r/TravelPortugal

Hi all — my husband and I are wrapping up a driving and hiking tour through Ireland and flying into Lisbon for the second half of our trip, mid-September 2027. After a week of long drives and hikes, we're looking for the opposite pace here: walking, easy culture, beach time, nothing that requires another rental car or another itinerary to manage.

No mobility issues, but we're intentionally not renting a car in Portugal — trains and local transport only, partly to force ourselves to slow down. We haven't booked accommodations yet.

Here's what we've got so far:

Day 1: Arrive Lisbon from Ireland.

Day 2: Lisbon, no fixed plans, mostly wandering neighborhoods.

Day 3: Train to Lagos.

Day 4: Lagos, beach day.

Day 5: Lagos, more exploring, coastal walking, wine.

Day 6: Train back to Lisbon.

Day 7: Lisbon, fly home via TAP.

A few specific things I'm hoping people can weigh in on:

• Is 3 nights in Lagos too much or too little for a slow, beach-and-wander pace, or does it read as either rushed or padded to people who've actually stayed there?
• Any specific beach or coastal walk recommendations for the Lagos area for people who want easy, not adventure-sport-beach?
• Is one night back in Lisbon before an international flight enough buffer, or should we build in more cushion?

Thanks in advance!

Planning a 6-person Portugal trip.

Current division of labour:

1 person checking flights
1 person building the itinerary
2 people sending Lisbon reels
1 person saying “anything works for me”
1 person rejecting every hotel after contributing nothing

Then someone casually revealed their budget was half of everyone else’s.

Moved the working trip into Zenvoya so people could comment and vote on the same hotels/stops instead of restarting the argument in WhatsApp every night.

Only the person who created the itinerary can edit it, which honestly feels less like a limitation and more like basic public safety.

The vote currently says Lisbon + Porto.

The group chat currently says Lisbon + Porto + Algarve + Madrid “because we’re already nearby.”

At what group size do you stop pretending this is a democracy and just appoint one travel dictator?

I have an opportunity to visit Portugal, but will only have two nights. Which city is best to visit with a short timeframe?

Thanks in advance

I am travelling to portugal (probably Porto)) in September for my birthday, I am thinking of hiring a car and sleeping in it, what places should I visit (only there for 3 days), also if there is anyone else travelling there as I am travelling solo :)

We are starting our trip to Portugal in Faro next week and will end it in Lisbon the week after. We have hotels booked in both. Currently debating how we should get from Faro to Lisbon, train it or drive it!

If you’ve done the roadtrip option, what was your experience? Taking the high way vs. the scenic route. Any recommendation is welcomed!!

Hi everyone! I am traveling to the Azores next week and would love some advice. Are there any must see hikes or beaches? What should I pack (I heard the weather can be very unpredictable)?

Hi! I will be traveling to Portugal in a few weeks. I was planning on taking the train from Poro to Pinhao and wanted to go to a winery in the area. Leaning towards doing the train vs a guided tour for the flexibility.

Questions:
Is Pinhao walkable? Is there’s a winery I can get to from the train station to do a tour and tasting at?

I keep seeing positive reviews of Quinta de La Rosa. Is it reasonable to walk the 20 min from the station?

Any recs for boat rides from Pinhao? Looking for a 1-2 hr ride with a tasting

We're planning on flying in and out of Lisbon for $ reasons.

1. Lisbon for 2 or 3 days, Porto for 2 or 3 days, Sao Miguel Island for 4-5 days, fly to Lisbon and then home.

2. Skip the Porto part, spend a little more time in Sao Miguel and maybe have another full day in Lisbon before heading home.

If you have other suggestions, please contribute. We're new to Portugal. We'd prefer not to get a car in Lisbon, but not dead set against it. We know we need one in Sao Miguel.

Thanks to all.

Question for folks - we are doing 9 nights in Portugal, with the first 3 nights in Lisbon, the next 5 nights in the Alrgarve, and I need to figure out where to stay for our last night before our flight on Sunday at noon.

If we drive up on Saturday from Algarve, could we stay one night in Sintra and still make it to Lisbon airport early morning Sunday (e.g. departing 7:30am) without adding too much delay or issue? Is it worth it? Would you recommend something else to add some variety, rather than just doing another night in Lisbon?

We are 2 adults, a toddler, a baby, and grandparents renting a big van.

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

My partner and I are traveling to Portugal (Algarve) and Spain (Andalusia) in a couple weeks. We are SOOOO excited.

My partner has a severe life threatening dairy allergy - we carry an epi pen and he is sensitive to cross contamination. This includes milk, butter, cheese, etc. He also cannot eat red meat unless it is cooked well well done (something with the milk protein in cow’s blood).

We LOVE food and we want to really experience local and traditional cuisines. But this is the first time he has traveled to a country where English is not the language. He is understandably very anxious and nervous about traveling with his allergy.

I figured I’d hop on here to see if anyone has any advice or insight for navigating food during our trip. Any tips would be appreciated, including:

- traditional/popular local foods we should look out for because they ARE usually prepared with dairy products
- specific dishes that generally do NOT use dairy products that we can mark as possibly safer
- how we can best explain the allergy without offending

Bonus, we also used ChatGPT to translate a little blurb we plan to print out on cards to explain the allergy. We would be SO grateful is someone who speaks Spanish or Portuguese can review to make sure it makes sense/let us know if we should add or remove anything for any reason.

Spanish:
“Tengo una alergia muy grave a todos los productos lácteos, leche, queso, mantequilla, nata, yogur y cualquier ingrediente que contenga leche o proteínas de la leche. Incluso pequeñas cantidades o la contaminación cruzada pueden causar una reacción alérgica. Los huevos y la mayonesa son seguros para mí. Si es posible, les agradecería que prepararan mi comida por separado, utilizando utencilios, superficies y guantes limpios o con las manos recién lavadas, para minimizar el riesgo de contaminación cruzada. También necesito que la carne de vacuno esté completamente bien hecha. ¿Pueden adaptar un plato para esta alergia? Si no es posible, lo entiendo perfectamente. ¿Hay algún plato en su menú que me recomendarían y que sea seguro para mí? Muchas gracias por su ayuda.”

Portuguese:
“Tenho uma alergia muito grave a todos os produtos lácteos, leite, queijo, manteiga, natas, iogurte e qualquer ingrediente que contenha leite ou proteínas do leite. Mesmo pequenas quantidades ou a contaminação cruzada podem provocar uma reação alérgica. Os ovos e a maionese são seguros para mim. Se possível, agradecia que preparassem a minha refeição em separado, utilizando utencilios, superfícies e luvas limpas ou com as mãos acabadas de lavar, para minimizar o risco de contaminação cruzada. Também preciso que a carne de vaca esteja completamente bem passada. Conseguem adaptar um prato para esta alergia? Se não for possível, compreendo perfeitamente. Há algum prato do vosso menu que recomendem e que seja seguro para mim? Muito obrigado pela vossa ajuda.”

ANY HELP OR INSIGHT WOULD BE SO SO SO SO SO APPRECIATED. THANK YOU TO ANYONE WHO READ THIS WHOLE POST ❤️🙏

I'm headed to Lisbon in early October for 13 days. I don't want to rip and run through the city, I'd like to wander mostly while not missing big requirements. I want to be comfortable in Lisbon, find where people/locals enjoy by walking around without a destination. Basically I want to be as normal as possible but on another dot on the earth.

I've searched a bunch on reddit and the web but any extended stay itinerary is about fitting as many day trips or days in other cities/Spain as possible.

I have 1 night booked in Porto on my 3rd day in the country but I'm willing to cancel (or move it).

Still unplanned but considering a 1/2 day trip to Calais and Sintra each (different days ofc)

Aside from that I'll do my best to wander and lounge, sip coffee, drink wine, find snacks, do some work, take whatever sun there is and make friends.

tl;dr q's

a) most importantly - when a tourist has run out of tourist spots to go where should they visit/wander in lisbon?

b) if i need to work connected to the internet for a few hours, where are the best places to go outside my room? Are there places that are lenient toward lingering hours taking up table space with a laptop?

c) porto for 2 days 1 night ok? (by train from lisbon)

d) is calais a worthy visit in early-mid october?

e) is sintra a must?

f) are any pre-arranged tours worth it? // any obscure tours to check out?

thanks friends

I'm planning a trip to Portugal in early September. Budget is around 700€. I'm staying in Moorish Quarter or Alfama I believe, somewhere in-between (trying to go on foot as much as possible, but e-bikes, metros or bus tours are welcome recommendations). What are some of the places you'd recommend visiting that are interesting for taking photos or just provide a good and fun experience in general? Are there any tourist traps to avoid? I'm going there with 2 friends. Also, is visiting Porto worth it with such budget? We're planning on staying there for 8 days.

Going to Lisbon next month. Would like a private e-bike tour for two people to see Lisbon sites? Half day is enough for me. We are English speaking and in our 40’s. Good shape. Thanks in advance for your recommendations.

Planning a 6-person Portugal trip.

Current division of labour:

1 person checking flights
1 person building the itinerary
2 people sending Lisbon reels
1 person saying “anything works for me”
1 person rejecting every hotel after contributing nothing

Then someone casually revealed their budget was half of everyone else’s.

Moved the working trip into Zenvoya so people could comment and vote on the same hotels/stops instead of restarting the argument in WhatsApp every night.

Only the person who created the itinerary can edit it, which honestly feels less like a limitation and more like basic public safety.

The vote currently says Lisbon + Porto.

The group chat currently says Lisbon + Porto + Algarve + Madrid “because we’re already nearby.”

At what group size do you stop pretending this is a democracy and just appoint one travel dictator?

My boyfriend and I are planning our first trip to Portugal for 10 days in early/mid October. We’re thinking of flying into Lisbon, heading to Madeira, then finishing in Porto before flying home.

I’ve done a ton of research on Reddit, travel blogs, etc., but would love advice from people who have actually been!

1. How would you divide our time?
I’m currently thinking 3 nights Lisbon, 3 nights Madeira, and 2 nights Porto (with the remaining time accounting for travel). Is that enough time in each, or would you rearrange it?

2. Where should we stay?
We’re looking for areas that are safe, convenient for sightseeing/activities, and reasonably priced. Under $200/night would be amazing, but we have some flexibility. We’re fine using Uber/taxis when needed.

I’ve read that Chiado is a good area in Lisbon. Would you agree? What neighborhoods would you recommend in Madeira and Porto? Specific hotel/Airbnb recommendations are very welcome too!

3. What are the absolute must-dos?
We’d love recommendations for things to see, restaurants, experiences, viewpoints, etc. in each destination. I know we might experience some weather since we're entering the rainy season.

I’ve seen mixed opinions on Sintra, and have also heard great things about Cascais, the Douro Valley, Fanal Forest, and Pico do Arieiro/Pico Ruivo.

4. What would you skip?
With only 10 days, we know we can’t do everything. Are there any popular attractions or day trips that you think are overrated or not worth it?

5. How much should we plan vs. leave spontaneous?
Are there things we absolutely need to book ahead (restaurants, tours, hikes, transportation, etc.), especially in October?

A little about us:
We’re looking for a good mix of culture, history, food/wine, and nature, with maybe a mild-to-moderate hike or two. We want to see as much as we can while still having enough downtime to actually enjoy each place rather than constantly rushing around.

Thanks so much! ❤️ 🇵🇹

I am visiting Évora with friends from Greece and everyone is asking me where we should eat today because I live relatively close to Portugal, but I have no idea :-/ I would really appreciate any help or suggestions. Thank you!

Hello All,

I will be in Lisbon in October and want to visit with a friend who lives in Algarve. Neither of us have a car and I'm hoping for more of a day trip. The train from Lisbon to Algarve is 3 hours (at least). I was wondering if there is someplace good for the two of us to meet somewhere in between? Preferably by train? Thanks All!