7 Days in Lisbon and Porto: A Day-by-Day Itinerary

The train is the best choice for most visitors: it runs centre to centre, has assigned seats and takes under three hours. Bus and flight are back-ups.

CP, Comboios de Portugal, operates both the Alfa Pendular and the Intercidades. Most Lisbon departures call at Oriente, and most Porto services use Campanhã station, not the famous São Bento; an urban train covers the roughly 2 km between them and is included in your ticket. Seat61 lists a 14:00 departure from Lisbon Santa Apolónia reaching Porto Campanhã at 16:48 on a timetable valid from 14 December 2025 to 12 December 2026. Fares vary a lot with how early you book: Seat61 lists advance second-class seats from about €9.50, and full fares are several times that.

Day 1: Baixa, Chiado and a first sunset

Land, drop your bags and walk: Baixa is flat, the kind way to start after a flight. Our Lisbon airport arrival guide covers the first hour, and our Portugal entry requirements page covers passports and the new border checks if you are travelling from outside the EU.

1. Afternoon. Walk from Rossio to Praça do Comércio, then through the Rua Augusta Arch to the river. It is flat and takes about an hour with stops.
2. Late afternoon. Climb through Chiado towards Bairro Alto. With the funiculars closed, this is a real hill, so go slowly.
3. Sunset. Watch from the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, with the castle across the valley. Sunset is around 17:45 just after the clocks change on 25 October and as early as 17:14 around 7 December (sunrise-sunset.org), so arrive 30 to 45 minutes before.
4. Evening. A simple dinner in Baixa and an early night.

Day 2: Alfama, the castle and fado

Be at Castelo de São Jorge when it opens at 09:00. It closes at 21:00 until 31 October and at 18:00 from 1 November, with last entry 30 minutes earlier. It closes on 1 January, 1 May and 24, 25 and 31 December, and the on-site museum was temporarily closed for works when we checked (official schedule). Allow about an hour and a half.

1. Morning. Walk down through Alfama to the Sé cathedral, stopping at the Miradouro de Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol.
2. Late afternoon. Walk or ride up to Graça for the view. Our list of the best viewpoints in Lisbon has more.
3. Evening. Dinner with live fado in Alfama or Bairro Alto. The rooms are small, so reserve, and stay quiet when the singer starts.

Day 3: Sintra, Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira

Take an early train from Rossio to Sintra. It takes about 40 minutes and runs roughly every 15 to 20 minutes, so an 08:30 departure gets you there in time to catch the first slots. From the station, the 434 bus loops up to the Moorish Castle and Pena Palace.

Pena and the park are the main event. Spend the afternoon at Quinta da Regaleira or simply in the old town, then take the train back for dinner. Pena Palace times come from Parques de Sintra (checked October 2026), and the Regaleira ticket rules from the Regaleira website.

Day 5: the old town on foot

Porto’s old town is compact but steep. Start at São Bento station, whose entrance hall has about 20,000 blue and white tiles by Jorge Colaço (1905 to 1916, per Wikipedia), then climb to the Sé cathedral for a view over the roofs and the river. Our guide to the best photo spots in Porto has a route.

Walk down to Livraria Lello and Torre dos Clérigos (hours from the Lello and Clérigos official sites), then past the tiled Igreja do Carmo to the Mercado do Bolhão for lunch. Finish by walking down to the Ribeira at golden hour, and cross the lower deck of the Dom Luís I Bridge on foot.

Day 6: Gaia, the port lodges and the Palácio da Bolsa

Cross the bridge to Vila Nova de Gaia, where the port wine lodges line the river. Book a cellar tour and tasting for late morning, because the popular ones sell out in busy months, then take the Gaia cable car back up to the bridge level if it is running. In the afternoon, visit the Palácio da Bolsa, the old stock exchange, which you see on a guided tour; check the official site for tour times and book ahead.

Spend the early evening beside the river. The old rabelo boats that once carried port barrels are moored there, and Gaia’s quay gives the classic view back across to the Ribeira. Our upcoming guide to sunset spots in Porto will give the best time for each month.

Day 7: the Douro Valley or Foz do Douro, then home

If you leave in the evening or can stay one more night, take a full-day Douro Valley trip. Organised tours with hotel pick-up are the simplest and normally combine a vineyard visit, lunch and a river cruise. CP also runs the Douro line from São Bento to Pocinho, but works and replacement buses have affected it in 2026, so check the CP notices first.

If you fly in the morning or at lunchtime, stay in Porto. Ride the historic tram 1 from Infante along the river to Foz do Douro, where the Douro meets the Atlantic, and walk to the Felgueiras lighthouse on the sea wall (waves can be dangerous in rough weather). Check the current times with STCP, the operator, before you go.

• Comfortable flat shoes. Lisbon and Porto are paved with polished stone, and both are hilly. Leave the heels for the evening.
• Layers and a light waterproof. Evenings are cooler, and rain is possible in any season.
• One small bag per person. You change hotels once and take a train, so pack light.
• A contactless card and offline maps. Contactless works on Carris buses, trams and lifts. If you are from outside the EU, read our guide to mobile data in Portugal.

On day 4, you can leave bags at the Lisbon hotel after check-out and collect them before the train. In Porto, ask your hotel to hold bags on day 7 if you take the Douro trip. Our guide to changing money in Portugal covers cash.