Portugal

[Capri73]

Need help with side trips in Portugal.We have never been so will stay in Lisbon for a few days.(how many is recommended)?Would like to go to Porto and maybe South.Renting a car might be an option.Rather not.

How far is the cruise port to town and also town back to the airport?

Thank you any suggestions will be helpful.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Need help with side trips in Portugal.We have never been so will stay in Lisbon for a few days.(how many is recommended)?Would like to go to Porto and maybe South.Renting a car might be an option.Rather not.

How far is the cruise port to town and also town back to the airport?

Thank you any suggestions will be helpful.

 

Hi,

 

If you leave this as a general very open ended question, you will receive suggestions from others about what they like. If however you give a little more information about your passions and interests and dislikes hopefully you will get suggestions more attuned to you and might therefore hit the target better.

 

Good luck,

 

Jeff

[Keith1010]

Need help with side trips in Portugal.We have never been so will stay in Lisbon for a few days.(how many is recommended)?Would like to go to Porto and maybe South.Renting a car might be an option.Rather not.

How far is the cruise port to town and also town back to the airport?

Thank you any suggestions will be helpful.

 

For Lisbon itself no need to rent a car.

 

The downtown area is a short ride from the port. How far depends on time of day and also what hotel so let's say around 15 minutes to many hotels. The airport from downtown is about 20 minutes.

 

If I was visiting Lisbon for the first time I would want at least two full days there. I would add another day or even two to visit some nearby towns and I would arrange private tours for the towns such as visiting Sintro and Fatima.

 

Distance between Lisbon and Porto is around 180 miles.

 

Keith

[KaraokeQueen]

I highly recommend a special evening at "Club Fado". Make sure you go to this specific club not just any fado club. The food is terrific, acoustics & singers out of this world. A beautiful evening :)

 

Lisbon is a lovely city. You can find enough to do if you don't want to head down the coast.

[Capri73]

Thanks so much. We are great when in comes to Italy been there family from there. Portugal will be a new experience so all ideas are welcome.

[Capri73]

Hi,

 

If you leave this as a general very open ended question, you will receive suggestions from others about what they like. If however you give a little more information about your passions and interests and dislikes hopefully you will get suggestions more attuned to you and might therefore hit the target better.

 

Good luck,

 

Jeff

Open to all suggestions.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Open to all suggestions.

 

That's fine, I was only trying to be helpful. There is a lot of stuff you can read about places to get an initial idea of what is on offer to help you drill down and ask more specific questions. Most people posting on CC have only visited some of these places as a port on a cruise for a few hours or perhaps at most a day or so. The more people know about a place, the more helpful they might be to you with pointers that might be less known and more pertinent to your particular interests. For some - particularly Europeans who may know places quite well and might be able to offer you more targetted and appropriate suggestions, you are saying "tell me everything you know about Portugal and I'll sit back and listen".

 

The less effort you are prepared to contribute the more effort you are expecting of those that might be able to help you most.

 

Enjoy Portugal.

 

:)

 

Jeff

Edited September 26, 2015 by UKCruiseJeff

[MrsWaldo]

For some - particularly Europeans who may know places quite well and might be able to offer you more targetted and appropriate suggestions, you are saying "tell me everything you know about Portugal and I'll sit back and listen".

 

The less effort you are prepared to contribute the more effort you are expecting of those that might be able to help you most.

 

Enjoy Portugal.

 

:)

 

Jeff

lOl. We had friends living In town just out. Of Lisbon and I said we were totally and utterly flexible want Do they suggest

 

The reply was there is an awesome tapas bar not far from here (read 350km) You will love it.....

 

Ok so a whole day for some tapas...

 

BTW the tapas was great but it was an overnighter

Edited September 26, 2015 by MrsWaldo

[UKCruiseJeff]

I know .... that would be what I do ... but then I am famous for taking people on tapas safari's and leaving out everything else. I've done a couple to Madrid, and one to Palma. Normally three nights. I don't think I'd choose Lisbon for a tapas safari though ....:D

 

Sometimes people also need to think about how a time of year might be helpful ...... what is good in August might not be so good in January ......

 

Still one can only help those who are prepared to take a little effort and that choose to be helped and will at least take a little trouble to do a bit of homework and give us a clue or two ;)

 

Jeff

[Ithaca]

I recommend the Gulbenkian Museum, a fine collection of modern art. I benefitted from taking the three routes of the HoHo bus, and then targeting those places that caught my fancy. I saw a lot in two days, and also enjoyed wandering the quaint streets and the lovely boulevards. Although I did get to Belem, I had no time for Cascais and Sintra. Very special city with beautiful architecture and warm, friendly people. Enjoy!

[dougburns]

There is plenty to do and see around the Lisbon area. I would stay at Lapa Palace or the Ritz. Lapa Palace is our favorite and one of the best we've stayed at worldwide. Take a tour thru Estorial and around the coast up to Sintra and back to Lisbon. It's a full day, but well worth it. I would also not miss Belem. Lisbon is also a great city for just walking; much to see.

[Capri73]

Thank you.I see you are from our State of Arizona.Have you found an easy way to fly to Europe? We are transplants from Ct where flying was a breeze out of New York or Boston.

[UKCruiseJeff]

Thank you.I see you are from our State of Arizona.Have you found an easy way to fly to Europe? We are transplants from Ct where flying was a breeze out of New York or Boston.

 

:confused:

 

Are you saying it is difficult to get to Europe from your airport?

 

Most airlines and airline booking sites allow you to put in your home city and your destination city and will provide you with all possible combinations of prices and all flight times and if and when you need to change flights.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Jeff

[dougburns]

The easiest and best way to get to Europe from Phoenix IMHO is to take the night flight on BA (leaves @ 2045 and gets to London @ 1300 next day) direct to London Heathrow. If you're going on to Lisbon there is a connecting BA flight that is easy to make. The flight from Phoenix operates most days of the week.

[WesW]

Capri73, believe you will love Lisbon and maybe enjoy it even more with a top notch tour guide.

 

Many frequent SS posters (Dusababy, Wripro, et.al) and we very, very strongly Jorge

Bras as a Lisbon tour guide. He is the best tour guide (have used him numerous times in Lisbon and surrounding area) we have had any where and will significantly enhance your visit to Lisbon. Like Doug mentions above--he can focus on Lisbon one day and then take you to either Estorial or Sintra the next.

 

Suggest you do a search for Jorge Bras in the Europe Port section and read the exceptionally glowing recommendations Jorge receives.

 

Please see this Silversea thread on Lisbon tours:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1851646&highlight=jorge+bras

Edited September 27, 2015 by WesW

[Capri73]

Thank you.

[Capri73]

:confused:

 

Are you saying it is difficult to get to Europe from your airport?

 

Most airlines and airline booking sites allow you to put in your home city and your destination city and will provide you with all possible combinations of prices and all flight times and if and when you need to change flights.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Jeff

No we have been flying to Europe for years, from New York which were almost always non stop.Arizona is a different story.Getting there is somewhat easy. BA non stop to London then connecting. Coming home is a different story. Most flights leave any country Portugal,Spain,Italy very early 8am to connect to get back home.Makes for a very long day must be at the airport by 6 am at the least and then usually a 4 hour or 1 hour connect. I was just looking to see if someone from AZ knew another way around this.We never make it home the day the ship arrives.

[dtm]

The best thing to do in Lisbon is get up early and go to a little pastry shop and get a few Pastéis de Nata. They are wonderful custard tarts and may have been the best thing we ate there.

 

Dan