Portugal

[sara8]

I was just curious what everyone's favorite place in Portugal was to visit and what the appeal was.

Im thinking that I would like to include it into my itinerary, but I'm not sure if I prefer Lisbon, Lagos or possibly Faro. Lisbon seems to me as though there is a lot to see, while, from what I've read about Lagos, it seems like it is a bit more of a tourist resort, although it may be nice to add in a bit more beach time. Faro is another place I would possibly consider, and seems to me like it might be a bit of a mix between Lisbon and Lagos, to a certain degree.

If you could let me know what you think about any or all of these places, that would be great. Thanks!

[me]

Lisbon is a beautiful city! there's much to see there. but, Lagos is also a delight. it's a tourist town, so the locals are more friendly to tourists [they know where the next meal is coming from].

Faro was a stop between Lagos & Seville for me (so i wouldn't have to be up & at the bus station before 7.00am). there's an international airport in Faro, and lots of ex-pats live there. but, it was more of a sleepy beach town.

i would discourage you from spending much time in Faro.

Lagos and, especially, Lisbon are livelier places. Lagos has the advantage of being a smaller, more tourist oriented, place than Lisbon. but, Lisbon has many of the elements of having been capitol of one of history's greatest seaborne empires. [there goes david, talkin' about history again!]

- d

sara8 said:

Im thinking that I would like to include it into my itinerary, but I'm not sure if I prefer Lisbon, Lagos or possibly Faro. Lisbon seems to me as though there is a lot to see, while, from what I've read about Lagos, it seems like it is a bit more of a tourist resort, although it may be nice to add in a bit more beach time. Faro is another place I would possibly consider, and seems to me like it might be a bit of a mix between Lisbon and Lagos, to a certain degree.

If you could let me know what you think about any or all of these places, that would be great. Thanks!

[Kim]

I liked Lisbon, really enjoyed Lagos but thought Faro was unbearably hot and dull.

[sara8]

Thanks Kim and David!

If I can fit it in, I think I may try to do 2 days in both Lisbon and Lagos.

[me]

Sara,

if you want to do Seville, Lagos *&* Lisbon, then i would not suggest flying into Faro. you could fly Ryanair to Seville from London Stansted for as little as £5.50, £15.18 w/ Taxes, Fees & Charges. see Seville 1st, coach (bus) to Lagos, then rail or coach to Lisbon.

there's a night train from Lisbon to Madrid. continue on the same as i suggested before.

- d

[sara8]

I was actually considering going from London to Paris, Paris to Madrid (night train), Madrid- Lisbon, Lisbon-Lagos, Lagos- Seville, Seville- Barcelona (via Madrid).

Does this sound like it may be a little overwhelming?

Also, the Ryanair Flight corresponding to my dates may be a bit more than what I want to spend.

[me]

sara8 said:

I was actually considering going from London to Paris, Paris to Madrid (night train), Madrid- Lisbon, Lisbon-Lagos, Lagos- Seville, Seville- Barcelona (via Madrid).

i would think that'd work, too. hints: there's a night train from Madrid - Lisbon. if there's anyway to do so, try to get on a Portugese sleeper car. in 2nd class, there are beds for just 4 & there's a sink in the compartment!

got a Portugese sleeper going Lisbon - Madrid and only 3 were in this compartment built for 4, but Spanish cars for Madrid - Barcelona and back all had 6 passengers in each compartment.

also, the train doesn't cross the border between Lagos & Seville. one can take a train to the border, ride a bus over the border & get on a different train on the other side. i just took the coach (bus) the whole way from Lagos to Seville.

there are also coaches (buses) from Lisbon to Lagos. this is what i should have done 2 years ago, but was in the "this is Europe, i ride the train in Europe" mode.

as a result, i spent hours at a station south of the Tagus river in Lisbon waiting for the next train. i'd just missed one due to a missed ferry ride. what's worse, at first there was no one in the waiting room with whom i could speak - big language barrier. after a few hours, a german came in waiting for the same train. i was able to practice my german.

[sara8]

me said:

as a result, i spent hours at a station south of the Tagus river in Lisbon waiting for the next train. i'd just missed one due to a missed ferry ride. what's worse, at first there was no one in the waiting room with whom i could speak - big language barrier. after a few hours, a german came in waiting for the same train. i was able to practice my german.

Oops, I should probably have mentioned that I had already discovered that there were no trains available, and was planning on looking into the bus route for Lagos to Seville.

And now, after hearing your story, I 'll definitely look into taking a bus from Lisbon to Lagos!

[me]

sara8 said:

Oops, I should probably have mentioned that I had already discovered that there were no trains available, and was planning on looking into the bus route for Lagos to Seville.

the coach line i used Lagos to Seville had 2 buses/day. a morning run, and an afternoon. the morning run left Lagos at 6.30. the afternoon run didn't get to Seville until 20.15, after dark in early April. neither of which had much appeal.

so, i took the afternoon bus to Faro, and the morning bus from Faro to Seville, at 08.20. i'd expected to get to Lagos early enough to explore more. due to the missed train, i didn't. i'm rather disappointed that i had so little time in Lagos. [Faro really can't compare at all!]

this is the bus company i used: www.eva-bus.net they also offer bus rides from Lisbon to Lagos. or, maybe the train connections have improved in the meantime?

[LHR02]

Just saw this thread. I very recently spent 3 weeks in Portugal, from a planned 7 days. I urge you to investigate Porto in the north. One terrific city easily worth 2 or 3 days. Also, if you plan on Lisbon, do NOT even think about leaving there without allowing a full day to visit Sintra, a 35 minute 'local' train ride away! Anywhere in the Algarve is nice, and 100% TOURIST! It is what a British seaside town would look like could they move one to a warmer climate. That said, off season at least it is dirt cheap, and even in season still a good value. If you want beach, food, rest and fun it is likely your wallet's best bet in Europe. If you want authentic culture and cusine.....well, German and Brit is what you will find here. The north and center of Portugal is for that. Nearly everyone speaks at least some English and are without doubt the friendliest people I ever encountered in Europe. Learn to say nothing more than hello and thank you and they will launch into a language lesson at your every attempt. Can I say again.....Porto is an off the track gem worth a few days of your time!

ging

Oh! Transport....unless going between Porto-Lisbon-Faro forget the trains!!! Really, forget them! Slow, seldom, and inconvienant. Even with a rail pass which I had, it was way more time friendly and easy to take a bus. They are cheap, frequent, and get you there much faster than the train! Same holds true for Spain.

[sara8]

Thanks so much! That really helps me out and I'll take all of it into consideration!

[MuvverRussia]

dustoffmom said:

Anywhere in the Algarve is nice, and 100% TOURIST! It is what a British seaside town would look like could they move one to a warmer climate.

I wouldn't say it's that bad. Sure, some parts are a bit too touristy (especially around Albufeira), but they're nowhere near as bad as the tourist resorts in Spain (think Benidorm, Magaluf etc).

Places like Lagos are 'relatively' unspoilt. Of course, they respond to the local market conditions (who wouldn't?), but it still has it's old town charm, there aren't many (if any) real high rise places etc.