Planning a week-long Portugal itinerary

I’m obsessed with vacation planning. I research every option and plan vacations a full year in advance. We just returned from our much-anticipated trip to Portugal, and despite a nasty cold that turned into a sinus infection, I had a blast. I loved the beautiful views, delicious foods, low prices, and wonderful people of Portugal! Ready to plan your own adventure? Read on for your 7-day Portugal itinerary.

7-days in Portugal Itinerary

• Day 1: arrive in Lisbon, and immediately transfer to the train station for the 3-hour ride to Porto.
• Day 2: wine tour of Douro Valley with Douro Exclusive, sleep back in Porto
• Day 3: Porto, tour Porto and Port wine houses on the other side of the river in Nova de Gaia
• Day 4: Rent a car, drive into the Alentejo wine region with a stop in university town Coimbra, and stay at the glorious Torre de Palma wine resort. Visit Adega Mayor winery.
• Day 5: Drive to Unesco World Heritage town, Evora, and onto Lisbon
• Day 6: Food tour in Alfama neighborhood with Treasures of Lisboa
• Day 7: Day trip to Sintra and return to Lisbon
• Day 8: Depart Lisbon

Porto: A Must-See

Porto is a must-see if you’re a wine and food lover. First of all, it’s an easy and inexpensive three-hour train ride from Lisbon. Much like Lisbon, crowds fill the city these days. Nevertheless, the views are incredible, and there’s no shortage of places to try their namesake wine, port.

Walk across the bridge to Nova de Gaia for a day of port tasting and take in the robed, Harry-Potter-esque students all over town. Fun fact: JK Rowling was inspired by this unusual look when writing Harry Potter, so the similarities are no accident.

Douro Valley: Wine Tasting Heaven

I highly recommend the Douro Exclusive tour. To start, they picked us up at our apartment and took us into the valley for the entire day. The tour included stops at two wineries, lunch at the gorgeous and delicious DOC, and a boat ride down the Douro. Additionally, I especially loved our visit to a beautiful family-owned winery, where we did a private tasting with the owner/winemaker. Overall, it was a lovely way to spend a day and well worth the splurge (190 euros/pp). Alternatively, consider one of these other wine tours in the area.

As an alternative, consider one of these other wine tours in the area.

Coimbra: A Quick Stop

Coimbra was a last-minute stop but totally worth it. I loved the winding streets and beautiful architecture, and a couple of hours was plenty of time there. Word to the wise, it is very difficult to drive in those little streets, and we almost got stuck trying to navigate a turn, even in our smallish rental car. Google Maps will try to send you down streets that are not in fact navigable by car.

Alentejo: Wine and Relaxation

Although I adored our lovely room at the Torre de Palma Wine Resort, I would tweak this part of our Portugal itinerary if we could do it again. First, this hotel is beyond lovely, so I’d recommend adding a day or two to relax here. One night was not enough!

Second, visiting Alentejo wineries presented significant challenges. You cannot easily book last-minute tastings, and you definitely can’t just pop in like you might in Northern California. If you want a similar Portugal itinerary, take a wine tour or book your winery visits at least a month in advance.

Evora: History and Charm

Evora was okay (don’t miss the chapel made with human bones), but honestly, I could have skipped it and been fine.

Sintra: A Fairy Tale Town

Sintra is gorgeous, but man, oh man, is it overrun with tourists. Pena Palace is brightly colored and lovely, but we had to stand in a nonstop line as we very slowly snaked our way through it. It is worth visiting, but try to arrive early or go on a weekday. It was so crowded on a busy Friday that I found it hard to enjoy.

Much better for me was Quinta da Regaleira, a bizarrely gothic mansion with beautiful grounds. Our Uber driver railed against it since it’s not at all representative of typical Portuguese architecture, but I loved it. There is a very cool immersive app that you can use while touring. Don’t miss the amazing well, which was featured in Dark Knight.

Lisbon: Dilapidated Charm

Lisbon has a dilapidated charm that I absolutely love. We stayed in Chiado and found it to be a perfect distance from the best parts of town. It was the kind of city where there is plenty to see, whether you want to see churches, monuments, and museums, or, like we did, just wander around and take it all in.

The Portuguese love pastries and good wine, so we felt it was our duty to try as much of both as possible. We had more than one three-pastry day, and it was totally worth it. In addition, I especially loved the cherry liqueur Ginjinha, which can be found all over town.

Fado music is a slightly mournful music that is very much part of Lisboeta culture. Tasca do Chico is the famous spot to see it, but you and every other tourist will be in line. There are plenty of other places to hear it in town, so don’t give up if you can’t get in there.

Lisbon Food Tour

In Lisbon, I highly recommend the Treasures of Lisboa food tour. It’s a great excuse to see the winding roads of the Alfama neighborhood with a knowledgeable guide and, of course, you get to taste plenty of delicious food from family-owned businesses in the hood. Ruthie, the owner/guide, is bubbly and obviously loves the city, and it was an awesome way to spend a morning.

Where to stay on your Lisbon, Portugal Itinerary

We stayed in a friend’s apartment, but here are a few hotels, we’d consider on our next visit:

• Corpo Santo Lisbon Historical Hotel – 5-star, located in Cais do Sodré
• 1908 Lisboa Hotel – 4-star, located in Intendente
• AlmaLusa Baixa/Chiado – 4-star, Baixa

Important Portugal Itinerary Travel Tip

Before going, you should prepare for the fact that Porto and Lisbon are exceptionally hilly. I recommend always wearing comfortable walking shoes because the terrain is steep and slippery, and it’s stone rather than pavement. Even at nice restaurants at night, people were still wearing sneakers. I was amazed that people with strollers pulled it off. Personally, I would recommend waiting until kids are old enough to walk for themselves.

Portugal is otherwise an excellent choice for a family vacation. Find out why on our list of the best family vacation ideas in Europe for 2024.

Wondering which restaurants to choose for your Portugal itinerary? Check out my round-up of where to eat in Portugal.

I’ve included affiliate links to recommended tours. I earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

*This Portgual Itinerary article was first published in 2018. We’ve updated for 2024.