Portugal in 7 and 10 Days: How to Shape the Journey
Portugal rewards a slow itinerary. It is a small country with a long list of places, and the most common mistake we see is trying to see all of them in one week. The best 7 and 10 day journeys do less, and do it better: fewer hotels, longer lunches, and one day left deliberately open.
This guide sets out how we divide the days, which regions pair well, and where it pays to slow down. Every route below is one we have built for real travellers, with a hotel in each place and either a rental car and our MLH roadbook, or a driver and guide when you would rather not drive.
The short answer
With 7 days, choose two bases, or three at most if one of them is a single night on the way. With 10 days, choose three. Resist adding another: every extra hotel costs half a day you will not get back.
A rule we apply to almost every trip: use the car only where it earns its place. In Lisbon and Porto you will walk, take the occasional taxi and, if you like, a sunset sail on the Tagus. The car starts when the cities end.
Portugal in 7 days
Three versions we build again and again, each with a different mood.
Lisbon and the Alentejo. Three nights in Lisbon, on foot: a guided walk through the Baixa, Alfama and the viewpoints, Belém, an evening of fado, and a day to Sintra and the coast. Then four nights in the Alentejo, where the car comes in: Évora with its Roman temple and Chapel of Bones, Estremoz and its marble, the star-shaped fortress at Elvas, and Monsaraz above the great Alqueva lake. See Lisbon in 3 days and the Alentejo.
Porto, the Douro and a little more. Two nights in Porto on foot, two in the Douro Valley for the rabelo boats and a tasting at a quinta, and the rest for the north’s quieter highlights: Guimarães and Braga, the Paiva walkways in the Arouca hills, and Aveiro with its painted boats. Our Porto & the Douro in 7 days shows the pace.
Lisbon and the Algarve. Three nights in Lisbon, three on the coast, with Évora as a stop on the way south and a winery tasting if you wish. In the Algarve, stay in one place and let the coast come to you: Lagos and the cliffs of Ponta da Piedade, the Costa Vicentina, Silves and its red castle.
If you would rather give the week to one place, the islands reward it. Madeira in 7 days and São Miguel in 7 days are each built around a single base and a rental car, with the roadbook doing the planning. Not sure which? We wrote Madeira or the Azores for that choice.
Portugal in 10 days
The classic north: Lisbon, the Douro and Porto. This is the shape we build most often. Four nights in Lisbon, two in the Douro, three in Porto. The car comes in only for the stretch between the cities, so you never have to park it in Lisbon or Porto. The road north is half the pleasure, with a choice of stops on the way to the vineyards and another on the way out. Build it from Lisbon in 3 days and Porto & the Douro in 7 days.
The slow south: the Alentejo and the Algarve. A few nights in Évora, then an unhurried crossing: Monsaraz and the Alqueva lake, the Guadiana valley and the river town of Mértola, before arriving on the coast for a longer stay. Our Alentejo & the Algarve in 10 days follows this logic, with fortress villages on the Spanish border such as Marvão and Elvas, then the Costa Vicentina and the caves of Benagil. Read more on the Alentejo and the Algarve.
Both, with a little more time. Lisbon, the Douro, Porto and the Algarve can be done in twelve days without feeling like a relay, with the Algarve first and the car returned in Porto. In ten days we would not try it.
What the best itineraries have in common
- One long transfer day, never two in a row. The day you cross from one region to the next should have a clear start and few stops. We flag it in every roadbook, and leave the next morning free.
- A buffer day. One day with nothing booked, usually by the sea or in the vineyards, is what turns a good trip into a memorable one.
- The right order. Start in the city while jet lag fades, finish somewhere you can slow down.
- A guide where it counts. A half-day walk in Lisbon or Porto gives the context that a guidebook cannot, and the rest of the time you wander.
A few things we always check
Small details decide whether a day flows or frays. Here are three, and there are many more in the roadbook we prepare for each traveller.
- Belém on a Tuesday. The Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower close on Mondays. Plan around it.
- Sintra’s palaces are timed. Pena in particular uses timed entry, so book ahead and start early.
- Boat first, cliffs second. In the Algarve, see the caves of Benagil from the water one day and walk the cliffs above them the next, so you see the same coast from both sides.
How we plan it
Most of our travellers choose one of two ways to travel. Self-drive means a rental car, hotels we have chosen for each stop and our MLH roadbook in your hands: a day-by-day guide with the routes, the stops worth making and the ones to skip. Chauffeured means a driver and, where it adds something, a guide, for travellers who would rather watch the landscape than the road. Many trips mix the two: a driver and guide in the cities, a car for the countryside. The chauffeured version is a private tour of Portugal in the plainest sense, and the self-drive version is private in spirit: no coach, no group, and the pace is yours.
Whichever you pick, we handle the hotels, the reservations and a single point of contact in Portugal. The itinerary is yours to adjust, and we will rework it as many times as it takes.
Looking for the routes themselves? See our guide to Portugal by car.
When to go
The right month changes the itinerary. In late autumn the days are short, with sunset around five, so we put the driving in the morning and keep evenings for fado and long dinners. In September the Douro brings in its harvest and the Algarve sea is at its warmest. Our guide to the best time to visit Portugal covers every month, and the Douro in autumn explains why the harvest is a trip in itself.
Questions we’re often asked
Is 7 days enough for Portugal? Seven days is enough for a very good introduction to two places, not for the whole country. We suggest Lisbon plus the Alentejo or the Algarve, or Porto and the Douro, or a single island, and leaving the rest for a second visit.
How many days do I need in Lisbon? Three nights is the number we recommend: one for the city on foot, one for Sintra and the coast, one left open. Four is easy to fill if you like museums, Belém, the Parque das Nações or an evening on the river.
Do I need a car? Not in Lisbon or Porto, where a car is more of a burden than a help. For the Douro, the Alentejo, the Algarve and the islands it makes the journey far easier. That is why most of our itineraries are car-free in the cities and use a rental car or a driver only for the countryside.
Is it better to self-drive or to have a driver? Both work. Self-drive suits travellers who like their independence and are comfortable on country roads, and it comes with our roadbook. A driver and guide suit those who prefer to relax, taste wine freely and let someone else deal with the parking. We can arrange either, or mix them across the trip.
Can I see the Algarve and Porto in one trip of 7 days? We would not. They sit at opposite ends of the country, and you would spend much of the week in transit. Choose one, or lengthen the trip to around twelve days.
Where should I start, Lisbon or Porto? Most travellers start in Lisbon and finish in Porto, or the reverse, so they do not retrace their steps. We usually pick the airport pair that gives the cleanest route and returns the car where you finish.
What is the best time of year for a Portugal itinerary? Spring and early autumn are the most reliable for all regions together: warm, green or golden, and calmer than July and August. Our month-by-month guide covers every region.
Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and we will come back with a first route. If you would like to talk it through first, we are happy to arrange a call. Start a conversation.