Porto & Lisbon

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Only Ryan air fly direct into Porto.
Wondering if I should avoid them.

Ryanair's fine as long as you know the rules and fees involved (pay for priority or you don't get a large cabin bag, pay to reserve a seat or you'll end up stuck somewhere in the middle seat away from your traveling companions, etc.). They get you from A to B as reliably as anyone else.

Sure, if a 13:15 arrival in Lisbon (or the 09:35 Ryanair flight) and taking the train to Porto the same day works better for your schedule, then it makes sense to go that route.

I'd personally fly into Porto and out of Lisbon as it looks like the Lisbon to Porto train take the guts of 3 hours and when you include getting to the correct station from the airport and waiting for train etc, that would probably be a pretty tiring day. Choice of airline wouldn't really factor in for me as price is king for me personally with times being second as most short haul airlines offer pretty comparable service these days.

I haven't been to Porto but based on your original itinerary, the Lisbon parts all look great, the only thing I'd change is day 8 as I don't think you'd spend a full day in Belem. It's only about 15 minutes on the tram from centre of Lisbon and I think you could handily fit it in to one of the Lisbon sightseeing days. I'd put a day trip to Cascais in for day 8 instead. It's the same distance from Lisbon as Sintra but there's s different more laid back beachy vibe to it. I would definitely prioritise Sintra over the two myself with that much time you could comfortably get to both.

funkey_monkey wrote: »

Well, I didn't get the time off from work, so this was parked over Christmas and I'm now looking into it again.

Here is my plan for Porto:

• Riberia & Funciular dos Guindais
• Palacio do Bolsa
• Teleferico de Gaia down to Vila Nova de Gaia
• Ponte de Dom Luis I
• The Se
• Night in Baxia
• Torre dos Clerigos
• Tram to Foz do Douro (0.5 – 1.0 day at the sea? Worthwhile in February?)
• Linha du Douro - day trip to Douro

How long would this take? I'm not sure how long this would all take and whether I should add in another destination such as Guimaraes, Braga or Aveiro. Any suggestions?
Also, Foz do Douro - worthwhile?

Are there any good walking tours for Porto?


What would be the recommendations for Lisbon?

For Porto, you could see the sights (Se, Torre dos Clerigos, the Riberia, the bridge, and Vila Nova de Gaia) all in one day, if you really wanted to. Bolsa might be tricky; it's closed to visitors for the latter half of February. Guided tours are available at certain times throughout the day otherwise, but only a couple were in English, as I recall, so your time options might be limited.

The funicular isn't anything particularly special, just a funicular. OK views, I suppose, but there are better. (You'd have a better one from the top of the city wall there, but I couldn't find a way to get up to it when I was there a couple years back; it seemed to be closed to the public at the time...). The funicular is handy if you need to get to the top quickly, but otherwise isn't worth queuing for or anything.

The Teleferico does offer some nice views, though it's a short enough ride. Handy for getting back to the top of the bridge, though. I'd ride it back from the riverfront up to the top, though; on your way down, take the opportunity to have a wander down the back alleys of Vila Nova de Gaia instead.


If you're there a bit longer, the Jardins do Palácio de Cristal are worth a visit; lovely terraced gardens and several beautiful viewpoints.

Foz do Douro has some beaches and the big fort and some lighthouses and such, so if that interests you, it'd probably be worth a look. I wouldn't plan on swimming or sunbathing, necessarily, but if you just wanted to chill at the beach for a bit, it'd probably be nice (assuming you get good weather).

I had a very nice port and chocolate tasting at Kopke, though they don't have a cellar you can visit, just a shop. If you want the full cellar tour experience, though, there's plenty of places to choose from, both the big commercial ones like Sandeman and a fair number of smaller places as well. You might need to book ahead at some, so check and make sure.

Also, definitely pop into Petisqueira Voltaria sometime for some of the best food in the city. Their black pork cheek sandwich is seriously one of the best things I've ever eaten.

Guimarães is definitely worth a visit. I actually spent a few nights there, but you could do a day trip to see the highlights easily enough. The castle and Dukes' Palace are impressive, and the small historic city centre makes for a lovely stroll.

Fly into Porto, fly out Lisbon - no brainer.

Flew to Porto with Ryanair a while back - absolutely no issues (I've never had an issue with Ryanair... don't get me started on Aer Lingus).

We were 4 nights in Porto and needed every minute (including a day trip to Douro Valley). Same as Lisbon, been twice for 4 nights each time and needed every bit of those 4 nights each time.