Lisbon and Porto are about three hours apart by train, which makes them one of the easiest two-city trips in Europe. This is a sample week, planned in RPlan from start to finish, to show one way to split it and the things worth getting right before you go.
The shape of the week
- Wednesday: fly into Lisbon, check in, an easy first afternoon.
- Thursday to Saturday: Lisbon, with one day out of the city.
- Sunday: the late-morning train to Porto.
- Monday and Tuesday: Porto, with one day kept free.
- Wednesday: an afternoon flight home from Porto.
Flying into one city and home from the other saves a three-hour journey back. Check both airports when you search for flights: an open-jaw ticket often costs no more than a return.
Time zones: none to worry about
Mainland Portugal keeps the same time as the UK all year, summer time included. A flight that leaves Manchester at 06:05 lands in Lisbon at 09:00 local time, and that's the same clock you left. If you're coming from further away, RPlan shows each plan in the local time of where it happens, so you never convert in your head. More in time zones on a trip.
Where to stay
In Lisbon, Alfama is the old quarter under the castle: steep lanes, small squares and viewpoints over the river. It's lovely to come back to, though the hills are real, so it suits people who don't mind a climb. Baixa and Chiado are flatter and more central.
In Porto, staying near the Ribeira, on the river, puts you within walking distance of most of the old city, with the port lodges just across the bridge in Vila Nova de Gaia.
RPlan points out any night of the trip without a stay, but not the last night of a stay when you're flying home that evening.
Lisbon in three days
Keep Belém and Alfama apart. Belém, with the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower, is in the west of the city, and Alfama is in the east. Each makes a good morning or a full day; together, they're a lot of crossing back and forth.
Walk rather than queue for the 28. The old tram through Alfama is famous and often full. Much of its route is a walk of a few minutes between viewpoints.
Take a day out. Sintra, with its palaces in the hills, is around 40 minutes by train from Rossio station in the middle of the city. Go early: it's busy by late morning.
Leave the first afternoon light. After an early flight, a check-in, lunch and a walk to a viewpoint is plenty.
The train north
The fastest trains between the two cities, the Alfa Pendular, run from Lisbon's Santa Apolónia and Oriente stations to Porto Campanhã in around three hours. Book ahead for the best fares, and paste the confirmation into RPlan so the train sits on the Sunday with its seat and reference.
From Campanhã, a short local train takes you on to São Bento, in the middle of the old city. Its entrance hall, lined with blue and white tiles, is worth a look even if you're not catching a train.
Porto in two days
- The river first. Walk the Ribeira, then cross the top deck of the Dom Luís I Bridge for the view back over the city, and come down to the port lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia.
- Book Livraria Lello ahead. The famous bookshop needs a ticket, and the queue for one can be long.
- Keep a day free. The second day in Porto has nothing on it, on purpose. A free day near the end of a trip is the one you'll be glad of.
Planning an empty day
When there's a day to fill and you're not sure where to start, Suggest a day plans it around everything else on the trip: where you're staying, the days either side and anything already booked. Tell it what you're in the mood for, untick what you don't want, and add the rest.
More on pacing in how to plan the days of a trip without overpacking them.
Getting to the airport
Both airports are on the metro. In Lisbon the red line runs to the airport, and in Porto the violet line, line E, goes from the city centre. For a flight in the middle of the afternoon, there's time for a last coffee by the river before you leave.
Plan your own
Every booking, plan and stay in this week was added in RPlan, most of them by pasting the confirmation emails. Your first trip is free, with everything switched on, so you can plan a week like this one and see if it suits you.
