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Portugal for a month in Feb or March

Looking to spend a month 4 to 5 weeks in Portugal (we know it won't be superwarm but we want to escape Canadian winter).

Plans: We want to spend about 10 - 14 days in Lisbon and do daytrips by train or bus mostly.

This leaves us 2 weeks: Wondering about Algarve but open to other suggestions. Is there much to do in the Algarve at this time? We like to be active and do things. Not sure what there is to do here bc everyone I know has just gone for summer beach holidays.

Open to itinerary, towns to stay in and other suggestions etc.

Thanks a bunch!

Posted by
6902 posts

I would aim for March over February; the days will be longer and you will have a higher change of fair weather.
I would also skip the Algarve, especially if your trip is closer to 10 days than to 14 days. 10 days is just enough time to cover Lisbon + 1 day trip, Porto, and a stop in between (e.g. Coimbra).

Posted by
1089 posts

You could take a look at Madeira which is an easy flight from Lisbon (under 2 hrs).

Posted by
193 posts

I spent the second half of February last year in Carvoeiro on the Algarve coast. We did lots of walks along the coast, and car trips to other small towns on the coast and inland. We also spent time on the beach, including in the water. For this Canadian, 20 degrees and lots of sun was plenty of escape from winter back home. We also spent a couple of weeks around New Year’s in Lagos prior to Covid, and enjoyed similar weather.

Posted by
1675 posts

March is usually better weather but anything will be better than Canada. If you want to do the Algarve, stay in a bigger town and you should be ok. I stayed in Lagos a few years ago in March and found plenty to do. You will need a car in the Algarve, though.

Every part of the country will have more rain - hopefully. But, you should still have sunny days. Évora plus towns in the Silver Coast area might appeal to you. I prefer this area to the Algarve, personally. You might want to do a bit of research on this area before making your decision.