Colorful hillside buildings above the Douro River waterfront in Porto, Portugal

Itinerary

Ten days in Portugal

Inspiration for your next adventure

Porto
The Duoro Valley
Lisbon and Sintra
Comporta

Port lodges in Porto, two slow nights among the Douro's terraced vineyards, Lisbon by fado, and a quiet beach to end on. A trip for two that gets slower as it goes.

Who this is for

Two people who have been living on separate calendars for too long and want a trip that slows them down a little more each day. You love a good city and a long lunch equally, you would rather wake up in a vineyard than tour one, and you want the last few days to ask nothing of you.

The shape of the trip

Where you sleep, and the rhythm of the days

Porto, 2 nights · Douro Valley, 2 · Lisbon, 3 · Comporta, 2

The big days come first: two cities on foot and an early morning in Sintra. The splurge is the Douro, a quinta set among the vines. The last two days have almost nothing planned, on purpose.

Where to go and what to eat

The places

01 · 2 nights
Porto
Walk down through the Ribeira and across the top deck of the Dom Luís I bridge to the port lodges in Gaia, then stay on that side for sunset from the Jardim do Morro. São Bento station's tiled hall is worth a detour, and Serralves, Álvaro Siza's museum set in its gardens, is worth the taxi. Eat one francesinha, the city's gloriously excessive sandwich, and call it research.
02 · 2 nights
The Douro Valley
Take the train up to Pinhão; for the second half of the ride it runs right along the river. Stay at a working quinta among the terraces, get out on the water early while the light is soft, and give the afternoon to a long lunch and a glass of tawny. Come in late September and you may end up treading grapes. Rail works close part of the line in winter, so we confirm your train when we book.
03 · 3 nights
Lisbon and Sintra
Stay in Príncipe Real, Lisbon's leafy, quietly elegant corner. Spend a morning in the Alfama and an afternoon in Belém for the monastery and the pastéis de Belém, baked there since 1837, then hear fado after dinner in a small room. Give one day to Sintra, early, with timed tickets for the Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira.
04 · 2 nights
Comporta
An hour and a half south of Lisbon you reach rice paddies, pine forest, low thatched houses and a nearly empty beach. Ride horses on the sand, eat grilled fish with your feet in it, and watch the sunset from the old stilt piers at Carrasqueira. Many places here open only for the warmer months, so check before you plan around them.

My take on Portugal

Designed for couples craving a slower pace, foodies eager for long lunches, and first-time travelers to Europe looking for incredible affordability and value, this itinerary is built for two people who would rather wake up in a vineyard than just tour one, culminating in a final stretch that asks nothing of you at all.

Dedicate two nights to the Douro Valley rather than a rushed day trip to experience it before tour vans arrive, taking the scenic train from Porto to Pinhão when line service is active, or opting for a private transfer during the winter track-work season. Secure timed tickets for Pena Palace through Parques de Sintra well in advance, as summer slots sell out days ahead and are not covered by the Lisboa Card.

Skip the overcrowded Tram 28 in favor of exploring Alfama on foot, and trade the busy summer Algarve for Comporta—about an hour south of Lisbon—where rice fields and quiet dunes offer a peaceful alternative in May, June, or September with a rental car.

Terracotta rooftops seen through a carved stone window, Portugal

My take

Worth it, and what to skip

Worth it

Two nights in the Douro instead of a day trip. The valley only works when you wake up in it.
The train to Pinhão instead of a car. It is the prettiest way in, and nobody has to drive after the tasting.
Timed tickets for Sintra. Book ahead and you are at the Pena Palace before the crowds.

Skip it

Tram 28. It is packed with people riding it for the photo, and the Alfama is better on foot anyway.
The Algarve in summer. It is lovely, but crowded. Comporta has the same Atlantic and far more quiet.