trip offered by efun tours which visits three wineries and includes lunch at one. It's limited to a small group (8 people max) and they pick you up in their comfortable van at your hotel. There are also Douro valley visits via boat but everyone I know who has done that said it was downright boring after the first fifteen minutes. If you enjoy museums, do not miss the Serralves museum in Porto.
There is much more to see and do in Lisbon than you will be able to accomplish in the available time; suggest you have a look at the stellar info in Maribel's guide to prioritize your activities. The National Tile Museum is surprisingly great. The Mercado da Ribeira market has been rebranded as the Time Out market but is still well worth a visit, with a great variety of eating and drinking options.
May 28th, 2023, 06:43 PM
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Seamus:
Flying into Porto instead is a lot more expensive, but I appreciate the sentiment of us wanting to play tourist longer. With the hotel, we are saving money due to my parents, not being able to use it during their trip and having vouchers for it for three nights. We will certainly take advantage of it being close to the tram. I like the idea of a walking tour. Unfortunately, my husband and I do not drink alcohol, otherwise we would have taken advantage of the wineries. Food markets have always been up our alley, and the Tile Museum was definitely something I was looking into and excited about.
Flying into Porto instead is a lot more expensive, but I appreciate the sentiment of us wanting to play tourist longer. With the hotel, we are saving money due to my parents, not being able to use it during their trip and having vouchers for it for three nights. We will certainly take advantage of it being close to the tram. I like the idea of a walking tour. Unfortunately, my husband and I do not drink alcohol, otherwise we would have taken advantage of the wineries. Food markets have always been up our alley, and the Tile Museum was definitely something I was looking into and excited about.
May 29th, 2023, 12:05 PM
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If anyone can help with navigating airline combinations that would be great. It would be ideal to fly into Porto and out of Lisbon, but everything seems so expensive!
Last edited by cavalierfish; May 29th, 2023 at 12:13 PM.
May 29th, 2023, 12:36 PM
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Reflecting on your responses about a day trip: if it's possible, we would some time not in a city, in a smaller town. If you have any suggestions about maybe a day trip on the way out of Porto and to Lisbon, I think that would be ideal. Is Cascais a good option for that? Even a half day would be nice.
May 29th, 2023, 01:55 PM
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Flights to Portugal in January should be quite inexpensive. I am getting air fare sale notices for the winter to Europe right now. Cost will depend, possibly a lot on where you live. I am not sure I understand what you want out of seeing a small town. What’s small? If you want to see the countryside you can take a day trip tour but those tend to be a whole day. Driving would be best. Alternatively the train from Porto to Lisbon has a lot of stops and you could pick one, leave your luggage at left luggage/ lockers if the station has that capacity and walk around before getting back on the train to Lisbon. This will of course impact your already meager time in lisbon.
May 29th, 2023, 02:43 PM
#8
In January, the flights into Porto and out of Lisbon are not very expensive. Look at TAP airlines. You might play around with Google Flights to see what the options are. In a quick search, the only inconvenience might be that you won’t have nonstop flights, depending where you’re flying in and out of.
The hotel in Porto - is it Duas Portas? If it is, do you know that it is on the beach, a bus ride outside of the city? The reviews say that the bus is across the street from the hotel. Would you consider staying in town, despite the temptation of the voucher?
The hotel in Porto - is it Duas Portas? If it is, do you know that it is on the beach, a bus ride outside of the city? The reviews say that the bus is across the street from the hotel. Would you consider staying in town, despite the temptation of the voucher?
May 29th, 2023, 03:04 PM
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Flights to Portugal in January should be quite inexpensive. I am getting air fare sale notices for the winter to Europe right now. Cost will depend, possibly a lot on where you live. I am not sure I understand what you want out of seeing a small town. What’s small? If you want to see the countryside you can take a day trip tour but those tend to be a whole day. Driving would be best. Alternatively the train from Porto to Lisbon has a lot of stops and you could pick one, leave your luggage at left luggage/ lockers if the station has that capacity and walk around before getting back on the train to Lisbon. This will of course impact your already meager time in lisbon.
May 29th, 2023, 03:14 PM
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In January, the flights into Porto and out of Lisbon are not very expensive. Look at TAP airlines. You might play around with Google Flights to see what the options are. In a quick search, the only inconvenience might be that you won’t have nonstop flights, depending where you’re flying in and out of.
The hotel in Porto - is it Duas Portas? If it is, do you know that it is on the beach, a bus ride outside of the city? The reviews say that the bus is across the street from the hotel. Would you consider staying in town, despite the temptation of the voucher?
The hotel in Porto - is it Duas Portas? If it is, do you know that it is on the beach, a bus ride outside of the city? The reviews say that the bus is across the street from the hotel. Would you consider staying in town, despite the temptation of the voucher?
May 29th, 2023, 03:43 PM
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We live in Richmond, VA, but for international, we look for flights from DC, because even a connecting in the US from Richmond is still more than a connecting in Europe. When I quoted the price I realized that was with the taxes and fees. United, when I ran it, is popping closer to $1000 currently.
May 29th, 2023, 05:01 PM
#13
You haven’t bought your flights yet but in your draft itinerary, you’ve given yourself 6 nights for your trip. If that is the plan, I would do the 3 nights in Porto and the 3 nights in Lisbon.
3 nights in Porto and 3 nights in Lisbon are not a lot of time and there’s so much to see in each city that I wouldn’t recommend doing a day trip, but if you feel it’s a must-do, then Cascais or Sintra are doable from Lisbon. In January, there probably won’t be huge crowds. It also looks like you could stop in Aveiro between Porto and Lisbon, (a train hour to Aveiro, then 2 hour train to Lisbon).
3 nights in Porto and 3 nights in Lisbon are not a lot of time and there’s so much to see in each city that I wouldn’t recommend doing a day trip, but if you feel it’s a must-do, then Cascais or Sintra are doable from Lisbon. In January, there probably won’t be huge crowds. It also looks like you could stop in Aveiro between Porto and Lisbon, (a train hour to Aveiro, then 2 hour train to Lisbon).
May 29th, 2023, 06:57 PM
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Do you have specific dates in January for your travel? And do you care if you start in Porto or Lisbon? Looking at some random dates in January 2024 I see IAD-OP/LIS-IAD for just under $600 each with one stop each way.
Doing multi-city (into one, out of the other) usually does not cost a lot more when you figure in the time, trouble and cost of getting from one place to the other and then back. And keep in mind that you can also book two one-way trips as opposed to a single itinerary if that works out to be less expensive. Air fares are pretty astronomical right now, and I suspect prices for your dates will be lower but not yet posted for purchase. Unless you see a real deal (say, less than $500 each) which you should grab quickly, you can afford to wait a few months to book. And when you are booking, be sure to pay attention to fare rules - things like "basic economy" tickets require additional payment for just about everything (seat assignment, carry on and checked bags) that may be more restrictive than you would like.
Doing multi-city (into one, out of the other) usually does not cost a lot more when you figure in the time, trouble and cost of getting from one place to the other and then back. And keep in mind that you can also book two one-way trips as opposed to a single itinerary if that works out to be less expensive. Air fares are pretty astronomical right now, and I suspect prices for your dates will be lower but not yet posted for purchase. Unless you see a real deal (say, less than $500 each) which you should grab quickly, you can afford to wait a few months to book. And when you are booking, be sure to pay attention to fare rules - things like "basic economy" tickets require additional payment for just about everything (seat assignment, carry on and checked bags) that may be more restrictive than you would like.
Last edited by Seamus; May 29th, 2023 at 07:12 PM.
May 29th, 2023, 07:14 PM
#16
Sintra is on a commuter rail line and is easy to reach from Lisbon (less than an hour each way). So yes, a day trip is possible. I would just wing it depending on how much you like Lisbon and how bad the weather is in January.
Uber is available in Lisbon (as are taxis and public transit). Using Uber will save you some time getting out to Belem for the Jeronimo Monastery vs using the bus/trams. Be careful walking on those beautiful sidewalks when they are wet, very slippery! I used the Rick Steves downloadable podcast for a self-guided walking tour around Central Lisbon.
For hotels, I liked the neighborhood near Hotel Principe but don't expect to really find anywhere quiet. Bring earplugs.
When I flew into Lisbon I arrived very late and spent my first night at the Star Inn Lisbon Airport, and took the train to Sintra from the Airport with an overnight stay there.
Uber is available in Lisbon (as are taxis and public transit). Using Uber will save you some time getting out to Belem for the Jeronimo Monastery vs using the bus/trams. Be careful walking on those beautiful sidewalks when they are wet, very slippery! I used the Rick Steves downloadable podcast for a self-guided walking tour around Central Lisbon.
For hotels, I liked the neighborhood near Hotel Principe but don't expect to really find anywhere quiet. Bring earplugs.
When I flew into Lisbon I arrived very late and spent my first night at the Star Inn Lisbon Airport, and took the train to Sintra from the Airport with an overnight stay there.
Last edited by mlgb; May 29th, 2023 at 07:21 PM.
May 29th, 2023, 07:20 PM
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Do you have specific dates in January for your travel? And do you care if you start in Porto or Lisbon? Looking at some random dates in January 2024 I see IAD-OP/LIS-IAD for just under $600 each with one stop each way.
Doing multi-city (into one, out of the other) usually does not cost a lot more when you figure in the time, trouble and cost of getting from one place to the other and then back. And keep in mind that you can also book two one-way trips as opposed to a single itinerary if that works out to be less expensive. Air fares are pretty astronomical right now, and I suspect prices for your dates will be lower but not yet posted for purchase. Unless you see a real deal (say, less than $500 each) which you should grab quickly, you can afford to wait a few months to book. And when you are booking, be sure to pay attention to fare rules - things like "basic economy" tickets require additional payment for just about everything (seat assignment, carry on and checked bags) that may be more restrictive than you would like.
Doing multi-city (into one, out of the other) usually does not cost a lot more when you figure in the time, trouble and cost of getting from one place to the other and then back. And keep in mind that you can also book two one-way trips as opposed to a single itinerary if that works out to be less expensive. Air fares are pretty astronomical right now, and I suspect prices for your dates will be lower but not yet posted for purchase. Unless you see a real deal (say, less than $500 each) which you should grab quickly, you can afford to wait a few months to book. And when you are booking, be sure to pay attention to fare rules - things like "basic economy" tickets require additional payment for just about everything (seat assignment, carry on and checked bags) that may be more restrictive than you would like.
May 29th, 2023, 07:28 PM
#18
Try Seven Corners, they include COVID coverage. Your cost will be based on your age, where you live and trip cost. As soon as you make a down payment you want to take out the insurance cover if you want Cancel for Any Reason.
May 29th, 2023, 07:56 PM
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Try using Google flights to see what options show up for multicity itineraries; try flying into and out of both OPO and LIS. Right now I see fares under $700 each for IAD-OPO and LIS-IAD with one stop on United and Lufthansa. TAP does have direct flights LIS to IAD but its a few hundred dollars more expensive.
Insure My Trip is a great site to compare travel insurance options, but before buying any policy be sure to check about what you may already have through a credit card.
Insure My Trip is a great site to compare travel insurance options, but before buying any policy be sure to check about what you may already have through a credit card.
Jun 1st, 2023, 07:24 AM
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I’m looking into the possibility also of flying out Jan 5, as there seems to be a later night flight, avoiding us having to take off all of a Friday and just one hour to get to the airport on time. If I can confirm my school schedule fast enough, we could snag some of these multi city flights where the price is not so bad. I’m even willing to have two connections on the way back. Then, we have an extra day and could take a day trip to Sintra.
