Portugal's Two Cities and the Palaces Between

What does a 5 day Portugal itinerary look like?

A 5 day Portugal itinerary covers Lisbon and Porto at two nights each, with Sintra as a guided day from Lisbon and one touring day on the road between the cities. This one gives Lisbon an afternoon walk on arrival and a full day in Sintra. The third day drives north through Coimbra, or Tomar, and Aveiro. Porto then gets a full guided day before the flight home. Four nights, two hotels, and the long drive in the middle of the trip.

Is 5 days enough for Lisbon and Porto?

Five days is enough for the heart of Lisbon, a day in Sintra and a full day in Porto, at a steady pace. It covers Alfama or Belém, the Sintra palaces, Coimbra or Tomar, Aveiro and Porto’s old center with two hotels. Five days leaves out Évora, the Douro Valley, the Algarve and the Cascais coast as a separate day. Each of those adds a day or more, and our longer Portugal routes include them.

Coimbra or Tomar on the drive from Lisbon to Porto?

Choose Coimbra for the university, its baroque library and a lively student town, and Tomar for the Templar Convent of Christ and a quieter medieval center. Both fit the drive north, and both hold a UNESCO listing. Coimbra lies about 2 hours from Lisbon and Tomar about 1 hour 30 minutes. Aveiro follows either stop before Porto. Our note on Tomar or Coimbra compares the two in more detail, and your driver-guide helps you choose.

Five days, or the 7-day Portugal route?

Five days suits travelers who want Lisbon, Sintra and Porto with the drive between them, and who have a short leave or a few spare days next to a trip in Spain. The 7-day Portugal private tour serves you better if you have a full week. It runs the same Lisbon to Porto line with three nights in each city, and adds a day east to Évora in the Alentejo, the Cascais coast on the Sintra day and a full day in the Douro Valley vineyards.

With ten days, the 10-day Portugal private tour starts in Porto, adds Braga and Guimarães and two nights in the Douro, then runs through Lisbon and Sintra to the Algarve coast. If Spain comes first, the 5-day Spain private tour covers Barcelona, Madrid and Toledo and pairs with this route for ten days across both countries, and the 10-day Madrid, Seville and Lisbon tour links Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba and Seville with Lisbon and Sintra. Every Portugal route sits on our Portugal destination page.

Who this journey suits

Travelers with five days of leave, who want Portugal’s two great cities and Sintra without a single one-night stop.

Visitors adding Portugal to a trip in Spain or Morocco, who want the classic Lisbon to Porto line in a compact form.

Couples on a long weekend plus one more day, with a fado evening in Lisbon and a port cellar in Gaia as options.

Families with teenage or adult children, since the days mix palaces, castle walls, tiles, boats and pastry shops.

Returning visitors who know Lisbon and want Coimbra or Tomar, Aveiro and Porto on the way north.

The people behind the route

Luisa, one of our licensed guides in Lisbon and Sintra, leads the arrival afternoon and the Sintra day where your dates allow. She works alongside a licensed driver, so the walks start where the car drops you, from the lanes below the castle in Alfama to the old town of Sintra. She knows the order of palaces, gardens and pastry shops to suit the day and the season, and she shapes the first afternoon around your arrival time and energy.

What the 5-day journey costs and what it includes

This 5-day journey starts from $4,276 per person, double occupancy. The from-price covers four nights in deluxe four-star properties selected for comfort, location and service. Five-star luxury properties are available by request. It also covers licensed guides and driver-guides on touring days, private vehicles for every transfer and excursion, and the planning and in-country support of our team.

What moves the price: travel dates and season, hotel category, the size of your party, single rooms, and added private experiences such as a fado evening in Lisbon, a guided walk in the Sintra hills, Tomar in place of Coimbra, a port cellar visit in Gaia or an extra night for the Douro Valley. Our team prices each journey to your dates and party.

When the route looks close to the days you have in mind, speak with our team about your dates, your party and the pace you want.

Questions about the 5-day Portugal itinerary

How many days do you need for Lisbon and Porto?

Four nights, two in each city, cover Lisbon and Porto with Sintra as a day trip and a touring day between them. Two nights in Lisbon give you an afternoon walk on arrival and a full day in Sintra. Two nights in Porto give you the evening of the drive north and a full guided day in the old center. The drive between the cities takes about three and a half hours with stops in Coimbra and Aveiro, so the transfer doubles as a touring day. Three nights per city give you room for Évora and the Douro Valley, and our 7-day route follows this pattern.

What is the best time of year for a 5-day Portugal trip?

April to June and September to October suit this route best. IPMA, Portugal’s weather institute, gives Lisbon a mean daily high of 19.8°C (about 68°F) in April, 25.7°C (about 78°F) in June and 26.6°C (about 80°F) in September, on its 1981 to 2010 averages. Porto runs a few degrees cooler on the Atlantic, at 17.6°C (about 64°F) in April and 23.4°C (about 74°F) in September. July and August bring about 28°C (82 to 83°F) in Lisbon and 24 to 25°C (76 to 77°F) in Porto, and our team schedules the walking hours early and late in the day. The short length of the route also suits a winter break, when Lisbon still averages about 15°C (59°F) by day in January.

How do you get from Lisbon to Porto on this route?

A licensed driver-guide drives you north by road on day three, with your luggage in the car the whole way. Lisbon to Coimbra takes about 2 hours, and you spend the late morning at the university and the Biblioteca Joanina. Aveiro lies about 53 kilometers further north, with its canals, moliceiro boats and ovos moles, and Porto follows about an hour later. The day carries about three and a half hours of driving in all, so you reach Porto in the late afternoon in time to settle in before dinner. With Tomar in place of Coimbra, the first leg runs about 1 hour 30 minutes. Our team sends the full schedule, with every time and contact, before you leave home.

Which Sintra palaces does the day include?

The Sintra day centers on palaces such as Pena, which King Ferdinand II finished in 1854 on a hilltop above the town, and the Castle of the Moors, whose walls run along a nearby peak. UNESCO’s listing for Sintra also names the Royal Palace of Sintra with its tile facing, Monserrate and its gardens, and Quinta da Regaleira, and Luisa helps you choose two or three to suit your interests and pace. Pena stands inside a park of more than 200 hectares, so a visit there fills a good part of the morning. The afternoon then goes to the old town and its pastry shops, a guided walk in the hills by prior request, or the coast at Cascais.

Who guides and drives us on the 5-day tour?

In Lisbon and Sintra, where your dates allow, Luisa, one of our licensed guides, leads the touring days and works alongside a licensed driver, two separate people. From the drive north onward, through Coimbra or Tomar, Aveiro and Porto, a licensed driver-guide looks after you, one person holding both licenses who drives the car and leads the visits. Every transfer runs by private vehicle for your own party, from the Lisbon airport pickup to the Porto departure. Our team in Madrid plans the whole route, books the site entries, and stays in contact through the trip.

Should we fly into Lisbon or Porto?

Fly into Lisbon and home from Porto for this route, because the journey then runs north without doubling back. Lisbon airport, the main hub of TAP Air Portugal, sits about 7 kilometers from the historic center, and Porto airport lies about 11 kilometers from the center of Porto. The route also works in reverse, from Porto to Lisbon, with the same two nights in each city and the touring day through Aveiro and Coimbra in the opposite order. Our note on Lisbon or Porto as the arrival airport sets out both options, and our team matches the direction to your flights.

Should we add the Douro Valley or Évora to five days?

Add one day for each, and both fit well. The Douro Valley lies about 1 hour 15 minutes from Porto by road to Peso da Régua, so a third night in Porto makes room for a full day among the terraced vineyards and a family quinta. Évora lies about 1 hour 35 minutes east of Lisbon, and a third night in Lisbon gives you its Roman temple, cathedral and Alentejo lunch. Adding both turns this trip into our 7-day Portugal route, which keeps the same line from Lisbon to Porto with three nights in each city. Our team prices either change before you commit.

How much walking does the itinerary involve?

Several quarters on this route sit on hills with cobbled lanes and steps, including Alfama in Lisbon, the old town of Sintra, the upper town of Coimbra and the lanes between Porto Cathedral and the river. Your driver drops you at the top of a quarter where the roads allow, so most walks run downhill, and your guide sets the pace to your party. Pena Palace sits high above Sintra in a large park, and Belém and Aveiro offer level walks by the water. Your guide is glad to advise on suitability before booking.

Is the 5-day route fixed?

The route as written shows one balanced order of bases, and our team shortens, extends or reorders it around your dates, interests and pace. Common changes include running it from Porto to Lisbon, choosing Tomar over Coimbra, adding a third night in Porto for the Douro Valley, or adding a night in Lisbon for Évora or the Cascais coast. Each change keeps the same principle of few hotel changes and one long road day at most. Guides, drivers and site entries all move with the change, so you receive a revised day-by-day plan and price before you commit.