Day Trips from Lisbon: 6 Drives Along the Coast
Lisbon has an unusually good set of day trips for a capital: within ninety minutes you can be in a hilltop palace in cloud forest, on a limestone beach the colour of a swimming pool, inside a walled medieval town, or standing where the continent ends at Cabo da Roca.
The days below are paced as full days with the driving counted honestly, and each says plainly whether the car earns its place — because for two of these the train is genuinely the better idea, and parking in Sintra on a July morning is its own kind of holiday memory.
Day drives from Lisbon
Arrábida & Setúbal Day Trip from Lisbon
Limestone cliffs over turquoise water, and dolphins in the estuary
1 days · 98 km
Limestone cliffs over turquoise water, and dolphins in the estuary
Óbidos Day Trip from Lisbon
A walled town you can circle on the ramparts, cherry liqueur included
1 days · 170 km
A walled town you can circle on the ramparts, cherry liqueur included
Évora Day Trip from Lisbon
A Roman temple, a bone chapel and Alentejo cooking
1 days · 264 km
A Roman temple, a bone chapel and Alentejo cooking
Ericeira & the surf coast Day Trip from Lisbon
A World Surfing Reserve and a fishing town that still feels like one
1 days · 100 km
A World Surfing Reserve and a fishing town that still feels like one
Sintra & Cabo da Roca Day Trip from Lisbon
Palaces in cloud forest, then the westernmost point of Europe
1 days · 57 km
Palaces in cloud forest, then the westernmost point of Europe
Nazaré & Alcobaça Day Trip from Lisbon
The big-wave headland, and a Cistercian abbey inland from it
1 days · 248 km
The big-wave headland, and a Cistercian abbey inland from it
Car or train?
Sintra is the one to think hardest about. It is a 40-minute train from Rossio, the historic centre is congested and largely closed to traffic, and the palace car parks fill before nine in summer — go by train and use the local buses or a tuk-tuk, and the day is better. Cascais is also an easy train. The car earns its keep for the Arrábida coast, Óbidos, Évora and the surf beaches around Ericeira, where buses are slow or infrequent. Two practical notes: Portuguese motorways use electronic tolls, and hire cars need a transponder or a registered plate — sort this at the desk rather than at a barrier — and Lisbon's historic centre has restricted-traffic zones, so park in a garage and walk.
Driving out of Lisbon — the practical bits
- Is Sintra better by train or car?
- By train, for most people. The line from Rossio runs every 20–30 minutes and takes about 40; driving means a congested mountain road, car parks that fill by nine in summer, and a centre where traffic is restricted. Take the car only if you're combining Sintra with Cabo da Roca and the coast road afterwards.
- How do Portuguese motorway tolls work with a hire car?
- Most motorways are electronic-only: cameras read a transponder or your registered plate, and there is no barrier to pay at. Arrange it when you collect the car — otherwise the charges arrive later with an administration fee on top, and some routes have no cash alternative at all.
- Can you do Évora as a day trip from Lisbon?
- Yes — about ninety minutes each way on the A6, which makes for a comfortable day with time for the Roman temple, the cathedral and lunch. It is one of the few Alentejo towns close enough to do properly without staying over.
- Which day trip is best for beaches?
- The Arrábida coast for calm, clear water and dramatic cliffs, or Ericeira and the Ericeira–Guincho stretch for surf and wind. Arrábida's beach access roads are narrow and sometimes closed to cars in peak summer, with a shuttle instead — check before you set off.
- Can I change these plans?
- Yes — swap any stop for one of three alternatives, or rebuild the day entirely. Drive times and tolls recalculate around your change.
Want a different day out of Lisbon?
Tell us where you're starting and how long you have, and we'll build the day around your own driving limit — then you can swap any stop.
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