I am coming to Portugal arriving mid-August and tentatively will be there for 17 days. Could folks please chime in on their experience in each region in terms of their personal opinion as to the ideal number of days in each? Algarve vs Porto vs. Lisbon? My priority is to see those things that I really shouldn't miss in case I don't come back.
Posted by
11169 posts
Mid to late September would be a better choice. Europeans take vacations in August so it would be extra crowded then.Seventeen days would be wonderful in Portugal, not too long.
Posted by
WA USA
1099 posts
I'm including a link to the Julie Dawn Fox blog. Personally, I really enjoyed the Minho region north of Porto. She covers areas that are not always included in guidebooks, at least not Rick Steve's guide, but well worth seeing.
I also think 17 days is not too long, but if you do want something different, you can leave the mainland and go to the island of Madeira which is a very easy flight.
Posted by
162 posts
I always have trouble with "how many days" questions, and I really don't think, logically, that there is ever a fixed "ideal" number. If you like beaches and beach crowds, pack more days into the Algarve; if you prefer small, historic towns with relatively fewer tourists, consider more days in Alentejo or the Minho (which I realize you didn't mention). If you like big, historic cities, spend more days in Porto; and if you like even bigger cities, concentrate on Lisbon. As a fan of great historic cities, I could easily spend the entire time in Lisbon, though I'm not going to recommend this to others.
Also, do your 17 days include the day you fly in, and the day you fly out? In that case, you really have only 15 "full" days in the country. Just to give you a start, I would recommend distributing your 16 nights (equivalent to 15 full days) roughly equally among your three destinations -- i.e., five nights in each, with the final night assigned randomly -- and then "tweak" the itinerary as you get more advice about the respective destinations.
Posted by
269 posts
Ideally you'll want to fly in to Porto and fly out from Faro, that way you don't waste time and money backtracking.
Posted by
Tennessee
393 posts
I just read this comment on a YouTube video web page...which reminded me that our Rick Steves Best of Portugal tour guide had told us the same thing a month ago. Lisbon is going to be extremely crowded in August due to this event.
"World Youth Day is in Lisbon the first week of August this year. Should be flooded with thousands upon thousands of travelers starting the last week of July. The Pope is expected to visit at the same time. It will be crazy. We're waiting till the end of September to travel to Portugal this year."