Best of Lisbon and The Azores: City and Nature Wonders — Self-Launched
9 days · Lisbon & the Azores, Portugal
Portugal Travel Center charges £1,710
No-markup version: ~£1,080 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
A self-launched version of Portugal Travel Center's 9-day "Best of Lisbon and The Azores" group tour. You'll cover the same ground — Lisbon's historic quarters, a Sintra/Cascais day trip via Cabo da Roca, an Évora wine-country day — then fly to São Miguel in the Azores for the crater lakes of Sete Cidades and Lagoa do Fogo, and the volcanic wonders of Furnas. Instead of private drivers and guided groups, you'll use Lisbon's metro/tram network, cheap CP regional trains to Sintra and Évora, public buses in Ponta Delgada, and economical small-group day tours bookable via GetYourGuide or direct with local operators on the island — plus a short domestic flight (TAP or Azores Airlines). All costs are approximate per person in GBP and assume hostel/budget guesthouse accommodation.
Day-by-day
Arrival in Lisbon
Lisbon
Land at Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS) and make your own way into town — the metro (Red Line) reaches Baixa/Chiado in about 20 minutes for roughly £1.60-2, or a taxi is £12-18. Check into a budget guesthouse or hostel around Baixa, Alfama or Príncipe Real. In the evening, skip the operator's private Fado dinner transfer and book your own Fado show with dinner: venues like A Severa (the one the original tour used) or smaller houses in Alfama or Mouraria run £30-45 including a set menu. Book ahead online.
🚌Metro from airport ~£2; evening tram/walk
🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel, Baixa or Alfama (~£35/night)
- →Self-arranged Fado show with Portuguese dinner in Alfama/Mouraria
Lisbon City Tour
Lisbon
Do the city on foot and by tram at your own pace. Walk Avenida da Liberdade up to Parque Eduardo VII for the views, then take Tram 28 (or 12) into Alfama and wander its lanes up to the Miradouros. Cross to Bairro Alto and Baixa, finish at Praça do Comércio on the Tagus. Optional: a 2-3 hour 'free' walking tour (tip £8-12) or a self-bookable GetYourGuide small-group tour (£15-25) gives the same historic framing a local guide would.
🚌Tram 28 single ~£3; Viva Viagem card day pass ~£6.60
🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel, Baixa or Alfama (~£35/night)
- →Self-launched walking route: Avenida da Liberdade, Parque Eduardo VII, Alfama, Bairro Alto, Praça do Comércio
- →Optional tip-based or GetYourGuide walking tour
Sintra & Cascais day trip
Sintra / Cascais
Take the CP Sintra line from Rossio or Oriente (about 40-50 min, ~£2.30 each way) and do the same palaces the tour frames as optional — book Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira tickets online in advance (£12-20 each). If Pena and Regaleira are both on your list, plan a full day there. In the afternoon, take Bus 403 from Sintra to Cabo da Roca (Europe's westernmost point, free to visit the headland) and continue on the same bus to Cascais. Return to Lisbon on the coastal Cascais line train through Estoril (about 40 min, ~£2.20). Note: Moorish Castle has been closed for renovation at times — check before buying a combined ticket.
🚌CP train Lisbon-Sintra ~£2.30; Bus 403 Sintra-Cabo da Roca-Cascais ~£4; Cascais-Lisbon train ~£2.20
🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel, Baixa or Alfama (~£35/night)
- →Pena Palace entry (book online)
- →Quinta da Regaleira entry (book online)
- →Cabo da Roca headland
- →Cascais old town and coastal train through Estoril
Évora wine day trip
Évora
Ride the CP train from Lisbon Oriente to Évora (roughly 1h40, ~£12-15 each way). Walk the walled UNESCO old town, the Temple of Diana and the cathedral, then book a small-group or shared wine-estate tour/transfer to a nearby herdade for a tasting (many run £35-55 including transport out of town, since estates aren't walkable). If you'd rather keep it cheap, stay in town and visit a wine shop for a tasting flight (~£10-15) plus the bone chapel. Evening train back to Lisbon.
🚌CP train Lisbon-Évora ~£12-15 each way
🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel, Baixa or Alfama (~£35/night)
- →Évora historic centre walk
- →Shared/group winery tour and tasting
- →Optional Capela dos Ossos entry
Lisbon to Ponta Delgada
Ponta Delgada, São Miguel
Take the metro or a cheap bus to the airport and fly Lisbon to Ponta Delgada (PDL) — book on TAP or Azores Airlines, roughly £60-110 one way depending on how far ahead you book. Arrive on São Miguel, then take the local bus or a shared shuttle/taxi from the airport into Ponta Delgada (bus ~£2, taxi ~£10-12). Check into a budget guesthouse or hostel in the city centre near the waterfront, and use the evening to walk the port and old town.
🚌Metro to LIS ~£2; domestic flight Lisbon-Ponta Delgada ~£60-110; airport bus/shuttle into town ~£2-12
🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel, Ponta Delgada waterfront (~£30/night)
- →Self-guided evening walk of Ponta Delgada harbour and Portas da Cidade
Sete Cidades & Lagoa do Fogo
Sete Cidades / Ribeira Grande
This is the island's west-side crater-lakes day. Join a small-group Sete Cidades & Lagoa do Fogo tour (GetYourGuide or book direct with a local São Miguel operator, typically £45-65 per person, 7-8 hours) — it generally includes the pineapple plantation, Pico do Carvão viewpoint, Sete Cidades town and its twin lakes, Ribeira Grande, the Lagoa do Fogo viewpoint and Pico da Barrosa. Optionally add the Caldeira Velha thermal bath (requires an advance timed reservation and a small entry fee, ~£8-10) and the regional liquor factory tasting. Bring a swim towel if you're doing the baths — hotels here usually provide one.
🚌Small-group tour minibus (included in tour price); otherwise local bus/Rede Expressos lines are slow — tours are the practical option
🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel, Ponta Delgada (~£30/night)
- →Small-group Sete Cidades & Lagoa do Fogo tour
- →Pineapple plantation visit
- →Pico do Carvão & Pico da Barrosa viewpoints
- →Caldeira Velha thermal bath (reserve ahead)
Furnas volcano & Gorreana tea
Furnas / Ribeira Grande
Head east on another small-group tour of the Furnas valley (usually £45-60, 7-8 hours). You'll stop at Vila Franca do Campo for a Queijada da Vila pastry, reach the Furnas lake and the fumarolas (boiling volcanic vents), and can try the Cozido das Furnas stew cooked underground. There's the Furnas thermal bath (bring a towel) and the optional Terra Nostra garden (entry ~£8). On the way home, stop at the Gorreana tea plantation for a free factory walk-through and tasting of black and green tea, plus the Santa Iria and Pico do Ferro viewpoints. Mid-week is quieter than weekends.
🚌Small-group tour minibus (included in tour price)
🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel, Ponta Delgada (~£30/night)
- →Small-group Furnas & east-island tour
- →Furnas fumarolas and lake viewpoint
- →Optional Terra Nostra garden
- →Gorreana tea plantation tasting
- →Optional Cozido das Furnas lunch
Ponta Delgada free day
Ponta Delgada
Keep a free day on the island. Walk the Ponta Delgada old town, the Forte de São Brás and the pineapple plantations, take a local bus to the beach at Praia das Milícias or a half-day boat to Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo in summer, or simply relax by the waterfront. If you want more, a half-day whale-and-dolphin watching trip runs £40-60. This is also the day to sort out anything you missed on the tours.
🚌Local bus to beaches ~£2; walkable city centre
🛏Budget guesthouse/hostel, Ponta Delgada (~£30/night)
- →Ponta Delgada old town and Forte de São Brás
- →Optional whale/dolphin watching trip
- →Optional beach trip by local bus
Ponta Delgada to Lisbon — departure
Ponta Delgada / Lisbon
Take the local airport bus or a shared taxi to PDL for your flight back to Lisbon (again ~£60-110 one way, book ahead). If you're connecting to an international long-haul flight from Lisbon, leave a generous buffer — at peak times Lisbon airport security and customs queues can take two hours or more. Add an extra night in Lisbon if your onward flight is the next morning, rather than routing back through the city late.
🚌Airport bus ~£2 or taxi ~£10-12; domestic flight PDL-Lisbon ~£60-110
🛏None (or optional extra night in Lisbon ~£35)
- →Optional final morning in Ponta Delgada before departure
Self-launched vs. Portugal Travel Center
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Portugal Travel Center | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,080 | £1,710 |
| Duration | 9 days | 9 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £630 per person (37%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Portugal Travel Center-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,080
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
Customise with Tour BusterCreated by
Travel Crew
0 trips
Frequently asked questions
How much does Best of Lisbon and The Azores: City and Nature Wonders — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,080 per person for 9 days in Lisbon & the Azores, Portugal. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Portugal Travel Center?+
Yes — Portugal Travel Center charges around £1,710 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,080 — a saving of roughly £630 (37%) per person.
How long is the Lisbon & the Azores, Portugal trip?+
This itinerary runs 9 days, covering 9 day-by-day stops through Lisbon & the Azores, Portugal.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, hiking, budget trip through Lisbon & the Azores, Portugal, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
Drop your comment below — if you've done a similar route, tell us what worked, what you'd add, or what you'd skip.
No comments yet — be the first to share your take.
Sign in to leave a comment.