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A 2-week Portugal road trip itinerary
Updated On 5th March, 2022
If you’re planning a trip to Portugal and are wondering what your Portugal road trip itinerary could look like or what you should do with your time there, you’ve arrived at the right blog post. In this blog post, I am going to share a 2-week Portugal road trip itinerary with you, jam-packed with all the best adventure on offer in this beautiful country.
I will be taking adventures from my best things to do in Portugal blog post and plotting them on a route that will take you on an epic road trip. If you’re heading out on a Portugal road trip, I’d highly recommend grabbing our Portugal Google Map Legend too!
Of course, this Portugal road trip itinerary is going to assume you have a car with you. I’m not sure it would be of any use for me to write an itinerary for you whilst staying at your hotel lol. However, if you have booked to stay in one place during your time in Portugal, you may want to use this post to inspire a day trip in Portugal or to add an extension to your existing booking.
If like me, you are planning to drive from England to begin your road trip, you can check out my top tips for driving from England to Portugal here.
After all, road trips are the best!
Other European blog posts you might find useful…
- A 2-week Portugal road trip itinerary
- A 7-day itinerary for Madeira, Portugal
- The best things to do in Ericeira, Portugal
- A guide to driving from England to Portugal
- A guide to Lisbon, Portugal
- A guide to Nazaré, Portugal: Home to the biggest wave in the world
- Europe: The ultimate travel guide
- The best things to do in Europe: a Europe bucket list
- 10 spring weekend breaks in Europe
- Van life in Europe: a bucket list of Europe road trips
With this Google Map, you can have all my tips and recommendations at the touch of your fingertips. These are all the things I wish I knew and spent a lot of time researching before my Portugal adventures.
This Google Map Legend includes:
- Best walks, hikes, viewpoints and activities
- Best waterfalls, beaches and coves to visit
- Road trip tips (campsites, laundrettes, lunch spots)
- My favourite places for coffee, brunch and dinner
- Things you must add to your bucket list!
- Travel guide links within each location
A 2-week road trip itinerary for Portugal
I’m going to begin and end this Portugal road trip itinerary in the capital… the place you’ll most likely fly into and hire your car from – Lisbon. Lisbon tends to be the cheaper of the two airports to fly into when compared to Faro in the south.
Some of you may, however, be driving into Portugal, in which case you can adjust the itinerary accordingly and switch bits around to suit you. Likewise, if you decide to fly into Faro.
I actually drove into Portugal from Hossegor in France, which, yes, is a long drive but is a popular driving route through Europe among those chasing the waves!
See my guide for driving from England to Portugal here, including all the things to note, where to stop off along the way and how much the drive will cost you.
Day 1 and 2 - Arrive to Lisbon and explore
- Driving time 0 minutes
Depending on how far you’ve travelled to arrive in Lisbon, you may be needing a slower day and an earlier night to recharge ready to take on the Portugal road trip itinerary.
Take the first day and night to relax, wander around and enjoy the gorgeous capital city of Lisbon.
From exploring the Tagus River, Time Out Market, LX Factory and Alfama to hiking up to Castelo de São Jorge, snapping Torre de Belém, Rossio Square and the 25 de Abril Bridge, Lisbon is not short of activities.
I wouldn’t count on doing all your Lisbon exploring when you return from your road trip in the South, there’s so much to do here and I have a feeling you won’t want to be cutting your time in the south short! Perhaps one day at the beginning and one day at the end? Even if you’re not a ‘city’ person, Lisbon is so worth a day of your trip for the views and food!
Day 3 - Head west to Cascais
- Driving time 33 minutes
Cascais is a coastal resort town in Portugal, just west of Lisbon. It’s known for its gorgeous sandy beaches in the town centre, it’s busy plush marina and the stunning old town (home to the medieval Nossa Senhora da Luz Fort and the Citadel Palace).
Even if just for the afternoon and for world-class ice cream, you must stop off in Cascais on your Portugal road trip itinerary.
Some must do’s:
- Paixao – beautiful trendy cafe in the old town
- House Of Wonders – amazing veggie food with a view from rooftop over town
- Geladas Santini – Best ice cream in Portugal
- Praia da Rainha – gorgeous beach to dip your toes in!
- Lusophonica Radio Cafe – brunch overlooking the Marina!
Day 4 - Explore Sintra Natural Park
- Driving time 15 minutes
Sintra is a resort town in the foothills of Portugal’s Sintra Mountains, near the capital, Lisbon. Famous for its mixture of lush wooded hills and extraordinary pleasure palaces, it’s no surprise Sintra was declared a World Heritage Site by Unesco in 1995.
A few spots to add to your Sintra bucket list during your Portugal road trip itinerary include:
- Palacio da Pena
- Parque de Pena
- Seteais Palace and Monserrate Palace
- Initiation Well
- Moorish castle
- Quinta da Regaleira
Cabo da Roca (optional added stop on the Portugal road trip itinerary)
Cabo da Roca is the furthest point west of mainland continental Europe. It’s touristy but beautiful and is a gorgeous place to do a coastal walk. Bring coins to use the toilet, a hairband for windy hair and trainers to walk the coastline.
Day 5 - Stop at Guincho en route to Ericeira
- Driving time 30 minutes
Guincho isn’t a stranger to strong winds, making it a very popular place for windsurfing and kite surfing. We had the dreamiest of afternoons eating seafood at sunset at Bar do Guincho and watching the kitesurfers do their thing.
If you’re impartial to a cocktail and some good fish, Guincho beach is a great lunch stop off on your Portugal road trip itinerary before you head up to Ericeira!
The old town is just so beautiful and there are plenty of ‘vibey’ cafes and Portuguese restaurants for you to choose from.
Ericeira
Ericeira (pronounced eri-sarah) felt like Bali met Portugal and had a baby on the coast just 45 minutes north of Lisbon. It’s a small but gorgeous town filled with cafes that sit between a maze of colourful, beautiful Portuguese houses.
A couple of my favourites include Cafe amour (well-being cafe), Oh la la ( amazing Acai bowls) and Magic Quiver.
There’s one main spot if you’re looking to park up your van for the night – Ericeira Camping and Bungalows. We turned up at 10pm with no booking and paid €7.50 (one van, no electricity) for the night. There’s hot showers, laundry service, washing up and… you’re a 10-minute walk from the town.
P.s. Be sure to keep an eye on the swell forecast at Nazaré which is just slightly further north and home to the biggest wave in the world. Diving timing landed for me whilst I was in Portugal and I witnessed the most incredible day of big wave surfing at the famous Praia do Norte. See my guide to Nazaré and my photographs here.
Day 6 - Drive south to Caparica and go surfing!
- Driving time 44 minutes
This was one of my favourite spots on our Portugal road trip itinerary for a super chill day by the ocean. Surf, by day, up by the pier in Caparica and then pitch up and cook dinner for sunset further south on the beach by the dunes!
Day 7 - Drive south to Parque Natural da Arrábida for a beach day!
- Driving time 30 minutes
I drove through this area, just south of Caparica, on the rainiest day of my 2 month Portugal road trip so I can’t share photos with you that do the place justice (or have any visibility lol).
What I will say though is that if you’re a nature bunny, it’s worth stopping of to see:
- Galapinhos Beach
- Praia da Figueirinha
If you have extra time, it’s also worth looping around / taking the ferry across from Setúbal to the Tróia peninsula, a 13-mile long sandy spit which feels as if you’re arriving to an island (when arriving by sea).
Famous for elegant seafood dinners on the beach, incredible bird-watching and for its resident school of bottlenose dolphins – the Tróia peninsula is one of Portugals best kept secrets for sure.
Day 8, 9 and 10 - West coast adventures and coastline
The west coast is FILLED with surf spots, cliff walks and stunning lengths of coastline. You’re going to have to just pick a few here for your Portugal road trip itinerary and come back another time to see more.
Consider:
- Praia da Arrifana – We surfed in the day and stayed to watch the sunset on the top of the cliffs before dinner at See You Cafe just around the corner (walking distance).
- Praia da Bordeira
- Praia do Amado (very popular surf beach, pictured below)
- Vila Nova de Milfontes
- Praia da Cordoama
- Praia do Castelejo
Day 11 - Sunset in Sagres and surfing!
- Driving time 30 minutes
When driving down the West Coast here in Portugal on your Portugal road trip itinerary, you won’t be short of sunset spots. One of the ‘famous’ places to watch it go down is here in Cape St. Vincent in Sagres. What better way to see out the day than to match a Sagres sunset with the legendary local Sagres beer here?
Its got to be done!
Make sure you check out the surf at Tonel too, pictured below with views of the lighthouse on the horizon!
P.s. Be sure to stop off at Artesanato a Mó for some gorgeous Portuguese ceramics!
Have all our recommendations and favourite spots to hand with our Portugal Google Map Legend.
Day 12 and 13 - Lagos
- Driving time 35 minutes
Be careful, Lagos is known for taking people hostage! Including us! If there’s a place to have some flexible time for on your Portugal road trip itinerary it’s Lagos.
Lagos has such a beautiful surf town feel to it. The kind of homeliness you get in Canggu and Byron Bay.
Catch some waves, dive into some Tacos, explore the cliffs and of course, toast a cocktail or two in town. It’s what Lagos does best!
Read my Lagos travel guide here.
A few of the best things to do in Lagos:
- Surf!
- Explore Ponta da Piedade by foot or kayak tour
- Wander through the old town
- The Green Room – BEST TACOS AND COCKTAILS
- Black and White – Coffee lovers (get your Oatly fix)
- Restaurante A Forja – Eat local Portuguese food
If you find two days is too much in Lagos and you don’t necessarily need a break, drive further west to the famous Benagil Cave and do a sunrise kayak out to enjoy Portugal from an ocean perspective!
Day 14 - Drive back to Lisbon
- Driving time 2 hr 43 minutes
How have 14 days been filled already?! There’s just so much to do here in Portugal. I was here for 8 weeks and there are still so many spots I want to go back and explore! A Portugal road trip itinerary is certainly an easy one to fill.
Have a safe journey back to Lisbon on the final day and make sure you leave a little time for exploring / a cocktail to toast your Portugal adventure!
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Have you been on a Portugal road trip?
Where are your favourite things to do in Portugal? Anything you’d add?
Love as always and happy adventuring,
Mollie.
Founder of Where’s Mollie / We Are Global Travellers, content creator, photographer and videographer. I am certainly no stranger to adventure, outward and within. I thrive in nature, with nature and by recognising my true nature in the midst of it all.
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