Portugal in a Week, Palaces to Vineyards

Getting around

• Day 1: Lisbon airport to your hotel with a licensed driver, then an afternoon with Luisa.
• Day 2: Lisbon to Sintra, about 30 minutes, then on to Cascais and back to Lisbon.
• Day 3: Lisbon to Évora, about 1 hour 35 minutes each way.
• Day 4: Lisbon to Coimbra, about 2 hours, on to Aveiro, then about 1 hour to Porto.
• Day 5: A full day in Porto on foot, no hotel change.
• Day 6: Porto to Peso da Régua, about 1 hour 15 minutes each way, back by early evening.
• Day 7: Hotel to Porto airport, a short drive.
• In Lisbon and Sintra, Luisa guides with a licensed driver. From Day 3, a licensed driver-guide travels with you.

What does a 7 day Portugal itinerary look like?

A 7 day Portugal itinerary covers Lisbon and Porto at three nights each, with day visits from both cities. This one gives Lisbon its old quarters and Belém on arrival, a full day for Queluz, Sintra and Cascais, and a day east in Évora. The fourth day moves north by road through Coimbra and Aveiro. Porto then gets a full walking day and a day in the Douro Valley before the flight home. Six nights, two hotels, and every day planned around one region.

Is one week enough for Lisbon and Porto?

One week is enough for Lisbon, Porto and the classic day trips around them, at an easy pace. It covers Sintra, Cascais, Évora, Coimbra, Aveiro and the Douro without a single one-night stop. A week does not stretch to the Algarve, the Alentejo countryside or a night among the Douro vineyards. Each of those adds two or three days, and our longer Portugal routes include them.

Should you fly into Lisbon or Porto for a week in Portugal?

Fly into Lisbon and home from Porto for this route, because Lisbon offers the wider choice of transatlantic flights and the journey then runs north without doubling back. The route also works in reverse, from Porto to Lisbon, with the same nights in each city. Our note on Lisbon or Porto as the arrival airport sets out both options, and our team matches the direction to your flights.

Seven days, or a shorter or longer Portugal trip?

Seven days suits American travelers who want Portugal’s two great cities and the best day trips around them in a single week. A shorter or longer route serves you better in three cases. With five days, our team trims this route to Lisbon, Sintra, Coimbra, Aveiro and Porto on request and leaves out Évora and the Douro.

With ten days, the 10-day Portugal Signature journey starts in Porto, adds Braga, Guimarães and the Douro, then runs through Lisbon, Sintra and Évora to the Algarve coast, and the 10-day Active Portugal journey follows the same line with walks, a kayak or e-bike morning and the Seven Hanging Valleys trail.

If you want Spain on the same trip, the 10-day Madrid, Seville and Lisbon tour pairs Madrid, Toledo, Córdoba and Seville with Lisbon and Sintra. Every Portugal route sits on our Portugal destination page.

Who this journey suits

First-time visitors with one week of leave, who want Lisbon and Porto both and only two hotels.

Couples on an anniversary or a first trip abroad together, with a sunset sail on the Tagus and a quinta lunch in the Douro as options.

Families with teenage or adult children, since the days mix palaces, tiles, boats and food, and each city has three nights to settle in.

Food and wine travelers short on time, with custard tarts in Belém, Alentejo cooking in Évora, ovos moles in Aveiro and port in the Douro.

Travelers adding a week of Portugal to a trip in Spain, who want the two cities and the Douro without a long road loop.

The people behind the route

Luisa, one of our licensed guides in Lisbon and Sintra, leads the Lisbon and Sintra days where your dates allow. She works alongside a licensed driver, so the walking parts of the day start where the car drops you, from Mouraria and the Graça viewpoint 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 Belém afternoon around the hours of the monastery.

What the 7-day journey costs and what it includes

This 7-day journey starts from $6,188 per person, double occupancy. The from-price covers six 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 sunset sail on the Tagus, a fado evening in Lisbon, Pena Palace in place of Queluz, a boat on the Douro or a night at a quinta. Our team prices each journey to your dates and party.

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

Questions about the 7-day Portugal itinerary

How many days do you need for Lisbon and Porto?

Six nights, three in each city, cover Lisbon and Porto with the main day trips around them. Three nights in Lisbon give you the old quarters and Belém, a full day for Queluz, Sintra and Cascais, and a day east in Évora. Three nights in Porto give you a full walking day in the old city and a day in the Douro Valley. The drive between the two cities takes about three and a half hours with stops in Coimbra and Aveiro, so the transfer doubles as a touring day. Two nights per city also works, with the loss of Évora and the Douro. Four or more nights per city leave room for Óbidos, Nazaré, Braga or Guimarães as extra day trips.

Is seven days enough for Portugal?

Seven days is enough for the north and center of the country: Lisbon, Sintra, the Cascais coast, Évora, Coimbra, Aveiro, Porto and the Douro Valley. It leaves out the Algarve, the deeper Alentejo, Madeira and the Azores, each of which needs at least two or three more days. This route keeps the week calm by using only two hotels and placing the long drive on day four, with two stops on the way. If the Algarve matters to you, our 10-day and 12-day Portugal routes add its cliffs and coves, and our team builds a single week around the south instead when the beach comes first.

What is the best time of year for a 7-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. September and early October fall in the Douro harvest season, when the quintas pick and tread their grapes.

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

A licensed driver-guide drives you north by road on day four, 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. Our team sends the full schedule, with every time and contact, before you leave home.

Should we fly into Lisbon or Porto for this 7-day tour?

The route as written lands in Lisbon and leaves from Porto. Lisbon gives you the widest choice of nonstop flights from the United States on arrival day, and Porto airport sits about 11 kilometers from the center, so the last transfer runs short. Reversed, the same seven days run from Porto to Lisbon and suit travelers flying from Newark, Boston or New York JFK, the U.S. airports with nonstops to Porto. Our note on flying into Lisbon or Porto weighs the two airports in more detail.

Should we choose Queluz or Pena Palace on the Sintra day?

The route as written visits the Queluz palace on the way to Sintra, and Pena Palace takes its place on request. Queluz, begun in 1747 as a royal summer retreat, shows Rococo rooms and formal gardens with a tiled canal, on level ground close to Lisbon. Pena, finished in 1854 for King Ferdinand II, stands on a hilltop above Sintra in a park of more than 200 hectares, with red and yellow façades and views to the coast. Pena suits travelers who want the Romantic Sintra of the postcards. Queluz suits those who prefer a calmer, more formal palace and an easier walk. Luisa helps you choose before the day.

Who guides and drives us on the 7-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 Évora northward, through Coimbra, Aveiro, Porto and the Douro Valley, 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 airport drop-off. Our team plans the whole route, books the site entries such as Livraria Lello, and stays in contact through the week.

Should we sleep a night in the Douro Valley instead of a day trip?

Many travelers do. The route as written visits the Douro as a day trip from Porto, about 1 hour 15 minutes each way by road to Peso da Régua. They choose one or two nights at a quinta hotel among the vineyards, with the river below and a slower lunch. Swapping one Porto night for a Douro night keeps the trip at seven days, and adding a night makes it eight. Our 10-day Portugal route includes two nights in the Douro, with a river trip and a family quinta visit, and our team adapts this week the same way on request.

How much walking does the itinerary involve?

Several quarters on this route sit on hills with cobbled lanes and steps, including Alfama and Mouraria in Lisbon, the old town of Sintra, the upper town of Coimbra and the Barredo quarter of Porto, whose stairways drop from the cathedral to 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, if you choose it, sits high above Sintra in a large park, and Queluz offers an easier visit on level ground. Your guide is glad to advise on suitability before booking.

Is the 7-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, adding a night in the Douro Valley, adding Óbidos or Nazaré to the drive north, or extending south to the Algarve. 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.

Who do we contact if something goes wrong or we want a change?

Your planner designs your journey with you and stays in touch after you land. For the fastest response at any hour, message your private WhatsApp group, where our 24/7 support team works alongside Rachel or Dan. Because we begin no more than five journeys per country each week, peak spring and fall dates fill early, and that limit is what lets us stay this close to every trip.