YES experiences PORTUGAL
Lisbon · Setúbal · Alentejo

Day trips from Lisbon, designed by people who live here.

We are a licensed Portuguese operator based in Sesimbra, forty minutes south of Lisbon. Every day below is private to your party, starts at your Lisbon address, and is hosted by someone from the region you are visiting — wine in Arrábida, palaces in Sintra, empty beaches on the Atlantic, cork and marble in the Alentejo.

Explore Signature ExperiencesDesign your day

4.9 / 5 · 1000 reviewsHotel pickup in LisbonRNAAT nº 31/2023

The days we run most

Six day trips from Lisbon, each a real route.

  • Setúbal · Arrábida

    Arrábida Private Wine Tour from Lisbon — All-Inclusive

    A private wine tour from Lisbon to the Arrábida hills — two or three family wineries, Livramento market and a long traditional lunch in Azeitão, handled door to door.

    7–9h · from €135 per person

    Book this day · from €135Full itinerary
  • Lisbon Coast

    Sintra & Cascais Private Tour — Hidden Gems & Wine Tasting

    A flexible palace selection in Sintra — one palace and a Colares wine visit, or two palaces — plus Cabo da Roca and Cascais.

    8–10h · from €161 per person

    Book this day · from €161Full itinerary
  • Arrábida · Sesimbra

    Lisbon Coastal Tour — Arrábida, Sesimbra & Beach Picnic

    A private coastal day — Arrábida viewpoints, hidden coves and a slow picnic on a quiet beach.

    7h30 · from €118 per person

    Book this day · from €118Full itinerary
  • Tróia · Comporta · Alentejo

    Tróia & Comporta Private Tour from Lisbon — Ruins, Wine & Coast

    Cross the Sado by ferry to the Roman ruins of Tróia, then Comporta's stilt pier, Atlantic beaches and a Herdade da Comporta tasting.

    8–9h · from €157 per person

    Book this day · from €157Full itinerary
  • Alentejo

    Évora & Alentejo Wine Private Tour from Lisbon — Local Traditions

    The Roman Temple and Chapel of Bones in Évora, two selected Alentejo wineries and a traditional cork-production visit.

    9–11h · from €169 per person

    Book this day · from €169Full itinerary
  • Setúbal · Arrábida

    Arrábida & Sesimbra Private Tour with Coastal Boat Ride

    A private Arrábida day with the Sesimbra Coastal Boat Tour, Lapa de Santa Margarida and the cliffs of Cabo Espichel.

    6–8h · from €135 per person

    Book this day · from €135Full itinerary
Compare every day

Drive time, distance and our honest verdict.

Distances are one way from central Lisbon, in miles and kilometres. Duration and price come straight from each Signature page, so what you read here is what you pay there.

  • Arrábida & Azeitão wine country

    Drive
    About 40 minutes
    Distance
    25 miles (40 km)
    Length
    7–9h
    From
    €135 pp

    Wine, coastline and a long lunch in the same day.

    Dates & prices

  • Sintra, Cabo da Roca & Cascais

    Drive
    About 40 minutes
    Distance
    19 miles (30 km)
    Length
    8–10h
    From
    €161 pp

    First-time visitors who want the palaces and the Atlantic.

    Dates & prices

  • Arrábida beaches & Sesimbra

    Drive
    About 40 minutes
    Distance
    25 miles (40 km)
    Length
    7h30
    From
    €118 pp

    Swimming, coves and a slow coastal day.

    Dates & prices

  • Azeitão cheese-making & wine

    Drive
    About 40 minutes
    Distance
    25 miles (40 km)
    Length
    8–9h
    From
    €101 pp

    Hands-on food lovers and families.

    Dates & prices

  • Arrábida coast by boat

    Drive
    About 40 minutes
    Distance
    25 miles (40 km)
    Length
    6–8h
    From
    €135 pp

    Seeing the cliffs from the water.

    Dates & prices

  • Tróia & Comporta

    Drive
    About 1 hour, including the Sado ferry
    Distance
    68 miles (110 km) by road, or shorter via the ferry
    Length
    8–9h
    From
    €157 pp

    Wide empty sand, rice fields and Roman ruins.

    Dates & prices

  • Évora & the Alentejo

    Drive
    About 1 hour 30 minutes
    Distance
    84 miles (135 km)
    Length
    9–11h
    From
    €169 pp

    Roman history, walled streets and serious wine.

    Dates & prices

  • Hidden Alentejo & talha wine

    Drive
    About 1 hour 45 minutes
    Distance
    100 miles (160 km)
    Length
    8–9h
    From
    €254 pp

    Travelers who have already seen the obvious Portugal.

    Dates & prices

  • Southwest Vicentine coast

    Drive
    About 2 hours
    Distance
    112 miles (180 km)
    Length
    9–10h
    From
    €203 pp

    Dramatic Atlantic cliffs far from any crowd.

    Dates & prices

  • Fátima, Nazaré & Óbidos

    Drive
    1 to 2 hours
    Distance
    78 miles (125 km) to Fátima
    Length
    8–9h
    From
    €135 pp

    Pilgrimage, giant surf and a walled medieval town.

    Dates & prices

  • Tomar & Coimbra

    Drive
    About 1 hour 30 minutes
    Distance
    87 miles (140 km)
    Length
    8–9h
    From
    €152 pp

    Templar history and Portugal's oldest university.

    Dates & prices
Deciding between them

Sintra, Arrábida or Évora — which one is yours?

Sintra vs Arrábida — which day trip from Lisbon should you take?

Sintra is the famous one: palaces on a forested hill, forty minutes from Lisbon, and by mid-morning in summer it is the busiest place in the country. Arrábida is forty minutes in the other direction and almost nobody outside Portugal has heard of it: a limestone ridge dropping into green water, family wineries in Azeitão, a fishing town at the bottom. If it is your first trip to Portugal and you want the picture you have already seen, take Sintra and start early. If you would rather eat and drink well somewhere that still feels local, take Arrábida. Guests with two days usually do both, and almost always say Arrábida was the surprise.

Sintra vs Évora — palaces or Roman Portugal?

Évora is three times further inland — around 90 minutes each way — and that drive is the whole decision. What you get for it is a walled UNESCO town with a Roman temple in the middle of it, marble villages, cork oaks and Alentejo wine, all of it far quieter than the Lisbon coast. Sintra gives you more per mile; Évora gives you more per hour once you arrive. If you have three or more days around Lisbon, Évora is the one that makes the trip feel bigger than a city break.

Is a day trip from Lisbon actually worth it?

Yes, with one condition: the day has to be built around when places are empty rather than around a coach timetable. Portugal's distances are small — most of what people fly here to see sits within 90 minutes of Lisbon — so the limiting factor is never the driving, it is the queuing. That is the entire argument for a private day, and it is why we only run them that way.

Our honest verdict, day by day

Arrábida & Azeitão wine country
The day we would pick if you only have one. It is the closest real wine country to Lisbon, so almost none of it is spent on the motorway — and the Arrábida park road to the sea is the best short drive near the capital.
Sintra, Cabo da Roca & Cascais
Worth it, but only with early timing. Sintra is the most visited day trip from Lisbon and the difference between a wonderful day and a frustrating one is entirely about what hour you arrive where.
Arrábida beaches & Sesimbra
The day to choose between May and October. Green water, white cliffs and a picnic instead of a restaurant — the closest thing to the Algarve without the six-hour round trip.
Azeitão cheese-making & wine
The most hands-on day we run, and the one guests describe most vividly afterwards. You make the cheese yourself; it is not a demonstration you watch.
Arrábida coast by boat
The Arrábida cliffs read completely differently from sea level. Weather-dependent, so we keep it to the warm half of the year.
Tróia & Comporta
Quieter than anything on the Lisbon side, and the estuary crossing makes the arrival feel like a different country. Best from late spring to early autumn.
Évora & the Alentejo
Genuinely worth the drive — but only as a private day. On a fixed group schedule, three hours of driving leaves very little Évora.
Hidden Alentejo & talha wine
Wine still fermented in clay amphorae, the way the Romans did it here. The most unusual day in our catalog and the one wine people remember longest.
Southwest Vicentine coast
The wildest coastline within a day of Lisbon. A long drive, and worth it if empty landscape is what you came for.
Fátima, Nazaré & Óbidos
Three very different places in one day. It works because the vehicle is yours — you decide how long each one gets.
Tomar & Coimbra
The Convent of Christ at Tomar is one of the great buildings of Europe and sees a fraction of Sintra's visitors.
Coming from the United States

Jet lag, tipping, timing — the practical answers.

How far in advance should we book from the US?
For May to October, four to eight weeks is comfortable; July and August weekends go first. Outside those months a week or two is usually fine. Dates and prices are live on every Signature page, so you can see availability yourself before you commit.
We land in Lisbon that morning — can we still do a day trip?
We would not recommend it on the day you land from a US east-coast red-eye. Most guests arrive, sleep, and take their first day trip the following morning. If your schedule leaves no choice, tell us the flight and we will start later and shorten the day rather than rush it.
Do we tip, and how much?
Tipping is not expected in Portugal the way it is in the US. Guests who have had a good day often leave 5 to 10 percent for their host; nobody will think anything of it if you do not.
Do we need to rent a car?
Not for these days — the vehicle and the driver-host are part of the price, and Portuguese country roads plus European parking are the two things visiting Americans most often regret taking on.
What does it cost, in dollars?
Prices are set in euros and shown per person on each Signature page. Your card is charged in euros; your bank converts at the rate on the day, so we cannot publish a fixed dollar figure without it going stale.
When is the best time of year to visit Lisbon?
April to early June and mid-September to October: warm, long days, and far fewer people than July and August. Winter is mild and green, the wine cellars are at their best, and the coast is empty — just with a shorter day and a real chance of rain.

More for first-time visitors on our Portugal guide for American travelers and how many days you need in Portugal.

Real guest reviews

In the words of recent guests.

  • Unforgettable Arrábida wine day

    “We were picked up at our hotel and our wonderful adventure began. Unforgettable local market, studio of a tile artisan, 3 lovely wineries, beautiful vistas, delicious Portuguese…”

    Helga_W · via Viator

  • 5 Star Service - Highly recommend!

    “⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ My mom and I had the absolute pleasure of touring Portugal with Miguel, and we couldn't have asked for a better guide! From the moment we met him, his warm personalit…”

    Verified guest · via Viator

  • Fantastic corporate team experience!

    “We booked this tour as a corporate team event while visiting Lisbon for a conference. Our group wanted something relaxed and authentic outside the city and this was perfect. The…”

    Verified guest · via Viator

Where we are

A local operator, forty minutes from Lisbon.

Address

YES Experiences Portugal
Sesimbra, Portugal (Setúbal district)
RNAAT nº 31/2023

Opening hours

Every day, 08:00 – 20:00 (Lisbon time)
Pickups across Lisbon, Cascais, Sintra, Sesimbra and Setúbal.

Talk to a local

+351 911 889 992

info@yesexperiencesportugal.com

Reserve your day

Choose your day, your date and your pickup address, see the final price for your party, and confirm by card — the confirmation appears on screen and arrives by email.

Book & pay onlineDesign your day
Day tours from Lisbon, by region

Four directions, each with its own listing.

  • Arrábida & Sesimbra

    About 40 minutes from central Lisbon. Good all year; the coves and the boat days are best April to October.

    See the days

  • Azeitão & Setúbal

    About 40 minutes from central Lisbon. Year-round. Harvest energy in September; cellars are at their best in winter.

    See the days

  • Sintra & Cascais

    About 40 minutes from central Lisbon. Year-round. Spring and autumn give the clearest light on the coast road.

    See the days

  • Évora & the Alentejo

    About 1h30 from central Lisbon — these days start earlier. Spring and autumn are ideal; summer is hot inland, so we start early.

    See the days

  • Comporta & Tróia

    About 1h from central Lisbon, including the Sado ferry crossing. May to October for the beaches; the estuary is beautiful all year.

    See the days

  • Centro & the Silver Coast

    About 1h to 2h from central Lisbon — these are full, early-start days. Year-round; the Nazaré swell is at its most dramatic between October and March.

    See the days

Also: private Lisbon tours · private wine tours from Lisbon · Lisbon wine tour prices · planning a Portugal itinerary

Practical questions

Everything you need before the pickup.

Where do day trips from Lisbon start?
At your hotel, apartment or any Lisbon address you give us. Pickup is door to door, and the return is to the same place at the end of the day.
How long is a day trip from Lisbon?
Most of our days run seven to nine hours door to door. Arrábida and Sintra are about 40 minutes from Lisbon; Évora and the Alentejo are around 90 minutes, so those days start a little earlier.
Are the day trips private?
Always. Your group only, your own local host and a vehicle dedicated to your day. We never combine parties.
Can I book a Lisbon day trip instantly?
Yes. Every Signature day shows live dates and prices and can be reserved and paid for online in a couple of minutes. If you would rather talk it through first, send a request and a local replies personally.
Do you pick up at Lisbon hotels, apartments and cruise terminals?
Yes — hotels, apartments, villas in Cascais or Sintra, and the Santa Apolónia cruise terminal. Tell us the address when you book and your host confirms the exact pickup time the day before.
What time does pickup happen?
Most days start between 08:00 and 09:30, and you choose the slot when you reserve. Alentejo days start earlier because the drive is around 90 minutes.
Can you pick us up outside Lisbon?
We collect from Lisbon, Cascais, Estoril, Sintra, Setúbal and Sesimbra at no extra cost. Anywhere further, tell us where you are staying and we will confirm before you pay.
What if our flight or ship is delayed?
Message the number on your confirmation. Your host waits and reshapes the day around the time you actually have — that flexibility is the point of a private day.
What if the weather changes?
Your host reshapes the day around it — the coast, the cellars and the villages all have good-weather and bad-weather versions. Free cancellation up to 24h before, when applicable.

More answers on our FAQs page, or read the local stories we write about these regions.

Indicative conversion. Checkout remains in euros.