Another Portugal Thread

[westwoodmom04]

We're heading to Portugal mid-summer and I am hoping that some of your Portugal experts can help me finish itinerary. We will be there eight days. As of now, we are spending the first two days/two nights in Lisbon at a great airbnb in Chiado and then driving down to the Alvalade to stay in a resort for three days and nights. We will then be returning to the Lisbon area to see Sintra and fly out of Lisbon. This will probably be a day and a half but two nights. I know it will be super hot as it will be late July and crowded. Do we return to Lisbon and stay in a hotel with a pool, and train out to Sintra on our last full day? Or do we bypass the city and stay on the Estoril coast, and get a car service to Sintra (looks to be about 15 minutes drive) to have both beach and pool available? It seems if we do the latter, there is a point where we maybe better dropping off the rental car and taking the train to avoid the Lisbon traffic (this will be a Friday), but I'm not sure where that switch should occur. For that matter, from what I am reading, it sounds like the rental car should be picked up on the outskirts of the city as well to avoid having to deal with city driving. Would love all thoughts.

[marinkitty]

Since you will already have spent a couple of nights in Lisbon I'd stay out closer to Sintra or in Sintra proper. If you want to be on the coast, then look at Cascais, or at places near Praia da Ursa or Azenhas do Mar. It will give you a totally different flavor and you'll potentially have more time to explore in Sintra if you stay in town. The Tivoli there is nice.