On the western edge of the continent, Portugal is home to culturally rich cities influenced by its leading role in the Age of Discovery, as well as an abiding Catholic faith that it shares with nearby Spain. Our specialists will draw on their knowledge of the country to plan your tour of Portugal, where you could hear melancholy fado music in Lisbon, taste port wine in Porto and the Douro Valley, and sample the traditional custard tarts of Belém.
They can also plan a Portugal vacation that explores the country’s complex history. Visit Moorish alleyways in Évora, Roman ruins and a Baroque pilgrimage site in Braga, and the place where Henry the Navigator launched Portugal’s great nautical age. If you prefer landscapes, we can help you explore the storybook gardens and palaces of Sintra or the verdant volcanic islands of the Azores. We can also help you find the least-crowded beaches in the sunny Algarve.
Suggested tours for Portugal
These tours give you a starting point for what your vacation to Portugal could entail. Treat them as inspiration, as each trip is created uniquely for you.
Suggested activities for Portugal
Whatever your interests, our specialists will build activities into your trip that connect to how you want to experience Portugal.
-
Ponta Delgada walking tour Ponta Delgada walking tour
The AzoresPonta Delgada walking tour
Tour the narrow, cobbled streets of Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores, with a local guide. Learn about its foundation, architecture and defenses and its heyday in the 18th and 19th centuries when wealthy merchants constructed imposing Baroque buildings.
View details -
Lagos coastal walk and Sagres visit Lagos coastal walk and Sagres visit
AlgarveLagos coastal walk and Sagres visit
Explore Portugal’s southern coast on this full-day walking tour from Lagos. The hike takes in the city itself as well as the cliffs at the Ponta da Piedade, before heading for the remote village of Sagres overlooking the Atlantic.
View details -
Sete Cidades 4x4 and cycling tour Sete Cidades 4x4 and cycling tour
The AzoresSete Cidades 4x4 and cycling tour
Explore by 4x4 and bike to get far-reaching views of the enormous caldera at Sete Cidades as well as a more personal introduction to this unusual landscape, its history, legends and lakes as well as the volcanic activity that shaped it.
View details
Why travel with Audley?
- 100% tailor-made tours
- Fully protected travel
- Established for over 25 years
- 98% of our clients would recommend us
Best time to visit
Our specialists advise on the best months to visit Portugal, including information about climate, events and festivals.
Request our brochure
Covering all seven continents, The World Your Way shows you how you can see the world with us. It features trip ideas from our specialists alongside hand-picked stays and experiences, and introduces our approach to creating meaningful travel experiences.
Useful information for planning your vacation in Portugal
The official language of Portugal is Portuguese. Most people in Portugal also speak good English.
The currency of Portugal is the euro (€), which you can easily buy before arriving. Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted but paying by American Express may not always be possible. For smaller transactions, it’s worth carrying cash. ATMs and foreign exchange counters are widely available in cities and major towns.
Salted cod, grilled sardines fresh off the boat, creamy custard tarts — Portuguese food is fresh, simple, and delicious. Medieval trade routes brought tropical spices to Portugal and over the centuries, cinnamon, saffron, cloves, and cumin have been embraced wholeheartedly and woven into a complex range of hearty soups and fish and seafood dishes.
A staple in the Portuguese diet is bacalhau (dried salted cod), which was traditionally taken on long sea journeys. Fish and seafood features heavily on menus in coastal areas, while inland, tasty soups such as caldo verde (kale, potato, and chorizo soup) are popular. For a sweet treat, don’t miss pasteis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts), a local delicacy that originated in the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon.
While Portugal is renowned for its fortified port wine, it’s also becoming increasingly acclaimed for its wines. Look out for vinho verde, a young, crisp white from the Minho region.
A tip of 10% is considered standard in Portuguese restaurants. Taxi drivers and porters don’t expect a tip, but always appreciate one, while it’s customary to tip private drivers and guides. Your specialist can advise on appropriate amounts closer to your trip.
For the latest travel advice for Portugal, including entry requirements, health information, and the safety and security situation, please refer to the .
Key destinations in Portugal include Lisbon, Sintra, the Douro Valley, and the Algarve. In sophisticated Lisbon you’ll find trams and funiculars navigating the hilly streets between exuberant Baroque churches and the narrow laneways of the Moorish Alfama.
Northwest of Lisbon, Sintra is known for its fairytale parks, gardens, and palaces, while further north, the terraced hillsides of the Douro Valley are blanketed in vineyards in one of the world’s oldest demarcated wine regions.
For golden sands and Moorish and Roman ruins head to the Algarve, but if you’d like to get away from it all, the nine volcanic islands that make up the Azores offer dramatic craters and steaming fumaroles as well as sun-drenched vineyards and gushing waterfalls.
Far more than a bed for the night, hotels in Portugal offer an insight into local life and history with stays in 16th-century convents, 300-year-old wine estates, and opulent former palaces. History is never far from the mind with a stay in a characterful former monastery, an elaborate boutique hotel set in a 15th-century palace, or converted country mansion with vineyard views.
If you prefer something sleek and modern, you’ll find chic, sophisticated hotels in the heart of Lisbon and sleek apartments made from volcanic stone in the Azores, while along the coast, we’ve found smart resorts on secluded beaches and boutique retreats set in lush gardens.
To get a better idea of what’s on offer, browse our collection of places to stay in Portugal.
Roman, Moorish, and Baroque architecture, terraced vineyards, and sunny beaches await in Portugal. Portugal offers rich culture, historic streets, and memorable food and wine experiences. While here, you could wander Moorish alleyways, explore the crypts of medieval cathedrals, or see whimsical palaces and gardens built by royalty to escape the summer heat.
Explore the vast Palácio Nacional de Mafra, an 18th-century palace-monastery with more than 1,200 rooms, listen to melancholy but entrancing fado music, join elaborate Holy Week processions, feast on custard tarts, or learn about the country’s long history of wine making.
You can retreat to the coast for sunshine and sandy beaches, cruise down a river in a private yacht, or head for the far-flung islands of the Azores to discover crater lakes and lava tubes, hot springs, and heavenly hiking.
It takes around seven hours to fly from Toronto in Canada to Portugal, and around 13 hours from Vancouver.
The time zone in mainland Portugal is UTC+0 hours, while in the Azores it’s UTC-1 hour. Daylight Savings Time is observed from late-March to late-October.
The best way to get around in Portugal is to drive. The road network is well maintained, car rental is straightforward, and it gives you the freedom to explore as and where you wish. If you’d prefer not to drive, we can arrange for a private driver to take you between destinations.
Use our travel tool to find up-to-date visa and passport requirements for Portugal. Enter where you’re traveling to and from (including any stopover destinations en route or flight layovers), along with your intended travel dates and passport details, for a full list of requirements.
Speak to your doctor for current advice on immunizations for Portugal and ensure you’re up to date with the recommended vaccinations at home. You can also check the suggested vaccinations on the .
Portugal in pictures
Our expert guides to traveling in Portugal
Written by our specialists from the viewpoint of their own travels, these guides will help you decide on the shape of your own trip to Portugal. Aiming to inspire and inform, we share our recommendations for how to appreciate Portugal at its best.
-
Honeymoons in Portugal: where to go & what to do Honeymoons in Portugal: where to go & what to do
Honeymoons in Portugal: where to go & what to do
From sipping Douro Valley wine to hiking Azorean volcanoes, Audley specialist Corinne shares her top honeymoon experiences for Portugal.
Read this guide -
Top 13 trips to Europe Top 13 trips to Europe
Top 13 trips to Europe
From the wintry wilds of Iceland’s shores to the sun-drenched islands of Greece, Europe’s vast diversity means it can be hard to decide where to visit on the continent. Here, we’ve ranked our top tours of Europe to help you make up your mind.
Read this guide -
Experiences in Spain & Portugal's wine regions Experiences in Spain & Portugal's wine regions
Experiences in Spain & Portugal's wine regions
Both Spain and Portugal are speckled with wine regions, from Spain’s northern Rioja region and Catalonia’s cava to the Douro Valley, which supplies Porto with its world-renowned port wines. Our specialists share their wine-tasting experiences, which can be planned into your tailor-made trip.
Read this guide -
Best of Spain and Portugal Best of Spain and Portugal
Best of Spain and Portugal
A private tour of the Alhambra, sipping wine in the sunny Douro River Valley, and watching a flamenco performance in Seville. Spain and Portugal specialist Talia picks some of her top experiences when visiting the Iberian Peninsula.
Read this guide