r/TravelPortugal

Hi everyone! My partner and I are looking into a destination wedding, and we’re considering Portugal. I’m just starting the process and would love any recommendations/advice from other brides who have gone through it 😊

We’re thinking around 40–60 guests with a rough budget of ~$20–30k USD total (not including engagement ring, wedding bands, dress, or wedding attire). I'm not sure if this is realistic for Portugal, so would love honest feedback there too. We’d also be open to doing a weekday wedding.

A few things we’re looking for:

• coastal venues or places within driving distance to the beach
• Lisbon/Cascais/Ericeira/Algarve areas, but open to anywhere in Portugal
• relaxed, intimate vibe (not super luxury palace, but also not overly rustic)
• possibly a villa/quinta-style celebration with accommodations where everyone can hang out for the weekend

So far, I’ve started reaching out to a few venues but am still waiting to hear back regarding more detailed pricing/packages. We also currently have tours set up for Solar de Pancas, Quinta da Conceição, and Quinta da Bichinha when we visit in August.

Would love:

• venue recommendations
• planner/vendor recs
• photographer/florist/catering experiences
• insight into actual budgets and what things ended up costing
• any surprise fees or hidden costs you didn’t initially think about (transportation, rentals, staffing, sound restrictions, taxes/VAT, etc.)

We’re still very open to the celebration format, so would also love to hear if anyone has experience with either of the options below and any pros/cons to consider:

1. a full quinta/venue buyout with accommodations where everyone stays together for the weekend, or
2. a one-day wedding where guests stay at nearby hotels/Airbnbs instead.
3. renting a large vacation house/villa (Airbnb or VRBO that allows wedding events) and having a more intimate ceremony/celebration there

Very excited to start the planning process and would truly appreciate any advice, recommendations, or experiences you’re willing to share 🤍

My fiancé and I are planning our honeymoon in Portugal for late August and I’d love some advice from people who have been or are even locals!

Right now we’re trying to decide between:

• Lisbon + Madeira + Porto
• Lisbon + Porto only
• Madeira only

We’ll have about 12–13 days total including travel from the US.

Our interests are:

• romantic atmosphere
• beautiful scenery
• cafés/food
• beaches/coast
• hiking/nature
• slower honeymoon vibes (not trying to sprint around constantly)

The main reason we’re considering Madeira is because the PR1 hike and Fanal Forest look absolutely incredible and we love the dramatic tropical/island vibe. But we’re wondering if adding Madeira makes the trip feel too flight-heavy or rushed.

Current rough itinerary idea:

• 4 nights Lisbon
• 6 nights Madeira
• 2 nights Porto

Do you think this is too much for one honeymoon trip? Or does each place feel distinct enough to be worth it?

Would you skip Porto and spend more time in Madeira/Lisbon? Or skip Madeira entirely and keep it simpler?

Would especially love advice from people who have done multiple of these destinations in one trip!

I have a 4 hour and 45 min layover in Lisbon and was wondering if it would be possible to venture out, grab a bite to eat and head back. Was planning on using the metro but am unfamiliar with the airport so wanted to see what others thought / knew

Can’t recommend this restaurant enough. Great owners. Only seats about 20. Modern take on grandma’s traditional Portuguese recipes. Wine pairings were spot on.

Hello! My bf and I (28F) are travelling alone for the first time (exciting!!). I am delighted to say we are going to take on Portugal from August 11-22! We are looking for an equal divide between sight seeing and relaxing. We will definitely be planning our trip around eating as we are major foodies and wine drinkers. On that note, we will not be renting a car.

While I understand that we must include some touristy things, I value the more quaint and local feel. Are there any cities you would recommend to visit that are not as touristy?

Hello! I’m planning a trip to Portugal in September. I’ve been racking my brain on how to spend my time without rushing around too much and enjoying each city.

I was to visit Algarve region, Lisbon, and porto (with day trips to sintra and duoro valley)

I really wanted to see Evora and Obidos as well but i just don’t see a way of doing it where it won’t eat up time in another place.

Here’s my tentative plan:

Sept 10: arrive 10am FAO airport (15 hr journey from the US), pick up rental car, get a day use hotel if possible, sleep wake up 2pm get ready, walk around, sunset acitiviy walk/viewpoint then dinner

Sept 11: algarve, Kayak Ponta da Piedade

Sept 12: algarve, (kayak benagil caves , go to Praia da Marinha , then hike seven hanging valleys trail)

Sept 13: algarve (explore more beaches, visit tavira)

Sept 14: return car, travel to lisbon via bus or train. If in lisbon early enough do a sunset river tour

Sept 15: Lisbon (tuk tuk food tour), fado dinner later?

Seot 16: lisbon

Sept 17: sintra day trip

Seopt 18: travel to porto from Lisbon

Sept 19: porto

Sept 20: porto

Sept 21: duoro valley day trip/tour

Sept 22: flight to US from porto airport

Does this seem like a good plan? Or is there anything i should cut out or add?

Open to any suggestions, thank you!

Hi there,

I made a booking mistake on the Rede Expressos website for a trip from Lisbon Sete Rios to Lagos. I have two teenagers traveling with me who both qualify for the Youth (13–29) discount tier.

However, by accident, I selected Child (4–12) for one of them and Youth for the other. This means one of my teenagers (22 years old) is currently holding an underpaid "Child" ticket.

I tried to fix it online using the "Revalidation" tool, but the website only lets me change the date or time, not the fare category.

Has anyone dealt with this before?

1. Are the drivers at Sete Rios very strict about checking IDs for the "Child" discount tier if a teenager holds the ticket?
2. I'd prefer to get this sorted out now. Trying to this the day of will be stressful.
3. If I show up 45 minutes early, can the physical ticket counter at Sete Rios just let me pay the price difference to upgrade the Child ticket to a Youth ticket?

Obrigado for any advice!

I arrive in Lisbon on 8 AM on Sunday so I’m sure I’ll be jet lagged. That being said, I’m looking for something relaxing to do on my first day. I was thinking of going straight to Cascais to go to the beach, sight see, eat dinner, and stay the night before going back to Lisbon Monday morning. I would have 2 full days in Lisbon on Monday and Tuesday, then I have a 2 PM flight to Barcelona on Wednesday. Is Cascais worth going for 1 of the 3 full days I’ll have while in there? Or should I spend all 3 days in Lisbon? Thanks!

Hi everyone. My friends and I are US citizens traveling to Portugal next month and we are looking to purchase train tickets from Porto to Lisbon. We are trying to purchase through Comboios de Portugal (www.cp.pt). It is asking us for a social security number for purchase in addition to our passport number. Is putting your social in normal for this kind of travel? We are hesitant. Appreciate any insight!

Hello everyone!

I'm (37F) travelling to Portugal and Spain for the first time, and was hoping for some feedback on my itinerary, or if you would swap out any of the locations/make other adjustments. I've travelled quite a bit (Europe and elsewhere), but not to these two countries. I've learned a basic amount of Portuguese and Spanish; I'm hoping for a balance of city/culture, and relaxation/coastal time.

May 20 arrival (Lisbon), June 17 departure (Barcelona).

• Lisbon (4 nights)
  • Train to Porto
• Porto (4 nights)
  • Fly to Faro -> Lagos
• Lagos (5 nights)
  • Bus (I think?) to Seville
• Seville (5 nights)
  • Train to Granada
• Granada (3 nights)
  • Fly to Barcelona, train to Sitges
• Sitges (2 nights)
  • Train back to Barcelona
• Barcelona (5 nights)

I'll be doing two days at the Spanish Grand Prix (quali and race) while in Barcelona, then flying home.

Any feedback is so helpful! Thanks in advance. :)

Update: I'm thinking of reducing Lagos to 3-4 nights and Seville to 4, adding in Cordoba.

Traveling to Portugal in November. Flying from US via Madrid into Porto, and exiting through Madrid via Lisbon. Our LIS departure to MAD is at 8:30 AM. Would it be not unwise to travel to MAD the day before and do an overnight layover in MAD to catch our ~noonish flight back to the US?

Hello everyone.

A friend and I are visiting Portugal at June 10–16. We are looking for suggestions on what to do and what activities/tickets we should book in advance.

Current plan:

Lisbon: 4 nights

Porto: 2 nights (12-14/6, already booked train tickets)

We'll do a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon

We’re interested in:

Must-see attractions/activities

Food spots / local experiences

Things that are worth booking ahead (Pena Palace for example?)

Anything popular that you’d skip?

First time in Portugal, so any advice is welcome. Thanks!

Hey everyone. Going to Portugal in September with my in laws- some are well traveled half of them are not. Trying to make the best of the time we’ve got and get a good variety. How’s my itinerary? Wanna see just enough but don’t need to see every little thing so unless something is egregious or an absolute must see is this a good trip?

Portugal

Sep 8- Land in Porto early AM-explore
Sep 9- Porto
Sep 10- day trip to Duoro valley pick up/drop off from porto
Sep 11- early drive to Lisbon (3hr)
Sep 12 Lisbon
Sep 13 day trip to Sintra (train30m) end in Lisbon (moorish castle, pena palace)
Sep 14- early drive to algarve (2.5hr) beach day
Sep 15- algarve (7 hanging valleys hike)
Sep 16 fly out of Lisbon

OR skip Algarve and do Cascais/another nearby beach

Hi! I'm putting the final touches on our first trip to Portugal and am hoping for some feedback. We have 12 days starting in late-June. We're looking for a balance of nature and culture, cities and countryside, and we love music, food, and wandering around. I'm extremely keen to stay in at least one castle/pousada.

Here's what I'm debating:

• Lisbon for 4 nights/5 days
• Drive to the "historical" and less urban portion of our trip, perhaps a night in Obidos (castle!) or head to Estremoz; total of 3-4 days
• Drive to Porto, drop rental car, and spend 2-3 days there
• Return to Lisbon via train for a final day/night

Option 2: Skip Porto entirely and instead head to the eastern Algarve for 3-4 nights, adjusting the other destinations accordingly. I've looked into Tavira but am open to options.

A few considerations:

• We love coastal areas, but have a separate beach trip booked for later in the summer
• The Casa da Musica in Porto is closed when we will be there, which is a bummer b/c we're super into music
• We don't want a frantic pace or too much travel time

I'd actually opted against the Algarve but people keep telling us it's a must. Is it? And is that true in late-June or will it be packed already? Help!

Thanks, y'all!