Because few countries pack so much into so small a space: two of Europe's most likeable cities in Lisbon and Porto, the cliffs and coves of the Algarve, the terraced vineyards of the Douro, the palace-hills of Sintra, the dark-sky plains of the Alentejo and two Atlantic island groups, all within a few hours. Add superb, well-priced food and wine, the famous Atlantic light and an unhurried, hospitable character, and the case makes itself.

Is Porto or Lisbon better to visit?

Both, if you can — they are three hours apart by fast train and make a perfect pair. If you must choose: Lisbon is the bigger, grander, sunnier capital, with more sights, better nightlife and Sintra and the beaches on its doorstep; Porto is smaller, steeper and moodier, easier to walk, cheaper, and the gateway to the Douro. For a first trip and a single base, we lean Porto for charm, Lisbon for range.

How many days do you need in Portugal?

A week is the sweet spot for a first trip: three days in Lisbon with a day in Sintra, two or three in Porto with the Douro, joined by the fast train. Ten days to a fortnight lets you add the Algarve, the Alentejo or an island. Even a long weekend in one city repays the journey — but pick two regions at most in a week, or you will spend it in transit.

Is Portugal expensive to visit?

No — it remains one of Western Europe's best-value destinations. Food, wine, coffee and transport cost noticeably less than in France, Italy or Spain, and even the top end of hotels and dining undercuts equivalent quality elsewhere. Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve in peak summer are the priciest corners; travel in the shoulder seasons or inland and Portugal is still genuinely cheap for the quality.

Is Portugal or Spain better for a holiday?

They reward different trips. Spain is larger and louder, with more big-hitter cities and a later, bigger nightlife; Portugal is smaller, gentler and more intimate, easier to cover, cheaper, and with a softer Atlantic edge to its coast and cooking. For a fast, varied, good-value week that never feels rushed — and arguably the better food value — Portugal is hard to beat; for sheer scale and variety, Spain.

Is Portugal a beach destination?

Partly — the Algarve has the famous cliffs, coves and warm sea, and the coast runs to some eight hundred kilometres, with city beaches near Lisbon and Porto and wild surf strands on the west coast. But the Atlantic is cooler than the Med, and Portugal is far more than its beaches: cities, palaces, wine country and islands draw as many visitors for the culture, food and landscape as for the sand.

When is the best time to visit Portugal?

Spring and autumn — April to June and September to October — are the sweet spots: warm, bright and uncrowded, with October bringing the Douro harvest and the year's loveliest light. High summer is hot and busy, best for the coast and the cooler north; winter is mild in the south and on the islands, wet in the north. Choose the region to suit the season and there is no bad time to come.

Boutique Hotels in Portugal - Lisbon to the Algarve

Where to go in Portugal

The country falls into a handful of regions, and the honest first move is to pick two and resist the urge to add a third. In the centre is Lisbon, the capital on its seven hills above the Tagus, with the palace-hung hills of Sintra forty minutes off and the Estoril beaches beyond — the natural base for any first trip. North on the coast is Porto, smaller, steeper and grittier, the gateway to the Douro valley: the terraced port-wine country upriver is, to our eye, the single most beautiful thing in Portugal, and worth building a trip around in October when the harvest is on.

The rest repays those who go further. The far north — the Minho and Lima valleys, Vinho Verde country, with Braga and the birthplace-town of Guimarães — is the greenest, least touristed corner. The Alentejo, the great hot plain south of Lisbon, is cork oaks, walled towns and some of Europe's darkest night skies, made for slow driving and big reds. The Algarve is the sun-and-sea south: glorious at its cliff-lined edges, over-built through its middle, best at the quieter ends around Sagres or the eastern Ria Formosa. And out in the Atlantic lie the islands — Madeira, a near-vertical garden made for walkers, and the green volcanic Azores, the wildest landscapes Portugal owns.

Eating, drinking and getting around

Eat where the menu is short and the fish is whole. Portuguese cooking is plain in the best sense — grilled sardines and sea bass, bacalhau in its hundred forms, suckling pig in the Bairrada, slow lamb in the Alentejo — and the custard tart, the pastel de nata, deserves its fame. The wine is the country's quiet triumph and its best value: drink Douro reds and white port over ice, the spritzy vinho verde of the north, the structured Alentejo reds, and the extraordinary aged Madeiras that outlive everyone who bottles them.

Getting around is easy and a pleasure. Fast trains link Lisbon and Porto in under three hours, so skip the internal flight; the Algarve is a couple of hours below Lisbon; and the prettiest journey in the country is the train up the Douro from Porto, hugging the river to Pinhão. Hire a car for the Alentejo and the Minho, where the joy is in the back roads, but leave it behind in the cities, where the hills, trams and parking will defeat it. The islands are a short hop by air.

When to go

Go in spring or autumn if you can, and the country opens up. May, June, September and October are the sweet spots almost everywhere: warm, bright, the cities lively but not heaving, the coast warming, the prices saner. We would steer you to October above all — the Douro harvest is on, the light turns golden, and the crowds have gone home. High summer is hot and crowded, fierce on the Algarve and in the cities, though the Atlantic keeps the coast bearable and the green north stays cool. Winter is mild and wet, quiet and cheap, lovely in Lisbon and on temperate Madeira, bleak in the rainy north. The one rule: choose the region to suit the season, not the other way round.