The Day Trips from Lisbon Worth Actually Taking

Lisbon is surrounded by places that take an hour or less to reach and are worth your time. Most guides list the same four. They are all on the list for good reason and I will tell you honestly which ones are worth it and which one is worth it only under specific conditions.

Sintra (cm-sintra.pt) is the must. Forty minutes by train from Rossio station, a UNESCO World Heritage town in the hills above the Tagus estuary, with palaces that are genuinely extraordinary — the Palácio Nacional de Sintra in the town centre, the Palácio da Pena on the hill above. Go on a weekday. Go early. The weekend crowds in summer make the palaces nearly unusable. The Quinta da Regaleira (regaleira.pt) is the smaller estate with the famous initiation well and the most interesting gardens. Book ahead for all of them.

Cascais is the second. Thirty minutes by train from Cais do Sodré, a coastal town that was the resort of the Portuguese aristocracy and is now a pleasant place to spend an afternoon by the sea without the intensity of Lisbon. The old town is well-preserved, the fish restaurants on the waterfront are good, and the Boca do Inferno sea arch fifteen minutes west on foot is worth walking to.

Óbidos is the third and requires a car or a bus (about 80 minutes each way) — a medieval walled town that is small and perfect and very crowded in summer. Go in spring or autumn. The ginja in the chocolate cups is better here than in Lisbon because it is the origin point.

Seturúbal and the Arrábida Natural Park are the fourth. An hour by car. The best beaches in the region — clear water, white limestone cliffs, the Serra da Arrábida behind. Not reachable by public transport conveniently. Worth renting a car for a day.