5 Days in Portugal: Three Itineraries

Only five days in Portugal? You can still see a lot, as long as you pick one or two bases and don’t try to cover the whole country. Here are three 5-day Portugal itineraries, depending on whether you love cities, beaches or both.

Quick answer: for a first visit, do 3 days in Lisbon (with Sintra) and 2 days in Porto, linked by a 3-hour train. For beaches, combine 2 days in Lisbon with 3 days in the Algarve. For a relaxed trip, stay in one city and do day trips.

Option 1: Lisbon and Porto

• Day 1: Lisbon: Alfama, the castle and a viewpoint at sunset.
• Day 2: Belém and Chiado.
• Day 3: Sintra day trip.
• Day 4: train to Porto (about 3 hours); the Ribeira and Gaia’s port lodges.
• Day 5: Porto’s highlights, then fly home from Porto.

See 2 days in Lisbon and Porto in one day.

Option 2: Lisbon and the Algarve

• Days 1–2: Lisbon’s highlights.
• Day 3: train or drive to the Algarve (about 3 hours).
• Days 4–5: beaches, a Benagil boat trip and Lagos. Fly home from Faro.

See Lisbon or the Algarve and 3 days in the Algarve.

Option 3: One base, easy day trips

• Lisbon base: the city, plus Sintra, Cascais and Arrábida or Óbidos. See 5 days in Lisbon.
• Porto base: the city, plus the Douro Valley, Aveiro and Braga. See 3 days in Porto.

Tips

• Fly into one city and out of another (a multi-city booking) to save time.
• Book trains early for promo fares. See the Portugal train guide.
• Don’t overpack the days: Lisbon and Porto are hilly and best enjoyed slowly.

Got more time? See 7 days or 10 days in Portugal.

Prices and details change, so please double-check before you travel. Spotted something out of date? Tell us in the groups.