Portugal: Why It’s One of the Best Decisions You Can Make Right Now

Portugal is having a moment, and the crowds are starting to show it in certain places. But it remains one of the most genuinely rewarding destinations in Europe. It is warm, unhurried, easy to navigate, and still affordable by western European standards.

The key is knowing what to combine and what not to.

Portugal looks small on a map. It travels bigger than it looks.

Lisbon and Porto — different cities, different energies

Lisbon is one of the most beautiful capital cities in Europe. Built on hills, full of miradouros, viewpoints where the city opens up below you, and with a neighbourhood culture that rewards the traveller who wanders without a fixed agenda. The Alfama, the oldest district, is genuinely ancient and genuinely beautiful. The Time Out Market is excellent and slightly overwhelming. The trams are charming and extremely crowded. Walk when you can.

Porto is smaller, quieter, and many people end up preferring it. The Douro river, the port wine caves in Vila Nova de Gaia directly across the water, the azulejo tilework on almost every surface, the bookshop that inspired Harry Potter’s Diagon Alley. Porto has a relaxed confidence that Lisbon, increasingly popular, is starting to lose in certain areas.

I almost always recommend spending time in both — they’re two hours apart by train and genuinely different experiences.

The Algarve — the south that people underestimate

Most people think of the Algarve as a beach destination and leave it at that. What they miss is that the western Algarve — particularly around Lagos, Sagres, and the Costa Vicentina — is some of the most dramatic and unspoiled coastline in all of Europe. Limestone cliffs, hidden sea caves, beaches that require a short walk to reach precisely because the crowds haven’t found them yet.

The eastern Algarve is flatter and more developed but still has the particular quality that defines southern Portugal: a slowness that feels deliberate rather than sleepy. Long lunches. Evenings that start late. Fresh fish that arrived that morning.

What I tell clients is this: Lisbon and the Algarve together make a genuinely excellent trip. You get the city, the history, the culture — and then you get the coast, the pace, the sense of being at the edge of something.

The Azores — a word of honest advice

The Azores are extraordinary — volcanic lakes, whale watching, landscapes that look like nothing else in Europe. And they are not something to add casually to a Portugal itinerary.

Geographically, the Azores sit about two thirds of the way between Toronto and Lisbon. The main island, São Miguel, is a direct flight from Lisbon, but connections between islands and back to Lisbon can be limited, subject to weather, and the airport at Ponta Delgada is not large. If you go, build in more time than you think you need and treat it as a destination in its own right, not an add-on.

For the right client, the Azores are worth a dedicated trip entirely. They are not the right answer to 'can we add a few days on the way home?'

What I tell every client going to Portugal

• Lisbon and Porto together — two weeks minimum to do both properly

• Lisbon and the Algarve — ten days is enough, a week each feels right

• Rent a car in the Algarve — public transport is limited and the best places require one

• Eat where the locals eat — the tourist-facing restaurants in Lisbon’s most visited squares are rarely worth it

• Book ahead for the Azores — give the trip the time and planning it deserves

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