Expected weather: Hi 72F / Low 49F (historic average ranges for Porto and Lisbon during this time)

We are about to leave for Portugal. I gave a high-level overview of what we were thinking back in Note 28, but here is what we have now planned.

Day 1 – Lisbon to Porto

We should arrive in Lisbon from Houston via Philadelphia around 9am. Get our luggage, clear customs, and find the train/tram/taxi to Oriente station. We will meet Keith and Paula there to take the afternoon train to Porto. We pre-booked first-class train tickets for the 3-hour trip.

We have arranged transportation to pick us up at the Campanhã Porto train station to take us to our VRBO lodging in the Ribeira district along the Douro River. We will get settled in our lodging, then explore the neighborhood for an early dinner (apparently not really a thing in Portugal!), and probably call it a day to get over the jetlag.

Day 2 – Porto

We have a half-day walking tour of Old Porto booked through Tours By Locals (TBL) in the morning. We had great guides using them in Athens and Halifax, so hoping we have another great experience here. For the afternoon, we plan to cross the river to Vila Nova de Gaia and check out the port houses. It’s likely to be raining according to the forecast the entire time we are in Porto, so plans might be somewhat modified, but we are prepared for rain.

Day 3 – Porto

We booked a full-day private tour of the Minho region north of Porto taking us to Braga with its many universities and the oldest cathedral in Portugal (12^th century) and Guimarães with its 10^th century castle.  Guimarães is considered the birthplace of Portugal because Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, was born here.

Day 4 – Porto

This will be an extremely long day as we take a 12-hour combo trip cruising up the Douro River to the wine region, visit an historic winery, then return to Porto via the scenic train. The Douro Valley is the oldest demarcated wine region in the world. This occurred in 1756, a full century before the first official French classifications were established.

Day 5 – Porto to Lisbon

Using TBL again, we booked a guide to take us from Porto to our Lisbon VRBO lodging, with stops at Coimbra to see the beautiful baroque library of King João at the university, then some other smaller towns like Nazaré and Óbidos along the way. Our VRBO lodging is near the Tagus River and Pink Street between the Cais do Sodre and Chiado districts. The weather forecast for Lisbon looks to be sunny.

Day 6 – Lisbon

We meet our same TBL guide for a half-day walking tour of Lisbon in the morning, then we will do further exploration on our own the rest of the day. We will likely do a Fado dinner show this evening.

Day 7 – Lisbon

We plan to DIY it to the Belém district to visit the museums, Belém Tower, Monument to the Discoveries, and sample the famous local pastries at Pastéis de Belém.  

Day 8 – Lisbon

Our final day of touring will be another full day with our same TBL guide outside of Lisbon to the Sintra area with its magnificent palaces and landscapes. We will tour the whimsical National Palace of Pena, go to Cabo de Roca (the westernmost point in continental Europe), then to the coastal town of Cascais, and return along the coast and Tagus River to Lisbon.

Day 9 – Lisbon to Houston

We will fly out of Lisbon back to Houston (via Philly again) landing late evening. Keith and Paula will pick up a rental car at the Lisbon airport and head to the southern coast of Portugal (Algarve region) for a few more days before they fly home.

I’ll provide a detailed report when we get back!