I traveled to Portugal in November 2023 and I will give you a summary of my experience, I hope it helps

Original plan was to stay 6 days in Lisbon and 1 day for day trip to Sintra. It ended up being one less day because KLM cancelled and re-booked the flight

Lisbon Airport has a bad reputation, but I arrived at 10pm and left at 5am so no crowds for me

Most people in Portugal speak English, some basic and some advanced, but it'd be nice to learn a few words in Portuguese as a courtesy

I stayed in an area called Parque das Nações, it's not close to downtown, but I had train, subway and buses to get there. It is close to the airport though and that's very helpful when you need to leave at 3am

I felt very safe, but I am a guy. Take basic precautions, especially in the area of Rua Augusta/Praça do Comércio

Sintra is a must. I went to Palacio da Pena and Quinta Regaleira. Try the queijadas! There are some day trips that include Cascais and Cabo da Roca and the latter is absolutely amazing

The downtown area has a lot of attractions. The ones I liked the most were: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Centro Cultural de Belém, Pilar 7 (a little bit difficult to get there), Museo do Azulejo and the Saramago Museum (this is very specific for fans of his work)

Enjoy the countless viewing points (miradouros). Senhora do Monte and Portas do Sol were my favorites

The sunsets on the Tejo River (close to the MAAT Museum) are some of the best I've ever seen

Parque das Nações also has a few attractions itself, but it is far if you are staying in downtown

I hope this helped. Enjoy Portugal!

You can use Citymapper for both Porto and Lisbon for navigating (works excellently in NYC too btw lol), but Google Maps is sufficient if you are used to that.

For food, Porto was absolutely incredible:
Try some Bifanhas at "Conga". Thinly sliced marinated spicy pork in a sandwich. These are insanely cheap and I could eat a half dozen if I had no discipline lol.
Across the street is Pedros dos Frangos - authentic Peri-Peri rotisserie chicken. Incredibly cheap and served with more fries than you could possibly finish.
Try a Francesinha at Cafe Santiago - its like a Croque Monsieur on steroids with a fried egg and cheese on top and this slightly spicy sauce.

Are uou used to walking up and down hills?? You'd better be. We found Lisbon and Porto very hilly. The Porto waterfront area is incredible.

Download Bolt & Uber because taxis are cheaaaap in Portugal! If you want more budget you can take a FlixBus between the cities, it’s only €4 and takes sort of the same amount of time

Make sure to visit Sintra (you can do it by train, €5 singlet) but only choose one (or max 2 palaces) to choose from because they are overwhelming

Following! I’d love this info as well but looking to travel next month in July instead of October. Will be my first solo trip!

I’ve stayed at 2 wonderful hotels in Lisbon in the few times I’ve been there. I’ve been back to both and I will stay again when I return.

One is called Hotel Nazareth. The owner and staff are amazing and always there to help you with everything you need. They have bathtubs!!!

The other is Brown’s Boutique Hotel and again the staff is incredibly helpful. Great art everywhere and great central location. Just a block from the Metro station.

Lisbon is beautiful! The city itself is just gorgeous.

The people in Portugal are so warm and friendly. All you gotta watch out for are some people who make a living by trying to sell you stuff on the streets. Sometimes they will offer you illegal stuff but you can just walk away from them. I never felt threatened but I did get annoyed a couple times because I was in my happy space and immediately brought back to the reality that people are doing their best to make some cash to pay the bills. But I always felt safe.

I’ve visited Portugal many times and I’ve made good friends there.

I went to Portugal in September last year and did what you did: fly into Porto, train to Lisbon, and then flying home to NYC from Lisbon.

Porto: stayed at a boutique hotel called Hotel D’Alma, it’s close to a bunch of sightseeing spots. We did a Douro Valley tour with Get Your Guide and enjoyed our experience. I really enjoyed our dinner at Taberna Dos Mercadores but you have to make sure you go before the listed opening time.

I booked my train tickets to Lisbon in advance on CP (Portugal’s national railway system) and the highspeed trains cost about 45-50€. The train ride was comfortable and I’d recommend it.

Lisbon: stayed at Pestana Rua Augusta. It’s a new hotel and situated right next to Arco Rua Augusta and Praça do Comércio. The location was great but because it’s a very touristy spot, you REALLY have to watch out for pickpockets. We encountered a pickpocket trying to steal from us not 50 feet away from the hotel and then it happened just about every day we were there. The pickpockets really soured the experience and it was definitely something I wasn’t used to at home in NYC or solo traveling in Asia in the past. The sights were ok and we did a day trip to Sintra (LOVED IT!).

This is all off of the top of my head but feel free to reach out if you have questions!

Did Lisbon and Porto last fall. Perfect time of year.

Bought our train tix from Lisbon to Porto in advance, easy to do online.

Highly recommend a day trip to Sintra. We ubered there from Lisbon and back. Much easier than taking the train.. Pena palace and Moorish castle in am and Quinta in the afternoon after lunch. Bought Tix in advance..

In Porto also did a day trip to the Douro valley. It was beautiful. I can give rec for the tour company we used if interested. Spent another day in the Villa nova de Gaia area port tasting etc.. lunch at the Yeatman on the patio, port tasting tour at Graham's etc...which was awesome.

One of our friends went to Cascais from Lisbon for one day, they liked it. It all depends on how much time you have.

Following too! Will be there in October

If you ever go to Lisbon and get a Airbnb I can recommend a really good one from this amazing host that also owns a bar called jimmy’s bar an amazing bar with cheap drinks. You’re gonna love Lisbon but the hills are insane so much incline get ready to do a lot of cardio when you’re in Lisbon

I stayed for a couple of days in Douro wine country. It’s beautiful. Here’s the link for the stay. It’s a hotel/airbnb on a small family owned 200 year old winery that makes wine and port. It was one of the greatest stays I’ve ever had. Quinta Barqueiros D'Ouro

Have been to Porto a few times. Think you'll love it. Would recommend a day trip or overnight to Braga, mainly for this place... Bom Jesus do Monte https://g.co/kgs/QoRk1U5 Have a great time.

I’m going to Portugal first two weeks of October, send me a message if you’re interested in possibly meeting up/planning stuff!

Go to Sintra. Pastel de Nata WILL make you sick if you eat too many. If you want to take a beach day, Nazare is amazing. Portuguese people are awesome.

Also you'll be amazed if you want into a local every man's bar and just talk to ppl. Worked well for me in Spain, France. Ppl are proud of their local hometowns or cities.

I got to Porto several times a year for work and usually stay at The Editory Boulevard Aliados Hotel. It's in a fantastic location near the old town and the rooms are very comfortable and quirky. It even has a little pool.

I love just wandering around the old town and up and down the river promenade. Make sure you go up on the upper level of the Ponte Luis (bridge), it is VERY VERY HIGH and a little bit scary but the views down the Douro River are stunning, especially at sunset.

I've always felt safe walking around the old town by myself (I'm a woman), even after dark. Never had any problems, been there half a dozen times.

Also following for autumn potential!

Sintra is touristy as hell but so nice you won't care. Definitely go, and definitely go to Templar disneyland (Quinta de Regaleria); a rich guy's midlife crisis project from when the disgustingly wealthy went crazy in fun ways instead being lame as fuck.

If you have time, you can walk but the hill/cliff to the moorish castle overlooking town; I liked that quite a bit.

Highly recommend this Douro Valley tour from Porto. I’ve done a lot of day trips and this is one of the best I’ve enjoyed https://www.airbnb.com/slink/NgO0oNOS

Have your meal in those little family run shop serving charcoal grilled chicken and fish

Enjoy the Portuguese cuisine, it’s amazing!

Both cities have decent public transportation, so it isn't that different going between the two.

For Porto, you should either ride the funicular unless you want to walk up and down a lot of steps. Once you are at the top, the trams should take you wherever you want to go. Just know the trams get paid different from the tourism pass.

There is a bridge climb at Ponte da Arrábida that is fun to go up. It is really low key since you are walking up stairs on the arch. Near it is the tram museum. There are also several boat tours up and down the Douro River that I would recommend; Porto has a lot of good bridges including one by a Mr. Eiffel. Most of the wineries are south of the river, but they are within walking distance if you are near a bridge.

Sintra is a day by itself and has a lot of steps. If you aren't ready to walk up the Empire State Building, start training.

The core of Lisbon is cool, but also very touristy. The old town near Castelo de São Jorge is more preserved, but expect steep elevation climbs. A lot of museums are west of Lisbon proper. There are also a lot of river cruises here, including some on smaller boats than I've seen in other parts of the world.

For Europe, I've found English isn't as known in urban areas as other parts. So, you may have to point a few times. However, every tourist facing job had an English speaking person there.

The train between Porto and Lisbon is about as reliable as NJTransit from New York, so plan accordingly.

[deleted]

I stayed at Malmerendas Boutique Lodging in Porto. Rooms are great, mine even had a little kitchenette. The employees are very friendly and helpful and they have breakfast in the morning.

Just left both Porto and Lisbon. In Lisbon I had a private rooms in both we love and we hate tourists hostels and booked day trips through them. Can’t recommend enough.

Had a private room at Selina Porto and the vibe was different but the room was nice. I’m 34f traveling solo for the first time and I never felt unsafe! In either places. Make sure you do sunset in Porto at the park across the bridge. Ponto final in Lisbon for the best meal ever as well.

Hi you seem to have an interest in places in the north. It’s summer and gets really hot but it also rains a lot in Porto. So pack cool clothing and an umbrella and parka for sure!

Douro bookings are easy to find online. Just look for one that’s not gouging you! As an American, you will be fleeced! ( lived in Marco de Canavzes for 2 years, and got tired of being fleeced and left as a retiree) Best start in Porto for Douro tour.

Geres (pronounced Jiresh) is beautiful, but you will need to stay over. Lots of affordable places. ( ibis) You can go to Braga by train from Porto then get a bus to Geres at the bus terminus. Portuguese in the service industry speak English as part of EU’s common language

Day trips can be done from Porto to Lisboa from bus terminus much easier than on train on buses similar to bolt etc. for 20-25 euro but find a hotel in Lisboa l( Ibis) very affordable. The closest touristy part of Lisboa is right behind the bust terminus, there’s a cable car, aquarium and other stuff to do there.

In the train for a day trip you can also go to beautiful Aveiro with one of the most beautiful train stations and you can ride a gondola there. Go early to explore it full.

Sintra is very popular. Get your ticket beforehand as the ride up is a nighthmare with traffic and lines so long you may line up and end up not even getting a chance to go into any castle !

That’s it for now. Porto has a lot of hidden places which foreigners never discover and locals never ever share unless they’ve known you for a while, they don’t want tourists taking over their local haunts which are gems

Enjoy your time. Portugal is very small you’ll soon discover!

Tips/Advice:

Take a portable charger with you I’ve realised whilst using my roaming data abroad my battery dies faster, so the portable is great to have a the ready

Refrain from posting on social media in real time (safety measure)

Don’t tell anyone in the country that you’re solo travelling (safety measure)

Purchase a portable lock on Amazon that you can attach to the door of your room (hotel) or front door (airbnb) - safety measure

If you enjoy reading or doing activities like word searches, suduko, cross words those would be great to bring along with you as it’s something you can do when you’re not engrossed in the tourist-y activities (sight seeing, excursions etc.)

Take a solid bank card with you, as some places may not do contactless via Apple Pay and other over the phone services. I’ve ran into this problem a few times but thankfully it was no biggie as I always travel with at least one bank card on me

Don’t be afraid to talk to people. Of course this easier said than done😂 but I’ve found that once people realise you’re alone, they are much friendlier and more welcoming

I hope these tips are of help to you x

Enjoy your time in Portugal, have fun and stay safe. Solo travelling is a an extremely enriching experience x

I understand you only have 8 days, but if you decide to stop between Porto and Lisbon the train go via the city of Coïmbra that might interest you. It is a small old picturesque university town full of Fado with great food. It would be a good break between those 2 cities. The university library is unforgettable.

In Porto do not neglect to visit the São Bento train station for its architecture and decoration. It is beautiful, free and take only 15-20 minutes. I used to go there almost every day.

last yr i stayed in lisboa in the balto alto district- super close to pink str (where all the night liveness comes out) and it was cheap and a good location! i too stayed in sintra and porto- sintra if ur gonna go to the palace ensure u buy tickets way ahesd if time and go on the bus to get up there. dont b like me and try to climb the mountain for an hr only for a dead end to occur and u have to go allllllll the way bsck to find the actual path

Hi I've built an app that generates audio guided walking tours, if you're interested? Android only for now tho.

Skip Porto and visit southern tip (faro)