Lisbon: Suggested Itinerary

Day 1: Fly into the Portuguese capital and get acquainted with your surroundings and new lodgings before hitting the city. Take a stroll through the Alfama, the most interesting district of Lisbon. Visit the 12th-century Sé and take in a view of the city and the river Tagus from the Santa Luzia Belvedere. Climb up to the Castelo de São Jorge. Take a taxi or bus to Belém to see the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos and the Torre de Belém. While at Belém, explore one of the major sights of Lisbon, the Museu Nacional dos Coches, there’s also a Maritime museum for those interested in Portugal’s colonial past.

Day 2: Today take an excursion from Lisbon. Visit the fishing village of Nazaré and the walled city of Óbidos. Those interested in Roman Catholic sights might also want to include a visit to the shrine at Fátima, although seeing this on the same day would be hectic.

Day 3: Head for Sintra, the single most visited sight in the environs of Lisbon. You can spend the day exploring the castle and other palaces in the stunning area. Try at least to visit the Palácio Nacional de Sintra and the Palácio Nacional da Pena. Return to Lisbon for a night at a fado cafe.

Day 4: Spend a morning at the Museu da Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian, one of Europe's artistic treasure-troves. Have lunch in the Bairro Alto. In the afternoon, see the Fundação Ricardo Espírito Santo (Museum of Decorative Art) and the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Ancient Art). At the day's end, wander through Parque Eduardo VII. Try and get as much as you can done before having to fly home, or better yet, postpone the flight until the morning!