Best Route Portugal
Portugal is small enough to cross in 5 hours and varied enough to need 10 days. The country is 560 km north to south and 220 km east to west — smaller than the state of Indiana. But within that space are three coastlines, two mountain ranges, a plain the size of Belgium, and cities that have nothing in common with each other. This route covers the best of it, from Lisbon south to the Algarve, then north through the Alentejo and up to Porto.
Day 1-3: Lisbon
Start in Lisbon. Fly into Humberto Delgado airport (LIS), 20 minutes by metro from the city center. Don't rent a car yet — you won't need it in Lisbon and parking is a nightmare.
Three days in Lisbon: Day 1 for Alfama and the castle (São Jorge, €15, best view in the city). Day 2 for Belém (Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower, and the original Pastéis de Belém). Day 3 for Sintra (40 minutes by train from Rossio station, €4.50 round-trip) — the Pena Palace and the Quinta da Regaleira. Go to Sintra at 9:30 AM and leave by 1 PM to beat the crowds.
Stay in Baixa or Chiado (€80-120/night) — central and walkable. Eat at Time Out Market (€10-20) for variety, at Cervejaria Ramiro (€40-50) for seafood, and at any pastelaria for breakfast (€2-4 for coffee and pastry).
Day 4: Lisbon to Évora (Alentejo)
Pick up the rental car in Lisbon. Drive east to Évora — 130 km, 1.5 hours on the A6 toll road (toll: €8.70). The landscape changes immediately — from the dense suburbs of Lisbon to the open plains of the Alentejo, with cork oaks and white villages on hilltops.
Évora is a walled university town inside the walls a Roman temple, a bone chapel, and a cathedral you can climb. Stay inside the walls — Hotel M'Ar De Ar Aqueduto (€100-140) or a guesthouse (€50-70). Visit the Templo de Diana (free, 2nd century Roman temple), the Capela dos Ossos (€4, a chapel decorated with 5,000 skeletons), and the Évora Cathedral (€4, climb the tower for the view over the plain).
Eat at Bairro do Café (€12-18) for modern Portuguese, or at Tasquinha do Oliveira (€15-25) for traditional Alentejo food — carne de porco à alentejana (pork with clams, €14) and ensopado de borrego (lamb stew, €12). The wine is €3-5 a bottle — the Alentejo is Portugal's best wine region.
Day 5: Évora to Beja to Serpa (Alentejo Deep Dive)
Drive south through the Alentejo. Stop in Beja (60 km, 1 hour from Évora) — a sleepy town with a 13th-century castle tower you can climb (€2) and a convent that's now a luxury hotel (Pousada de Beja, €90-130/night). The old town is quiet and lovely — walk the streets, visit the market, eat at Restaurante Bejense (€12-18).
Continue to Serpa (30 km, 30 minutes from Beja) — a walled town near the Spanish border, known for its cheese (Queijo de Serpa, a sheep's milk cheese that's semi-soft and pungent). Visit the cheese museum (Museu do Queijo, €3). Walk the walls. Eat at A Taverna (€10-15) — the migas (bread and garlic side dish) and the grilled fish.
Stay in Serpa or nearby Monsaraz — a hilltop village with a castle and a view over the Alqueva lake (the largest artificial lake in Europe). Pousada de Monsaraz (€120-180/night) is the only hotel in the village. Or stay in Moura (30 minutes from Serpa, €50-70/night).
Day 6-7: The Algarve
Drive from the Alentejo to the Algarve — Serpa to Tavira is 180 km, 2.5 hours. Take the A22 toll road (toll: €6.50). Arrive in Tavira — the prettiest town in the Algarve, with a Roman bridge, 37 churches, and beaches on barrier islands reached by ferry (€2 round-trip).
Day 6: Tavira. Take the ferry to Ilha de Tavira (10 minutes) — a kilometer of white sand with one restaurant and no buildings. Swim, sunbathe, eat grilled fish at the island restaurant (€15-20). Return to Tavira for dinner at Come na Gaveta (€15-25) — modern Portuguese, the octopus is excellent.
Day 7: Drive west along the coast. Stop in Faro (30 minutes from Tavira) — the old town is walled and charming, the bone chapel in the Igreja do Carmo (€4) is macabre and fascinating. Continue to Lagos (1 hour from Faro) — the best base in the central Algarve. Walk the cliff trail at Ponta da Piedade (free, 2 km) and take a boat tour of the grottoes (€20, 75 minutes). Stay in Lagos old town (€60-90/night).
Day 8: Lagos to Sagres to the West Coast
Drive from Lagos to Sagres (30 minutes) — the southwesternmost point of Europe. Visit Cabo de São Vicente (the lighthouse at the end of the continent, free) at sunset. The cliffs drop 60 meters to the Atlantic and the sun sets into the ocean — the most dramatic sunset in Portugal.
Surf at Praia do Beliche (lessons €40/2 hours including board and wetsuit) or just walk the cliff trails. Eat at Mar a Vista (€20-25) — grilled sea bream on a terrace facing the ocean. Stay in Sagres (€50-80/night) or drive up the west coast to Vila do Bispo (€40-60/night, quieter).
Day 9: Drive North to Porto
This is the longest driving day — Sagres to Porto is 560 km, 5.5 hours on the A2 and A1 toll roads (tolls: €22 total). Break it up with a stop in Évora (lunch, 2 hours from Sagres) and another in Coimbra (Portugal's medieval university city, 2 hours from Évora, 1.5 hours from Porto).
Coimbra: The university (€15) is on a hill above the river — the baroque library (Biblioteca Joanina) is the most beautiful room in Portugal, with 250,000 books in gilded cases and bats that eat the insects (the bats are real and they live in the library). Walk the old town. Eat at Zé Mania dos Bifanas (€8-12) — the bifana (pork sandwich) is the best in Portugal.
Arrive in Porto by evening. Drop the rental car — you won't need it in Porto. Stay in the Ribeira district (the riverside old town, €60-90/night) or in Vila Nova de Gaia (south side of the river, near the port lodges, €50-80/night).
Day 10: Porto
Porto is Lisbon's smaller, moodier sibling — built on the steep sides of the Douro gorge. Walk the Ribeira (the riverside, UNESCO world heritage), cross the Luís I Bridge (upper level for the view, lower level for the walk), and visit a port wine lodge in Gaia — Taylor's (€25 for a tour with 3 tastings) has the best terrace view.
Eat a francesinha at Café Santiago (€12, the Porto signature sandwich — steak, sausage, ham, melted cheese, tomato-beer sauce). Have dinner at Cantinho do Avillez (€30-40, chef José Avillez's casual place). Walk the Rua das Flores at night — the street is lit by fairy lights and the bars serve vinho verde for €2.50 a glass.
Route Summary
| Day | Route | Distance | Drive time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Lisbon (no car) | — | — |
| 4 | Lisbon → Évora | 130 km | 1.5h |
| 5 | Évora → Beja → Serpa | 90 km | 1.5h |
| 6 | Serpa → Tavira | 180 km | 2.5h |
| 7 | Tavira → Faro → Lagos | 90 km | 1.5h |
| 8 | Lagos → Sagres | 30 km | 0.5h |
| 9 | Sagres → Évora → Coimbra → Porto | 560 km | 5.5h |
| 10 | Porto (no car) | — | — |
Total driving: 1,080 km over 6 driving days. Tolls: ~€40 total. Gas: ~€120 (diesel is €1.60/liter, petrol €1.75/liter). Car rental: €25-40/day for a compact, 7 days = €175-280.
When to Go
May-June and September-October are ideal — 22-28°C, wildflowers or autumn colors, and half the crowds of summer. July-August is hot (35°C in the Alentejo, 30°C on the coast) and crowded on the Algarve. November-March is cool (15°C) and rainy but the cheapest time and the most authentic — you'll have the Alentejo to yourself.