The Ultimate guide to road trip in Portugal

Last Updated on July 28, 2023 by

Portugal, the ancient land of the explorers. A place full of beauty and breathtaking destinations. This ultimate guide to road trip Portugal is your what you need to plan your next adventurous on the road. Indeed, what’s better than spending your summer driving the Algarve’s winding coastal route or chasing the sunset from one of the Porto’s photogenic viewpoints? In this blog, I will take around the nation. From the steep hills of Lisbon, to the ancient roman ruins of Evora. You will visit the blue churches of Porto and sunbath in the sandy beaches of Albufeira.

Portugal on the road useful info to know before you go

Portugal Toll roads 🛣️

I always been used to motorway tolls when I lived in Italy (in the UK are less popular) but Portuguese tolls are another level. You can find below all you need to know about tolls in Portugal.

• Tolls are an essential part of the motorways in Portugal and there are tolls to pay at every significant length of the road (even in the very short way from Lisbon to Sintra).
• If you have Google Maps, you can easily skip some tolls but do this only if you have extra time to spare. However, roads without tolls are usually not well maintained and you will need longer time to reach your destination. Conversely, toll roads are very well maintained, they have services (some of them are actually very good) and you can reduce the lengthy of your trip significantly.
• Tolls are calculated according to the length of your trip and location. They can be as cheap as £ 0,20 or you can pay also £10.
• There are two types of tolls. The electronic ones and the ones you can pay in cash. Tourists are strongly advised to use electronic tolls.
• Electronic tolls are divided in Via Verde tolls and common electronic tolls. For both of them you will need an electronic transponder on your car (see below for more details)
• Don’t try to be smart by taking a toll road without pay the toll. You will be fined 10 times more your toll price and the fine start from €25 (even if your toll was € 0,20).

Via Verde Transponder (recommended for tourists)

The Via Verde transponder is a little device attached to the windscreen of your car. This allows visitors to Portugal to travel on all national motorways without having to stop for tolls. In fact, while driving in the proximity of the toll stations, you will see some lanes marked with the words “via verde”. You can take these lanes and pass the toll without stopping or paying.

However, beware that you should request your Via Verde transponder BEFORE starting your road trip. In fact, you should request it when you pick-up your rental car.

How do I pay Via Verde?

Via Verde transponder has a daily “rental” cost plus an initial fee established by your rental car provider. When you will return your car, the company will send you an invoice including all your tolls to pay. For about one month road trip in Portugal we paid around €100 of toll fees. These did not include the initial fee and transponder rent.

General Electronic Transponder

If you don’t want to pay for a Via Verde transponder, you can decide to rent a generic one. This can be rented from your rental car or from a post office. The difference is that with this generic transponder you can’t transit in the Via Verde lanes. If you, by mistake, will transit in those lanes, you will pay an additional fee. Another difference, is that you have to pay the tolls yourself at the Portugal Toll Payment Portal. So, you won’t be notified by your rental car company. If you fail to pay or you forget to, you will pay a fine.

Portugal toll roads map

This Portugal toll roads map from Infraectucturas de Portugal shows you the roads where you can expect to pay a fee. Please don’t confuse the Easy Toll symbol (moving bus) with the Via Verde lanes. In fact, the Easy Toll is just a system that associate your license plate number to your credit card. The system will debit your card every time you have to pay a toll. Easy Toll is mainly used by Portuguese residents.

Renting a car in Portugal 🚗

There are many rental cars in Portugal. However, if you are embarking on a road trip, is better to choose a reputable one (e.g. EuropeCar, Avis, Budget etc). Prices change according to the type of car you chose, the length of the rent and the extras you will add. We found a very good offer with Budget associated to our British Airways flight. We paid around €500 for 4 weeks. The rent started from the Lisbon airport and ended in the same location. Price did not included the children car seats that costed €100 each for the whole journey. Before taking this car I did a little research. The prices for a rental car without the flight combo were 30 to 40% higher.

Car insurance in Portugal

Car insurance while travelling is always a sore point to cover. Nevertheless, when undertaking a road trip (especially if long) this is a necessary thing to have. You never know what could happen on the road! Because we travel quite often, we always opt for a third party insurance. We usually pay an annual fee ( £50 circa) and this covers our rents for unlimited damage.

In case of an accident the procedure expects that you pay the rental car company for the damage and make the claim via your private insurance. If you don’t want to do this, you can always opt for a full insurance from your car provider.

Portugal motorway service areas ⛽

I have to say that Portuguese service area surprised me for their excellent quality. As you will drive long stretch of motorway, having a nice place where to stop is something you should consider. Most of the services areas you will find are those branded as “Colibri – Via Verde”. These are open to all customers but Via Verde users will get a 10% back on their tolls.

If you are travelling with infants, you will be very pleased by Portuguese services areas! In fact, most of them, have big and clean changing rooms for babies. These include nursing chairs, changing station and food prep station. They even have IKEA changing mattress! I was really surprised. In fact, in the UK, most service areas are the worst places where you can take your babies. They are dirty and you have to change your children literally next to a WC. However, in Portugal they really cared about this. We loved to have some stop-overs to change the babies and have some food.

How to plan a road trip in Portugal

I always plan my trips in every detail. I like to leave some “adventure time” without plans. However, at the same time, I need to know where I am going and have a plan B if everything goes wrong. Like any other place you might travel, also road tripping in Portugal needs a bit of planning in advance. Below you can find a list of 10 things you might want to consider when planning a roar trip to Portugal.

1. Rent a car with a trustworthy agency and don’t skip the insurance part!
2. Buy a personal travel insurance.
3. Establish your “base camps”. This means the places where you will sleep and explore nearby cities/attractions. We had 6 different base camps. Lisbon, Coimbra, Porto, Marvão, Evora and Albufeira.
4. Establish an itinerary for each step of your trip (e.g. what to see in Lisbon)
5. Don’t overload your itinerary with things to see. ( I always do it and never learn that I don’t have enough time).
6. If you travel with infants (like us), plan your days according their routine. Sleeping hours are the best for driving!
7. Travel light (if possible)! Moving all your stuff from one place to another is not the best if you have a lot of things.
8. Find a reliable parking for the night (or days) when you stay at your base camp. Parking on the street is OK but just for brief periods. I won’t leave my car unattended at night. Car parking named Empark are quite reliable and cheap. We used this in Lisbon and paid €12 for 24.
9. Because of Covid many attractions have online tickets only. Book these in advance.
10. Drone pilots have to book their permissions at least one month in advance through the Portoguese Aviation.

Portugal road trip map

This above is the itinerary I created for my 3-weeks Portugal road trip. We started and ended in Lisbon. We drove first towards the northern part of Portugal. Then, we moved to the Alentejo region to end in the Algarve (from there we drove back to Lisbon). We drove a total of 1,947 km, (probably a little more considering the stops), and visited all the best Portugal has to offer.

We had quite a lot of time to spend in Portugal thanks to our generous amount of annual leave. This allowed us to plan more stops and stretch our visits in the best way. However, it’s true that most itineraries are planned around 7, 10 or 15 days. For this reason you will find below some examples road trip itinerary suggestions to use according to your need. I will be more detailed in the 20- days road trip (that correspond to our visit). The other itineraries, will follow longer one but on a shorter version.

Portugal road trips itineraries

Portugal itinerary 3 weeks

3 weeks is good amount of time to explore the best of what Portugal has to offer. You can spend your time in different regions, check all the main landmarks and have a sense of Portuguese culture. Moreover, you don’t feel that pressure of visiting all the possible visitable locations in a small amount of time. Ergo, if you really have three weeks to spend in Portugal, this itinerary (the one we did) is perfect for you!

The main highlight of this road trip will be: Lisbon, Sintra, Coimbra, Porto, Evora and Albufeira. Nevertheless, you will make also some visit to smaller towns like Óbidos and Piódão. Please consider that this itinerary reflects exactly our steps. You can copy it like it is or modify it according to your needs.

Day 1 to 4 Explore Lisbon 🚋

Lisbon is the colourful capital of Portugal. It has a very cosmopolitan vibe and we loved to stroll around its hilly and labyrinthine streets. We chose it as a base camp for 7 days but we explored it just for 4. Effectively, Lisbon is perfectly visitable also in 3 days. However, because of the babies we opted for a more relaxed itinerary. Lisbon is perfect also for taking some day trips as Sintra or Cascais.

What to see in Lisbon in 4 days

Day 1-2

I was quite satisfied with my four days in Lisbon and I felt I explored all its best sites. Our itinerary was particularly relaxed and planned around the babies needs. You can certainly add more places to see. Among the things you can’t miss on your first day there are: the labyrinthine alleys of Alfama. This is the oldest neighbourhood of Lisbon. Here, the mission was getting lost in the hundreds of colourful alleys until we had enough. The Carmo Convent and the magnificent views from the Santa Justa Lift. A stop Manteigaria for a first taste of their famous Pastél de Nata. Last but not least, a beautiful sunset from São Jorge Castle.

On your second day, you can explore the historical neighbourhood of Belém. This is the area of Lisbon closest to the Tagus river. It is at 20 mins drive from Lisbon but you can reach it also with the public transport. Here you can visit the famous Belém Tower, Monument of the Discoveries and the Jerónimos Monastery. You can finish your day at the LxFactory that is located at 10 minuted drive from Belém.

Day 3-4

Our third day was devoted to the “challenging hills”. In fact, going around with two strollers in Lisbon was not the best idea. So we reserved one day to put the babies on the backpacks and explore the panoramic terraces of the city. In this day we visited the Lisbon Cathedral (climbing up its towers), the neighbourhood of Bairro Alto and the Miradouro de Santa Luzia. I know, this is not much for a day. Indeed, you can certainly incorporate those things in the previous days. However, for us this was necessary to separate those attractions in order to leave the strollers at home.

We used the last day in Lisbon to hit the spots we couldn’t fit into the previous days. The highlight of this day was our lunch at Mercato da Ribeira. From there we visited the famous Pink Street and jumped aboard of the historical Ascensor da Bica. In the afternoon, we returned to Lisbon city centre to photograph some of the historical shops and landmarks like Luvaria Ulisses and the beautiful Rossio Station.

Day 5 – Explore Cascais ⛵

On our 5 day, we were still based in Lisbon but it was time to embark on a day trip. One of the best day trips you can take from Lisbon is the seaside city of Cascais.

Cascais is located at 31 km drive from Lisbon and you will reach it in about 35 mins (driving a total of 62 km A/R). This is the perfect day trip from Lisbon and also one of the locals’ favourite beach location near Lisbon. We wanted to take the babies to the beach so Cascais was the perfect destination! There are many free beaches in Cascais. Moreover, there are hybrid beaches where you can rent a sun bed if you want but the use of the beach is free.

The cost of a sun bed + umbrella is around € 30 for the whole day. You can’t rent it for half a day. In fact, we used it just for the morning and paid the whole price.

Things to do on a day trip to Cascais

Cascais is a relatively small town compared to Lisbon. Nevertheless, there are plenty of things to do. After our morning at the beach, we had a delicious vegan lunch at House of Wonder. Then, we walked the lovely colourful street of Cascais and its photogenic promenade. Here, you can find the Palácio Seixas and the Citadel. If you continue your walk, you will find the Museum Condes de Castro Guimarães. This is located inside a beautiful park by the sea. Here you can take the chance of have a relaxing afternoon or go for another swim by the castle.

Day 6-7 Get enchanted by Sintra 🏰

Sintra is one of the major and most spectacular destinations to visit in Portugal. The area is entirely surrounded by forests, castles and noble palaces. Is considered one of the most breathtaking places of Portugal for its peculiar geography and you will see why! Most people visit Sintra in just one day. However, I won’t recommend this. In fact, Sintra has many beautiful places to visit and you would not appreciate these in full with a rushed visit. Moreover, this is one of the most crowded places you will visit in Portugal.

In fact, it was quite crowded when we visited last June (in full pandemic), so I cannot imagine how it can be without restrictions! Unfortunately, we lost a half day visit because one of the babies was unwell (we skipped the Moorish Castle) but we had a lot of time to visit all the other attractions.

Sintra in 2 days – What to see

Start your visit with the Palácio Nacional da Pena. This is located in the highest summit of Sintra and you will take a while to reach it. Especially because cars are forbidden in that area! (read below for more info about it). The visit will last 2-3 hours depending whether you visit also the adjacent Vale dos Lagos and the castle interiors (here you should add another hour). In the afternoon, you can visit the Castelo dos Mouros. This is located at just a few meters from the Pena Palace and you can reach it on foot.

On your second day in Sintra, start your visit at the Palácio de Monserrate. Here, you can get lost in its luscious gardens and hidden corners. The visit lasts around 2 hours (but it would take longer if you photograph every inch). Dedicate the rest of the afternoon to the mystic Quinta da Regaleira. You will need 2 to 3 hours to complete your visit as the park is quite large. If you still have time, you can visit also the nice city of Sintra. This is located at 10 minutes walk from Quinta da Regaleira.

Tips for your visit to Sintra

Sintra National Park is quite huge to visit. Two days are not enough to see everything this place has to offer. However, especially if it’s your first time. These are enough to visit the main highlights. Here are a few tips that can make your Sintra visit smoother!

• Check the weather! Meteo conditions are quite variable in this area of Portugal. Indeed, even if it’s sunny in Lisbon you may find fog and rain in Sintra. This is due to the peculiar geography of this area.
• You must use public transport! In fact, you can’t drive in most of the castle/palaces of the park because of the Limited traffic zone. This is particularly true for the Moorish Castle,Palacio da Pena and Quinta da Regaleira. The best thing to do is find a public parking in the city and take the Hop and Off Bus. A ticket cost €6 and it’s valid the whole day. The bus stops at the main attractions so you don’t have to take the car.
• Arrive early because parking spaces are quite limited inside the city!
• Book your tickets online! In fact, online you will have a little discount on the price and you will skip the huge queues at the entrance.

Day 8 – Explore Óbidos ⚔️

After a week in Lisbon is time to move base camp! Our next base camp was the university city of Coimbra. This is at 219 km from Lisbon (about 2 hours and a half drive) and you can choose to drive straight there or stopping at the lovely city of Óbidos. If you don’t want to visit Óbidos, you can opt for a different stop at Tomar, Nazaré or Fatima.

What to see on a day trip to Óbidos

Óbidos is the perfect medieval city. Cobbled alleys, high (still walkable) city walls, low roofs. My best friend, practically! Óbidos is considered one of the best preserved medieval cities in Portugal and, if you are lucky, you may attend also its famous Medieval Festival (Mercado Medieval) during summer. If you want to have a better experience, 2 days would be the best. However, Óbidos is perfect also as a day trip from Lisbon or Coimbra.

A very good way to see the city is by walking its perfectly preserved medieval walls. These offer great views and a new perspective on the town. Beware that this walk is not good if you have small kids or babies because there is not a railing on the walls. Furthermore, something you can’t miss is finding all the 14 hidden bookshops of Óbidos. These are located in the most strangest of the places. I found one in a church and another one in a cured meats shop. A must stop is the colourful Porta da Vila made entirely of Azulejo tiles.

If you have time, you can lunch in one of Óbidos traditional restaurants. I warmly suggest you Petrarum Domus. We really loved the food and cheese selection here!

The drive from Óbidos to Coimbra will take around 1h and 27 mins via the toll road.

Day 9 – Visit the university city of Coimbra 🎓

To fully appreciate Coimbra, you should spend here at least 2 full days. Because we were based in Coimbra for 5 days, we decided to dedicate one full day to explore it and a few hours a day to visit certain places when we returned from our daily excursions.

People travelling with strollers and babies, beware this city is quite challenging to walk. In fact, most attractions are up in the hill and the streets are not stroller-friendly.

One of the best things to visit in Coimbra is its beautiful University (the oldest in Portugal!). Here you can visit the historical Joanina Library and The Palace of Schools. The city is famous also for its beautiful Igreja de Santa Cruz and the peculiar Manga Cloister.

Day 10 – Discover Portugal’s Hidden Gems Piódão and Foz de Égua ⛰️

If you want to visit the most authentic part of Portugal, you have to drive to the Arganil region! This is a mountainous region within the spectacular Serra do Açor. Here you can find picturesque villages such as Coja, Piódão and Foz de Égua.

Piódão is a unique village built on the slope of a mountain. All its houses are built of schist stone and perched on steep hills crossed by picturesque streams. The village can be visited in a few hours and you should not miss the iconic Igreja Matriz and a taste of the traditional cajadas do Piódão.

Want to know more? Read here about all the best things to to on a day trip to Piódão

If you have some spare time, at just 10 minutes drive from Piódão, you can visit the photogenic village of Foz de Égua. This is a small fluvial village that looks straight out of the Hobbit!

If you want to know more, read this blog about all the best info about Foz de Égua!

Day 11 – Have a day trip to Costa Nova and Aveiro

If you are searching for a day trip that has a short driving time, Aveiro and Costa Nova are the perfect destinations. In fact they are located at about 151 km from Coimbra and it will take around 2 h to reach them.

Aveiro is known as the “Venice of Portugal” because of its small canals and traditional boats. I frankly disagree with this nickname. The city is nice if you don’t expect “Venice”. Otherwise it can be a little disappointing. I found more interesting the coastal part of Aveiro called Costa Nova. This is just a short drive from Aveiro (10 mins by car). This place is famous for its photogenic striped beach houses. These were originally used by fishermen for storage purposes but now are used as restaurants or holiday homes.

Day 12 -14 Explore Porto 🍷

It’s time to change your base camp! In this section of your Portugal road trip you will move to Porto. The city of wine, colourful houses, Harry Potter and steeply hills. Porto is located at 1 hour and 16 minutes from Coimbra (and 3 h from Lisbon). It’s so far my favourite city in Portugal and despite we stayed 3 full days, I wished to have more time to fully immerse in its pleasant atmosphere.

Porto in 3 days. What to see and do

Start your first day in Porto at Vila Nova de Gaia this is the small town facing Porto from the other side of the Douro river. Here is where the Porto wine is stored and where you can have a lovely wine tasting directly in one of Porto wine’s cellars. In this part of the city you can pop a visit also to the beautiful Jardim do Morro and the spectacular Teleferico de Gaia.

On your second day, take your best walking shoes because you will explore Porto on foot! Start at the colourful Cais da Ribeira and walk till the majestic Dom Luis I Bridge. Visit the scenic Sè de Porto (the Cathedral). Then don’t miss a stop at the beautiful Sao Bento Station. Nearby you can visit also the Igreja dos Congregados the Clerigos Tower and Largo da Pena Ventosa (a small hidden and colourful alley). We concluded our walking itinerary at Livraria Lello (we found out that closing time is actually the best time to visit). Nearby the bookshop you will see also the blue tiled Igreja do Carmo where you can stop for a nice insta-picture.

On your last day in Porto, start your itinerary at Palazzo Bolsa. From here you can take a bit of free time to explore Porto hidden alleys. We decided to return to Cais da Ribeira for lunch. If you do the same, from here you can walk till the famous Rua de Santa Catarina and stop by the Majestic Café. Don’t forget a stop at the beautiful Chapel of Souls and the Church of Santo Ildelfonso. End your day with a one way trip on the Funicular dos Guindais to watch the sunset from Dom Luis I Bridge.

Day 15 – Get amazed by Marvão 🏰

Our fifteenth day in Portugal was our longest driving day. In fact, we decided to move our base and sleep in a very special place. In fact, near the border with Spain there is a perfectly preserved medieval city called Marvão. This is lying on the “raja” the ancient border between Spain and Portugal.

Marvão is located at 311 km from Porto and it will take more than 3 hours drive to reach it (plus various stops). We arrived in the afternoon an we were completely amazed by the town’s stunning outlook. Indeed, Marvão is still enclosed withing its high medieval walls and to access it you have to cross its double entrance gate. The castle, stands on the highest point of a rocky slope and on a clear day you can see the Spanish border.

To complete our experience in this part of Portugal we slept in the historical Marvão – Beira Train Station located in the village of Beira (10 mins from Marvão).

Read here about our experience in sleeping at the historical Marvão – Beira Train Station

Day 16 Visiting Elvas 🏰

At a short drive from Marvão (1 hour and 17 mins) you can find the city of Elvas. This is a nice city where to stop for a day trip on your way to Evora (see below for this). Elvas is indeed known for its fortifications and colourful yellow architecture .

Things to do on a day trip to Elvas

Elvas is a small city and you can easily visit it in one day. Among the best things to see check the Republic Square with the Cathedral, and the nice architecture of the Santa Clara archway. Here you can find also the famous Pelourinho de Elvas. A symbolic pillar dated to the XVI century. We found the Castelo the Elvas closed (but this was possibly due to the Covid restrictions). You may want to pop a visit before going away!

If you get a little out from the city centre there are two unmissable stops you should check. The Fortress of Nossa Senhora de Graça and the imposing Amoreira Aqueduct.

Because this is just a stop on your way to Evora, after visiting the Aqueduct or Fortress you should get on the road again. Indeed, it will take another hour to reach Evora from Elvas. If you plan well your day, you can have also a good time to do a familiarisation walk in Evora.

Day 16-19 Explore Evora ☠️

Evora is the capital of the Alentejo region of which origin dates back to the Roman and Celts. In fact, still greatly preserved the Roman ruins of the Temple of Diana are considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Evora is known as one of the “hottest” places in Portugal because of its inland geographical position. Indeed, we left Lisbon with 25° and we found 37° in Evora.

For a satisfying visit of the city you will need at least two days but you can make it also in one if you rush a bit. We chose Evora as a base for two nights so we started exploring as soon we arrived in the afternoon (this gave us officially one day and a half).

Two days in Evora. What to see

If you arrive, like us, in the afternoon you will have plenty of time to check out some of the nicest Evora attractions. In fact, we visited the worldwide famous Chapel of Bones and the adjacent St. Francis Monastery and took a relaxing sunset walk at the nearby public gardens. The public gardens of Evora are really nice because here you can find also the Royal Palace of Evora and the eerie Fingidas ruins.

On your second day in Evora you will fully embrace the city and start exploring from the iconic Giraldo Square. From here walk to the Evora Cathedral. I warmly suggest you to buy a ticket for the spectacular Gothic Tower. From here you can view Evora in all its beauty. Almost attached to the Cathedral you will find the Roman ruins of the Temple of Diana. This will be probably the busiest place of the city! Have a traditional Alentejan lunch and continue your walk towards the Muralhas and the Roman Arch of Dona Isabel. If you have time, you can pop a visit to the Evora University. This is the second oldest university in Portugal after Coimbra. The most prominent part is the wide courtyard of the Colégio do Espirito Santo.

At the end of your day explorations is time to get back in the car and drive to Faro or remain in Evora for another night (see below).

Day 20 Faro🌊

Faro is not near Evora. In fact, it’s at 272 km from the Alentejo capital and you should expect to drive no less than 3 hours. You have then two options. Stay another night in Evora (as we did) and depart at early morning, or drive in the late afternoon/evening after your day exploration of Evora.

We opted for the early morning drive. In fact we were pretty exhausted after the whole day out in Evora and the morning schedule worked better with the babies. We managed to be in Faro at 11. 30 and this was enough to explore the Old Town for a few hours.

I have to say that Faro didn’t impress me much. Nevertheless, if you are visiting you should not miss the historical Arco da Vila, the Cathedral and the cobbled streets of Old Town. If you have some spare time don’t miss a visit to the Palacio Pousada just out of the town.

When you finish your Faro itinerary you can drive to your next base camp that will be Albufeira. You can choose also a different city but we chose Albufeira for its convenient position in the Algarve region. In fact, the drive from Faro to Albufeira is very short (just 30-40 mins) and the city is well connected also to other places in Algarve.

Day 21 relax at Albufeira 🏖️

Despite it’s fame of party city, Albufeira was quite different from what I expected. Nevertheless, probably “thanks” to the pandemic, I will remember Albufeira for its beautiful empty beaches, the spectacular views on the Atlantic Ocean and its very nice Old Town.

We didn’t have an established itinerary in the Algarve region. Our mission was that of relaxing after 20+ days on the road! So we spent great time of our day in Albufeira lying on the beach. At dusk we decided to explore a bit the Old Town, have an ice cream and check the amazing view of the beach from the Peneco Lift.

We ended up our day with a delicious take-away pizza we enjoyed from the terrace of our villa. The pizzeria is one of the best we tried in Portugal and it’s called Georgina.

Day 22 – Visit the charming village of Ferragudo 🌺

Located at just one hour from Albufeira, Ferragudo is the ideal place for a day trip. This little fishing village has many restaurants, a lovely beach and some nice viewpoints.

What to do on a day trip to Ferragudo

We started our visit with a lovely walk in the town and a light lunch at Bar Amigos. Then, we continued our walk in the lovely marina area where you will find some lovely photographic points (particularly in Rua Infante Santo and Rua Infante Dom Enrique). Ferragudo has some of the most photogenic alleys I’ve seen in Portugal and you have to walk a bit up and down to find them all (I will leave you the pleasure of discover them alone!). Don’t skip a visit to the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição. Even if you don’t enter the church, this has a beautiful panoramic terrace over the bay.

When you finish your walk (or before, if you prefer), you can head to a lovely beach called Praia da Angrinha. This is located at 10 minutes from the centre of Ferragudo. The surprising thing of this beach is it’s lovely castle! In fact, you can literally bathe under the historical Castelo de São João do Arade. This may be also open for visitors but it’s better to check with locals if you can enter.

Our day trip ended with our afternoon at the beach. We returned to Albufeira for our last day in the Algarve.

Day 23 – Getting back to Lisbon

Our road trip to Portugal was at the end and on our last day we travelled back to Lisbon from Albufeira. This was a 2 hours drive (circa). Honestly, our original plan was to depart very early from Albufeira and spend another half a day in Lisbon. However, travelling with babies is quite unpredictable so we departed quite late in the morning and preferred to head back straight to the airport.

If you have more time, you can certainly spend a few hours in Lisbon. Maybe to grab a last Pastel de Nata. Another option is to remain in Algarve and depart from the Faro Airpor (you should plan this before, of course).

Portugal road trip 7 days 🚋

If you have read the above 20 days (ish) Portugal road trip itinerary you’ll immediately know that squeezing everything in 7 days is not recommended. If you have only 7 days, it still possible to undertake a road trip but I would recommend to focus on specific parts of Portugal to avoid rushing on the road and not enjoying your trip. Below, I will propose you two types of itineraries that may be suitable for a 7 days road trip in Portugal. For the details of each stop (e.g. what to do in Lisbon) you can still refer to the above guide.

7 Days Portugal highlights Lisbon to Porto

Total drive A/R 685 km (without Obidos). Total length of the trip A/R: 7 hours in 7 days.

If you would like to include Obidos on your itinerary you will drive a 695 km A/R. The total length of the trio will be 7 hours and 25 mins (circa).

The length does not include your personal stops (e.g. at the service area that might increase your trip duration)

Day 1-2. Spend your first two days enjoying the hilly and labyrinthine streets of Lisbon. Have a taste of Pastel de Nata and jump on the historical Tram n. 28 for an overview of the best areas of the city.

Day 3-4. get enchanted by the castles and palaces of Sintra. In two days you can visit all the most famous Sintra attractions (e.g. the Pena Palace, Moorish Castle etc) without rushing.

* if you don’t want to spend two full days in Sintra you can do one day and use the other one for Obidos or Cascais.

Day 5-6. Spend your last two days in Porto. Enjoy a glass of delicious Porto wine, check off the most beautiful train station in Portugal and find magical Harry Potter inspired corners.

Day 7. Return to Lisbon for departure. You can choose also to return from Porto but be sure your chosen airline covers this destination.

7 Days Portugal highlights Lisbon to the Algarve

Total drive A/R 633 km . Total length of the trip A/R: 6 hours 26 mins in 7 days.

Day 1-2. Spend your first two days enjoying the hilly and labyrinthine streets of Lisbon. Have a taste of Pastel de Nata and jump on the historical Tram n. 28 for an overview of the best areas of the city.

Day 3. Enjoy the vibrant town of Albufeira. Have a nice meal in the lovely Old Town and relax in one of the beautiful Albufeira beaches.

Day 4. Take a day trip to the lovely fishing village of Ferragudo. Find the most colourful allyes and have a sense of the true coastal life is in the Algarve region.

Day 5-6. Spend the last two days of your trip in the sunny Lagos. Enjoy the polychrome sandstone cliffs of Ponta da Piedade or the scenic views of Praia do Camilo. Take an afternoon trip to the Moorish city of Silves or adventure in the Lagos part of the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail.

Day 7. Return to Lisbon for departure. You can choose also to return from Faro but be sure your chosen airline covers this destination.

Portugal road trip 10 days 🚗

10 days around Portugal is a good amount of time for a mini road trip. In fact, this is the minimum amount of days suggested by Lonely Planet and allows you to cover some of the most important cities around the nation.

Below, I will propose two different types of itinerary that may be suitable for a 10 days road trip in Portugal. For the details of each stop (e.g. what to do in Lisbon) you can still refer to the above guide.

10 Days Portugal itinerary jewels of the North

Total drive A/R 893 km . Total length of the trip A/R: 10 hours circa in 10 days.

Day 1-2. Spend your first two days enjoying the hilly and labyrinthine streets of Lisbon. Have a taste of Pastel de Nata and jump on the historical Tram n. 28 for an overview of the best areas of the city.

Day 3. Spend a day in the lovely medieval city of Obidos while driving towards Coimbra. Walk its perfectly preserved walls, taste a glass of Ginja and explore all the 14 hidden bookshops of the city.

Day 4-5. Discover the university city of Coimbra. Get lost in the old alleys of the city while visiting the oldest university in Portugal. Get amazed by the Azulejo tiles of the Igreja de Santa Cruz and have a relaxing time in the peaceful streets of the city.

Day 6. Take a day trip to Aveiro and Costa Nova. Have a taste of the traditional ovos moles, admire Aveiro’s lovely Art Nouveau architecture and enjoy a photographic tour of the striped beach houses of Costa Nova.

Day 7- 8. Spend two days in Porto. Enjoy a glass of delicious Porto wine at Vila Nova de Gaia, check off the most beautiful train station in Portugal and find magical Harry Potter inspired corners.

Day 9. Enjoy a day trip to Braga, the third largest city in Portugal. Get lost in its elegant cobbled alleys, climb the steps of the famous Bom Jesus do Monte and relax in the beautiful Santa Barbara Gardens.

Day 10. Return to Lisbon for departure. You can choose also to return from Porto but be sure your chosen airline covers this destination.

10 Days Portugal itinerary rural castles and villages

Total drive A/R 904 km . Total length of the trip A/R: 11 hours circa in 10 days.

Day 1-2. Spend your first two days enjoying the hilly and labyrinthine streets of Lisbon. Have a taste of Pastel de Nata and jump on the historical Tram n. 28 for an overview of the best areas of the city.

Day 3-4 Be amazed by the Alentejo capital, Evora. Explore the still well-preserved Roman Ruins, climb the scenic Gothic tower of Evora Cathedral and have a taste of the best traditional Alentejo cuisine.

Day 5. Take a day trip to the fortified city of Elvas. Explore the imposing Fortress of Nossa Senhora de Graça and be impressed by the complex architecture of the Amoreira Aqueduct.

Day 6. While driving towards Castelo Branco, stop by the historical city of Marvão. Get lost in its perfectly preserved medieval alleys and enjoy the breathtaking view of the Portuguese border from it spectacular castle.

Day 7. Explore the Templar town of Castelo Branco and its Knights Templar Castle. Be amazed by the spectacular Baroque gardens of the Bishop’s Palace and enjoy a relaxing walk at the newly open Parque do Barrocal.

Day 8. Take a day trip to the rocky village of Monsanto while driving towards Obidos. Explore the little granite cottages built in amongst the giant boulders rocks. Climb up to the castle and enjoy the spectacular view of the Portoguese countryside. Drive to Obidos for the night.

Day 9. On your last full day of road trip you will explore the medieval village of Obidos. Walk its perfectly preserved walls, taste a glass of Ginja and explore all the 14 hidden bookshops of the city.

Day 10. Return to Lisbon for departure.

Plan your trip to Portugal

Happy Travels!

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