In this post, I am going to share 3 day trips from Lisbon, Portugal. The 3 destinations are Cascais, Sintra and Cabo da Roca.
If you are spending about a week in Lisbon, you're probably going to have time for 3 day trips. In my opinion, anymore than that will be too much. The city of Lisbon has so much to offer. You want to make sure you give yourself time to stick around and explore.
These are the best day trips from Lisbon! Here we go...
Day trip from Lisbon #1 - Cascais
First of all, Michael and I were shocked by how much we loved Cascais. We assumed it would be a nice beach town, but we didn't expect to feel the way we did!
This coastal town is filled with vibrant colors, music, restaurants, caves and gorgeous views of the ocean. There are plenty of areas to swim, lay out and just gaze at the blue water.
How to get to Cascais from Lisbon?
We took the train from Cais do Sodré station in Lisbon. It was about a 40 minute ride and cost around 2ish euro. This is the most cost effective option.
What to do?
If you want to see a real scenic spot in Cascais, don't miss Boca do Inferno. Then, continue to walk along Avenida Rei Humberto II de Itália for amazing views.
We both wore our bathing suits with clothes over so we could sit by the water and take some sun. I recommend doing this if you're going to visit during the warmer months.
Also, we spent time just walking around and staring at the huge houses next to the water. We both agreed that this town reminded us of Lanikai in Hawaii. It had the same vibe with beautiful homes near the ocean.
What to eat?
Of course, we got hungry while we were there. We decided to get lunch. It happened to be one of our favorite meals during our trip. The restaurant had such good energy. They were playing early 2000s music and everyone was enjoying a drink with their lunch. The restaurant is called Taberna Clandestina. Make sure you get the octopus!
2. Day trip from Lisbon #2 - Sintra
I would describe Sintra as the real Disneyland. When you arrive, you feel like you're in some type of fairytale. You're surrounded by mountains, beautiful castles and palaces. Make sure you bring a jacket. It's cooler there because of the elevation and breeze.
How to get to Sintra from Lisbon?
We took the train from Rossio Train Station in Lisbon. It was about a 40 minute ride and cost around 2ish euro. Again, this is the most cost effective option.
What to do?
Most importantly, I do not recommend visiting Sintra without booking a tour. There are a lot of things to see there and it would be so confusing without a guide or a plan. You can do multiple trips to Sintra because there is so much to see. If you have time, you can even spend a night there.
You probably won't be able to see everything in one day so it's important to pick a tour that highlights the things you're interested in. We absolutely loved the tour that we booked. We booked Sintra Historical Jeep Adventure on airbnb. This is a 7 hour tour that costs around $75 per person.
The tour includes Historical Center/National Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, Seteais Palace, Monserrate Palace, Cabo da Roca, lunch at a local restaurant, Moorish Castle, Pena Palace and a wine tasting. You don't thoroughly explore all of the places. Some of the places you just pass by and do not actually go inside. As I said, there isn't time to see everything.
One of the most unique things about this tour is that it's on a Jeep and you go off-roading during the tour. It was awesome!
What to eat?
The tour included a lunch stop at a local restaurant called Beira Rio. It was absolutely delicious! It was about $25 extra per person for the lunch. It was a sit down meal with appetizers, an entree, dessert, drinks and coffee. Make sure to try the sardines for an entree. Finish the meal with Travesseiros de Sintra and Queijadas de Sintra.
3. Day trip from Lisbon #3 - Cabo da Roca
You might have noticed that Cabo da Roca was included in the tour we did. I'm adding it as a separate day trip because if you don't do the tour we did, I don't want you to miss it!
Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point of Europe. It's like you're standing at the edge of Europe. I think that's pretty cool and worth a visit. It's also so beautiful and free!
How to get to Cabo da Roca from Lisbon?
First, take the train from Rossio Train Station in Lisbon which is about a 40 minute ride and cost around 2ish euro. Then, there is a local bus that runs from the Sintra train station with the numbers 1253. A one way ticket costs just under 3 euro. This is yet again the most cost effective option. Do you see a trend here? 😉
What to do?
Take in the breathtaking view in front of you and try not to get blown over LOL.
You can also hike the Praia da Ursa Trail if you'd like. I wish we had the chance to. Since we didn't personally do the hike, I don't have information to share with you. Check out THIS post all about it!
What to eat?
Lastly, we didn't eat near Cabo da Roca so I don't have any recommendations.
I hope that these 3 day trips from Lisbon by train help you plan your next trip to Lisbon!
FAQs:
I believe 3-4 days are enough to travel in Lisbon. If you have a week in Lisbon, that will give you a few extra days for day trips like Cascais, Sintra and Cabo da Roca.
Sintra is the most popular day trip from Lisbon. I'm not surprised by this answer. There is so much to see like Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, Seteais Palace, Monserrate Palace and more!
Finally, I want to end by answering the question.... What if I can only do 1 day trip?
I will answer with one word... Sintra. It's popular for a reason. 🙂
If you have time for more than a day trip from Lisbon, head to São Miguel which is only a short flight from Lisbon!
If you're interested in a free Lagos and Lisbon travel guide, check out this MAP!
Don't forget to follow us over on TikTok!
If you found this post helpful please leave a comment below. It would really help our business grow. Thank you!
Leave a Reply