On our first visit to Portugal, we only had a taste of Lisbon and Porto but judging by the stunning views we saw from the train we took from Porto to Lisbon, we knew next time we were going to plan a proper road trip and drive from Lisbon to Porto through the beautiful Centro Portugal region.
When we first started planning our road trip from Lisbon to Porto, we thought about a 4-day itinerary, but we soon realized we needed more time since there were so many beautiful places in Central Portugal. From rugged beaches to historic towns, ancient monasteries, UNESCO sites, vibrant cities, hiking trails, wineries, and so much more, there are so many things to see and do in Central Portugal; you could easily spend a month road tripping around this region if you have the time.
After many adjustments, we planned a one-week itinerary for our Lisbon to Porto drive, but in retrospect, it wasn’t enough time. We’ve visited so many gorgeous places along the way we felt we just didn’t have enough time to see everything we wanted. The Central Portugal region is massive, with a myriad of landscapes and cultural highlights. Therefore, our updated Central Portugal itinerary is an overview of everything we’ve seen and loved, but we added many more suggestions for places and attractions we’d love to see on our next road trip in Portugal’s Centro region (and there will be one for sure). So, if you’re wondering what is there to see between Porto and Lisbon, keep on reading!
I’ve been dying to go back to Portugal and I’m really glad I came across this detailed guide. I actually didn’t realize how many incredible highlights there are in between Lisbon and Porto!
We came back not long ago and we are already itching to go back there 🙂 Portugal is simply stunning and yes, there are so many lovely places to explore between Lisbon and Porto!
This looks like a fantastic road trip itinerary! I was looking into planning a trip like this in Portugal for the springtime so I will definitely use this as a reference point.
Spring time is such a great season to visit Portugal! There are many festivities and beautiful blooming flower fields!
I would love to visit Portugal and this post has some really helpful information. Thanks so much for sharing!
Our pleasure, Lindajane! so glad you like our Central Portugal guide!
This is such a detailed itinerary! We had some friends who moved to Portugal recently, so this would be helpful if we ever went to visit them. Thanks for sharing!
Go and visit your friends, what you waiting for?! 🙂 Portugal is simply stunning!
What an awesome post! I really want to see Sintra one day, it is just so pretty! Thank you for sharing!
Sintra is simply stunning, hope you’ll get to visit it soon. But if you are in the area, There are many other beautiful places to visit in Central Portugal like Obidos or Coimbra!
This is such an amazing road trip with so many varied things and destinations to visit. What lovely beaches, castles, wineries. Reading this detailed guide makes me wanna travel right away. Thanks for sharing
Thanks so much for your feedback, Neha. Portugal is such an amazing country to explore!