Great day trips from Lisbon
One of the best aspects of visiting Lisbon is the variety of great day trips nearby.
On a recent trip to Portugal, we took numerous day trips, some by train and some by organized tour. If we had rented a car, we would have had even more options.
Below are a few of our favorite day trips from Lisbon.
Table of Contents
Sintra
The colorful Pena Palace is one of Portugal’s most iconic attractions.
Sintra is the absolute number one day trip from Lisbon. Sintra is filled with many iconic attractions, certainly enough to deserve an overnight stay if you want to visit more than two or so attractions.
Among the attractions in Sintra are Pena Palace, the Castle of the Moors, Quinta da Regaleira, The National Palace of Sintra and Monserrate Palace.
Sintra is about 15 miles northwest of Lisbon and accessible by car and train. We took an Uber in the early morning to arrive at Pena Palace before the gates opened and took a train back to Lisbon in the evening.
Sintra is unlike most day trips you might take. The massive crowds, numerous attractions, and challenging landscape require a bit of a plan. I’d suggest reading our post: Visiting Sintra and Pena Palace: what to see and do
Another approach is to take an organized tour and let your guide worry about the logistics.
Here’s a well-reviewed tour: Sintra Full-Day Private Tour - A Journey through Wonderland
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Cascais
Cascais is a small, picturesque beach town that can be seen in about a half day. Its proximity to Lisbon makes this a popular day trip.
Cascais is a 40-minute drive from Lisbon but the train is a very convenient way to visit.
Unlike a trip to Sintra where you need a game plan, you can just wander the lovely downtown, stroll out to the Santa Marta Lighthouse, and visit the Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães.
If beaches are your thing be sure to visit Praia da Rainha or Praia da Ribeira.
As an upscale beach community, there is no shortage of great restaurants for lunch before heading back to Lisbon.
Óbidos
Walking the streets of Óbidos.
The small medieval town of Óbidos is just an hour’s drive from Lisbon and makes a great day trip.
Our favorite part of visiting was walking on the city walls and taking on the views of the surrounding countryside.
While in Portugal we tried “ginjinha”, the cherry liqueur often served in a chocolate cup, often (maybe too often). Our favorite one was served from a “hole in the wall” stand in Óbidos. Now wonder since the drink was invented by 17th-century monks in the area.
We visited Óbidos during the week between Christmas and New Year's Day and the town was in full Christmas mode. They take Christmas seriously in town.
It takes about an hour to drive from Lisbon to Óbidos. You can also take a train or bus but a car makes it easier to reach this town. If driving you can easily combine with a visit to Nazare, 30 minutes further north.
The town is a popular stop on organized day trips from Lisbon.
Here is a popular tour: Fátima, Nazaré and Óbidos Small-Group Day Trip from Lisbon
Fátima
The main plaza in Fátima.
Fátima is a major Christian pilgrimage site in Portugal, drawing pilgrims from around the world. The faithful believe that in 1917 three children saw apparitions of the Virgin Mary.
The Chapel of Apparitions stands on the site of the visions. The children are buried inside the Basilica of our Lady of Fatima. On the opposite side of the massive plaza is the modern Basilica of the Holy Trinity.
It only takes an hour or so to walk around the complex but you can also attend a Mass if you'd like.
It takes about 90 minutes by bus or car to reach Fátima.
We visited on an organized tour and really enjoyed our brief visit. Many popular tours combine Fátima with other nearby attractions.
Here’s a link to the tour we took: From Lisbon: Fatima, Batalha, Nazare, Obidos - Small Group
Nazaré
View of the main beach in Nazaré.
Nazaré is known for big waves, Rodrigo Koxa surfed a 101-foot wave here, earning him the Guinness World Record for the largest wave ever surfed.
The big wave season is winter so when we visited in December I was excited about the huge waves. Unfortunately, the weather conditions were not right for the waves but I was surprised at how wonderful Nazaré was even without the big waves.
The view from the Sítio district, high above Nazaré, is a lasting memory of our trip to Portugal. Nazaré’s main beach is long, wide, and sandy. The cliffs to the north reminded me of the beaches in Los Angeles, just prettier.
We had one of our best meals in all of Portugal at Taberna d'Adelia, the Michelin-reviewed seafood restaurant.
Nazaré is about a 90-minute drive from Lisbon. A car or organized tour is the best way to visit
We wrote a whole blog post about visiting Nazaré: Visiting Nazaré: what to see on a day trip
A seagull on a cliff high above Nazaré.
Batalha Monastery
Light from the stained glass windows at Batalha Monastery.
The Batalha Monastery is a quick visit located between Fátima and Nazaré. The monastery was built to thank the Virgin Mary for Portugal’s victory in the Battle of Aljubarrota in 1385.
The monastery took over 100 years to construct and used new and innovative construction techniques at the time.
The exterior is amazingly ornate and the interior is narrow with a vaulting ceiling. It is one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The best part of visiting the Batalha Monastery is it tends to receive far fewer visitors than it deserves. If the building was in Lisbon or Porto there would be a long line to enter.
Combining the smaller crowd and the large adjacent parking lot makes Batalha Monastery a great quick stop if you are in the area.
Mafra National Palace
Portugal has no shortage of impressive buildings, and Mafra National Palace ranks high on the list.
Construction on the palace, which also served as a Franciscan friary, concluded in 1755.
The palace served as a summer residence of the royal family. Its large art collection includes works by Portuguese, Italian, and French artists
On a visit, you’ll see the royal apartments and the basilica. You’ll also visit the beautiful library with over 30,000 books.
The Mafra National Palace is about a 45-minute drive from Lisbon.
Since the Palace only takes an hour or two to visit you could stop in Cascais on the way back to Lisbon. If you look on the map you’ll see that you’ll pass temptingly close to Sintra on your way between Mafra and Cascais but Sintra deserves a full day (or two).
This post was researched and written by John of the Empty Nest Explorers. You can learn more about the Empty Nest Explorers here.
Some well-reviewed Lisbon area activities:
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