Portugal Travel Guide: How to Plan a Trip to Portugal

A first trip to Portugal fits into 7 to 10 days: 3 days in Lisbon, 1 in Sintra, 2 or 3 in Porto and 2 in either the Algarve or the Douro valley. Portugal is the cheapest country in Western Europe for eating out, with an inexpensive restaurant meal averaging €12 ($14, £10), and hotel rooms are the line that swings hardest between June and February. March to May and September to October are the months to go, because the sun is out, the country is in flower and the July and August crowds have not arrived or have gone home.

Portugal is a semi-presidential republic of 11.42 million people on the western edge of the Iberian Peninsula, bordered by Spain to the north and east and by the Atlantic to the west and south, with the island regions of Madeira and the Azores out in the ocean. It is one of the oldest states in Europe, an EU member since 1986 and a founding member of NATO, and it ranked 7th of 163 countries in the 2026 Global Peace Index.

This guide is written by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team for independent travellers, and it covers timing, trip length, transport, costs, lodging, food, festivals, etiquette and all 18 districts. The site’s Portugal coverage is first-hand, with reported guides to Lisbon, Sintra, Porto, Coimbra, the Douro valley and Cabo da Roca linked throughout.

Portugal quick facts

The Portugal quick facts below cover the capital, language, currency, government, size, population, time zone, plugs, EU and Schengen status, driving, tap water and the emergency number.

The table stops at the practical facts. Trivia such as the age of the border and the reach of the old empire sits in our interesting facts about Portugal post.

Portugal guides on Wonderful Wanderings

The Portugal guides on Wonderful Wanderings go deeper than this hub on Lisbon, Porto, Sintra, the Douro, food and city passes. The 13 guides worth starting with are listed below, most useful first.

1. 15 fun day trips from Lisbon: Sintra, Cascais, Óbidos and 12 more, with how to reach each.
2. Lisboa Card: the sums on Lisbon’s sightseeing and transport card.
3. Palaces in Sintra: Pena, Quinta da Regaleira and the rest, and how to fit them into a day.
4. Cabo da Roca: the westernmost point of mainland Europe, half an hour past Sintra.
5. Where to eat pasteis de nata in Lisbon: the bakeries worth the queue.
6. Hotels in Lisbon with a swimming pool: the shortlist for a July or August stay.
7. Porto Card: what it covers and when it pays off.
8. Climbing Porto’s hilly streets: what walking Porto is actually like, gradients included.
9. Hotels in Porto with a pool: the same shortlist for the north.
10. DOP restaurant in Porto: a review of Rui Paula’s dining room.
11. Douro Azul river cruise: the day cruise out of Porto, and sailing the Douro with Anima Durius as the smaller-boat alternative.
12. Exploring Coimbra: the university city between Lisbon and Porto.
13. Learning Portuguese in Lisbon: a review of the Lusa language school.

Two more posts are worth reading before you plan. Why 3 days in Lisbon was too much for us argues the case against over-scheduling the capital, and Christmas markets in Lisbon covers the December option. Older posts sit in the archive; browse all Portugal posts for the full list.

Best time to visit Portugal

March to May and September to October are the months to visit Portugal, when days sit around 18-25°C (64-77°F), the country is in flower or in harvest, and rooms cost less than in high summer. Portugal’s summer is hot and busy rather than unbearable, but the inland Alentejo and the Algarve regularly pass 35°C (95°F) in July and August, which is also when Portuguese families take their own beach holidays. The 4 seasons are described below.

• Spring (March to May): warm and green, with wildflowers across the Alentejo, comfortable walking weather in Lisbon and Porto, and sea still cold enough to need a wetsuit.
• Summer (June to August): hot and dry in the south and centre and milder on the northern coast, with the Festas de Lisboa in June and the beach resorts at capacity.
• Autumn (September and October): the vindima grape harvest in the Douro, warm sea, thinning crowds and the year’s most comfortable city weather.
• Winter (November to February): mild and often sunny in the Algarve and wet in the north, with Serra da Estrela the one place that gets reliable snow; many beach resorts wind down until Easter.

Where you go changes the answer. The Algarve stays warm enough for a winter city break, the Douro peaks around the September and October harvest, and Madeira is mild all year.

How many days in Portugal and a sample route

Plan 7 to 10 days for a first trip to Portugal, because Lisbon to Porto takes under 3 hours by train across a country 561 km (348.6 mi) from north to south, which makes a two-city trip comfortable rather than rushed. The 8-day sample route is listed below.

1. Days 1 to 3, Lisbon: Alfama and the tram 28 route, Belém, the Baixa and a night of fado, with our Lisboa Card maths to decide on a pass.
2. Day 4, Sintra and Cabo da Roca: 40 minutes from Lisbon by train, for the palaces in Sintra and then Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe, by bus.
3. Day 5, Óbidos or Évora: a walled town or a Roman and medieval one, both covered in our day trips from Lisbon guide.
4. Days 6 and 7, Porto: under 3 hours from Lisbon by Alfa Pendular, for the Ribeira waterfront, the Livraria Lello, the port lodges across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia and the gradients our Porto’s hilly streets post warns you about.
5. Day 8, the Douro valley: a train up the Douro line or a river cruise from Porto, through terraced vineyards that have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2001.

With 12 to 14 days, swap or add the south. The Algarve needs 3 or 4 days for the cliffs between Lagos and Sagres, and Madeira or the Azores need a flight and a week of their own.

Top things to see and do in Portugal

The things to see in Portugal range from a 16th-century monastery to a volcanic island chain in the middle of the Atlantic. The 10 that most first trips are built around are listed below.

1. Belém in Lisbon: the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower, both UNESCO-listed and both paid for by the sea voyages, with the original pastéis de Belém sold beside them.
2. Alfama and tram 28: Lisbon’s oldest quarter and the yellow tram that grinds through it, ridden early before the Martim Moniz queue forms.
3. The palaces of Sintra: the Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira and the Moorish castle in a wooded hill range that is a UNESCO cultural landscape.
4. Porto’s Ribeira and the port lodges: the riverfront old town on one bank and the Vila Nova de Gaia cellars on the other, joined by the Dom Luís I bridge.
5. The Douro valley: terraced vineyards along a river gorge, UNESCO-listed since 2001, reachable by cruise, by sailing boat or by the scenic railway line.
6. The Algarve coast: the ochre cliffs, sea caves and beaches between Lagos, Carvoeiro and Sagres, and the Ria Formosa lagoon east of Faro.
7. Évora: a walled UNESCO-listed town in the Alentejo with a Roman temple and the Chapel of Bones, whose walls are lined with human remains.
8. Coimbra University: the UNESCO-listed Joanina Library and the old university on the hill above the Mondego.
9. Cabo da Roca: the westernmost point of mainland Europe, a cliff above the Atlantic 40 km (24.9 mi) west of Lisbon.
10. Madeira and the Azores: subtropical Madeira with its levada walks, and the 9 volcanic Azorean islands with their crater lakes and whale watching, both reached by plane.

How to get to Portugal

You get to Portugal by plane to Lisbon, Porto or Faro, by train or coach from Spain, or by road across the Spanish border. The routes in and the entry rules are described below.

Flights to Portugal

Flights to Portugal land at 3 mainland international airports, Lisbon, Porto and Faro, plus Funchal on Madeira and Ponta Delgada in the Azores. Lisbon Humberto Delgado takes most intercontinental traffic, Porto is second busiest and often cheaper from northern Europe, and Faro exists largely for the Algarve, which makes it seasonal in both frequency and price. Look at flight options and prices to Portugal once your dates are fixed.

Trains and coaches to Portugal

Trains to Portugal come only from Spain, because Portugal has one land border. The Celta service links Vigo in Galicia with Porto in about 2 hours 15 minutes, and the Lisbon to Madrid connection has run intermittently in recent years, so check whether it is operating before you count on it. Look at train routes and prices to Portugal before you fix dates.

Coaches are the cheaper and more reliable land option, and Madrid to Lisbon takes roughly 9 hours. Alsa, Rede Expressos and FlixBus all run cross-border routes; look at bus routes into Portugal for the international services.

Ferries to Portugal

There is no scheduled international passenger ferry to mainland Portugal, so ignore older guides that promise weekly crossings from the Canary Islands. Madeira and the Azores are reached by plane, and the only sea link on Madeira is the Porto Santo Line out of Funchal. Domestic ferries matter inside the country, above all the 10-minute Tagus crossing from Lisbon’s Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas, which gives the finest view back at the city. Look at ferry routes and prices in and around Portugal if you are combining a crossing with a car.

Entry requirements for Portugal

Check the current entry rules for your passport before you book, because they change. Portugal is in the European Union and the Schengen Area, so EU and EEA citizens enter with a national ID card and can stay indefinitely, registering with the local authorities after 3 months, and visa-exempt visitors such as US, Canadian, UK and Australian passport holders get up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen Area, with a passport valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave. Since the Entry/Exit System (EES) became fully operational at Schengen external borders in April 2026, non-EU arrivals give fingerprints and a facial scan instead of getting a passport stamp, which can add time at the airport. ETIAS, the travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors, is not in force yet; check the EU’s official ETIAS site for the launch date. No vaccinations are required.

Getting around Portugal

You get around Portugal by train between Lisbon, Coimbra and Porto, by coach almost everywhere else, and by car if you want the Alentejo villages, the Algarve’s smaller beaches or the Douro’s back roads. Portugal’s 4 transport options are listed below.

1. Trains: Comboios de Portugal runs the network, the Alfa Pendular is the fast tier between Lisbon and Porto at under 3 hours, and the regional lines are cheap and slow; the Douro line from Porto to Pocinho is one of the most scenic rail journeys in Europe.
2. Coaches: Rede Expressos reaches the towns the railway abandoned, which is most of the interior, and usually beats a regional train even when the map suggests otherwise.
3. City transport: Lisbon runs metro, trams, funiculars and the Tagus ferries on one Viva Viagem card, and Porto has a metro, buses and historic trams.
4. Rental car: a car earns its place in the Alentejo, the Algarve and the Douro and is a liability in central Lisbon or Porto, where the streets are narrow and steep and parking is scarce; compare prices through car rental in Portugal, and the expat blogger Julie Dawn Fox has practical tips for renting a car in Portugal.

One rule catches drivers out. Most Portuguese motorways are tolled and several are electronic-only, with no booths at all, so ask the rental company to fit a transponder or register your plate before you drive off, or the charges arrive later with an administration fee attached.

What Portugal costs

Portugal is the cheapest country in Western Europe for restaurant meals, coffee and beer, and it is no longer cheap for accommodation in Lisbon and Porto in high season. The Portugal prices below are country-wide averages from Numbeo, updated 3 September 2026, converted at the European Central Bank reference rates of 4 September 2026, so treat them as a planning baseline rather than a quote.

Those rows add up to a usable day rate. Two restaurant meals, two coffees, a beer and a couple of transport tickets come to roughly €34 ($40, £29) per person before accommodation, which is the biggest and most variable cost: an Algarve room in August and the same room in February are not the same product. Two charges are easy to miss on top. The couvert, the bread, olives or cheese brought before you order, is charged if you eat it and free to send back, and most municipalities add a tourist tax per person per night. Compare live room rates on Booking.com for Portugal rather than budgeting from an average.

Money in Portugal: cards, cash and tipping

Portugal runs on cards, and Visa and Mastercard work in shops, restaurants, museums and the Multibanco machines that handle everything from cash to train tickets. Portugal’s cash cases are small ones: market stalls, village cafés, some buses and the tourist tax at checkout. The 3 money habits worth adopting are listed below.

1. Use a Multibanco ATM rather than an independent machine in a tourist street, because the bank network charges less and appears on almost every corner.
2. Decline “dynamic currency conversion” when a machine offers to bill you in your home currency, because its rate is worse than your bank’s.
3. Round up rather than calculate a percentage, and send the couvert back with a “não, obrigado” if you do not want it, because Portuguese tips are modest and 5 to 10% already counts as generous.

Tipping is expected in Lisbon and Porto and optional elsewhere. Our tipping in Portugal section covers restaurants, taxis, hotels and guides.

Where to stay in Portugal

Stay central in Lisbon and Porto, because both cities are hilly and a cheap room in an outer district costs you a climb as well as a commute. In Lisbon, Baixa and Chiado put you in the middle of everything, Alfama gives you the oldest and steepest streets and Príncipe Real is quieter; in Porto, the Ribeira is the postcard and Cedofeita and Bonfim are where people live. Book the Algarve, Lisbon and Porto months ahead for June to September, and expect a tourist tax per person per night wherever you stay. For a summer stay with a pool, see our hotels in Lisbon with a swimming pool and hotels in Porto with a pool shortlists.

Booking sites do the filtering. We book hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs through Booking.com for Portugal, because its filters turn hundreds of options into a short list that meets our criteria, and we use Vrbo when an apartment suits the trip better.

What to eat in Portugal

Portuguese food is built on salt cod, pork, seafood, olive oil and egg custard, and it is the cheapest good eating in Western Europe. Order the daily special and expect large plates. The 11 things to eat and drink are listed below.

1. Bacalhau: salt cod, which Portugal cooks in hundreds of ways, most often baked with onions, olives, egg and parsley as bacalhau à Brás or à Gomes de Sá.
2. Pastéis de nata: the egg custard tart in flaky pastry, dusted with cinnamon, and eaten warm; our pastéis de nata in Lisbon guide names the bakeries.
3. Francesinha: Porto’s layered sandwich of steak, sausage and ham under melted cheese and a beer and tomato sauce, served with chips and eaten with a knife and fork.
4. Bifana: thin pork marinated in white wine and garlic, fried and served in a bread roll, the standard cheap lunch.
5. Cataplana de marisco: a seafood stew cooked and served in the hinged copper pan it is named after, an Algarve dish.
6. Arroz de marisco: soupy seafood rice with clams and prawns, closer to a stew than to a risotto.
7. Polvo à lagareiro: octopus roasted with garlic and smashed potatoes under a great deal of olive oil.
8. Caldo verde: kale and potato soup with a slice of chouriço, the standard first course everywhere north of Lisbon.
9. Piri-piri chicken: charcoal-grilled chicken with chilli sauce, served with chips and salad, and the origin of the version exported worldwide.
10. Alheira de Mirandela: a smoked sausage of poultry and bread rather than pork, invented so Jewish families could appear to eat pork under the Inquisition.
11. Wine: port and Douro reds from the north, vinho verde from the Minho, Alentejo reds from the south and Madeira from the island; a glass of house wine often costs less than a soft drink.

Porto also has a serious fine-dining scene, which is easy to miss behind the francesinha. Our DOP restaurant review covers Rui Paula’s dining room in the Palácio das Artes.

Festivals and public holidays in Portugal

Portugal’s festival calendar peaks in June, when the Santos Populares street parties fill Lisbon and Porto for most of the month. Portugal has 13 national public holidays, and each municipality adds its own local holiday, so a town can be shut on a day the rest of the country works.

The table shows what people plan trips around. Book Lisbon for 12 June and Porto for 23 June months ahead, because both cities fill.

Portugal’s 13 national public holidays are 1 January, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, 25 April (Freedom Day, marking the 1974 Carnation Revolution), 1 May (Labour Day), Corpus Christi, 10 June (Portugal Day), 15 August (Assumption), 5 October (Republic Day), 1 November (All Saints’ Day), 1 December (Restoration of Independence), 8 December (Immaculate Conception) and 25 December. Carnival Tuesday is widely taken but is decided locally rather than nationally.

Culture and etiquette in Portugal

The Portuguese are relaxed with visitors and formal about greetings, so a hello before a question does most of the work. Portuguese etiquette rewards patience, and an opener of “com licença” or “por favor” gets a warmer answer. The 5 things worth knowing are listed below.

1. Greet with “bom dia”, “boa tarde” or “boa noite” on entering a shop, café or lift, because silence reads as rudeness.
2. Expect a kiss on both cheeks between women and between a woman and a man once you have been introduced, and a handshake between men.
3. Say no to the couvert if you do not want it, since the bread, olives and cheese brought before you order are charged when eaten.
4. Do not photograph inside a church during mass, and dress covered at religious sites.
5. Avoid comparing Portugal to Spain, because the languages, cuisines and histories are separate and the comparison lands badly.

Portuguese meals also run late, with lunch from 13.00 and dinner from 20.00, so a restaurant serving at 18.00 is aimed at visitors.

The 18 districts of Portugal and the islands

Portugal has 18 mainland districts plus the autonomous regions of the Azores and Madeira. A first trip covers Lisbon, Porto and 1 or 2 others. All 20 are listed below, north to south, with the islands last.

1. Viana do Castelo: a fishing port at the mouth of the Lima, with Cabedelo beach across the estuary and a heavy calendar of religious festivals.
2. Braga: the Sé cathedral, the Bom Jesus do Monte staircase, the Iron Age hillfort of Citânia de Briteiros and the Roman ruins of Bracara Augusta.
3. Bragança: the most remote part of the mainland, against the Spanish border, with stone villages under a 12th-century castle.
4. Vila Real: the Douro’s northern shoulder under the Serra do Marão, with a city chartered by King Dinis in 1289 and the port quintas below it.
5. Porto: Porto itself, with the Ribeira waterfront, the port lodges over the river and the Atlantic beaches at Foz; our Porto Card post does the sums on the city pass.
6. Viseu: wine country between Porto and Coimbra, with the Adro da Sé square, the Grão Vasco museum and the São Pedro do Sul hot springs.
7. Aveiro: a lagoon city of canals and moliceiro boats, with the Mercado do Peixe and the Vista Alegre porcelain museum.
8. Guarda: the highest city in Portugal, under the Serra da Estrela, whose Torre summit is the mainland’s highest point and holds the only ski area.
9. Coimbra: the university city on the Mondego, with the UNESCO-listed university and Joanina Library; our exploring Coimbra post covers a day there.
10. Castelo Branco: inland central Portugal, with the boulder village of Monsanto built into and under its rocks.
11. Leiria: the surf town of Peniche, ferries to the Berlengas, the ceramics of Caldas da Rainha and the walled town of Óbidos.
12. Santarém: the Ribatejo plain along the Tagus, with the Templar convent at Tomar and the Castelo de Bode reservoir.
13. Portalegre: the northern Alentejo, with Baroque churches, medieval castles and the walled hill town of Marvão on the Spanish border.
14. Lisbon: the capital district, holding Lisbon, the palaces of Sintra, Cabo da Roca, Cascais and Estoril and the surf at Ericeira; our 15 day trips from Lisbon guide covers the rest.
15. Setúbal: about 40 km (24.9 mi) south of Lisbon, with the Arrábida hills, dolphins in the Sado estuary and the towns of Palmela and Grândola.
16. Évora: the Alentejo’s centre, with a UNESCO-listed walled town, the Roman temple known as the Temple of Diana and the Chapel of Bones.
17. Beja: the southern Alentejo, with hot dry summers, whitewashed Moorish-era towns and the near-empty Costa Vicentina beaches.
18. Faro: the Algarve, with the Ria Formosa lagoon, the cliffs and sea caves from Lagos to Sagres and the main summer resorts.
19. Madeira: the subtropical island 900 km (559.2 mi) southwest of Lisbon, with levada walks, Funchal’s Carnival and New Year fireworks.
20. The Azores: 9 volcanic islands in the mid-Atlantic, with crater lakes on São Miguel, whale watching and hot springs at Furnas.

Is Portugal safe?

Portugal is one of the safest countries in the world for travellers, including solo women: it ranked 7th of 163 countries in the 2026 Global Peace Index published by the Institute for Economics and Peace, and violent crime against visitors is rare. Portugal’s real risks are petty theft and the ocean, and the 4 to watch for are listed below, most common first.

1. Pickpockets on Lisbon’s tram 28, in the metro and around the main squares in both cities: keep bags zipped and in front of you, and treat a crowded tram as the highest-risk place in the country.
2. Bag snatching at beach cafés and outside station entrances: nothing on the back of a chair, nothing left on a towel.
3. Atlantic currents: the beaches fly coloured flags for a reason, red means do not swim, and the rip currents on the west coast catch strong swimmers as well as weak ones.
4. Cliff edges: the Algarve’s cliffs erode and collapse, so keep behind the fences and off the overhangs, and do not sit at the base of one.

Older guides still repeat a figure of 4th safest country in the world, which came from an earlier edition of the index; the 2026 edition puts Portugal 7th of 163, still inside the top 10. Dial 112 for police, fire or ambulance.

What to pack for Portugal

Pack light clothing and a warm layer whatever the month, because Portuguese evenings drop several degrees once the Atlantic wind picks up, even in August. The 3 seasonal lists follow.

• Summer (June to August): light clothing, a light jumper for the evenings, good walking sandals, trainers, sunscreen, aftersun, sunglasses, swimwear, light hiking trousers and a reusable water bottle.
• Winter (November to February): layers, a long warm windproof and waterproof coat, merino socks, a warm scarf and trainers with grip, because Lisbon and Porto pavements are laid in polished limestone that turns slippery in the rain.
• Spring and autumn (March to May, September and October): layers you can shed, a light waterproof jacket, comfortable closed shoes and sunglasses, since both seasons run warm in the day and cool after dark.

Two extras finish the list. A universal adapter covers the type C and F sockets, and shoes with grip matter more here than the weather suggests, because the calçada portuguesa pavement turns slick in rain.

Staying connected in Portugal

You stay connected in Portugal with your EU SIM, which works at home rates under the EU’s roam-like-at-home rules, or with an eSIM or a portable hotspot if you come from outside the EU. The 3 options are listed below.

1. An EU SIM: no roaming charges for calls, texts or data in Portugal; UK plans vary by operator since Brexit, so check yours before you travel.
2. An eSIM bought before you fly: data from the moment you land, with no queue at an airport shop.
3. Data on the move: we carry a portable hotspot and buy day passes outside the EU, as a backup when a phone plan runs low, which suits several people sharing one connection. For a single phone, an Airalo eSIM installs on the handset you already have.

The code HARRY5578 takes €3 off a first order. Free Wi-Fi is normal in Portuguese hotels and cafés and available on the Alfa Pendular.

Travel insurance for Portugal

Travel insurance for Portugal covers what a health card does not: cancelled flights, lost luggage, a stolen phone and repatriation after an accident. EU citizens should carry their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), UK visitors their Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), and everyone else needs medical cover, which matters more here because surfing, hiking and canyoning are why many people come. The insurer Wonderful Wanderings uses is SafetyWing, whose SafetyWing Nomad Insurance plans can be bought before you leave or while you are already travelling.

A short history of Portugal

Portugal’s history runs from Celtic and Roman settlement through the sea voyages of the 15th century to a dictatorship that ended in 1974. The 4 periods that explain what you see are listed below.

1. Celts, Romans and Moors (700 BC to the 12th century): Celtic tribes, then Rome, whose Bracara Augusta and the temple at Évora still stand, then Muslim rule from 711, which left the whitewashed Alentejo towns and Lisbon’s São Jorge Castle.
2. Kingdom and discoveries (1143 to 1640): the Treaty of Zamora recognised Portugal as an independent kingdom in 1143, Lisbon became the capital in 1255, King Dinis founded the first university in 1290, and from the 15th century Portuguese ships reached India, Brazil, Malacca, Goa and Macau, paying for the Manueline architecture at Belém and Tomar; Philip II of Spain took the crown in 1580 and the union lasted until 1640.
3. Earthquake and empire (1755 to 1910): the earthquake and tsunami of 1 November 1755 destroyed most of Lisbon and produced the grid of the Baixa, Brazilian gold funded the rebuilding, and the monarchy ended when Manuel II went into exile in 1910.
4. Dictatorship and democracy (1926 to now): Salazar’s Estado Novo ran the country from 1932 until Marcelo Caetano succeeded him in 1968, the Carnation Revolution of 25 April 1974 ended it without bloodshed, and Portugal joined the European Communities in 1986.

Portugal travel FAQ

How many days do you need in Portugal?

Plan 7 to 10 days in Portugal: 3 in Lisbon, 1 in Sintra, 2 or 3 in Porto and 2 in the Algarve or the Douro. Twelve to fourteen days lets you add the Algarve properly, or Madeira or the Azores with a flight.

Is Portugal expensive?

No, Portugal is the cheapest country in Western Europe for eating out: a meal at an inexpensive restaurant averages €12 ($14, £10), a half-litre of draught beer €2.50 ($2.90, £2.15) and a cappuccino €1.90 ($2.20, £1.65). Accommodation in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve in high season is the exception.

What is the best month to visit Portugal?

April, May, September and October are the months to visit Portugal, for warm days, thinner crowds and lower rates. The Algarve stays mild enough for a winter break, and the Douro is at its most interesting during the September and October harvest.

Is Portugal safe for tourists?

Yes, Portugal is one of the safest countries in the world: it ranked 7th of 163 countries in the 2026 Global Peace Index. The realistic risks are pickpockets on Lisbon’s tram 28 and in the metro, bag snatching and Atlantic rip currents rather than violent crime.

Do you need a car in Portugal?

No, you do not need a car for a first trip to Portugal, because trains link Lisbon, Coimbra and Porto and coaches reach nearly everywhere else. Rent one for the Alentejo, the Algarve’s smaller beaches or the Douro back roads, and sort out the motorway tolls before you drive off.

Do they speak English in Portugal?

Yes, English is widely spoken in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve, and less so in the interior and among older people. A few words of Portuguese, starting with “bom dia”, “por favor” and “obrigado” or “obrigada”, go a long way.

WonderfulWanderings Pro Tips

The 5 tips below are the ones that decide what a Portugal trip actually costs and what it is possible to book, and 3 of them correct something older Portugal guides still say.

1. Sort the motorway tolls out at the rental desk. Several Portuguese motorways are electronic-only with no booths at all, so a hire car needs a transponder or a registered plate before you drive off, and skipping that step turns into charges that reach you weeks later.
2. Send the couvert back if you are not going to eat it. The bread, olives, cheese and pâté that arrive unordered are chargeable only if you touch them, and waving the plate away is normal rather than rude.
3. Leave room in the budget for the municipal tourist tax. It is charged per person per night, set by each municipality rather than nationally, and it appears at checkout rather than in the room rate you booked.
4. Do not plan a ferry crossing to mainland Portugal, because there is none. The Canary Islands ferries leave from Cádiz and Huelva in Spain, and Madeira and the Azores are reached only by plane. The boats worth knowing about are the Tagus crossings inside Lisbon.
5. Check the Lisbon to Madrid train exists before you build a route on it. The overnight service that older guides describe has been suspended for years. The cross-border link that does run reliably is the Celta, Vigo to Porto in about 2 hours 15 minutes.

About the author. This guide is written and maintained by the Wonderful Wanderings editorial team. Wonderful Wanderings was founded in 2012 by Sofie Couwenbergh, and the site’s Portugal coverage is first-hand, with reported guides to Lisbon, the palaces of Sintra, Cabo da Roca, Porto, Coimbra and the Douro valley. The team covers Portugal for independent travellers, including the hotels, restaurants, city passes, river cruises, car rental and packing gear worth booking, and updates this page when prices, dates and rules change.