10 of the best places to visit in Portugal

Times

26-05-2025

Who wants a holiday destination that plays hard to get? In Portugal you'll find a warm welcome alongside attributes that make travel smooth and simple; it's manageably sized, convenient to reach from the UK, and easy to get around. The country has so much diversity within its borders that you can just as easily enjoy a rural walking trip or a vibrant city break as a relaxing beach stay or gourmet wine tour.
In the 20 years I've been visiting Portugal I've done all these and more: hiking with friends in the rural Minho and the Douro, exploring Lisbon and Porto with my husband, relaxing with family on the beaches of the Algarve, and discovering Madeira and the Azores on my own — and I've always been struck by how such hassle-free travel brings such rich rewards. Because Portugal is also a beauty; from its historic cities and whitewashed fishing villages to its cliff-backed beaches, vine-draped valleys, rolling fields and remote mountains, not to mention its verdant, volcanic islands, flung out like emeralds into the Atlantic. Your euros will go further here than in many other neighbouring nations, and though there are luxury stays to satisfy even the most sophisticated traveller, you really can travel, eat and drink very well here without spending big bucks. For the best value — and the most authentic experiences — avoid the better-known resorts such as Albufeira and Vilamoura and seek out the less-visited corners; you don't have to stray far off the beaten track to find them.
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One week Porto and the Douro, Comporta or Madeira
Two weeks Lisbon and the Alentejo or the Azores
Three weeks Porto, the Douro and the Minho or Lisbon, the Alentejo and the Algarve
A tight budget The Minho or the southwest coast
When the sun shines — as it does for about 300 days of the year in the Portuguese capital — Lisbon simply glows, the white limestone of the cobbled calçadas (pavements) reflecting the rays. Whether you're here to graze on petiscos (small plates, traditionally served alongside drinks, such as codfish cakes, clams or charcuterie) in the pint-sized bars of the historic Bairro Alto neighbourhood, or to soak up culture — don't miss the eclectic Calouste Gulbenkian Museum or the atmospheric Castelo de Sao Jorge — you'll definitely want to take in the views from the many hilltop miradouro viewpoints. They needn't be an uphill struggle; take a tram, ride a funicular or even the 19th-century, cast-iron Santa Justa lift. Head to maritime suburb Belem to discover Portugal's history of exploration — and to buy pasteis de nata tarts at the celebrated bakery Pasteis de Belem.
Stay at Memmo Alfama, a converted shoe-polish factory that's now a stylish boutique with a rooftop pool in the city's most picturesque neighbourhood.
Read our full review of Memmo Alfama
This five-day, fully guided Lisbon city break takes in the city's historic areas, museums and monuments, and adds a scenic train ride to the coastal towns of Cascais and Estoril.
• Best affordable hotels in Lisbon• Discover our full guide to Lisbon
Portugal's most celebrated wines, and all its ports, start their lives in this sun-baked valley stretching from Porto to the Spanish border. Vine-laced hillsides drop sharply into the tranquil waters of the Douro River, and the banks are scattered with historic, whitewashed wineries, called quintas. The Douro is a meandering river, so let it inspire you to embrace slow travel too, watching the world float by from a boat. Enjoy wine tours and tastings, wander the streets of pretty Pinhao, ascend the zig-zagging stairs of pilgrimage site Nossa Senhora dos Remedios in Lamego, and discover palaeolithic rock art in the Coa Valley. Take a cruise; if you prefer independent travel, a train line runs right from Porto to the top of the valley at Pocinho.
Hide away at the eastern end of the valley at wine hotel Casa do Rio, where stylish suites set in an orange grove have views over a tranquil stretch of the river.
River cruise ships sail the Douro from March to October, providing leisurely progress along the length of the river. This eight-day Avalon Waterways cruise includes dining, drinks and excursions.
• Most beautiful places in Portugal (and how to see them)
Unspoilt but no longer unknown, this gorgeous, 20-mile stretch of sand-fringed shore about 90 minutes' drive south of Lisbon has blossomed into Portugal's most seductive spot for laid-back beach holidays. Part of the Sado Estuary nature reserve, the sprawling landscape of Comporta is made up of dunes, pine forests, rice paddies, salt marshes and seven picture-perfect hamlets that provide boutique shopping and low-key restaurants. Stays are secluded, sustainable and stylish. Days here will be long and lazy, but hire a car; you'll need it to migrate from hotel hammock to your chosen stretch of sand and back again.
Sublime Comporta is a minimalist haven with nature at its heart: pine-scented grounds, organic gardens and an offshoot beach club on the coast nearby at Carvalhal.
Explore the Sado River and estuary on this three-hour boat trip, which also visits Roman ruins at Troia.
• Read our full guide to Portugal
Some of Portugal's most dramatic scenery is found not on the mainland, but on the island of Madeira. After exploring the charming, historic centre of the capital Funchal, leave the urban sprawl around it behind; natural landscapes are what make this place so special. Flirt with vertigo on the glazed skywalk at Cabo Girao, one of Europe's highest sea cliffs, rising vertically from Atlantic breakers. Hike the levada trails — pathways following old irrigation channels — that wind around steep, emerald peaks ridged like a dragon's backbone. Plunge into natural pools formed from striking black lava, or swim off from the dark sand beaches. A year-round balmy climate makes it popular off-season.
A hiking trail runs from the gate of Casas da Levada, an agritourism hotel in the west of the island with farmhouse accommodation and a biological pool.
This eight-day itinerary with Riviera Travel packs in plenty of highlights, including a walking tour of Funchal, the hilltop town of Monte and the fishing village of Camara de Lobos.
• More great hotels in Madeira• Best things to do in Madeira
Life moves slowly in Portugal's warm heartland. Only 5 per cent of the population live in this region, which sprawls across nearly a third of the country, a place of rolling golden plains peppered with twisting cork trees, sun-baked vineyards, medieval cities and fortified towns scattered along the Spanish border. Historic Evora has Roman ruins and a gothic cathedral — don't miss the macabre chapel decorated with bones — and the walled village of Monsaraz gives gorgeous views over the vast Alqueva Lake into Spain. The area specialises in relaxed resort hotels, often set in vineyards or on farms with excellent spas, from which you can emerge for occasional sightseeing.
Luxurious Sao Lourenco do Barrocal is the quintessential Alentejo rural estate, with vineyards, olive groves, stables and a spa.
This comprehensive 11-day tour of Portugal with Insight Vacations visits Evora and Monsaraz.Portugal's perfectly proportioned second city looks great from any angle, whether you're getting the long view from the top of the Clerigos Tower, the tallest campanile in the country, or you're tempted into the dense maze of the historic Ribeira quarter looking for close-ups of photogenic tiles. You'll find beautiful examples of the traditional blue azulejos inside the heritage ticket hall of Sao Bento station, and adorning the exterior of the Capela das Almas. Cross the iconic Dom Luis cast-iron bridge; southside neighbour Vila Nova de Gaia is home to venerable port wine cellars, where you can tour and taste, then wind your way back to the waterside, spotting street art at every turn. If you visit Porto in summer, take tram line 1 out to the beach suburb Foz do Douro for spectacular sunsets and seafood.
Stay right on the riverbank in Ribeira at 1872 River House by Olivia, a boutique spot with a stellar location and sophisticated looks.
This week-long tour with G Adventures teams time in Porto with Lisbon and a stop-off at Coimbra, the historic university city set in between them.
• More great hotels in Porto• Best things to do in Porto
Travel east from Faro and you'll soon leave the stereotypical Algarve of manicured golf courses behind, swapping them for bird-rich wetlands and sandy barrier islands around which resident dolphins frolic. Take a boat trip to see them, then linger over a long seafood lunch in Fuseta or Olhao — laid-back, local fishing towns. Picturesque, whitewashed Tavira straddles the Gilao River, its streets filled with flowers from almond blossom in spring to late-summer hibiscus — climb the castle tower for views over the salt pans to the sea. Relax on one of the barrier island beaches, or stroll along the well-marked trails and boardwalks of the Ria Formosa Natural Park and the Castro Marim nature reserve.
Stay in chic but carefree Conversas de Alpendre, a family-run boutique hotel in a rural hamlet close to Cacela Velha beach.
Read our full review of Conversas de Alpendre
This gentle hiking trip with Explore! is based in Tavira, with walks in nature reserves, on barrier islands, and through the rural interior.
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North from Porto to the Spanish border is the Costa Verde, where the breezy beaches are backed by pine forests. Green is a theme that spreads inland across the whole region, through the wooded river valleys and gentle, bucolic farmland where Portugal's lightly sparkling vinho verde is made, to the rugged hills of the Peneda-Gerês, the country's only national park. You won't need to compete with crowds here, whether you've come for the wine and walking or an active beach break. Even the cities are chilled, despite their considerable cultural heft; Braga is a religious centre with Roman remains and a plethora of baroque churches, and Guimaraes, Portugal's first capital, has a well-preserved medieval old town and a textbook fairytale castle.
On the beach close to the small seaside city of Viana do Castelo, FeelViana is an eco-hotel with great facilities for water sports and mountain biking.
This eight-day tour from Newmarket Holidays includes guided excursions along the Costa Verde and into the Minho region, as well as to Porto.An island-hopping trip to this volcanic, nine-island archipelago in the Atlantic feels like geological time travel. Sao Miguel, 4.1 million years old and in the west of the chain, is home to lake-filled, emerald calderas, steaming fumaroles and fertile soil where everything from tea to pineapples grow. Less than 300,000-year-old Pico is the baby of the bunch, dominated by the vast cone of a dormant stratovolcano and with fields of black lava where vines — which produce the island's high-quality wines — thrive. Don't miss middle-aged Terceira, in the central island group, where you can walk right into the magma chamber of an extinct volcano.
On Sao Miguel, stay on the waterfront at the elegant Octant Ponta Delgada.
On Pico, choose the boutique vineyard hotel Azores Wine Company.
Instead of flying between islands, take a cruise. This Fred Olsen sailing out of Southampton calls at Sao Miguel and Terceira, alongside Madeira and Lisbon.
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Stretching north from the Cabo de Sao Vicente, where a squat red lighthouse perches on the wind and wave-carved headland, the west coasts of the Algarve and Alentejo are rugged and free from crowds. Sculpted by the full force of the Atlantic, this is a place where wild beaches are backed by rocky cliffs, and towns and villages are small and chiefly frequented by Portuguese tourists. Hiking opportunities abound — the Rota Vicentina comprises more than 450 miles of well-marked trails both down the coast and through the quiet, rural interior — and there are excellent surfing beaches too, with fewer crowds than the more famous breaks north of Lisbon. Vila Nova de Milfontes is a charming town on the mouth of the Mira River with a sheltered estuarine beach and authentic, local restaurants.
This simple but stylish two-bedroom house has a shared pool and is close to both the beach and the old centre of Vila Nova de Milfontes.
Walk a 50-mile section of the Rota Vicentina's coastal trails on this week-long, guided hiking itinerary from Intrepid Travel.
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