Portugal

Portugal packs an outsize punch thanks in part to its stunning azulejo tiles, limestone cliffs surrounding sandy bays, and of course, its wine and cuisine. A week here really allows you to dig in—surfing in the Atlantic, swirling a glass of port, climbing medieval castles and hiking trails, and taking in a range of architecture, including impressive Portuguese modernist buildings.

Best European River Cruises

The Douro River

Photo by Mikhail Gnatkovskiy/Shutterstock

Overview

Planning Your Trip

Use these articles, resources, and guides to plan and inspire your next trip to Portugal.

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Read Before You Go
With a slew of hotel openings, a booming dining scene, and brand-new ways to see the city, Lisbon’s popularity shows no sign of slowing down.
Hotels
Beauty, charm, and history infuse scores of hotels in Portugal’s capital city. To help you choose where to stay, here are 10 of the best hotels in Lisbon.
A million-dollar view—for less than $500 a night.
Don’t expect any humdrum, large hotel chains here: instead, ecofriendly surf lodges, historic forts-turned-inns, and stone-walled vacation homes await.
At Casa Fortunato, the owners invite you to come as a guest, stay as a friend, leave as family.
Sometimes less is more when it comes to sparking joy in travelers.
The next trend in lodging? The B&B&B (bed and breakfast and bicycle). Here are our picks for where to try it first.
These top-level properties are the places to stay.
These off-the-beaten path destinations have us wishing for 007’s travel schedule.
These well-curated hotel shops will give you a sense of place and a lasting memory.
Resources to help plan your trip
Do a deep dive into local European cuisine on an expert-led day tour.
Our writer tastes her way through the Lisbon culinary scene on a foodie-focused city tour with two local food experts.
In Portugal, novelist Charmaine Craig searches for the ghost of her hero, goes on a high-speed chase for delicious pork, and ponders the mystery of a writer’s trunk.
A new online platform spotlights UNESCO World Heritage sites across Europe where you’ll encounter fascinating histories—and fewer crowds.
How an archipelago in the Atlantic became a center of tea production.
You’re definitely not imagining things.
The castles, palaces, and monastaries scattered across the Portuguese countryside are more than just relics of a time gone by.
The sights, sounds, and smells of Portugal are all the more vivid when you’re walking, as AFAR Ambassador Flash Parker recently discovered.
They’re some of the safest places to travel—and some of the most beautiful, too.
There’s more to discover beyond the Mediterranean.
From China’s best bleu to an alpine Swiss, these cheeses are worth traveling for.
Europe has some unique ways of celebrating the spring holiday.
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