9 Days in Portugal Without a Car: Porto, Lisbon and the Algarve by Bus and Train
A solo 9-day Portugal itinerary done entirely on public transport — fly into Porto, out of Faro, and use Flixbus and local trains for everything between. Douro Valley, Sintra, Cabo da Roca, Benagil and the Seven Hanging Valleys.
Nine days down mainland Portugal, from Porto to the Algarve. I did this trip solo and entirely on public transport — no hire car at any point — and that turned out to be the easy way to do it rather than the compromise it sounds like.
If you're travelling with a car, the route below works unchanged. But if you're not, this is the part most Portugal itineraries won't tell you: you genuinely don't need one.
How I got around
The shape of the trip is an open-jaw flight — into Porto, out of Faro — so you never backtrack.
| Leg | How | | --- | --- | | Into Porto | Flight | | Porto → Douro Valley (Pinhão) | Local train | | Porto → Lisbon | Flixbus | | Lisbon → Sintra | Train, then bus | | Lisbon → Cabo da Roca | Train to Cascais, then bus | | Lisbon → Faro | Flixbus (~3.5 hrs) | | Faro → Lagos | Local train | | Out of Faro | Flight |
I booked almost nothing in advance. The only thing I reserved ahead was entry to Pena Palace in Sintra. Everything else — buses, local trains, boat trips — I sorted on the day.
That's worth knowing, because a lot of Portugal advice pushes you into booking a full itinerary up front. Outside Pena, I never needed to.
Day 1: Porto
Clerigos Tower. The city's main landmark, a baroque tower attached to a beautiful church. There's a small fee to climb it and it's worth paying — the view over the city from the top is the best orientation you'll get on day one.
Livraria Lello. As a Potterhead this was non-negotiable for me. There's an entry fee, but if you buy a book inside, the fee is refunded — so if you were going to buy anything at all, you effectively get in free.
Jardins do Palácio Cristal. A stunning park with views over the Douro, and peacocks wandering around it.
Dom Luis I Bridge. The main attraction, and the reason to time your day around it: I watched the best sunset of my life from here. If you do one thing in Porto, be on this bridge at golden hour.
São Bento Station. One of the most beautiful train stations you'll ever walk into, entirely because of the tile work. You'll pass through it anyway on the way to the Douro.
Day 2: Douro Valley
A day trip out to Pinhão, a small town in the heart of the valley, on the local train from Porto. The train ride alone justifies the day — it runs along the river for the last stretch and it's one of the more scenic rail journeys in Europe.
The viewpoint hike. About an hour on foot gets you a panoramic view over the terraced valley.
Boat ride and wine tasting. A slow trip on the river and a tasting in the oldest demarcated wine region in the world.
Day 3: Lisbon
Porto to Lisbon on the Flixbus, then straight into the city.
Belém. Jerónimos Monastery, the Torre de Belém, the waterfront, and the pastries the neighbourhood is famous for.
Praça do Comércio. The main square, and the best part of the city for simply walking. Pink Street is a short detour and worth it.
Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara. One of the best sunset viewpoints in Lisbon.
Day 4: Sintra
Train from Lisbon, then a bus up the hill. Straightforward, and no car required despite what you'll read.
Pena Palace. Iconic, absurdly colourful, and the one thing on this whole trip I booked in advance. Do the same — it's the single busiest attraction on the route.
Quinta da Regaleira — my favourite thing in Sintra. Vast, strange and full of detail, and if you're choosing between Sintra's palaces on limited time, choose this one over the others.
National Palace of Sintra. Close to Pena and easy to add on, but honestly an average experience next to the other two. If your day is running short, this is what to drop.
Day 5: Cabo da Roca and the coast
Train from Lisbon to Cascais, then a bus out to the cape. Again — no car.
Cabo da Roca. The westernmost point of continental Europe, and the scenery does live up to it.
Praia da Ursa. A genuinely hidden beach, and the catch is the access: it's about an hour of cliff descent to get down. Budget for the fact that you then have to climb back up. Go if you've got the legs and the time; skip it if you're tired or the light is going.
Boca do Inferno. An ocean-carved rock formation right by Cascais, so it fits neatly on the way back to the train.
Day 6: The travel day to Faro
Being straight with you: this day is the Flixbus.
The ride from Lisbon to Faro is around three and a half hours, but between getting to the bus, the journey itself, and getting into town at the other end, it consumed the day. I got to the beach in the evening and that was it.
I'd rather flag that than dress it up. On a nine-day trip run entirely on public transport, one day gets eaten by the length of the country — plan it as a transfer day, don't schedule anything into it, and enjoy the beach when you land.
Day 7: Lagos
Local train from Faro to Lagos.
Benagil Cave, by boat. The cave is only reachable from the water, and the standard way in is a boat tour out of Lagos. It's iconic and it is very crowded.
Praia do Camilo. A beautiful beach under dramatic cliffs.
Ponta da Piedade. More sea caves and rock arches, and the thing not to skip in Lagos.
Day 8: The Seven Hanging Valleys, and Benagil properly
The trail runs from Praia do Vale de Centeanes to Praia da Marinha — around three hours along the clifftops, and the best walking on the route.
Do Benagil by kayak, not by boat
I ended up seeing Benagil three ways in two days — by boat tour from Lagos, by kayak, and from the viewpoint above it on the trail. So this is a comparison rather than a guess:
Go by kayak. The boat tours pull in, everyone photographs the same hole in the roof, and they pull straight back out. With a kayak there's a small beach inside the cave, and you can stay. That's the whole difference — the boats come in waves, and when they clear out you get a few minutes of the cave essentially to yourself. That's the version people are picturing when they book the boat.
It is crowded either way. But the kayak is what buys you the quiet moments.
Praia da Marinha. One of the best beaches in Europe, and exactly where you want the trail to finish.
Day 9: Faro, briefly
My flight was at 12:30, so this was breakfast and the airport. Treat day 9 as a departure morning, not a sightseeing day — if you want time in Faro itself, take it on the evening you arrive rather than counting on the last morning.
Worth knowing
- You do not need a car. Flixbus for the two long legs, local trains for everything else.
- Fly into Porto and out of Faro. An open-jaw ticket means no backtracking.
- Book Pena Palace ahead. It was the only thing on nine days that needed it.
- Benagil by kayak beats Benagil by boat, because you can stay inside the cave.
- Lose a day to the Lisbon–Faro bus and plan around it rather than fighting it.
- Livraria Lello refunds the entry fee against a book.
- Sunset from the Dom Luis I Bridge is the one thing I'd tell you not to miss in Porto.