Ah, Portugal! A country that attracts many travelers. True, they are mainly limited to Lisbon and Porto. Want to see more? Then save this article with the route from our travel expert. But we warn you, the trip will be very eventful.
Judge for yourself:
Lisbon → Sintra → Cape Roca → Arrábida Natural Park Sines → Lagos → Silves → Faro → Tavira → Beja → Lake Alqueva → Alentejo Vineyards → Évora → Marvão → Castelo de Vidi → Leiria → Óbidos → Lisbon
Don’t forget to upload the route to Google Maps.
Days 1–3. Lisbon
You will spend the first two days of your trip in Lisbon. Be sure to include one of the following attractions on your list.
Praça do Comércio Square and Calle Augusta
The main square of the city, on one side facing the Tagus River, and on the other three surrounded by majestic buildings. There is a triumphal arch here, from which the main pedestrian street of the city, Augusta, originates. Also from the square begins the embankment of the Tagus River – Ribeira das Naus.
Elevator Santa Justa
A structure that is an elevator connecting different levels of the city. There is an observation deck at the top.
Cable cars
Lisbon is a city of trams and funiculars. There are three cable cars in the city: Bica, Gloria and the lesser-known Lavra.
Funiculars follow the following routes:
- Funicular Bica: Rua de São Paulo – Largo Calhariz
- Funicular Gloria: Praça dos Restauradores (Baixa) – São Pedro de Alcântara (Bairro Alto)
- Funicular of Lavra: Largo da Anunciada – Rua Câmara Pestana
Berardo Museum of Contemporary Art
Photo: Digital signal/Shutterstock.com
The museum contains a large collection of contemporary art, presented in both permanent and temporary exhibitions.
Ticket price: 5 €
Working hours: from 10:00 to 19:00
Address: Praça do Império, Belém, Lisbon
Official website: Museu Colecção Berardo
Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
Photo: Radu Bercan/Shutterstock.com
The art museum itself houses a collection of classical art. However, the museum also houses the Center for Contemporary Art (Centro de Arte Moderna).
Ticket price: from 10 €
Working hours: from 10:00 to 18:00. Tuesday is a day off.
Address: Av. de Berna 45A, Lisbon
Official website: Museu Calouste Gulbenkian
We have selected hotels for you for 2 nights in Lisbon:
- Estoril 7
- Club do Lago
- Sheraton Cascais Resort
Days 3–4. Cape Roca and Sintra
On the third day, go to Cape Roca, and then spend the night in the small but very picturesque town of Sintra. The journey to Cape Roca will take about an hour, and from there you will reach Sintra in half an hour.
Cape Roca is the westernmost point of continental Europe. It offers incredible panoramic views of the coast and the natural park surrounding Sintra.
Sintra is famous for its beautiful palaces, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among them are the medieval National Palace, as well as the colorful Pena Palace and the medieval Castle of the Moors, located on the green hills. Usually tourists come to Sintra from Lisbon for one day. In the evenings, when they go their separate ways, Sintra transforms from a bustling tourist spot into an almost deserted and charming town, so we recommend staying here for the night.
Choose one of the hotels according to our recommendations:
- Sarrazola House
- Tivoli Sintra
Day 4. Moving. Arrábida Natural Park. Sines
On the fourth day, head south through the Arrábida Natural Park to the city of Sines. The journey without stops will take about 2.5 hours.
Parque Natural da Arrábida is a unity of green mountains and white cliffs rising above the beaches. From the heights of the park there is a wonderful view of the coast.
Sines is a seaside town with a pleasant historical center and embankments along the port. It is known as the birthplace of the famous Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama.
We suggest you stay overnight in an apartment near the coast, half an hour’s drive from Sines:
- Duna Parque Beach Club
Day 5. Moving. Lagos. Silves. Faro
On the fifth day, continue your journey south to the city of Lagos. Then we suggest stopping in the city of Silves and heading to Faro closer to night. The entire journey without stops on this day will take 3 hours.
Lagos is a town on the southern coast of Portugal. Here you will find beaches surrounded by magnificent cliffs. We recommend visiting these: Praia da Balança, Praia dos Pinheiros and Praia do Camilo. A beautiful staircase leads to the last beach.
Silves is a cozy town located on a hill, with a castle and beautiful ancient architecture.
By evening you will reach Faro, where you will spend the next few days. We have selected apartments for you near the coast, a 15-minute drive from Silves:
- Real Marina Residence
Days 5–8. Faro
Faro is a port city in the south of Portugal. It’s best to start exploring Faro from the Old Town with its cobbled streets, spacious squares, fortress walls, ancient buildings and churches.
It is also worth a look at one of the most famous and gloomy attractions of the city – the Chapel of Bones, the walls of which are decorated with human skulls and bones, and be sure to visit the long sandy beach of Praia de Faro.
Ria Formosa Natural Park
This park, formed by lagoons, islands and spits, stretches for kilometers along the southern coast of Portugal. Flamingos live in the park.
The apartments that we have chosen for you are located next to the park. Here you can rent a boat and explore the nearby islets.
Day 8. Moving. Lake Alqueva
On the eighth day we begin to move north. We suggest you stop by to see two cities: Tavira and Beja, and then go to Lake Alqueva. The journey this day will take 3 hours.
Tavira is a small seaside town with beautiful architecture and beaches.
We suggest driving to the next city through the Guadiana Valley Natural Park.
Beja is another cozy small town with narrow streets, a castle and beautiful houses.
And finally, in the evening you will reach the lake. The area around the artificial Lake Alqueva on the Guadiana River is famous for its starry sky and has been certified as a “star tourism destination”. Spend the night here, for example, in this small hotel:
- Aldeia do Lago
Days 9–10. Moving. Alentejo Vineyards. Evora. Marwan
On this day, vineyards and two more interesting cities await you – Evora and Marvão. The journey without stops on this day will take 2.5 hours.
The Alentejo region is one of the places in Portugal that is famous for its wines. We suggest you stop by the Herdade do Esporao winery – it is located just between the lake and the city of Évora. You can book a tour and find out more information on the Esporao website.
The historic center of Évora is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Here you will find objects from the ancient Roman period: the ruins of the Temple of Diana and an aqueduct, as well as a magnificent Gothic cathedral, many churches, palaces and picturesque streets.
Marvão is a town located picturesquely on a hilltop. You will reach it in the evening and stop for the night. Choose where exactly:
- Estalagem de Marvão – Casa de Campo
- El-Rei Dom Manuel Hotel
Days 10–11. Moving. Castelo di Vidi. Leiria
On the tenth day of the trip, we suggest visiting the town of Castelo de Vidi, and then heading towards the west coast of Portugal – to Leiria. The entire journey will take a little more than 2 hours.
Castelo de Vide is a charming town with a beautiful historical center, surrounded by hills.
In Leiria you will find beautiful squares and churches, narrow streets and a castle rising on a hill.
We have selected for you several hotels where you can spend a great one night:
- Tryp Leiria
- Eurosol Residence
Day 11. Moving. Obidos. Homecoming
On this day you will have a return trip to Lisbon. Finally, we suggest visiting one more city – Obidos. The entire journey will take about 2 hours.
Obidos is a small town on the coast. Its white houses with red tiles are surrounded by defensive walls. The main attraction of Obidos is the medieval castle of the same name, towering above the city. Obidos is called the chocolate capital of Portugal – every year a chocolate festival is held here.
After buying some delicious chocolate, head towards the airport. Home in the evening!
