Before you head to Lisbon you can make a stop in the area of Sintra for some sightseeing. If you love old cottages, I recommend you to stay in Casa de Santa Maria Casa Nostra. The couple owning the place is delightful and they put a lot of love in hosting of guests. From the garden with a pool where your breakfast is served, you have a beautiful view on Sintra’s sights such as Palácio Nacional da Pena, Palácio Nacional de Sintra, Quinta da Regaleira and many more. The place, however, is a bit out-of-town so you definitely need to have a car. If you don’t have a car you can also book a half-day or day tour from Lisbon to Sintra for 60 Euros for the whole day. If you stay in Sintra, you should be at the sights early. The crowds usually arrive in the morning, too, but if you’re there at 9 am, you have a slight advance.

In 20 minutes’ drive, you can reach Azenhas do Mar, a small village with a beautiful sea view where you can practice your long exposure shot skills and capture a stunning blue hour photo of the village with the sea. Before that have a sundowner on the terrace of the restaurant on the beach. The place is very nice for dinner, too. You can easily find it on google maps by typing in Azenhas do Mar