Most people arrive in Lisbon, leave from Lisbon, and come home wondering why they didn’t see more of Portugal. The answer is almost always the same: they based themselves in the capital when they should have based themselves in Santarém. One hour north by train, sitting on a ridge above the Tagus, Santarém gives you the whole country. A thoughtful Portugal itinerary, 7 days long, starts here, and from here, Lisbon, Porto, and the Alentejo are all within comfortable reach without moving your bags more than once.
Is seven days enough for Portugal? Yes, with the right base. This itinerary covers the country’s essential experiences without the exhausting hotel shuffle. Our team at Verdi Santarém hotel have helped guests plan exactly this kind of trip for years. Here’s how we’d do it.
Table of Contents
Your 7-Day Portugal Itinerary at a Glance
Seven days. One base. The whole country. Here’s the shape of it:
|
Day |
Location |
Suggested Highlights |
|
Day 1 |
Arrive in Santarem (via Lisbon) |
Settle in at Verdi Hotels, evening stroll to the Portas do Sol viewpoint |
|
Day 2 |
Santarem & surroundings |
Gothic churches, Mercado Municipal, day trip to Tomar or Obidos |
|
Day 3 |
Lisbon day trip |
Belem Tower, Alfama, LX Factory – 1hr from Santarem by train |
|
Day 4 |
Alentejo |
Evora’s Roman temple, vineyards, and cork forests |
|
Day 5 |
Travel north to Porto |
Ribeira district, Douro river, port wine cellars |
|
Day 6 |
Porto |
Livraria Lello, Clerigos Tower, street food |
|
Day 7 |
Sintra or depart |
Pena Palace, Moorish Castle, then return to Santarem / Lisbon airport |
Find out more about our hotel locations, or explore our guide to things to do in and around Santarem before you arrive.
Why Santarem is the Perfect Base for Your Portugal Itinerary
Santarém doesn’t appear on most people’s lists of places to visit in Portugal. That’s precisely why it should appear on yours.
The town sits on a limestone ridge above the Tagus valley, about an hour north of Lisbon by direct train. Geographically, it’s the best-placed town in Portugal for anyone wanting to cover serious ground: an hour to Lisbon’s Santa Apolónia station, two and a half hours to Porto Campanhã, and an easy drive south into the Alentejo. Staying here means you move your bags once, and the country comes to you.
The town itself earns its place. Santarém is known as the Gothic capital of Portugal, a title it holds with honour, with a concentration of medieval churches, a spectacular Portas do Sol viewpoint over the Tagus valley, and a Mercado Municipal where locals actually shop. It’s a working Portuguese town, not a tourist zone. That difference shows in the restaurants, the prices, and the quality of the evening walk.
Staying in Lisbon for a week is the conventional choice. It’s also more expensive, more crowded, and leaves the rest of the country largely unvisited. Santarém is the smarter base, and Verdi Hotels puts you right at the heart of it. Take a look at what’s on your doorstep in our guide to things to do in and around Santarem, or browse our hotel locations and experiences to start planning.
Days 1–2: Santarem, Where Your Portugal Story Begins
You’ll land at Lisbon Humberto Delgado and be in Santarém within the hour. The Alfa Pendular train runs direct to Santarém station from Lisboa Oriente, a clean, comfortable journey, and by the time you arrive, you’ll already feel the pace shift.
The first evening belongs to Portas do Sol. The gardens sit at the edge of the old town, and the view over the Tagus valley at dusk, the river wide and silver below, the plains of the Ribatejo stretching south, is the kind of arrival moment that makes you glad you didn’t spend the night in Lisbon. Find a table at one of the nearby tascas and order whatever the kitchen is recommending. Ribatejo wine is underrated and pleasingly affordable.
Spend day two in the town and its surroundings. The Gothic quarter rewards an unhurried morning: the Igreja de Santa Cruz, with its carved Manueline portal, is extraordinary up close, and the Igreja de São João de Alporão, now an archaeology museum, holds one of the finest Gothic tombs in Portugal. Breakfast at the Mercado Municipal, where the stalls open early, and the pastel de nata is made locally rather than shipped in.
If you’re feeling the pull of more, two options sit within 45 minutes: medieval Óbidos, its white walls and cobbled streets entirely intact, or the Templar castle at Tomar, one of the most impressive fortified complexes in the country, and almost always quieter than it deserves to be.
Our full guide to things to do in and around Santarem includes detailed day-trip options. And our experiences page has ideas for making the most of your time in the region.
Day 3: A Day Trip to Lisbon, The Capital, Done Right
Here’s the thing about Lisbon as a base: it’s wonderful for a day. Less so for a week, once the crowds and the prices settle in. From Santarém, the capital is an hour away by direct train, so you get the whole city and none of the hotel bill.
Take the early train and head straight to Belém in the morning. The Torre de Belém is best before the tour groups arrive; the queue for Pastéis de Belém moves faster than it looks. The Jerónimos Monastery next door is one of the finest pieces of Manueline architecture anywhere; budget a full hour. In the afternoon, move to Alfama. The Miradouro das Portas do Sol gives a completely different perspective on the city, terracotta rooftops, the castle above, and the Tagus below. Catch Tram 28 at any point in the afternoon and hold on; the route through the narrow streets is genuinely enjoyable.
If it’s a Sunday, LX Factory in Alcântara is worth the detour for its market and atmosphere. The MAAT museum by the waterfront is worth a look if contemporary art is your thing. By early evening, you’re back on the train to Santarém, fresher and considerably better off than if you’d spent the night.
For more on the capital and other Portuguese cities worth your time, see our guide to the top cities to visit in Portugal.
Day 4: Into the Alentejo, Portugal’s Soul
If Lisbon is Portugal’s face, the Alentejo is its interior life. This is the region that most visitors’ itineraries skip entirely. That’s a mistake.
The drive south from Santarém takes around an hour and a half to Évora, the Alentejo’s main town and one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Europe. The Roman Temple of Diana stands at the centre of the old town, two thousand years of history compressed into a single view. The Cathedral is worth the climb for the rooftop terrace. The bone chapel of São Francisco, its walls and ceiling constructed from the remains of around 5,000 monks, is sobering and genuinely fascinating in equal measure.
Beyond Évora, the landscape opens into cork oak forests and vineyards. The Alentejo produces some of Portugal’s most respected red wines, and the region’s olive oil is extraordinary. A stop at a local producer on the way back is rarely unwelcome. If the day allows, the hilltop village of Monsaraz — white houses on a ridge above the Alqueva reservoir- is worth the extra half hour for the late afternoon light. Be back in Santarém for dinner.
Our experiences page includes recommended routes through the Alentejo. For a broader sense of where Évora sits among Portugal’s most interesting cities, see our guide to the top cities to visit in Portugal.
Days 5–6: Porto, The North Comes Alive
Day five is a travel day, but a comfortable one. The train from Santarém to Porto Campanhã takes around two and a half hours, long enough to feel like a proper journey, short enough to arrive with most of the afternoon intact. If you’d rather drive, the route north through the Douro valley rewards the extra time.
Spend the first afternoon in Ribeira, Porto’s riverside quarter, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the city’s most immediately striking neighbourhood. The Ponte Dom Luís I offers two crossing experiences: the lower level for pedestrians, the upper level for the metro and the views. Cross into Vila Nova de Gaia for the port wine cellars; most of the major lodges offer tastings, and the difference between a good cellar tour and a great one is worth paying for.
Day six belongs to the rest of the city. Livraria Lello is worth the timed-entry ticket; book in advance. Clérigos Tower gives the best panoramic view over Porto. The Majestic Café on Rua de Santa Catarina is touristy and expensive, and still worth stopping in for coffee once. Porto’s street food is some of the best in Portugal: the Francesinha — a layered meat sandwich in spiced tomato and beer sauce — is the dish to order at least once, alongside bifanas and the less widely known tripas à moda do Porto. The city is compact and surprisingly easy to navigate on foot, which makes slow exploration the natural approach.
See our guide to the top cities to visit in Portugal for more on Porto and what to see. Travelling with a group? Our group travel page has practical information on how we can help.
Day 7: Sintra or Head South, Choose Your Ending
The last day offers a choice depending on what you haven’t had enough of.
Option A, Sintra: Return south from Porto, stopping in Sintra before heading to Santarém or Lisbon for your flight. The Pena Palace, painted in its improbable yellows and reds on the hilltop above the town, is the obvious draw. Arrive before 10am if you want the views without the crowds. The Quinta da Regaleira, with its initiatic well and occultist symbolism, is a slightly stranger and arguably more interesting stop. Allow three to four hours for the town.
Option B, Algarve extension: If you have an extra day or are planning a return visit, the Algarve sits around three hours south of Santarém by road. The drive through the cork forests of the Alentejo is pleasant, and the coastal towns, particularly Tavira and the area around Sagres, offer a very different version of Portugal from everything you’ve seen this week.
Either way, Lisbon’s Humberto Delgado airport is an hour from Santarém — a morning flight is manageable without a pre-dawn start. See our guide to the top cities to visit in Portugal for details on what Sintra offers.
Practical Tips for Your 7-Day Portugal Itinerary
A few things worth knowing before you go:
- Is 7 days enough for Portugal? Yes, especially with a central base like Santarém. You cover more ground with less movement.
- Best time to visit: April to June and September to October. The weather is warm, the crowds are manageable, and the Alentejo light in autumn is worth the trip on its own. Avoid August if you can; prices spike, and the cities fill.
- Getting around: Portugal’s train network is excellent between Lisbon, Santarém, and Porto. For the Alentejo, rent a car, Évora and the surrounding villages are not well served by public transport.
- What to pack: Layers for evenings, even in summer. Comfortable walking shoes, as Portuguese towns are heavily cobbled. A light waterproof for spring visits.
- Language: A few words of Portuguese go a long way. Locals in Santarém and the Alentejo particularly appreciate the effort.
- Budget: Portugal remains significantly more affordable than Spain, France, or Italy. A good dinner at a local tasca in Santarém will cost considerably less than equivalent quality in Lisbon.
Our experiences page has practical information on regional day trips and activities. For group travel logistics, visit our group travel page.
Start Your Portugal Journey in Santarem
Portugal is a country that rewards curiosity and punishes rushing. Seven days, approached well, gives you enough time to feel the difference between places, the particular light of the Alentejo, the particular noise of Ribeira at dusk, the particular quiet of Santarém on a Tuesday morning when the market is setting up.
The itinerary above is the one we’d give to a friend planning this trip who wanted to actually see Portugal rather than merely visit it. Santarém is the part most people skip. It’s also the part that makes the rest of the week possible.
Ready to start planning? Explore our experiences and make Santarém your home in Portugal. Find out more about Santarém Verdi Hotel and how our team can help you shape a week that covers the country properly. Travelling with a group? We’ve got you covered.
