Can you help us to explore the areas around Lisbon?

Simon Calder answers your questions on Portugal, Germany and national carriers

The wonderful Portuguese capital is splendidly connected to the UK (iStock)

Q We are flying to Lisbon soon and staying by the coast in Estoril. What day trips do you recommend?

Name supplied

A Estoril is a smart choice, if I may say so, Lisbon is a wonderful city, splendidly connected to the UK with more flights than ever (or, if you prefer, the fascinating slow travel alternative by rail via Paris and Madrid). Yet on the coast, 12 miles or so west of the Portuguese capital, the seaside resort of Estoril is an excellent place to stay.

At this time of year you can expect warm sunshine to take the edge off the still-chilly Atlantic. Estoril makes a good location for seeing Lisbon, just 36 minutes by cheap suburban train to Cais do Sodre station, with departures every 12 to 20 minutes.

I infer, though, that you know the Portuguese capital and want to explore more widely to the west. Estoril – with good bus links, as well as bikes available to hire – makes a great base.

Your first outing should be just two stops down the suburban line to its terminus in Cascais, with a beautiful old town and some fine places to pause for lunch and/or a drink. It also has a wide network of bus routes threading north. Including one that goes to extremes: Cabo da Roca, a half-hour ride away on bus 1624 from Cascais. This is the spectacular west end of Europe – and the continent reaches a suitably spectacular conclusion before crumbling into the Atlantic.

Cascais is also the starting point of bus 1623, taking 30 minutes to Sintra: a lovely town in the hills, with a marvellous palace complex to explore.

Finally, if you are thinking of renting a car for a day or more, use it to head back towards Lisbon but then cross 25 April Bridge (Portugal’s take on the Golden Gate) to the fascinating Setubal peninsula, with lovely coastal drives. This is a smart option for your last day if you can arrange a car rental to drop off at Lisbon airport.

The view from a bridge during sunset in the historic old town (Getty/iStock)

Q I see from your Instagram Live that you are in Gorlitz in Germany. How easy is it to get there?

Diana F

A I have the great pleasure to be in one of the most beautiful locations in Germany. The magnificently preserved old town of Gorlitz has earned it the nickname of Gorliwood because of the number of films shot here. Furthermore, it takes five minutes to walk from my hotel – the Schwibbogen, which means “flying buttresses” – to Poland, where I dine because of the lower prices. Gorlitz is also an excellent base for exploring the Neisse valley, which has a fascinating ecclesiastical and industrial heritage.

Despite this being a location on the German-Polish border, I flew into the Czech Republic on Friday night. My initial flight from London Heathrow to Prague was cancelled due to the British Airways IT collapse, but I managed to get a seat on the final flight of the day. After an overnight in the Czech capital, I caught three separate trains: from Prague Hlavni to Turnov (a big railway junction in a small town), a second from there to Liberec, and a third that runs from the Czech Republic through Poland to Zittau in Germany and onwards to Gorlitz; this is a very multinational part of the world. The fare from Prague totals about £8 – you need to buy separate tickets from Prague to Liberec and onwards from there, due to different companies operating the trains.

The other possible approach, if you are flying, is to take Ryanair from London Stansted to Dresden, and the train from there. Making the journey by rail the whole way, you should catch the 9.01am from London St Pancras International to Brussels, with further changes at Frankfurt, Leipzig and Dresden for a 9.46pm arrival in Gorlitz – after a journey just short of 12 hours.

Simon has a soft spot for Ukraine International Airlines (Getty)

Q What’s your favourite national carrier in Europe?

Oliver

A “National carriers” are getting less easy to define than they once were, as competition increases – particularly from low-cost airlines. Is Aer Lingus still the national airline of Ireland, or has (much larger) Ryanair taken that title? Well, for the purposes of answering your question, I shall focus on the “legacy” carriers that were often started by governments – and, in some cases, still heavily subsidised by them.

The short answer is: most of them are fine, in my experience. Aer Lingus happens to get my business across the Atlantic due to the Dublin Dodge of avoiding long-haul air passenger duty (I fly out on Ryanair to the Irish capital and pre-clear US customs there, too). But the aged A330 that took me to Chicago last summer was nothing to write home about.

British Airways was privatised in 1987, well ahead of the pack, but remains the UK’s national carrier. Despite BA being criticised by Which? as “a thoroughly mediocre airline”, I find the crew excellent and the safety record exemplary. The economy class offering – a bottle of water and a packet of crisps – is frankly so paltry that I wonder why they bother, and long-haul inflight entertainment could be much better. Which? urged travellers to avoid British Airways and Lufthansa on long-haul flights – but, again, I find the German national carrier just fine, too.

Air France is the one national carrier I would actively avoid, after a dismal experience travelling from London to Havana via Paris – a very high-density plane for the long haul. Its partner, KLM, is more than adequate, though, along with eastern European carriers such as Czech Airlines, Lot of Poland and Tarom of Romania are all acceptable. I have not yet travelled on ITA, the replacement for Alitalia, and I am not rushing to book.

So who is best? Three from east/southeast Europe. Aegean Airlines has taken over from Olympic in Greece, and I’m not sure whether it retains the national carrier title – but I appreciate its Greek hospitality and old-school complimentary inflight meal and drinks. The same warm service applies on Turkish Airlines; and if you choose your flights carefully between London Heathrow and Istanbul you can fly on a long-haul Boeing 777, with more comfort and good entertainment. Best of all: I have a soft spot for Ukraine International Airlines, which in normal times runs a good hub at Kyiv’s main airport, and I can’t wait to be back there.

Email your question to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder