My family is considering a week in Portugal next May. There will be 8 of us (all adults) so I am interested in a villa at a location that offers great day trips . Thanks for your help.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8141 posts
Check into the Algarve region, down by Faro. It's a beautiful place that's very popular with English tourists seasonally. Flights are inexpensive from London on budget air carriers.
Booking.com and VBRO.com have numerous listings down there.
Posted by
Calgary, AB, Canada
480 posts
I would consider a couple of areas. One would be in the Alentejo region, there are many beautiful towns including Evora, Elvas, Vila Vicosa etc, and wineries as well.
The other area I would consider is in or around Sintra. From here you could train in to Lisbon if you want more excitement, you are close to beaches, Cascais, Estoril, and you could drive north for day trips to Obidos, Nazare etc.
Alentejo would be hotter in May, Sintra cooler, depending on your preference. I suspect the Alentejo would be a bit more reasonable in price. If you do go for Sintra try to eat in the surrounding villages like Sao Pedro, we had a fabulous meal there, and no tourists really.
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
The Algarve is all about the beaches, so you would be best looking at Lisbon or Sintra as there are better day trips from there. They Alentejo would be better if you hired a car as public transport could be limited depending on where you stayed. I was in the Algarve in May and the temperatures were hitting 35 degrees in places.
Alternatively, look to flying into Porto and spending the week north in the wine region.