Why go to Portugal in 2024?

Here are some helpful tips:

In Lisbon, exercise caution at all train, bus and underground stations, and particularly on electric trams numbered E28, to Castelo de São Jorge (São Jorge castle); E25, to Prazeres; and E15, to Belém.

In Porto, don’t walk alone after dark, especially along the Douro River Waterfront.

Use secure parking facilities, particularly overnight. Ensure windows are closed and doors are locked at all times. As a precaution, remove or place items in the trunk of your vehicle before arriving and parking at your destination.

Be suspicious of anyone (other than the police) signalling you to stop on roads or highways. Thieves use this tactic to steal valuables, unattended bags and even the vehicle.

If you experience car trouble, stop at a gas station or rest stop. Be aware of your immediate surroundings and keep a careful watch on bystanders, including those who offer to help.

Official assistance and road monitoring vehicles are present on Portuguese highways. They will come to your assistance. When possible, wait for these service providers to arrive or if you are in sight of an SOS phone (which are spread along the highways), use it to call for help.

Belem Tower in Lisbon, Portugal

4. Portugal has Plenty of Culture

Portugal offers somewhat less luxury than other European countries, but this is more than compensated for by the opportunity to experience a culture that hasn’t been overly tailored to the tourist. Travelers who manage their expectations and are willing to accept sometimes-lackluster hotel amenities will find that the chance to discover a fado bar and listen, along with locals, to a singer performing traditional songs, at once heartbreaking, hopeful and nostalgic, outweighs the lack of high-thread-count sheets. Another bonus of the country’s relatively nascent tourism (though Lisbon is growing increasingly crowded during peak months) is the few signs globalization. For example, in Lisbon, Europe’s second-oldest city (after Athens), you’ll be hard-pressed to find too many McDonald’s or Starbucks outposts.

Porto is a coastal city in northwest Portugal known for its stately bridges and port wine production. 

5. Portugal is Western Europe’s Cheapest Destination

Accommodation. Airbnb or VRBO is the way to go here. You can find great spots in the heart of each city for much less than a Hilton or Marriot. Avoid the major hotel chains.

Try multiple dates. Flights are often cheaper in the shoulder- or off-season. Check prices for different dates with SkyScanner in your travel window. A sale on airfare may help you afford a destination that’s otherwise out of budget.

Avoid holidays, festivals, and other large events, unless that’s the reason you’re going to a specific destination. Crowds can inflate hotel rates, overwhelm popular sights, and make it difficult—and costly—to get around.

Compare midweek to weekend prices. Hotels in big cities tend to be more affordable on the weekends when the business travelers have gone home, while resorts in vacation destinations may be less expensive midweek.

Once you’ve estimated your trip’s flight and accommodation cost, start considering the cost of transportation. Public transportation is considerably cheap and should be used if possible. Renting a car will be more expensive but you will have a lot more freedom.

Miles/Points. The Capital One Venture One card is a fantastic travel rewards credit card to start off with. If you’re a pro, use the Chase Sapphire Preferred card.

Lagos, Algarve, Portugal.

6. Portugal & The Douro Wine Valley

The Douro River and the Douro Valley are known primarily for Port, a sweet wine that has been produce for two thousand years. The Alto (upper) Douro, also known as the Douro Vinhateiro is dominated by big wineries on the hillsides bearing the names of famous Port producers such as Cockburns, Taylors and Sandeman.

The Douro Alto was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001, in recognition of the spectacular beauty of both the natural and built landscape and the industrial heritage associated with the Port producing industry. The hills fall steeply to the water’s edge and the region becomes more and more sparsely populated as it travels inland from the coast. Local presunto (smoked hams) and chouriço (spicy sausages) are often on the menu and many of the quintas offer port and wine tasting sessions.

The Douro Valley can be accessed by roads that zig-zag up and down the steep hills, although it is probably easier and certainly more scenic to travel by rail or boat. The Linha do Douro is one of Europe’s great rail journeys, connecting Porto with the towns surrounding the Douro River. The one hundred and seventy five kilometer route joins the river at Mosteiro and runs alongside it for a hundred kilometers before climbing steeply and traveling around unbelievably sharp horse-shoe bends through terraces so steep harvesting them must be nigh-on impossible.

The Douro River was originally fast-flowing and unpredictable but the construction of eight dams in the second half of the last century has rendered it tranquil and lake-like. Before the building of the dams, wine used to be transported downriver in flat-bottomed boats called rabelos. Now it goes on tanker lorries.

The ‘capital’ of the Douro Valley is a town called Peso da Régua, which is dominated by a huge Sandeman’s logo perched on top of a hill. It was here that wines were collected before being transported downriver to Porto. My personal favorite winery is Quinta da Pacheca.

7. Portugal’s Madeira

Lying just a few hundred miles west of Morocco, the Atlantic island of Madeira (famously the birthplace of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo) is slightly smaller than Cape Cod and home to only 250,000 residents. With its mountainous terrain, rich biodiversity, year-round mild climate and laidback ambience, Madeira draws low-key, active travelers interested in hiking, wine tasting, market tours and other authentic experiences. The island is also known for its elaborate holiday celebrations in December and January, in addition to one of the world’s largest displays of fireworks on New Year’s Eve. Stay at the Belmond Reid’s Palace, where every room has a balcony overlooking the ocean.

São Miguel Island, the largest island in the Azores.

Thrill-seekers and nature lovers are currently discovering the Azores, a Portuguese archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean that resembles something akin to the otherworldly landscapes of Avatar. With new direct flights from New York (the journey takes just five hours), the islands beckon with volcanic crater lakes, natural hot springs and black-sand beaches, as well as activities including scuba diving, kayaking, hiking, whale-watching, birding, surfing and more. And while five-star luxury isn’t easy to find here, there are some lovely hotels, such as the contemporary-chic Furnas Boutique Hotel, urban Azor and minimalist White Exclusive Suites & Villas.

7. Sintra

Eighteen miles and a world away from Lisbon, it’s easy to see why Sintra—with its cool, lush hills and proximity to the Atlantic coast—is where Portuguese royals used to spend their summers.

This UNESCO World Heritage site is a popular day-trip destination by transfer or train from Lisbon. After seeing the 19th-century Romantic architecture, cobblestone streets, and dense forests, you’ll understand why Lord Byron once referred to the town as a “glorious Eden.”

Pena Palace is the main attraction in the quaint town of Sintra. Inspired by German Romantic architecture, it looks like a Disneyland castle, with its pink and yellow towers, ornamental buttresses, and cartoonish gargoyles. The interiors are equally dramatic. Don’t miss the intricately carved ceilings and walls of Queen Amelia’s apartments and the striking all-white reception room. If it’s a nice day, purchase a combo ticket that includes access to the royal gardens.

Next to Pena Palace is the Castle of the Moors. Isolated on its lofty perch, one of the peaks in the Sintra Hills, the Moorish Castle is a fortification founded in the 10th century during the period the Moors occupied the Iberian Peninsula.

Its famous walls snake across the hills with their granite blocks interlinking boulders and cliffs. Its parapet walk provides stunningly unique views out over the town, the Palace of Pena and, further in the distance, the greens of these hills contrast with the blues of the Atlantic Ocean

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