My husband and I be first time visitors ..What would be best time/optimal dates for 10-11 days? We would like to spend time in Porto, Lisbon and Algarve areas. And, hoping for warm weather..
Posted by
Vancouver, BC, Canada
1327 posts
We have gone through the full process of researching, planning and booking our first visit to Portugal for this September. Weather should be good and busy summer crowd should be finished. We are flying open jaw to OPO and out of FAO. We purchased airfare back in March for about CAD$1400 pp; I just checked in the same flights are currently priced at CAD$1650. Porto 4 nights, Lisbon 5 nights, Lagos 4 nights. Like the airfare, it appears that accommodations are booking up and prices are increasing. This is the general trend for Europe this year. Looking forward to trip. Good luck with your planning.
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Thank you for your feedback🙌!,
Posted by
175 posts
I recently went to both Lisbon & Porto. Remember while you might think you are going at a more "off-season" time, that seems to be changing in Portugal. We went after easter during an off-season time, and both cities, especially Porto, were very busy and crowded. Locals told us that things seem to be changing and I think it's because Portugal has been highly touted as an affordable, safe, and nice place to visit especially this year.
Public transportation works well (when there are no strikes!), and I would research what sights you want to visit as certain ones; it would be smart to purchase timed tickets well in advance. Most importantly, start exercising if you don't already. Portugal in general but especially Lisbon & Porto are incredibly hilly, and you will be doing tons of walking. I cannot stress this enough. In addition, if the weather is warm the never-ending uphill and steep downhill walking can get exhausting and may impact how much you feel up to doing in a day. The sidewalks all have mosaic tiles which are beautiful but can be slippery, so bring your most comfortable walking shoes. No need for dressy heels here! Have fun!
Posted by
Connecticut
99 posts
I vote for early October. Cooler and more offseason
Dennis
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6597 posts
Just a warning, Portugal is very heavily touristed. We just got back. We traveled from 4/11 to 5/4 thinking that we were traveling during "shoulder season". Most of the smaller towns had easily managed tourist levels. Porto was very busy. Make sure you have dinner reservations, regardless of the day of the week. We didn't and ended up at places that could get us in, and not our first choices. Lisbon was at the end of our trip and it was extremely busy.
In regards to "timed" tickets, I'm not sure of any sights that have timed tickets in Porto or Lisbon. Jeronimos Monastery sold tickets by time, but the time purchased was meaningless. Everyone just gets into one line, one very long line. That said, it always make sense to buy tickets online ahead of arrival, when possible. I was astounded that at the castle in Lisbon, folks were standing in line playing on their phones, when they could have been buying tickets. There was a QR code and wifi available for use.
Public transportation within Lisbon was very very crowded. We ended up walking everywhere.