14 days in Portugal: itinerary

The 14-day route runs north to south so you never double back: Porto, the Douro Valley, Coimbra, Lisbon, Évora, then the Algarve coast. Porto and Lisbon sit on the fast Alfa Pendular line, roughly 3 hours apart. Everything west of that line — the Douro, the Alentejo, the Algarve interior — is easier by car or coach.

You can run it in reverse (fly into Faro, home from Porto) with the same travel times. The only fixed point is Lisbon: give it 4 nights, because Sintra, Belém and Cascais each eat a day.

Days 1–3, Porto. Land, walk the Ribeira, cross to Vila Nova de Gaia for a port lodge tour, and give one morning to the São Bento tiles and the Clérigos tower. A day trip to Braga or Guimarães fits if you would rather cut a Douro night.

Days 4–5, Douro Valley. Train or drive to Pinhão or Régua. One day on the river or in a quinta, one day walking between viewpoints. A car gives you the small quintas; the train along the line is one of the best rides in the country.

Day 6, Coimbra. Stop on the way south. The university and the Joanina Library are the reason to stay a night rather than pass through; library entries are timed, so book the day before.

Days 7–10, Lisbon. Four nights: one for Alfama and the viewpoints, one for Belém (closed Mondays), one for Sintra, one spare for Cascais or a slow day. Sintra's palaces use timed tickets and the walk up from the station is steep.

Day 11, Évora. Bus or car from Lisbon, about 1h 30m. The Roman temple, the Chapel of Bones and an Alentejo lunch; one night is enough.

Days 12–14, Algarve. Pick Lagos for cliffs and grottoes or Tavira for a quieter, flatter town. Three nights gives you two beach days and one boat or cliff-walk day. Fly home from Faro.

Trains: the Alfa Pendular and Intercidades link Porto, Coimbra, Lisbon and Faro, with seat reservations and airport-style pricing that rises closer to the date. Book on the operator's site a few weeks out for the cheapest fares.

Buses: coaches cover the gaps the trains miss, including Lisbon to Évora and Lisbon to the Algarve. They are usually cheaper than the train and slower.

Car: worth it for the Douro and the Alentejo, where villages and quintas sit off the rail line. Toll motorways charge by plate; check the rental terms. Parking in Lisbon and Porto is the main cost and hassle — pick up the car on the way out of the city, not on arrival.

Porto: Ribeira for the view, or the Baixa and Aliados for transport and quieter nights. Gaia is cheaper and one bridge walk from the centre.

Douro: Pinhão is the compact base; Régua has more trains. Quintas with rooms book out months ahead in May–October.

Lisbon: Baixa and Chiado put you near the metro and the ferries; Alfama is atmospheric but hilly and loud at night. Sintra as a night rather than a day trip is an option if you want the palaces before the crowds.

Évora: inside the walls, within a 10-minute walk of the temple.

Algarve: Lagos for hostels, bars and cliff walks; Tavira for a calmer, more local town; Albufeira only if you want the resort strip.

Mid-range, per person, 14 days, excluding international flights: €1,600–2,900 (about $1,750–3,150). Hostels and simple guesthouses pull it toward the lower end; four-star hotels and a car push it up.

The biggest variables are the car (rental plus fuel and tolls) and July–August Algarve accommodation, which can double. Trains booked early are cheap; walk-up fares are not.

No car: skip the Douro quintas and use the train to Pinhão, then take coaches for Lisbon–Évora–Algarve. It works, but you lose the small villages.

More beach: cut Coimbra and one Lisbon night, add two to the Algarve. Fewer hotel changes, more sand.

More cities: swap the Algarve for Braga, Guimarães and Viana do Castelo in the north, or add Tomar and Batalha between Coimbra and Lisbon.

Islands: Madeira and the Azores need their own 4–7 nights each and a flight; do not bolt them onto this loop.