Originally Posted by
Howie721
Hi All,
I am planning ~9 days in Portugal early November (littler bit cooler and obviously off season).
See below for proposed itinerary:
Fly into Lisbon (2 days/2 nights)
train to Cascais (1 day/1 night)
Rent a car and drive to Douro Valley (2.5 days/2 nights)
Drive to Porto (2.5 days/3 nights)
A few questions for the experts..
1) We really want to do wine tasting around the Douro Valley - are the vineyards even open this time of year? What are the best ways to get around the vineyards without having to drive a car myself - not really into the whole drinking and driving thing. Is it feasible to rent bikes and cycle around (this didn't work too well in Tuscany)? Is it wildly expensive to hire a driver for the day...maybe taxis to and from 3-4 vineyards?
2) I have read reviews here on renting a car - doesn't seem too difficult to drive around the country. However, I have heard reports on expensive tolls - any idea what I should expect to pay given my proposed itinerary?
3) Cascais - Is there enough there to keep an active late 20s couple busy? Same goes for Porto - beginning to think an extra day in Lisbon as opposed to Lisbon.
Curious to hear any other feedback you might have on the itinerary for a late 20s couple.
1. Do a search for douro valley wine tours. There are many operators that do this type of thing.
2.
https://www.viamichelin.com/ does a good job of estimating tolls. Cascais>Porto is about 26-28€ in tolls if you take the motorways, or free (but with a higher fuel bill) if you take the two-lane national roads. Do get a GPS (or use your phone) and a toll transponder for the car to make your life easier.
3. 1 day/1 night is ok in Cascais. You can always get some bikes, visit some beaches (early November the weather is usually still very nice). There is also a lot of hiking in and around Sintra which is up the coast. Personally, I'd spend an extra night in Lisbon and do Cascais as a day trip (I just turned from my late 20s into my early 30s). There is definitely more nightlife in Lisbon.
For Porto - 2.5 days/3 nights should be great. 1 day for Port wine tasting (which is in Porto itself), 1-1.5 days for sightseeing and a day trip up to Guimarăes should be good.
Of the 2.5 days in the douro valley, I would maybe spend one of the nights somewhere between Lisbon and Porto.