Ultimate 12 Day Portugal Road Trip Itinerary

Throw together an Iberian soundtrack and you're all set to hit the open road in Portugal. Backcountry lanes will take you to places you simply couldn’t reach without a car, including wild cliff-backed beaches, remote mountain villages and lone promontories perfect for watching the sunset over the sea.

Portugal is an ideal destination for a scenic road trip. The roads are generally in good shape, and the nation’s relatively small size allows you to see a diverse array of attractions, even if you have only a few days to spare.

Your road trip in Portugal will take you from the north of the country, the whole way to the south and we got to see so many amazing Portugal attractions. 

We started in Porto and finished in Lisbon, including the Algarve and our route includes the epic Douro Valley, which is regarded as one of the most beautiful road trip drives in the world - and we confirm it is!

So if you want to see the highlights of what Portugal has to offer then this 12 day Portugal road trip itinerary is the perfect one for you.

THE DOURO VALLEY

Best road trip for wine lovers

The Douro is a little drop of heaven. This Unesco World Heritage-listed region offers some of Portugal’s most evocative landscapes, with mile after swoon-worthy mile of vineyards spooling along the contours of its namesake river and marching up its terraced hillsides. Along seemingly every road, fabulous food, sumptuous wines, medieval stone villages, palatial quintas (countryside villas) and postcard views beckon.

Stop by the picturesque terraced vineyards at Quinta do Crasto or sample the world’s best port wine amidst the rolling hills of Pinhão. Just 4.5km (2.8 miles) from Pinhão is the stunning Casal de Loivos and its fine miradouro (viewpoint). From here, the uplifting view presents the Douro in postcard format, taking in a full sweep of stone-walled terraced vineyards, stitched into the hillsides and fringing the sweeping contours of the valley, with the river scything through it all.

LISBON

Best road trip for Unesco World Heritage sites

This drive takes you from Lisbon, Portugal’s romantic capital, through landscapes softened by cork oaks and pines. Before leaving the capital, stop at Belém, where you can see two architectural icons (and Unesco listed sites) in one stop – the 16th-century Jéronimos Monastery and the equally majestic Tower of Belém, offering memorable views over the Tejo River. Be sure to pick up what could be the world’s best custard tartbefore leaving Belém. Next up is Sintra, a village with palaces, whimsical mansions and enchanting woodlands, plus some enticing places to stay for the night.    

From here, you’ll head to a trio of stunning architectural monuments – all Unesco World Heritage sites. At Alcobaça, you can wander the corridors of one of the finest monasteries in Iberia. About 30 minutes northeast, you can gape at the Gothic grandeur of Santa Maria da Vitória, yet another monastic masterpiece. The most mysterious site of all is in Tomar, home to the magnificent Convento de Cristo, built by the Knights Templar.