Trip to Portugal in June- Is Algarve worth it?

My husband and I are planning a trip to Portugal in June 2019. We have 3 days to plan out.

Could you clarify the above? Do you mean, you're planning a trip to Portugal for 3 days? Or, you have a longer trip to Portugal already planned and you're trying to decide if you should spend 3 of your days in the Algarve (if so, how long is your trip overall and where else are you going?)?

You know, there's a whole section of Rick's book about the Algarve...

We will be in Portugal for a week. We have 3 extra days and we are thinking of going to the Algare. Should we see the algare ?

If I had just seven days in Portugal, I would spend 0 (zero) of them on the Algarve.

Thanks for the info- where would you spend your time in Portugal? We have never been there.

Lisbon and Sintra together would be at least 4 days for me. Coimbra/Porto could fill the rest. If you're interested in wine (I am not), you'd probably want to visit the Douro Valley outside Porto.

Don't for get that the day you arrive (assuming it's after an overnight flight) you are likely to be sleep-deprived and jetlagged. I'm always brain-dead that day, so my assumption is that I will accomplish nothing significant on Day 1. For me, that would be a day for walking around outdoors in one of Lisbon's historic areas.

There are many interesting smaller cities and towns in Portugal (Evora, Barcelos, Viseu, Guarda, Obidos, etc.), but I don't think you'll have time to veer off the Lisbon-Coimbra-Porto axis. I suggest picking up a guide book so you have a better idea of your options.

If you are flying into and out of Lisbon, it might be a good idea to hop a train to your other destination on Day 1. Why not use that semi-worthless day to get to the farthest point you plan to go? Trains from Lisbon's Oriente Station to Porto's Campanha Station take about 3 hours.

Thanks so much for the info!!!!

Are you flying all the way to Europe for just a week (actually, how many days do you have in Portugal, not counting the day you arrive or the day you depart?)?

Or is Portugal part of a longer trip to Europe?

I have been to the Algarve numerous times in June, as it’s my default summer beach holiday. It’s busy!

If I had a week in Portugal would I spend time there? No unless you want to hit the beach. Just about any other region of Portugal has more of interest to the first time visitor.

Lisbon for me, including day trips is a 5 day visit. The rest of the week for me would be Porto or Evora. If I was tied to departing from Lisbon, I may not go as far as Porto. There are many fascinating places closer to Lisbon such as Tomar, Batalha or Alcobaca.

If you LOVE British tourists in large quanitities, then you should definitely go to the Algarve in June.

I had two round trips Chicago-Lisbon in September & October 2018. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed Portugal in September, I decided to see more of Portugal on my return in October instead of connecting somewhere else in Europe. My favorite city is Porto, my delightful suprise was Sintra in October. I enjoyed Lisbon, Belém, Evora, Fatima, Douro Valley. The people are gracious, the ceramic tiles on & in the buildings are phenomenal, the mosaic sidewalks are art form as well. I decided not to go to the Algarve because of research on Portugal and the many other places I wanted to visit. I saw surfers on the Atlantic outside of Porto which was neat too.

Hard to give much advice not knowing your interests. I just spent two weeks in Lisbon and did not run out of things to do. If you like fast paced travel, you could go up to Porto for a few days. If you prefer to go deeper into the local culture, I would recommend staying in Lisbon the whole time. Note that there are many good day trips out of Lisbon if you want to ramble around.