Day Trips
The coast is closer than people think
A short train ride reaches the Atlantic, and the beaches vary enormously in shelter and character.
Day Trips
Sintra, the coast, the river and how to reach them without a car.
21 articles · updated August 11, 2026 · page 1 of 2
Day Trips
Sintra in a day, done properly
The day trip everyone takes, and the one most commonly ruined by trying to see everything.
More in Day Trips
Day Trips
Day trips by train that are not Sintra
The regional network reaches several towns that are quieter, cheaper and genuinely different.
Day Trips
The ferry is a direction, not an excursion
Crossing the river is an ordinary commuter journey that happens to have the best view in the region.
Day Trips
Coffee in a small town is a different institution
An hour out of the city, the cafe stops being one option among many and becomes the centre of a place.
Day Trips
Reading the landscape from a train window
The countryside around the city is a worked landscape, and knowing what the trees are doing makes the journey part of the day.
Day Trips
Market day towns and the weekly rhythm
Towns around the region hold markets on fixed weekdays, and arriving on the right morning changes what the place is.
Day Trips
Beach towns out of season
The coastal towns in winter are quiet, cheap and dramatic, and about a third of them are effectively shut.
Day Trips
Walking the coast, and what the wind decides
The cliff paths west of the city are exposed, sustained and much more affected by wind than by temperature.
Day Trips
Visiting wine country without a car
Several producing regions are reachable by public transport and a short taxi, which solves the obvious problem with tasting.
Day Trips
Timing a day trip around heat and closing hours
The two things that ruin a day out are the middle of the afternoon and the middle of the summer day, and both are predictable.
Day Trips
How to walk a historic garden properly
The estate gardens around the region are designed sequences, and the standard mistake is to walk them like a park.