Driving from LIsbon to the Algarve? Where to visit on the way

My wife and I will be making our 5th trip to Portugal at the end of September. We generally stay in Lisbon for a couple of nights then take the bus to Tavira.

1) I am curious as to whether driving is a good option: Is it possible to get a one-way rental in Lisbon that I'd drop off in Tavira or the surrounding area? I have driven in lots of different countries, but never in Portugal.

2) Where might be a good place to stop and stay overnight along the way? My wife mentioned Monchique.

Any advice would be most appreciated. Thanks.

dg

We made a day trip to Monchique last year because it was mentioned in the guidebook as being interesting. Well, an hour to walk around was about enough. Depends on how quiet you like to be in the evenings, or in the days. Some Brits have opened a candy shop there, so if that's enough for you, go ahead. I personally wouldn't recommend the place. Tavira is definitely more interesting.

Thanks for the heads-up, bjd--I think we'll pass. A few years ago we went out of our way to see Evora (stayed overnight) and wished we'd gone straight to Tavira.

dg

It's nice and relaxed driving in eastern Alentejo. It is quite a detour but i found Monsaraz, Serpa and Mertola very much worth visiting.

One-way rentals without drop-off fee are absolutely possible between Lisbon and Faro (we've done that last year) but then most companies will request a minumum rental of 3 days.

Humm...

Given your initial post...and further developments (namely your former experience for Évora) i'd rather agree with bjd and skip Monchique (or anything that small and out there in the countryside), for definitely you wouldn't «survive» the alike-boredome. Under such thought, i'd say...address Tavira (if you're -so- fond of it) at once...or otherwise pay a visit to Lagos (opposed -western- Algarve), which is larger and more active than Tavira (and also offers several closeby landscape icons for the country). But i wouldn't go there just to spend the night...when it's just as much (distance difference, from Lisbon, is roughly 25kms) far as Tavira.

Best Travel Wishes!

Artemis2: Thanks for the tips: I'll look into Monsaraz, Serpa and Mertola. I don't know the road situation, but my preference would be to drive down the western coast, past Setubal and Sines, but I don't know what's worthwhile seeing.

lusowallabie: Thanks for the reply. We actually spent several days in Lagos on our first visit,, 5 years ago. Even at that time Lagos seemed much more touristy than Tavira. It may deserve a second look though.

dg

Hi,

Well I think it depends of how long you want to take to get there. For a one day travel I would recommend going from Lisboa to Setubal and then you can take the ferry to Troia , which is a long and straight beach line. Going down you'll find beach locations like Lagoa Santo André, Vila Nova de Milfontes, Sines or Porto Covo. From the last two below, starts the "costa vicentina", where you'll find some of the most beautiful sea landscapes in Portugal. Check this link for some pictures, unfortunately text is in Portuguese.

If you have more time, I would also recommend Evora, which is an UNESCO World Heritage site and also, a little bit off road, Marvão, Castelo de Vide.

Best Regards,
Bruno.

Edited by: BMarques

Thank you for such a complete reply as well as the link: I'll check it out. My wife is fluent in Portuguese and I can read, so no problem that the site's not in English.

The photos look great--this interests me more than traveling inland. We might consider stopping overnight along the way.

dg