Portugal 4 Day Itinerary (No Tourist Traps)
Four days adds Porto to the Lisbon-and-Sintra trip above, a genuine second city rather than a rushed day trip bolted onto the end. Euros throughout, and CP’s Alfa Pendular covers Lisbon to Porto in 2h35 to 3h15, book it ahead in summer when both the train and Sintra’s tickets get tight. Lisbon’s overtourism crush is real (crowded trams, a nightly tourist tax); Porto is calmer for now. Our 3-day skips Porto if that’s genuinely all the time you have; 5-day through 7-day add the Douro and the Algarve.
Book these before you go:
- Your Lisbon hotel : Alfama or Baixa keeps you walking distance from everything below
- A Sintra day tour with Pena Palace entry : the ticket on this trip that actually sells out first
- Jeronimos Monastery and Belem Tower tickets : both sell out same-day summer slots by mid-morning
- Your Porto hotel : the Ribeira side puts you a walk from Day 4 in full
| Day | Focus | Getting there | Rough daily cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alfama, the miradouros, Belem | Metro plus walking | EUR 60-90 |
| 2 | Baixa, Chiado, a fado dinner | On foot | EUR 50-80 |
| 3 | Sintra: Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira | CP train from Rossio, about 40 min | EUR 70-100 |
| 4 | Porto: the Ribeira, Livraria Lello | CP Alfa Pendular, 2h35-3h15 | EUR 60-90 |
Day 1: Alfama, the miradouros, and Belem
Land at Humberto Delgado Airport and take the metro’s red line into the centre, 20 to 30 minutes for under EUR 2 a ride; a taxi runs roughly EUR 15-20. Spend the morning in Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest district, which survived the 1755 earthquake intact because it sits on solid bedrock while most of the rest of the city didn’t. Ride Tram 28 once, early or late, never at midday, it’s a genuinely useful route and also a documented pickpocket line during the tourist crush.
In the afternoon, head 6km west to Belem for the Jeronimos Monastery (around EUR 18) and the Belem Tower (about EUR 8). Ignore anyone who tells you Sunday morning is free: that window is for Portuguese residents with a citizen card, not for a visitor on a passport. Finish at Pasteis de Belem, the only bakery legally allowed to call its custard tart a “pastel de Belem.”
Day 2: Baixa, Chiado, and an honest fado dinner
Baixa is the grid rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake; walk it in the morning before the heat and the tour groups arrive. Chiado’s cafes and bookshops fill the early afternoon well. Skip the fado houses sitting directly on Alfama’s main tourist lane; the better rooms charge a modest cover instead of running a free show for a captive audience.
Day 3: Sintra, on Pena Palace’s schedule, not yours
The train from Lisbon’s Rossio station runs every 20 minutes and takes about 40 minutes; fare is around EUR 2.30 each way. Pena Palace’s interior now requires a pre-booked, timed online ticket (EUR 20 combined with the park, EUR 14 park-only), booked directly through parquesdesintra.pt rather than a reseller.
Is Pena Palace worth the timed ticket and the crowds?
Yes, but only if you take the first slot of the day. The palace is one of the single most bottlenecked sights in the country, and arriving at opening, ahead of the tour buses, turns a miserable midday queue into a genuinely worthwhile hour. Quinta da Regaleira, a short walk away, deserves a separate hour for its Initiation Well (around EUR 15, regaleira.byblueticket.pt ); return to Lisbon by early evening.
Day 4: Porto, on the fast train
The Alfa Pendular runs Lisbon to Porto in 2h35 to 3h15 with 15 to 19 direct departures a day; book ahead in summer, prices climb as the date nears. Spend the day on the Ribeira waterfront, then Livraria Lello on Rua das Carmelitas, a paid, timed-voucher entry now (Silver around EUR 8-10, Gold around EUR 15.90-15.95, both credited toward an in-store book purchase; the shop’s own ticket page explains the system).
Is Livraria Lello worth the entry fee?
Only if you’re buying a book anyway, or you genuinely love an ornate staircase. The paid voucher is credited toward an in-store book purchase, so it isn’t pure cover charge, but the shop itself takes fifteen minutes to see properly. Spend the rest of the Porto afternoon on the Ribeira waterfront instead; that’s the better use of the day.
Lisbon or Porto: which city actually wins?
Porto, if you only get one. It’s smaller, cheaper, and calmer than Lisbon, with a genuinely comparable riverfront and easier same-day access to the Douro Valley than Lisbon has to any comparable wine region. Lisbon wins on sheer scale of things to do; Porto wins on not fighting a crowd for most of them.
Before you go
Portugal runs on the euro, and the language is Portuguese, not Spanish. Lisbon’s municipal tourist tax runs about EUR 4 per person per night, usually already folded into the hotel quote. Check current Alfa Pendular schedules before locking in a tight schedule, and confirm current opening hours on visitportugal.com before you go.