Destinations in Portugal — where to go
Portugal's two great cities — and the day trips that make each one worth extra nights.
Portugal's two headline cities couldn't feel more different: Lisbon (hilly, sun-bleached, tram-crossed, 3–4 days) and Porto (compact, moody, riverside, 2–3 days), 3 hours apart by train. Add Sintra as a Lisbon day trip and Aveiro or the Douro Valley from Porto, and a first-timer's 7–10 day loop writes itself.
Portugal packs an outsized amount of 'wow' into a small footprint — you can genuinely see two completely different cities, a fairytale hill town, and a wine valley without ever spending more than three hours on a train. Here's every major destination, with an honest read on how many days it actually deserves.
Sintra is the one place on the Lisbon loop worth reconsidering as a single rushed day trip. Pena Palace's queues by mid-morning are notorious enough that visitor guides now open with how to avoid them — the trick is either catching the first train from Lisbon before 9am, or staying a night in Sintra itself. The town empties out once the day-trippers leave around 5pm, and you get the palace grounds and quinta gardens close to yourself.
Lisbon
3–4 nights, hills and hairpin trams — pack shoes you don't mind wrecking.
Porto
2–3 days, port wine cellars across the river, a moodier, cheaper alternative to Lisbon.
Sintra
A fairytale hill town 40 minutes from Lisbon — go early, or plan around the crowds.
Douro Valley
Terraced vineyards along the river — Portugal's wine country, 1.5–2.5 hours from Porto.
Coimbra
A student city built around Portugal's oldest university and one of the world's most beautiful libraries.
Óbidos
A tiny walled medieval town, about an hour from Lisbon, best sipped slowly with a chocolate cup of ginjinha.