How many days do you need for Portugal?

In nine to 12 days, you can expect to see a generous chunk of all that Portugal has to offer, from its most sensational cities to sublime vineyards and beaches, on a north-to-south trip.



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While we always recommend spending as much time as possible in Portugal, 5 days is plenty of time to see the largest two cities – Porto and Lisbon. Our 5-day Portugal itinerary starts in the beautiful city of Porto, early in the morning.

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How many days in Portugal is enough? Depending on your travel style and the type of trip you're planning, 7, 10 or 14 days is enough time to visit Portugal. If you want to drive around the country, plan to set aside at least 2 to 3 weeks.

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In 10 days you can see a lot of the highlights, including Lisbon, Sintra, Porto, the Douro Valley, and more. If you want to see even more (including the Algarve or any of Portugal's islands), you'll need at least 2 weeks.

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The cost of living in Portugal is generally considered about 46 percent cheaper than in the United States. This, coupled with the country's excellent quality of life, beautiful beaches, stunning mountain ranges, reliable public transport, and rich history and culture, make it very easy to fall in love with Portugal.

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When is the best time to visit Portugal? Where is this? The best time to visit Portugal is in spring (March-May), when the country is in bloom and waking after the winter. You could also go in fall (between September and October) when the sun is still shining, the weather is warm, and many of the crowds have dispersed.

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If you are lucky enough to spend 5 days in Lisbon you have the chance to get to know the city in depth. And do it calmly, having plenty of time to see and enjoy its monuments and with the possibility of making excursions to the most interesting places in the surroundings.

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Big sister Lisbon is twice the size, more cosmopolitan, faster paced and 200 miles further south, so in summer it can be sweltering. Compact, walkable Porto has a more traditional feel and is cooled by Atlantic breezes through summer, though fog and rain can roll in via the same route during the winter.

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In fact, just walk into the charming, medieval Alfama neighborhood without a good map, and you could probably spend your week just finding your way out again. (But you'll have a good time doing so.) A week is perfect for Lisbon, especially considering one or two days spent day-tripping.

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Six days in Portugal will leave you wanting more. The good thing, however, is that the country's small size relative to other popular European countries works in your favor, allowing you to pack in a diverse range of cities and scenery in under a week's vacation.

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This itinerary will assume you've rented a car and are taking a road trip through Portugal, but it's doable via other transportation methods.
  1. Day 1: The Duoro Valley.
  2. Day 2: Duoro Valley.
  3. Day 3: Douro to Porto.
  4. Day 4: Porto.
  5. Day 5: Porto to Lagos.
  6. Day 6: Lagos to Lisbon.
  7. Day 7: Lisbon.
  8. Day 8: Sintra.


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5 days is the perfect amount of time to explore the Algarve and its different municipalities at a leisurely pace. Quality over quantity is the way to approach your trip to Algarve. The long coastline is home to hundreds of beaches, and it can get quite overwhelming.

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A full week on the Algarve gives you plenty of time to split between activities and relaxing on the beach. If you're looking for a more relaxing beach holiday, 7 days on the Algarve is a good choice. If the Algarve is a part of a broader Portugal itinerary, we'd recommend between 3 and 5 days.

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While it is a small country, if you only have 7 days in Portugal, you are better off just visiting two (or max three) major cities or regions and saving the rest for a return trip. To help make planning a trip to Portugal a little easier, I've put together four different Portugal itinerary options to choose from.

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?? Trip Cost for a Mid-Range Budget Traveler A mid-range budget traveler, such as myself, can expect to spend approximately $110 per day or $770 for one week of travel in Portugal, excluding flights. I break down my Portugal travel expenses by category below.

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Budget-Friendly Travel Planning Past travelers have spent, on average, €40 ($43) on meals for one day and €27 ($28) on local transportation. Also, the average hotel price in Portugal for a couple is €118 ($125). So, a trip to Portugal for two people for one week costs on average €1,908 ($2,017).

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Although you could easily stay for a month, you will need at least 14 days to explore Spain and Portugal to give you enough time to see a couple of the big cities and a few smaller towns as well, without feeling too rushed.

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Seeing Porto in 5 days is more than doable, and it turned out to be an amazing trip. I'm excited to share all the details with you. We're excited to go back, not only to enjoy Porto more, but also explore the Douro Valley and wine region.

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To get a well-rounded experience of Portugal, it makes sense to try to visit both places. Ideally, I'd recommend three or four nights in Lisbon (in order to do a day trip to Sintra) and two nights in Porto. On the shortest itinerary I would plan on two nights in each city. Fly into one city and out of the other.

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3 days in Lisbon is the perfect amount of time to explore both the city of Lisbon, and take a day trip to Sintra, which would be our choice of the day trip options. You can do it in two days, but we'd definitely cut out the day trip to Sintra and stay within Lisbon's city limits.

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Rainfall. In Lisbon rainiest months of the year are December and November during which monthly rainfall average reaches 128 mm. On the other side, driest months are August and July when the average rainfall is reduced to 4 mm per month.

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Portugal's rainy season begins in November and December, meaning fewer sunny days, but the country still experiences more sun than rain and warmer temperatures than much of Europe. The Algarve usually remains especially pleasant and sunny and can attract European visitors looking for a winter getaway.

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