We’ve always wanted to go to Portugal, the land of ancient explorers and navigators. So, when we saw TAP airlines, Portugal’s official airline, offering discounted direct flights from Miami we didn’t waste any time in planning an impromptu vacation to Portugal.
We knew that we wanted to visit Lisbon and Porto, so we looked for hotels and planned on train travel to and from these major cities. The train is a great way to travel across most of Europe. It’s comfortable, fast, and hassle free and there are many options. See our post on train travel in Europe.
Note that from Lisbon (Lisboa) to Porto there are many types of trains ranging from the high-speed Alfa Pendular, which does the trip in just over 2 hours to regional trains that can take almost 5 hours. There are also multiple train stations. We got the fast train from Lisboa Oriente station to Porto Campanha and it was a good choice.
One of the things we’ve learned in our travels is that it’s worth to pay a bit more for a hotel near the attractions we want to see. This way you get to see more and stay out later without having to worry about local commutes.
In Lisbon, this area was clearly Rossio Square. We were fortunate to find a Marriott just up from the square along Avenida da Liberdade.
Since we split our trip with a visit to Porto, we stayed at a different hotel on our return to Lisbon which was located next to Rossio Square. Despite good reviews we found the International Design Hotel a little quirky with eclectic and mismatched furniture. And we actually paid extra for a street view not realizing the street was only 10 feet wide, so basically this didn’t give any view at all! Despite the great location we preferred the Marriott.
Another fun thing to do is to take a day trip to Sintra. You can get there by train (basically a subway) from Lisbon. Skip what tourist sites tell you about taking the 434 bus as the queue is long and you’ll end up waiting and wasting hours. The first stop is the Sintra National Palace located only 1 km away. Instead just grab a cab or a tuk-tuk to get to the hilltop Moorish Castle.
The other main attraction is the Pena National Palace located a 10-minutes’ walk from the castle. It’s up a steep hill, but there is a small dedicated shuttle if you need it.
Visit the Sintra National Palace last and stay in town for dinner before returning to Lisbon. The train station is nearby and this way you avoid the crowds.
Porto ended up being our favorite of the three spots we visited. Perhaps because we splurged for a hotel with water views next to the Dom Luis Bridge!
No regrets here, as this probably made our stay and edged this part of our visit into the ‘best’ category. A one-hour river cruise on the Douro, getting lost in the steep narrow streets, crossing the Dom Luis Bridge on foot were all magical moments for us.
Unknowingly, we were there for the International Port Wine Festival and the streets were full of people walking around with their Porto glasses. We were also in Lisbon for Carnival and got to see a parade and many colorful costumes.
Related Posts:
- Top Attractions to Visit in Lisbon, Portugal
- What to See and Do in a Few Days in Porto, Portugal
- Sintra: A Must-Do Day Trip from Lisbon, Portugal
- Some Local Delicacies to Eat in Portugal
- Getting Around by Train in Europe
2 replies on “Exploring Portugal for a Week”
This article is a full road trip guide and itinerary to explore southwest Portugal – one of the best-kept secret regions in the whole Europe. If you dont, do you know of any other blogs? We are travelling for a week up from Faro to Porto.
You will love your trip. We only did Lisbon, Sintra and Porto but we would like to go back and visit other places in Portugal.