Hotels in Portugal

Lisbon, Porto or the coast

Most trips to Portugal start in Lisbon or Porto. In Lisbon it is best to stay in the Baixa, the Chiado or near the Avenida da Liberdade, so you can get around on foot and by tram; in Porto, in the Ribeira or around the Avenida dos Aliados. Both combine well with day trips: Sintra and Cascais from Lisbon, the Douro valley from Porto.

For the beach, the Algarve has the longest season and the most hotels and aparthotels; the Alentejo coast and the central coast are quieter, with colder water.

Inland and the islands

The Alentejo is a land of plains, white villages and herdades, large estates turned into rural places to stay. The north and the centre have historic cities such as Braga, Guimarães and Coimbra, and the Serra da Estrela mountains. Madeira and the Azores are visited for their nature: hiking, viewpoints and volcanic landscapes; on both it is worth hiring a car.

Types of accommodation

Pousadas are the Portuguese equivalent of paradores: hotels in castles, convents and palaces. Quintas and herdades are country estates, many of them with vineyards. Lisbon and Porto have plenty of holiday apartments and small hotels in restored buildings.

When to go

July and August are high season in the Algarve and on the beaches. Spring and autumn are good times for the cities and the interior, which can be very hot in summer, especially the Alentejo. In the Azores the weather changes a lot within a single day, whatever the season.