lizu2014

So, first of all, my travel partner and I will be visiting Portugal in the height of the tourist season - hot and crowded. Unfortunately, we felt this was unavoidable due to timing and work issues. This is our honeymoon, and we are getting married in late July; we personally felt it was important to o on the honeymoon right after our wedding. I will also be starting a new job around that time, so ultimately, the timing of this trip was unavoidable. However, I'm getting increasingly worried about the heat and the crowds, particularly in Lisbon. This thread, therefore, is mostly to ask about advice for dealing with both.

Our itinerary is as follows:

July 30-August 3: Lisbon (3 full days)
August 3-August 8: Porto (4 full days)
August 8-9: historic mansion hotel near Peneda-Geres Nat'l Park (we will have a car from August 8-11)
August 9-10: rural cottage in village near Peneda-Geres Nat'l Park
August 10-11: final overnight in Porto before flying out

We both like outdoor activities, museums/culture, historical sites (especially me), and good food/wine: pretty typical stuff. I have been to Lisbon before, but never northern Portugal; my fiance has never visited Portugal but has traveled in Europe before.

These are my specific questions if anyone is kind enough to consider answering:

Lisbon:

- Is it even worth visiting Sintra at this time of year, or will it be too crowded? Rather than doing the typical tour route, I was considering renting e-bikes and doing a route that included a trip through the park of Pena Palace to get a good view of the castle (but not actually going into Pena Palace itself), Quinta da Regaleira (or Monserrate), and then the Convent of the Capuchos (which I visited last time I was in Lisbon and was a huge highlight of the entire trip for me.) According to e-bike rental sites, this is doable in one day (https://www.parkebike.com/sintra-parks-epic.html).

- Tips on lesser-known historic sites or museums to avoid the crowds a little bit? I'm interested in Ajuda National Palace and the National Tile Museum. Would also like to check out Gulbenkian, but not sure if that will be too crowded. (In case you can't tell already, I HATE waiting in line or being crowded by people at sites... especially when it's hot.)

- Any suggestions for walking tours that cover lesser-known subjects, rather than just a standard trip around the typical sites? We were also considering doing a sunset sail tour one night (https://www.lisbonbyboat.com/sailinginlisbon) - has anyone personally experience such a sail?

Porto

- This is a common question, but what was your favorite port tasting place? I also love vinho verde, if anyone has any suggestions relating to tasting/buying that!

- We will have four full days in Porto, and we plan to spend 2 or 3 of those on day trips. The most commonly suggested day trips are Aveiro, Braga, Guimaraes, and of course Douro Valley. Any suggestions or personal experiences?

- We would also like to lie on the beach at some point. We prefer 'wild' beaches, e.g. undeveloped without facilities, and quiet. It's fine if swimming is not a possibility due to currents, etc. Any suggestions? We will have a car for at least one day (returning to Porto for our last night) and would like to visit a beach then, so accessible by car is fine. Would prefer within an hour or two by car from Porto.

Peneda-Geres National Park

- I've heard it will possibly be too hot to be pleasant for hiking in August here, especially as many paths have little shade. On the other hand, I've heard there is also great swimming/lounging to be had. Has anyone visited any of the waterfalls or swimming holes here? We will be staying near Campo de Geres (and have a car at this point.)

JackiSR

Did you go on this trip?!
I wold love to see answers to so many of your questions as we are going this August.