Seven days in Portugal is enough time to see the country's two great cities, make a day trip to its most extraordinary palace town, experience a medieval university city, and finish with a half-day in one of Europe's most beautiful wine valleys. It requires a little planning — not rushing, but intentional choices about where to go and what to leave for a future trip.
This itinerary is designed for first-time visitors arriving into Lisbon and departing from Porto (or vice versa). It covers the most important highlights without cramming in so much that the days feel like a checklist. The pacing allows for spontaneity — a long lunch that turns into an afternoon, a walk that takes you somewhere unexpected. That is, after all, how Portugal is best experienced.
Route Overview & Key Logistics
The route runs Lisbon → Sintra → Coimbra → Porto → Douro Valley. Fly into Lisbon and out of Porto (or the reverse). The train journey between the two cities is one of the most pleasant rail routes in Europe and requires no car. If you want to add a Douro Valley visit on the final day, a car hire from Porto for one day is the simplest option — or join a private day tour.
| Day | Location | Highlights | Night |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | Lisbon | Alfama, Belém, Chiado, viewpoints | Lisbon |
| 3 | Sintra | Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira | Lisbon |
| 4 | Coimbra | University, old city, Mondego | Coimbra or Porto |
| 5–6 | Porto | Ribeira, Gaia Port lodges, Foz | Porto |
| 7 | Douro Valley | Wine quintas, river views, vineyard lunch | Porto (fly out) |
Days 1–2: Lisbon — City of Seven Hills
Explore the Old City
Arrive, check in, and go immediately to the Alfama. Climb to the Castelo de São Jorge for orientation views over the city. Descend through the winding streets, stopping at a miradouro (viewpoint) for a glass of wine and the Tagus light. Dinner in the Mouraria neighbourhood — ask the hotel for a specific restaurant recommendation, not TripAdvisor's first result.
The Great Monuments & the Best Neighbourhood
Morning at Belém: Jerónimos Monastery (arrive at 10am to beat groups), Tower of Belém (exterior view is enough — the interior is anticlimactic), and the original Pastéis de Belém for the finest custard tart on Earth, eaten warm at a marble-topped table. Afternoon: the Chiado and Bairro Alto — bookshops, the Carmo Convent ruins, the Bica funicular. Evening: a fado dinner in Mouraria or Alfama. Book ahead — the good houses fill.
Other Lisbon priorities depending on your interests: the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (tile museum, genuinely extraordinary), the LX Factory Sunday market, the MAAT contemporary art museum on the waterfront, or the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian (one of Europe's finest private art collections).
Day 3: Sintra — Palaces in the Hills
Sintra is Portugal's most-visited attraction and for good reason — a UNESCO World Heritage town in the hills 40 minutes from Lisbon, with an extraordinary concentration of palaces, gardens and Romanticist architecture that is unlike anything else in Europe. It is also the most crowded tourist site in the country from June to September.
Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira & the Old Town
Take the 8:00am or 8:30am train from Rossio station. Go directly to Pena Palace first — a Disney-before-Disney fantasy castle in terracotta, gold and violet, perched on a crag above the woods. The crowds build sharply after 10:30am; an early start gives you the terraces almost to yourself. Descend through the Sintra forest to Quinta da Regaleira — a Gothic-Masonic estate with an initiation well (a spiral stone staircase descending into the earth) that is one of the most atmospheric sites in Portugal. Lunch in the old town (the town itself is beautiful). Return to Lisbon for dinner.
Day 4: Coimbra — The Medieval University City
Coimbra sits between Lisbon and Porto on the main rail line and is one of Portugal's most rewarding stops. Home to one of the oldest universities in Europe (founded 1290), the city's old town climbs a steep hill above the Mondego river, crowned by the university buildings and one of the most extraordinary libraries on Earth.
The Ancient University & the Mondego
Check out of your Lisbon hotel early, train to Coimbra. Go immediately to the Universidade de Coimbra at the top of the old city — buy the combined ticket including the Biblioteca Joanina, the 18th-century baroque library that is among the most beautiful rooms in Europe (genuine gold leaf, painted ceilings, and 300,000 books). Also visit the Sé Velha (old cathedral, Romanesque, built by the first king of Portugal). Walk down through the student quarter, through Rua do Quebra Costas. Lunch in a student tasca — cheap, excellent, authentic. Afternoon train to Porto. Or, if you prefer, overnight in Coimbra and take the morning train to Porto on Day 5.
Days 5–6: Porto — The Granite City
Ribeira, Livraria Lello & the Bridges
Arrive in Porto, check in, and walk to the Ribeira — the UNESCO riverfront, narrow medieval streets, and the view of the Dom Luís I bridge that is the visual symbol of the city. Cross to Vila Nova de Gaia for a tour and tasting at one of the great Port wine lodges (Ramos Pinto, Taylor's and Graham's offer exceptional tours — book ahead). In the afternoon, visit Livraria Lello — the Art Nouveau bookshop that is genuinely worth the entrance fee — and walk up to the Torre dos Clérigos for the city's finest panoramic view. Dinner in the Bonfim neighbourhood or at a restaurant in the Ribeira.
Bolhão Market, Foz & Matosinhos
Morning at the Mercado do Bolhão — the restored traditional market where local vendors sell produce, charcuterie, flowers and everything else. Wander Rua de Santa Catarina and the Café Majestic (the Art Deco coffee house, worth visiting even with the tourist prices). Take a taxi or Uber to Foz do Douro — the fashionable beach neighbourhood at the river's mouth — for lunch at one of the excellent seafood restaurants. Consider continuing by taxi to Matosinhos, Porto's working fishing port suburb, for the best grilled fish in the Porto area at one of the simple restaurants behind the fish market. Return by metro.
Day 7: Douro Valley — Wine Country & River Bends
The Douro Valley is one of Europe's most beautiful landscapes — terraced vineyards climbing steep granite hillsides above a deep river, punctuated by white-walled quintas and ancient olive groves. The valley is 1–2 hours east of Porto by car or train. A day here, however abbreviated, is one of the most memorable things you can do in Portugal.
Vineyards, River Views & a Quinta Lunch
Take the early morning train from Porto Campanhã to Pinhão — the heart of the Douro wine country. The train journey itself, threading along the cliff edge above the river through increasingly dramatic scenery, is genuinely one of the finest rail experiences in Europe. In Pinhão, the station walls are lined with azulejo tile panels depicting grape harvest scenes. Visit a quinta (wine estate) for a cellar tour and tasting — Quinta do Crasto, Quinta do Vallado or Quinta Nova are all excellent with advance booking. Have lunch at the quinta or in a village restaurant overlooking the river. Return to Porto in the afternoon for your evening flight. If flying the following morning, stay an extra night in Porto.
Transport, Booking & Practical Details
| Journey | Best Option | Time | Book At |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lisbon → Sintra | Train (Rossio station) | ~40 min | Buy at station day of travel |
| Lisbon → Coimbra | Alfa Pendular | ~1h 30m | cp.pt (book ahead) |
| Coimbra → Porto | Alfa Pendular | ~1 hour | cp.pt (book ahead) |
| Porto → Douro (Pinhão) | CP train | ~2 hours | cp.pt |
| Porto → Douro (by car) | Hire car for 1 day | ~1 hour | Local hire company |
Accommodation: Book hotels at least 2–3 months ahead for July–August; 3–4 weeks ahead in shoulder season. For Lisbon, Chiado and Príncipe Real are the best-placed central neighbourhoods. For Porto, the Bonfim and Boavista areas offer more local character than the most tourist-heavy Ribeira.
Sintra and Coimbra libraries: buy tickets online before leaving home. Both sell out in summer. Sintra: sintra.pt. Coimbra University: uc.pt.
Extensions & Variations — Making It 10 Days
Seven days gives you the essential Portugal. Ten days allows you to add one or two of the following, each of which is as rewarding as anything in the 7-day itinerary:
- The Algarve (add 3 days): After Lisbon, fly or drive south rather than north. Lagos, Sagres, the cliff beaches of the central Algarve. Then train or fly from Faro to Porto for the final Porto+Douro days. This is the classic full-Portugal circuit. See our 10-day itinerary for the complete version.
- The Alentejo (add 2 days): Between Lisbon and Porto, drive south through Évora (Roman temple, walled city, Alentejo gastronomy) and Monsaraz (hilltop village above the Alqueva lake). Then north through the Alentejo to Porto. Requires a rental car.
- Gerês and the North (add 2 days from Porto): A car day trip or overnight to Peneda-Gerês National Park, Portugal's only national park — wild horses, granite mountains, ancient villages. Combine with Braga or Guimarães for a complete northern Portugal loop.
Let Us Plan Your Portugal Itinerary
Private tours designed around your exact dates, interests and pace — we handle everything from start to finish.