4 Days in Lisbon and Beyond
A lot of itineraries send you to Sintra and Cascais in one afternoon by train, and it does not work the way they describe. Rossio station handles the Sintra line and Cais do Sodre handles the Cascais line, and there’s no track connecting the two, so you can’t ride to Sintra and simply change trains onward to the coast. This version gives each its own day. For the city on its own, without any of this, see our Lisbon guide ; for a shorter version, our 2-day itinerary forces a single choice instead of three.
Book these before you go:
- A Baixa or Chiado hotel : close to both Rossio and Cais do Sodre
- Pena Palace timed entry : book at least a week ahead June-October
- A guided Sintra and Cascais combo tour : the one legitimate way to see both in a single day
- A Lisbon food tour : for the evening you’re back in the city
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Lisbon, compressed: Chiado, Baixa, Alfama |
| 2 | Sintra, its own full day |
| 3 | Cascais |
| 4 | Obidos half-day, or a slow morning and departure |
Day 1: Chiado, Baixa and Alfama
Stay in Chiado or Baixa for walkable access to everything without relying on the metro for short hops. Ride Tram 28 for the classic hill-climbing route through the old neighbourhoods, but go early, by mid-morning it’s standing room only and the city’s worst pickpocket run. Walk up to Se Cathedral and into Alfama’s tangle of lanes; the district survived the 1755 earthquake better than the rest of the city because its bedrock held, which is why its streets still wind the way medieval Lisbon actually looked, unlike the grid the Baixa got afterward.
Skip Belem on a four-day trip built around day trips like this one, it’s a genuinely separate district with timed-entry queues on both monuments, better saved for a longer visit or our full Lisbon guide . For dinner, a Fado performance in one of Alfama’s small taverns beats a staged tourist dinner show, the singers are working musicians, not actors, and the rooms are small enough that you feel it.
Day 2: Sintra, Its Own Full Day
Take the train from Rossio, about 40 minutes, 2.45 EUR one way, and go straight for Pena Palace’s timed entry through the official Sintra parks site before anything else, book online at least a week ahead if you’re travelling June through October, walk-up tickets in peak season are a gamble you’ll lose. Expect 20 EUR for palace-and-park combined, 14 EUR for park-only. Bus 434 covers the station-to-gate stretch, 4.10 EUR one way, 7.10 EUR round trip, or an unlimited day pass at 13.50 EUR, roughly double the stale ~6.90 EUR figure some guides still quote.
Can you add a second Sintra site in the same day? One, comfortably. The Moorish Castle walls or Quinta da Regaleira’s underground initiation well round out a full day; trying for both plus the palace means rushing all three and enjoying none of them properly.
Day 3: Cascais
The Cais do Sodre train gets you there in about 40 minutes along the coastline, roughly 2.25-2.45 EUR each way on a Zapping-loaded Navegante card. Walk the promenade to Boca do Inferno, timing your visit within two hours of high tide for the dramatic spray rather than quiet rocks, and grab lunch at a seafront restaurant that’s noticeably more relaxed and often better value than anything near Sintra’s palace gates.
Day 4: Obidos, or a Slow Morning Home
If your flight is in the afternoon, a half-day in Obidos is possible: the Rodotejo express bus from Campo Grande station, about an hour, roughly 9.45 EUR each way, no return fare sold so buy two singles. Skip the direct train, it’s a slow, three-times-a-day service that drops you a 20-minute walk from town. If your flight is earlier, use the morning to revisit anything missed on day one instead, Belem and Alfama both reward a slower second pass more than a rushed new destination on your last morning.
Things to Know
The Lisboa Card covers public transport and free entry to 50-plus sights, worth it if you’re hitting three or more paid attractions a day; it doesn’t make sense on a trip this focused on day trips outside the city. Trams and funiculars are charming but slow; for point-to-point travel, the metro’s faster. Keep your bag zipped and in front of you on Tram 28 and in any crowded station, that’s where the pickpocketing actually happens.