Do you want to see gorgeous sites, eat the most decadent food, and spend very little money? Then driving through Portugal is the perfect trip for you! Unlike most Western Europe countries, Portugal is surprisingly affordable and drivable as well. We spent one week in Portugal and spent a total of $600 on food, gifts, alcohol, places to stay, gas, tolls, and the rental car!
Driving through a country gives you the flexibility to make various unplanned stops and see things at your own pace. Taking a road trip through Portugal is one of the very best ways to see this mesmerizing country. The big cities like Porto and Lisbon are not great for cars, so you can make these your starting and ending points. Then, spend time driving down the spectacular scenic coast and exploring them in depth.
I traveled through Portugal with five other friends in a large van and it’s a trip that I will always remember. Below is a great itinerary for those people that have one week to explore Portugal!
PORTUGAL IN A NUTSHELL
Short on time? Read this quick overview for your trip to Portugal with everything you need to know!
- Where to Stay: Stay in hotels, VRBOs, or hostels in Portugal
- Getting there: You can fly into Lisbon International Airport Or Porto Airport
- How to Get Around: The best way to get around Portugal is to rent a car. Rentalcars.com has the cheapest options
- Best Time to Visit: Spring or Fall
- Things to Do: Do a Port tour in Porto, take a food tour in Lisbon, and stay on the beach in Lagos
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Table of Contents
Planning Your One Week Portugal Itinerary
How to Get to Portugal
This road trip itinerary starts in the North of Portugal in Porto, but you can always choose to flip it. There are two international airports that you could fly ✈️ into either Lisbon International Airport or Porto Airport.
For our trip, we flew into Lisbon and then took another domestic flight to Porto for the start.
But, if you are coming from other destinations in Europe, then you can take the train. There are options both into Porto and Lisbon. However, Lisbon usually has more options with more trains.
Getting Around Portugal
Are you ready for the road trip of a lifetime? Portugal is one of the best countries to take a road trip in! 🚗
Rent a car so that you can drive down the coast and enjoy the views. Rentalcars.com compares all of the different rental cars and gives you the best prices. Just note, most of the cars in Portugal are manual, so you’ll have to pay more for an automatic one!
Best Time to Go on a Portugal Road Trip
Portugal is stunning year round, but the best time to do this road trip is late Spring or early Fall. We did in in March and the weather was absolutely perfect with gorgeous clear skies and temperatures in the 60s/70s.
Summer is typically the busiest time of year and it’s also the hottest. Many locals escape to the beaches to cool off, so you’ll find higher prices there with less options. So, just make sure to plan further ahead.
Places You Could Add With More Time
If you have more time than one week in Portugal, you could add other wonderful destinations in the country.
Spend more time up North around Porto and venture into the Douro Valley. This area is world renown for their wines and gorgeous green hills. It’s a very popular destination for tourists.
Or, choose to escape to the ocean and explore the spectacular Azores or Madeira. Madeira is often called the “Hawaii of Europe” with amazing hiking 🥾 and gorgeous landscapes. While the Azores are an archipelago of rugged volcanic islands with fantastic landscapes.
One Week in Portugal Breakdown
Road Trip Itinerary
Day 1: Travel
Day 2: Porto
Day 3: Pick up car, drive to Coimbra, continue to Évora, and end in Lagos
Day 4: Lagos
Day 5: Drive to Sintra, end in Lisbon, and drop off car
Day 6: Lisbon
Day 7: Lisbon
Porto
Porto is the perfect way to introduce yourself to Portugal. As you walk along the winding alleyways and look out over the red-tiled roofs you will have a hard time not falling in love with the city!
Porto is often skipped over in order to focus on Lisbon, a much larger and more cosmopolitan city. However, I believe that Porto’s charm is something that should not be missed! Porto is fairly small, but there are a lot of hills, so make sure to pack comfortable shoes in order to see the city by foot! 👟
Spent your day exploring the city, drinking Port, watching the sunset, and enjoying the nightlife.
Ribeira
I would suggest starting to explore Porto by wandering around the old part of the city- Ribeira, making your way towards Ribeira Square and the cathedral that sits at the center of it all. There you can take pictures and take it all in.
Livraria Lello
Venture into the bookstore where JK Rowling wrote many of her Harry Potter books. Even though she may be a questionable person, this is still an incredible book shop. It’s the perfect place to take some photos or enjoy the books lining the walls. 📚
There is often a long line to get in, it can take more than an hour to get in. So, try to go early or make extra time for it!
Sao Bento Railway Station
View this scenic railroad station where the walls of the station are covered in azulejos (blue and white handcrafted tiles). There is no train station in the world like it! We took tons of photos and enjoyed the craftsmanship that went into building it.
Ponte Luis Bridge
Walk to the other side of Porto across this bridge. The bridge offers great views of both sides of the city 🤩. Plus, it’s the perfect way to get from the beautiful old city to some of the great Port cellars. They line the water just across the bridge.
Port Tour
Once you’ve crossed the bridge, you can take a Port Tour to multiple Port cellars or do a tasting at one of the spots. These Port cellars will tell you about the differences in Port and explain how they make it. It’s a great way to become a Port connoisseur.
Where to Stay in Porto
Porto is a gorgeous city along the Douro River. Even though it’s small and compact, there are still a few different neighborhoods to choose from. So, when you’re picking where to stay think about what you want to be near.
Ribeira is the old but scenic city along the Douro River. Because of this, it’s constantly packed with tourists, so it’s not as local as other areas. If you want something a little more lively, try the Baixa neighborhood with a thriving nightlife. Or, choose to stay in Bonfim for some more affordable options.
Best Hotels in Porto:
Coimbra and Évora
Coimbra
The benefit of road tripping through a country is that you can make many stops along the way. This day will include a lot of driving, so make sure to get an early start so you can see it all. Starting from the rental shop in Porto, we drove down to Coimbra (1 hour drive), a university town and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The city sits atop a hill and the University of Coimbra offers beautiful buildings and places to stop and grab a coffee. Make sure to not spend too much time here, because you have other places to go!
Évora
Continue driving about 3 hours down the coast until you get into the heart of the Alentejo region, to the beautiful walled city of Évora. This is another UNESCO World Heritage Site, full of gorgeous white and yellow buildings, and historical monuments.
You will probably be hungry when you arrive, which is perfect because the Alentejo is known as the “bread basket” of Portugal. We went to Adega do Alentejano and I highly recommend this little restaurant that resembles a cellar, because it was the best food I have ever had. We drank wine straight from the barrel and ate the most delicious soup. We stuffed ourselves until we could barely move.
Once you have garnered the strength to leave lunch, you should spend a few hours walking around and exploring the quaint city. There are plenty of historical sights to see and adorable buildings to look at. We wandered into one cute building that had a garden in the center. This was truly one of our favorite stops of the trip.
Lagos
Drive two and a half hours further to the beautiful beach town of Lagos. Lagos is a beautiful beach town situated on the Algarve. This town blows up in the summer and turns into a party, but in the spring time it is fairly empty.
Despite the fact that it was spring, the temperature heated up to 80 degrees. So make sure you pack clothes to enjoy the warm weather and a bathing suit if you dare to get into the cool waters. 💦
Boat Tour & Ponta de Piedade
You can’t visit Lago without getting out on the water. There are a number of kayak and boat tours 🛶 that will take you over the crystal clear water to various rock formations and caves! This was definitely the highlight of our day, so you don’t want to miss out.
After enjoying the water activities, you should explore the little shops that are in the town. You can find plenty of souvenirs or cute gifts to take home. Stop for lunch in a cafe and then head to Ponta de Piedade, if you haven’t seen it from sea. This is one of the most well known viewpoints in Lagos and it gets pretty crowded.
Sagres/End of the World
The Ponta de Piedade is on the way to your last stop of the day the Sagres or the End of the World. This is the most Western point of the European continent where cliffs jut out into the Mediterranean sea. 🌊
In the 15th century the people believed this is where the world ended. This is the perfect place to sit, reflect on your travels, and watch the sunset over the horizon. You should wear a jacket, because it gets super windy and cold!
Where to Stay in Lagos:
Lagos has a number of great hotels to stay in various areas. The four areas of town are the historic quarter, the marina, Porto de Mós, and Meia Praia. From luxury hotels to hostels, you’ll find the perfect options for you.
We stayed at Lagos Uptown Bed and Breakfast. The B&B sits a few blocks from the center of Lagos, has azulejos on the wall, and has a beautiful upstairs balcony where you can see the sea. Because there were six of us, we had the whole downstairs to ourselves, which was a nice option to enjoy wine and hang together.
Best Hotels in Lagos:
Sintra
It’s time to head back North. You can switch things around so that you can end in Lagos and you won’t have to circle back, but we got the best flight deals this way. The driving distance from Lagos to Sintra is two and a half hours. We decided to keep the car, because this was the easiest way to get to Sintra.
Sintra is a historic town that is yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site and the castles and palaces make you feel like you’re in a fairy tale. You can park your car down below and take a tuk-tuk (super fun and a little adventurous) or taxi all the way to the top to the Pena Palace. 🚕
At the top you can grab a ticket for your entry at one of the electronic stations. You will want to spend a few hours walking around the colorful palace and wandering through the gardens. You can walk down the hill towards the town or hitch a ride. We wanted to return the car, so we headed back to Lisbon.
Things to see in Sintra
- Pena Palace
- Castle of the Moors
- Palácio Nacional e Jardins de Queluz
- Quinta da Regaleira
- Palace of Monserrate
Lisbon
Now, you can drive to the cosmopolitan city of Lisbon and drop off your car on the way! Lisbon is not a very driveable city, so it’s much better to rely on public transportation or walk around.
Day One in Lisbon:
Alfama
The very first thing you should do in Lisbon is go on a food tour. This was one of the highlights of our trip and I highly recommend booking it early! We met our tour at the Miradouro das Porto del Sol, a great vista to take pictures of the Alfama district.
Alfama is the oldest district in Lisbon and one of the most picturesque as well. We got to try all of the local specialties like pasteis de natas, bacalao, and delicious ports.
After the tour you can continue to explore the streets of the Alfama district, visiting the Panteao Nacional for the views on the balcony, walking to the Castle of Sao Jorge for the best views of the city or taking the tram 28 to see the city in a different way. You can stop into one of the local restaurants for dinner or a drink before heading back to the hotel to change.
Once you’ve taken a quick break or nap at the hotel, it’s time to prepare for the night ahead. You’re going out in one of the most fun cities, Lisbon!
Bairro Alto
You want to head to the Bairro Alto where you will find clubs with lines out the door. The Portuguese love to party and they go out late and stay out until the wee hours of the morning. You can dance, drink, and get late night bites on the street.
Day Two in Lisbon:
On your other day in Lisbon I recommend going to the Belem district. This area is known for its history. There are a bunch of amazing places that you need to see on your explorations.
Jeronimos Monastery
Your first stop there should be the Jeronimos Monastery. The Monastery may have a long line, so be prepared to wait. The architecture is truly stunning and you do not want to miss noticing the small details etched in stone along the columns and walls.
Fun Fact: This is where the famous Pasteles de Nata were invented by one of the monks that lived there!
Pasteis de Belem
You can head straight to the famous Pasteis de Belem, the bakery that is known for its Pasteles de Natas. Pro tip: You should skip the line on the outside of the bakery and go into the restaurant to get seated. You will get your food much quicker and you can sit to truly enjoy the food!
Belem Tower
Once you’re full, you can head across the way to the famous Belem Tower. The tower is surrounded by the Tagus River and it is a beautiful sight. It was originally built for defense and has spots for canyons in the walls. If you have time, you should go inside and find out more about the tower.
Where to Stay in Lisbon:
Lisbon is an incredibly large city, so it can be confusing to figure out where to stay! There are numerous neighborhoods and lodging options to choose from. I’ll walk you through the neighborhoods and best hotels.
One of my favorite areas to stay is Bairro Alto, a more bohemian cute area. There are cobble stoned streets with tons of great food and bar options. Stay at the Bairro Alto Hotel in this part of town.
Want something more central? Try hotels in Baixa, like the Hotel de Baixa, or Chiado neighborhoods. But, if you want something more historic stay in the beautiful Alfama area at the Memmo Alfama or Belem.
Best Hotels in Lisbon:
Final Tips for Spending One Week in Portugal
Taking a one week Portugal road trip is one of the most incredible experiences you can have. While Portugal is a rather small country, it has so much to offer. Before you go, try to plan ahead, but allow room for spontaneous stops and adventures! I cannot wait to go back and find out more about this lovely place.
Let me know in the comments if you enjoyed this itinerary for Portugal!
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