Porto & Lisbon

[Bluestar01]

First time in Oporto & Lisbon in June, family of 4 including 2 teenagers, our cruise line for some reason hasn’t published many or any excursions & those I see are either too expensive or not available. Are these places easy to navigate on our own at the last minute when we reach there or should we plan ahead of time? Typically would just to venture around and see some historical places and sightseeing, definitely want to move out of just the port. What would you advise, if been there? Thanks 

[sleepingcat]

In Lisbon which we have visited several times on cruises, the cruise terminal is walking distance from the historic centre. You can travel around by tram also. The area around the Castle is walkable from the ship. 

 

Be sure to be on deck or your balcony for the sail in, it is in my opinion one of the best in the world, and some of the best sights are visible from the ship. 

 

Dont know Oporto, but I do know that the cruise terminal is not in Oporto, its at a distance. Scroll down this board to see previous discussions about both Lisbon and Porto. 

[alserrod]

I was in Porto last summer.

You will arrive to Matosinhos. Take the underground (tramway in surroundings but it is the same) to city centre.

Make this walking tour
Avenida Aliados - Libraria Lello - Torre Clerigos - Cathedral - Sao Bento station - Batalha square - Rua de Santa Catarina - Bolhao market

you can leave underground in Aliados and take again in Bolhao.

I know you are missing the river but after so many ships, maybe you would want more for city centre
 

[alserrod]

Some Porto pictures of my own

 

 

Avenida Aliados

 

 

 

 

Near Libraria Lello

 

 

 

 

City view from Torre de los Clerigos

 

 

 

Rua de Santa Catarina

 

 

 

 

Mercado do Bolhao

 

[edinburgher]

On 3/20/2024 at 8:01 PM, Bluestar01 said:

What would you advise, if been there?

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal so the choice is immense, and it is also easy to visit out-of-town locations such as really popular  Sintra.   You will need to do your homework for both to help you decde which sites/attractions are of interest to you and your family personally and which would fit your time frame.

 

Reading past threads would be a starting point, as would looking at shorex for ideas even if you do not want to book any.And I highly recommend the excellent OFFICIAL Lisbon Tourist Information website which has a huge amount of information on it. Tripadvisor, Youtube, guide books (maybe you can borrow some from a library?0 Rick Steves  and other websites which appear when you search eg (Lisbon) Tourist Information. Be aware that the city is extremely hilly in places apart from themost central area close to your dock and the  area called Belem which can be easily reached by public bus, tram or taxi and where there are a number of sights. there are also some spectacular viewpoints.

 

The same for Porto, apart from,  this time,  the official Porto Tourist Information website.

 

Past threads to get you started.

 

Lisbon.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=lisbon&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149

 

Porto

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=porto&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=149

 

And as you will travel with teens,and to help with homework,  they are old enough to help with research and to offer their own suggestion.😀

 

 

 

[alaskancruzr]

Lisbon has an excellent metro system with a station near the cruise port. We took hoho tours to get an overview and to locate metro stops near places that interested us.  We spent a month in Lisbon visiting Sintra, Cascais, Obidos and other places by train or tram.  No car needed and so much to see!  There is plenty to see inexpensively and on your own.  You can get tuk tuk tours also and customize them.

[mskaufman]

In Porto I like the 6 bridges tour.  Not too expensive and you can pick up on either side of the river.

[Thejuggler]

Lisbon is very spread out and split into areas.  Alfama (Castle and old town), Baixa de Lisboa, Bairro Alto are all in one area, but its steep!

 

Belem (pasteis, monastery, monument to the Navigators and Belem Tower) and Almada (Santuario de Cristo Rei statue) require public transport.

 

You need to decide what you want to see most as you can't do all of it in a day

[onyx007]

Both cities are easy doable on your own; no need for an expensive tour...in Lisbon I recommend a walk on the seafront to see the Seafarers Monument and the nearby Museum where the Tomb of Explorer Vasco da Gama is located (he was the one who discovered the route from Europe to India via Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)

 

In Porto as others pointed out, the port is not right in the city but there is a Metro which takes you to the city center and if your teenagers are into Harry Potter, there is a Book Shop JK Rowing frequented and was the inspiration for the moving stairs of Hogwarts (it's called Livraria Lello and has usually a long waiting line to get in)

[alserrod]

It is (almost) mandatory to book a visit in Livraria Lello.

 

 

You have to pay 8 euro/person or buy a book per person if you want to visit it.

 

For that purpose...

- 8 euro is entrance fee.

- If you, later, buy a book, they will reduce 8 euro the bill

- If you pay 15,9 euro on entrance (the same as cheapest book), you will not have to wait to entry (and you can use ticket entry for a book)

[itsanita]

18 hours ago, alaskancruzr said:

Lisbon has an excellent metro system with a station near the cruise port. We took hoho tours to get an overview and to locate metro stops near places that interested us.  We spent a month in Lisbon visiting Sintra, Cascais, Obidos and other places by train or tram.  No car needed and so much to see!  There is plenty to see inexpensively and on your own.  You can get tuk tuk tours also and customize them.

We will be staying in Lisbon for a couple days after our cruise.  Can you recommend a hotel?  Or at least an area that would be good for 1st time visitors?  

[alaskancruzr]

We always use the Hotel Principe Lisboa.  It’s a short taxi ride to the airport and has a metro stop right across the street.  You can also take the metro to the airport if you can handle your luggage.  We haven’t been there since right before covid but have used it 5+ times and always had a comfortable bed, quiet room, and great service. 

[edinburgher]

On 5/8/2024 at 4:57 PM, itsanita said:

e will be staying in Lisbon for a couple days after our cruise.  Can you recommend a hotel?  Or at least an area that would be good for 1st time visitors?  

As Lisbon can be incredibly steep in places, I recommend you look in some of the flatter streets around eg Rua Augusta, Rua  da Prata, Praca do Commercio, Praca Figueras  Easy to walk, many transport options available almost on your doortstep including metro stations, buses, trams, taxis tuktuks etc, also a huge selection of restaurants, cafes, bars, shops in the immediate vicinity.

Here are some past threads  for Rua Augusta which you might want to read.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=rua augusta&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=465

 

 

And for Lisbon

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/search/?q=lisbon&quick=1&type=forums_topic&nodes=465

 

And your "go to" website for all things Lisbon should be the official  Lisboa.com website which is really excellent and should give you all the info you need for your brief stay.😀

Edited May 13 by edinburgher

[edinburgher]

My apologies.  The website I advised you go to  in the post above should have read "visitlisboa. com" and not lisboa.com