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Some suggested ways to tour Portugal
TRIP SUGGESTIONS
To assist you in planning your trip, we've selected some base areas where you might consider staying. Using this approach you will become more acquainted with Portugal and how the various sections of the country, cities and towns, relate to each other. The blue circle indicates an area that is approximately within one hours drive. This should help you balance the amount of drive time to the amount of pack unpack time and somehow come up with a happy medium.
Click center of area for enlarged Map of area
Indicates a Pousada location.
Mileage Information - click to enlarge
To further assist you in the planning of your trip, you may reference our trips routes. Hopefully these will help you put various locations into perspective and serve as a guide in planning you trip.
LISBON BASE
Let's start our planning in Lisbon and assume that it will be our first base of operation - The red circle, on the map above, indicates areas that are within a 2 hour drive of Lisbon. This assumes driving on a motorway. The times may be longer on the secondary roads but the scenery is more beautiful. The blue circle indicates areas that are within a 1 hour drive. For a more in-depth look at some sections, you should consider moving your base location to different locations during your stay.
You may see Cascais, Estoril, Sintra, Lisbon, Queluz and other nearby towns through the use of taxis or public transportation. I would also recommend highly taking the Metro or train out to the Parque das Nações for a day. If you chose to stay in Lisbon downtown, I would not recommend renting a car unless your hotel has parking facilities. You will discover that you really don't need a car to get around Lisbon.
If you are interested in arranging a personalized guided tour of Lisbon and or other areas within a one day tour radius, please contact Peter Feijão at Limo Tours.
One option to consider would be staying in Lisbon and seeing the convenient attractions by taxi or public transportation, then picking up your car and going to a location further out such as Setúbal or Óbidos.
Other environments that you should consider seeing are: Batalha; Nazaré; Alcobaça; Leiria; Óbidos; Fátima; Ericeira; Mafra; Tomar; -Setúbal (this area is worth a whole trip itself) and you must discover the beautiful beaches of Arrábida. You should also travel a little further south to Sines also including Porto Covo and Vila Nova Milfontes).
ALGARVE BASE
Faro or somewhere in this area has been chosen for this base. This is the geographic center and permits you to explore to either side. Disregarding my own advice, we have stayed in Sagres , Olhão and also Tavira. The Algarve does offer many things for your holiday from beautiful beaches to some of the best golf courses in the world. However please don't pass up seeing some of the wonderful towns only a few miles from the coast such as Silves, Alte, Mértola, Monchique, Vila do Bispo just to mention a few.
ALENTEJO BASE UPPER
Évora is the base here. Évora is only a short drive from Lisbon with the new bridge and highway system. It has also been selected as UNESCO World Heritage site. It is also convenient to other exciting locations in this section of the Alentejo. Arraiolos, where they make the famous rugs, Beja, Estremoz with all its history and traditions and one of the most beautiful of Portugal's walled cities Monsaraz are located nearby. You make also take in Elvas, Serpa, and the beautiful palace at Vila Viçosa which are all in this area of the country.
CENTRAL BASE
Coimbra is the base here. Coimbra is the home to one of the oldest universities in Europe and is also in a convenient location to explore many of the areas in central Portugal. You may drive through the beautiful mountains to see Viseu or swing over toward the sea pausing at the canalled city of Aveiro, then proceed down coast until you reach the magnificent beaches at Fiqueira da Foz. Another choice would be driving down to the peaceful town of Condeixa and pausing to see the Roman Ruins at Conimbriga. Other places in the area are Tomar, Ourém and Fátima.
VIANA DO CASTELO BASE - PORTO AND THE NORTH
The town of Viana do Castelo is the base for exploring the North Western section of the country. This town is one of the most beautiful towns in Portugal. It also becomes an excellent point to start getting familiar with the north. The north has many things to see and you may wish to change your base many times to acquaint yourself with its rich history. This is the area where Portugal was born, so take time to savor the towns of Guimarães, Amarante, Lamego and Vila Real. Of course, there are also the vineyards themselves, which can take a considerable time to explore so you may consider one of the wine tours. Finally, the mighty Douro River flows through here from east to west. This in itself is another rich area to become acquainted with. You are provided with various ways to do this. You may drive, take a train or perhaps even one of the river cruises that are available.
Additional sites in this are Valença, Caminha, Ponte de Lima, Ponte de Barca, and the Peneda Gerês National Park.
Just a short drive away are Porto, the city of work, Portugal's second largest city and Braga also know as the city of prayer. Also just a short distance from Braga is Canicada which is located just on the edge of the Peneda Gerês National Park. This is a wonderful area where you can take day trips and enjoy one of the most beautiful areas in Portugal.
Porto has an international airport, so you may even wish to start your trip in Portugal from there.
BRAGANÇA BASE - NORTHEASTERN
Bragança is the base here. This was literally for years not only beyond the mountains but also beyond the tourist. This is beginning to change and there are a wealth of interesting things to see here. You may marvel at one of the wildest areas in Europe, the Parque de Montesinho or just drive over to Chaves another wonderful area. To the south lies the Parque do Vale do Côa with some of the world's largest collections of open air Stone Age engravings.
Traveling a little further south and you will discover one of Portugal's best kept secrets. The beautiful mountains of the Serra da Estrela and the pleasant towns of Manteigas and Gouveia. It is here, that, in the winter snow covers the mountain tops and skiers cover the slopes.
Portugal may be a small country but it has great diversity and many interesting things to experience.
The Azores and Madeira are Portuguese islands with an autonomous government. Both are about two hours flying time from Lisbon and you should really include them in your trip, if you time will allow.
If you are interested in accommodations in the above areas. Just click on the Hotel Guide link below and then type in the city name and you will have a listing of some of the properties available for that area or all your reservations needs at the Travel Now site.
Another tour company that you may consider is Executive Limousine Services & Excursions. They provide transfers to and from the airport, TOURS all over Portugal, daily tours in Lisbon and surrounding localities, and tours of Jewish Heritage dating back to the eleventh century. They have Mercedes Vans and Buses and are fluent in English, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish. You may call Peter Feijão at Tel: 011 351 21 4531001 or E-mail him for more information.
OTHER TRAVEL RESOURCES
or combine your stay with
A list of the Pousadas of Portugal
A travel links directory in (German Language)
Now that your reservations are planned, take another look at our Check List and make sure that you are all set to go.
You may also obtain information from Manor Houses of Portugal by completing the form on any page of their site.
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