North of Portugal: Lisbon to Porto by Train, Bus & Foot

Leave Lisbon early from Sete Rios or Oriente station and take a Rede Expressos or FlixBus coach to Óbidos (roughly 1h15, ~£9). Walk the complete medieval wall circuit (free), wander the cobbled streets and sip a tiny ginginha cherry liqueur from a chocolate cup (~£1.50). Continue by bus to Alcobaça to see the Monastery of Santa Maria (Cistercian Gothic, entrance ~£6) and then on to Nazaré to watch the Atlantic and the fishing quarter's drying fish and steep funicular to Sítio. If you're game for a fuller day, squeeze in Batalha's Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória (~£6) before the last bus to Fátima. In Fátima, join the free evening candle-lit rosary procession at the Sanctuary — open to anyone. Check into a hostel or simple guesthouse near the sanctuary; dorms from ~£18, private rooms ~£35-45.

🚌Rede Expressos/FlixBus Lisbon–Óbidos ~£9; local buses Óbidos–Alcobaça–Nazaré–Fátima ~£8-10 total; some legs may need a shared taxi if buses are thin

🛏Hostel or guesthouse near Fátima Sanctuary (~£20 dorm / £40 private)

• →Walk the medieval walls of Óbidos (free)
• →Taste ginginha in Óbidos (~£1.50)
• →Alcobaça Monastery (~£6)
• →Nazaré fishing village and Sítio viewpoint (funicular ~£2)
• →Optional Batalha Monastery (~£6)
• →Candle-lit procession at Fátima Sanctuary (free)

Catch a morning bus or regional train from Fátima to Coimbra (~£7-9, 1h). Walk up to the University of Coimbra; the Joanina baroque library and the whole university complex are ticketed (~£12 combined — book a timed slot online a few days ahead). Stop at Santa Clara Church and the old town, and browse the ceramics shops before heading on. Take a regional train Coimbra–Aveiro (~£4, 50 min), check out the moliceiro boats in the canals (a 45-minute shared boat trip ~£11), and grab an ovos moles sweet from a local pastelaria (~£1.50). Late afternoon take the urban train Aveiro–Porto São Bento (~£4, 1h). Stay in a Ribeira or Trindade hostel — dorms ~£18-25, privates ~£45-55.

🚌Bus Fátima–Coimbra ~£8; train Coimbra–Aveiro ~£4; urban train Aveiro–Porto ~£4

🛏Hostel in central Porto / Ribeira (~£22 dorm / £50 private)

• →Coimbra University and Joanina Library (~£12 timed ticket)
• →Santa Clara Church
• →Aveiro moliceiro canal boat trip (~£11)
• →Taste ovos moles (~£1.50)
• →Evening stroll in Porto's Ribeira

Spend the day on foot and on the tram. Start with the Sé Cathedral and the riverside Ribeira and Miragaia quarters with their old townhouses and churches, then cross the Luís I Bridge on the top deck for the view. In Vila Nova de Gaia, book a cellar tour and tasting direct with one of the port lodges (Sandeman, Graham's, Taylor's — ~£13-18 for a tour plus two or three tastings; Graham's and Taylor's sit a bit further uphill and are quieter). Ride the vintage tram 1 along the river (~£2.50). Evening: francesinha or a custard tart and coffee at a counter bar, plus sunset at Jardim do Morro (free).

🚌Tram 1 (~£2.50) plus walking; Andante single tickets ~£1.60

🛏Hostel in central Porto (~£22 dorm / £50 private)

• →Sé Cathedral (~£3)
• →Ribeira and Miragaia walk
• →Luís I Bridge upper deck crossing (free)
• →Port wine cellar tour and tasting in Gaia (~£15)
• →Vintage tram 1 (~£2.50)
• →Sunset at Jardim do Morro (free)

Take an early urban train Porto–Guimarães (~£3.50, 1h10). Climb to the castle (free to enter the grounds, small fee for the keep) and visit the Palace of the Dukes of Bragança (~£6). Then hop a regional train Guimarães–Braga (~£3, 1h). In Braga see the Cathedral (oldest in Portugal, ~£2 for the cathedral, more for the treasury and organ) and take bus 2 out to Bom Jesus do Monte (~£1.60) — walk the zigzag baroque staircase up and the funicular down (~£1.50). Evening train back to Porto (~£3.50, 1h). If you'd rather slow down, pick just one city and linger over lunch.

🚌Train Porto–Guimarães ~£3.50; train Guimarães–Braga ~£3; bus 2 to Bom Jesus ~£1.60; train Braga–Porto ~£3.50

🛏Hostel in central Porto (~£22 dorm / £50 private)

• →Guimarães Castle (free grounds)
• →Palace of the Dukes of Bragança (~£6)
• →Braga Cathedral (~£2)
• →Bom Jesus do Monte staircase and funicular (~£1.50)
• →Free afternoon to wander Braga's old town

A regional bus or train gets you to Amarante (~£4, 1h) for the riverside market and São Gonçalo church. Continue by bus to Vila Real (~£4) for the gardens of the Mateus Palace (~£7-9 house and gardens). Then push on to Lamego (~£4) for the baroque Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios' staircase, a taste of local presunto ham and a Bola de Lamego pastry (~£5). Base yourself in Lamego or the nearby Urgeirica/Viseu area in a rural guesthouse or hostel (~£25-35). If you'd rather keep the day shorter, skip Vila Real and take a Douro valley train ride (Régua–Pinhão line) instead — the scenery is the main event.

🚌Regional buses Porto–Amarante ~£4; Amarante–Vila Real ~£4; Vila Real–Lamego ~£4

🛏Rural guesthouse near Lamego / Urgeirica (~£30)

• →Amarante riverside and market
• →Mateus Palace gardens (~£8)
• →Lamego Sanctuary staircase (free)
• →Local ham and Bola de Lamego tasting (~£5)
• →Optional Douro train Pinhão–Régua (~£5)

Bus to Luso/Bussaco forest (~£3) for a morning walk through the Mata Nacional do Bussaco — mossy paths, the palace hotel and the Stations of the Cross trail (free to walk, small charge for the palace hotel entrance if you want to peek inside). Then continue to Tomar (~£4, 1h) and tour the Convent of Christ and the castle's Templar rotunda (~£10 combined). In the late afternoon take the regional train Tomar–Lisbon Oriente or Santa Apolónia (~£9, 1h45) and finish back at Marquês de Pombal Square. Buy tickets in advance at the station or via the CP app; regional trains are cheap but do sell out on weekend evenings.

🚌Bus to Luso ~£3; bus Luso–Tomar ~£4; regional train Tomar–Lisbon ~£9

🛏Own arrangement in Lisbon (hostel from ~£22)

• →Bussaco forest walk (free)
• →Convent of Christ, Tomar (~£10 including castle)
• →Templar castle and rotunda
• →Evening back in Lisbon