Multi-city itinerary · first-timers
Three days of hills above the Tagus, a morning on CP Alfa Pendular, then three days of tiles, the Douro and the Atlantic. Jerónimos and Belém Tower close on Mondays; the Gulbenkian closes on Tuesdays. Most historic lifts are still out in 2026 — this plan does not depend on them.
3 Lisbon · 3 Porto · trains and tickets checked September 2026
The trip at a glance
Open a day for the stops, the walk and the ticket that belongs to it. Each city day has a full map on its own page.
Day 1 · Lisbon
Start on Praça do Comércio, climb past the cathedral to the Santa Luzia viewpoint and São Jorge Castle, watch the sunset from the Graça viewpoint, then come down into Alfama for dinner and fado.
Morning
The royal palace stood on this riverside square until the earthquake of 1755 destroyed it. Rebuilt with arcaded yellow buildings around an equestrian statue of King José I, the square opens to the Tagus on one side and to the Baixa's grid of streets through the Rua Augusta Arch, completed in 1875, whose top you can visit.
Begun soon after Afonso Henriques took Lisbon from the Moors in 1147, the fortress-like Romanesque cathedral has come through several earthquakes. Excavations in its cloister have uncovered Roman, Islamic and medieval remains.
A terrace with a bougainvillea-covered pergola and old tile panels, looking over Alfama's rooftops and church towers to the Tagus. The neighbouring Largo das Portas do Sol has a wider view of the same scene.
Midday
Afternoon
The Moorish castle on the hill above Alfama became a royal residence after the Christian conquest of 1147. Walk its ramparts and towers for views across the whole city, and join one of the visits to the Camera Obscura, included in the ticket, which projects live views of Lisbon.
Beside the church and convent of Graça, this pine-shaded terrace with a kiosk café looks out over the Baixa and the castle towards the river, and is a favourite place to watch the sunset. It is officially named after the poet Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen.
Evening
Lisbon's oldest quarter kept its maze of alleys, stairways and small squares through the earthquake of 1755. In the evening its restaurants and fado houses fill with fado, the Portuguese song of longing that UNESCO recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011.
São Jorge Castle is open every day. The historic lifts are not part of this walk — bring comfortable shoes.
Day 2 · Lisbon
Ride out to Belém for the Manueline cloister of the Jerónimos Monastery and the district's famous custard tarts, walk along the river to the Monument to the Discoveries and Belém Tower, then take the train back for dinner at the Time Out Market.
Morning
King Manuel I founded the monastery in the early 1500s, paid for with the profits of the spice trade. Its two-storey cloister is the masterpiece of the Manueline style, carved with ropes, sea creatures and exotic plants, and Vasco da Gama's tomb lies in the church, which is free to visit.
Midday
Afternoon
Shaped like the prow of a ship, the Padrão dos Descobrimentos was rebuilt in stone in 1960 for the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator, who leads a line of explorers, monarchs and missionaries towards the Tagus. A lift climbs to the top, and the compass rose set in the pavement in front holds a world map of Portuguese voyages.
Built in the 1510s to guard the river entrance to Lisbon, the tower is a jewel of Manueline architecture, with carved ropes, armillary spheres, a stone rhinoceros head and Renaissance loggias over the water. It reopened in May 2026 after conservation work, with entry by timed slot.
Evening
Opened in 2014 inside the Mercado da Ribeira, the old market hall at Cais do Sodré, this food hall gathers counters run by well-known Lisbon chefs and restaurants around long shared tables.
Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower are closed on Mondays. Belém Tower is a timed slot. Swap this day with day 3 if you land on a Monday.
Day 3 · Lisbon
Start with the Gulbenkian Museum and its garden, take the metro back to Rossio, climb to the roofless Carmo Convent and the cafés of Chiado, see São Roque church, then watch the evening light from São Pedro de Alcântara before a night in Bairro Alto.
Morning
The collection of the oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian ranges from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome to Islamic art, Chinese porcelain, European paintings and a room of René Lalique's jewellery. The museum building, designed in 1969, sits in a modernist garden of ponds and paths.
Officially Praça Dom Pedro IV, Lisbon's liveliest square has been a meeting place since the Middle Ages. Its wave-patterned black-and-white paving spreads around two bronze fountains and the column of King Pedro IV, with the National Theatre D. Maria II on the north side and the horseshoe-arched facade of Rossio station close by.
Midday
Afternoon
The roof of this Gothic church collapsed in the 1755 earthquake, and its arches have stood open to the sky ever since. The ruins house the Carmo Archaeological Museum, and the square outside, Largo do Carmo, saw the decisive moment of the Carnation Revolution in April 1974.
Lisbon's elegant shopping and café district was carefully rebuilt after a fire in 1988. Writers once met at Café A Brasileira, where a bronze statue of the poet Fernando Pessoa now sits at an outdoor table, and nearby Livraria Bertrand has been selling books since 1732.
Behind a plain facade, this 16th-century Jesuit church hides one of Lisbon's richest interiors. The Chapel of St John the Baptist, made in Rome from marble, lapis lazuli and gilded bronze, was blessed by the Pope before being shipped to Lisbon in the 1740s.
Evening
This two-level garden terrace looks across the valley of the Baixa to São Jorge Castle and Graça on the opposite hill, with a tiled panel that names the landmarks. It is at its best in the early evening, when the light turns the castle walls golden.
Laid out in the 16th century as a grid of narrow streets, the 'upper quarter' is quiet by day and fills up late in the evening, when its small bars spill out onto the cobbles and the tascas serve dinner.
Gulbenkian Museum is closed on Tuesdays. Swap with Belém if day 3 falls on one.
Day 4 · Porto
Leave Lisbon after breakfast. CP Alfa Pendular runs Lisbon to Porto Campanhã in under three hours — one official service, AP 123, leaves Lisboa Santa Apolónia at 09:00 and arrives Campanhã at 11:48. Most Alfa Pendular trains also call at Lisboa Oriente. Book Livraria Lello for the afternoon so the morning can be the train. São Bento station, with its tile atrium, is on this day's walk from the upper centre.
CP Alfa Pendular in under 3 hours. Official example: AP 123 leaves Santa Apolónia at 09:00 and arrives Campanhã at 11:48. Most services also call at Oriente. Buy on cp.pt.
Source: Comboios de Portugal · checked Sep 2026. Fares change with the date — buy on the operator site.Morning
Produce and food stalls fill the restored market building in the upper centre. Browse before the day becomes busy and leave time for breakfast or a coffee rather than rushing from counter to counter.
Blue-and-white tile panels wrap around the chapel’s exterior beside a busy shopping street. This is mainly an outdoor pause; enter only when visiting access fits around worship.
Grand civic and commercial façades frame the sloping avenue toward the city hall. Walk down toward Praça da Liberdade as part of the route to São Bento.
Tile panels in the entrance hall turn a working station into a lesson in Portuguese history and transport. Pause to look at the walls while leaving the routes to platforms clear for passengers.
Midday
Afternoon
Carved wood, stained glass and a winding staircase make the bookshop an architectural attraction as well as a place to browse. Use a booked entry window and expect a shared, busy interior.
The church’s tiled side wall is one of the distinctive façades around Praça de Gomes Teixeira. This itinerary plans an exterior stop; entering the religious complex would take additional time.
The tower rises above the old centre and makes the city’s hills and river setting easier to understand. Choose the church and tower visit according to your energy; the viewpoint involves stairs.
Evening
Livraria Lello timed entry for the afternoon. Confirm the Alfa Pendular on cp.pt.
Day 5 · Porto
Start at the cathedral, descend to Palácio da Bolsa and take its guided tour. After lunch, visit São Francisco, explore Ribeira and cross the bridge’s lower deck before the climb to Jardim do Morro.
Morning
The cathedral occupies high ground above the river, with a terrace that explains the city’s steep layout. Allow time for the church and whichever adjoining areas your ticket includes before descending into the old streets.
The former stock exchange expresses Porto’s commercial ambitions through richly decorated reception rooms. The visit is guided, so the time allowance includes checking the next suitable tour and a buffer around its departure.
Midday
Afternoon
A Gothic exterior gives way to an interior known for its elaborate gilded decoration. Make this a focused visit after the palace, with a rest before the riverfront walk.
Narrow lanes emerge onto the quay beside the Douro, where the bridge and Gaia’s riverbank fill the view. Walk a short section of the waterfront and allow time to sit rather than treating the district as one photo pin.
Two decks connect Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia at different heights above the Douro. This route crosses the lower deck from Ribeira before climbing on the Gaia side; check that your walking directions use the intended level.
The hillside garden looks across the Douro toward Porto’s old centre. The ascent from the lower riverbank is part of reaching the viewpoint, so arrive with enough time to rest before enjoying the view.
Evening
Palácio da Bolsa is a guided tour — pick a language and time before you walk downhill. São Francisco is the church next door.
Day 6 · Porto
Travel to Serralves for a substantial visit to the museum and park. After lunch, use local transport to Foz and spend the afternoon along the river mouth and ocean promenade.
Morning
Contemporary art galleries open into a large landscape of gardens, trees and outdoor works. Choose a museum route and a park circuit within this combined visit; the wider estate can easily fill more time.
Midday
Afternoon
Where the Douro reaches the Atlantic, riverside gardens give way to an ocean promenade and small beaches. Start around the fort and Passeio Alegre, then choose a comfortable coastal walk without trying to cover the entire seafront.
Evening
Serralves is a museum-and-park morning. Local transport takes you on to Foz and the Atlantic.
Day 7 · Porto
Six walking days are already spoken for. Use the seventh for a Douro Valley excursion — Porto's own plan already says that needs another day — or for Sintra or Cascais, which Lisbon's plan names as a fourth-day choice. Keep the morning unhurried if you fly from Porto that evening.
Only if you leave the city: book the Douro or Sintra product for the actual day, not a generic city ticket.
Before you fly
Questions
Yes for a first trip: three clustered days in each city and an Alfa Pendular morning between them. It does not include Sintra, Cascais or the Douro Valley as walking days — those sit on the seventh day if you want them.
Jerónimos (not Monday), Belém Tower timed slot (not Monday), and Livraria Lello. The Gulbenkian is closed on Tuesdays. Buy Lisboa–Porto Campanhã on cp.pt; Alfa Pendular is the fast train.
Only partly. The Graça funicular reopened in April 2026; Glória, Bica, Lavra and Santa Justa were still closed in September 2026. This plan does not depend on any of them.
Lisbon: Baixa or Alfama for the first two mornings, or Chiado for the museum day. Porto: the upper centre near Bolhão and São Bento for day 4, or Ribeira / Gaia for the river day.
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Ticket, train and opening notes name an official source and the month we checked it. Hours and fares change — open that source before you buy.
Places and coordinates: Wikidata and Tripwoa's open-data place catalog (Overture Maps Foundation, © OpenStreetMap contributors). Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each image. Checked September 2026.