3 Days in Portugal: First-Timer Itinerary
Three days adds Sintra to a Lisbon base, still all in euros, still no train longer than 40 minutes. It’s the natural first step up once a Lisbon weekend stops being enough, and Sintra’s the busiest, most overtouristed sight on this whole route, so book its ticket before anything else. Shorter trip? See 2 days . Going longer? Check 4 , 5 , 6 , or 7 days .
Book these before you go
- Hotel in Alfama or Baixa: compare rates on Booking.com
- Pena Palace timed entry and a Sintra day tour: check availability on GetYourGuide
- A fado dinner show: browse options on Viator
| Day | Focus | Train | Rough Day Cost (EUR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Alfama, the miradouros, a fado dinner | none | 45-60 |
| Day 2 | Belem, Jeronimos Monastery, Baixa and Chiado | none | 50-65 |
| Day 3 | Sintra: Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira | CP Sintra line, ~40 min | 55-70 |
Day 1: Lisbon Arrival And Alfama
- Land at Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS), still Lisbon’s only working airport (a second one near Alcochete won’t realistically open before the mid-2030s). The metro’s red line runs into the center for a couple of euros, a taxi or rideshare costs more but saves hauling bags through rush hour
- Drop your bags and head straight into Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest hillside quarter, narrow lanes and no logical grid, just wander and let the hills do the work
- Catch sunset from Miradouro das Portas do Sol or Miradouro de Santa Luzia, both free, both looking straight across the Tejo
- Tram 28 photographs beautifully but is also Lisbon’s most reliable pickpocket run. Board at the Martim Moniz terminus for a seat, or take bus 737 and skip the crowd entirely
- Dinner with a live fado show in Alfama or Bairro Alto, UNESCO-listed intangible heritage, not a tourist gimmick
- Tap water is safe to drink here, no need to budget for bottled water on top of everything else
Day 2: Belem And Central Lisbon
- Morning at the Jeronimos Monastery, around EUR 18, UNESCO-listed Manueline stonework a century in the making. Its free-Sunday-morning window applies to Portugal residents with a citizen card, not visiting tourists
- Belem Tower next door runs around EUR 8, or the Belem Bundle for about EUR 21 covers both plus an audio guide
- The Pasteis de Belem queue moves fast and is worth it once, the original custard tart since 1837, around EUR 1.50 each. Every other bakery’s version is fine, it’s just legally not allowed to use the Belem name
- Afternoon in Baixa and Chiado, Praca do Comercio’s riverside arches make the best photo stop downtown
- Evening in Bairro Alto or Cais do Sodre
Is Jeronimos Monastery really free on Sundays? Not for you, most likely. The free window before 2pm on Sundays and holidays applies specifically to Portugal residents showing a citizen card or NIF number, not to short-stay foreign visitors. Buy the ticket online instead and skip the walk-up line entirely.
Day 3: Sintra Day Trip
- The CP Sintra line runs from Rossio station, cheap and frequent, about 40 minutes each way, no car needed and no reason to book a bus tour instead
- Pena Palace is the reason you’re here, a Romanticist palace painted like a candy box, but the interior now requires a mandatory pre-booked timed ticket through parquesdesintra.pt , around EUR 20 combined with the park or EUR 14 park-only. Book the earliest slot you can get and arrive before the tour buses do
- Quinta da Regaleira, around EUR 15 self-guided under 2026 pricing, for the Initiation Well and its spiral staircase dropping into the earth, walkable from Pena or a short taxi
- This is one of Portugal’s single most bottlenecked sights in peak season. The overtourism complaints about Sintra aren’t exaggerated, plan around the crowds rather than pretending it’s a quiet countryside outing
- Prefer a quieter walled town over Sintra’s crush on a repeat trip? Our Obidos guide covers the calmer alternative north of Lisbon
Do you really need to book Pena Palace tickets in advance? Yes, genuinely. The on-site ticket office runs out in peak season, and the time printed on your ticket is the palace entry slot, not the park gate time, so budget another 30 minutes walking uphill once you’re inside. Skipping this step is the single most common way a Sintra day goes wrong.
Three days is tight for Sintra specifically, so resist stacking Cascais or Obidos onto the same afternoon. One good regional trip beats two rushed ones, that rule holds for the whole rest of this route too.