Portugal Holidays

 

Main Facts About Portugal Holidays

The weather in Portugal is magical, as is the coastline, which is 850 kilometres long, featuring one of the best golden sand beaches in the world. Regardless of the region that you choose to visit on your holidays to Portugal, you can be sure that you will be offered the best beaches and hospitality that you could ask for.

There is a variety of accommodation available in Portugal, which ranges from the most economical to the most luxurious options, both for people who like to self-cater and those who prefer all-inclusive holidays to Portugal. CheapHolidays.com offers convenient holiday packages to Portugal, including great late deals. Alternatively you can select separate flights and accommodation.

Attractions & Activities

The coastal resorts of Portugal are the main attraction for the tourists throughout the country.

Algarve

Algarve features on the best climate in the whole of Europe, which remains pleasant all year round. The area is most famous for its spectacular Mediterranean beaches, but it offers much more than that, e.g. destinations like Albufeira, Faro, and Lagos. The best beaches of Algarve include Praia da Luz and near Lagos, Meia Praia and Praia de Tavira in Albufeira.

For those of you who wish to spend your holiday to Portugal seeing beyond the typical Brit tourist locations, we would recommend exploring the South West coast of Algarve, where you will get a better insight into the culture and traditions of Portugal and be treated to some spectacular natural scenery. You can visit the Costa Vicentina Natural Park on the Vincentine coast and the Moorish castles of the region, which are a huge tourist attraction. Algarve is also home to one of the best golf courses in Europe - the Vilamoura.

Madeira Islands

Undoubtedly one of the most beautiful locations on Earth, Madeira Islands are one of the top tourist attractions in Portugal. Jardim do Mar and Paul do Mar are the most popular coastal spots in the Madeira Islands, offering water sports activities. The islands further feature unique natural swimming pools at Porto Moniz. Porto Santo is a spot where you can relax and spend a quiet and peaceful holiday. Moreover, Madeira Islands offer the best natural scenery and diving attractions.

Azores

The nine major islands of Azores, formed out of volcanic activity, are one of the most popular as well. The major islands are São Miguel, Santa Maria, Pico, Faial, São Jorge, Terceira, Graciosa, Flores tourist attractions and Corvo. The islands are some of the most spectacular places on Earth and offer beautiful beaches with a pleasant climate. The most popular beaches are Praia Formosa and São Lourenço in Santa Maria. Prainha and Praia do Sul are more isolated and well-preserved beaches in the Azores. If you get sick of beaches on your holiday in the Azores area of Portugal, you can try a more strenuous hike up the volcanoes.

Alentejo

Alentejo is the neighbouring region to the Algarve and offers a similar pleasant climate and a beautiful and well-preserved coastline. The most popular beaches in Alentejo are Porto Covo and Zambujeira. Alentejo also offers exciting diving attractions in Milfontes. A visit to the hydroelectric Alqueva Dam, which made Europe’s largest manmade lake and whose build was completed in 2002 is a must.

Lisboa

The Lisboa region is located north to Alentejo, and features the capital city Lisbon. Lisbon is an important cultural and historical centre, featuring many attractions including the Lisbon Cathedral, the Monument to the Discoverers, a number of art museums and the Avenida da Liberdade, the 12th century St. George Castle, an important and historical boulevard of the city. Lisbon features other cultural centres like the Opera House and Centro Cultural de Belém.

The Belém area of Lisbon also features attractions like the Torre de Belém and the Monastery of the Hieronymites, which have been given the UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

An Oceanarium in Lisbon is also a major tourist attraction. Costa de Caparica beach near Lisbon is one of the largest and most attractive beaches in Europe, stretching up to 30 km. Other beaches in the region include Estoril and Cascais. Bairro Alto in Lisbon is one of the most popular nightlife attractions, while you can listen to Fado music in the Alfama district as well, apart from Bairro Alto.

Centro de Portugal

Centro de Portugal is located north to the Lisboa region. This region offers a variety of natural and cultural attractions, other than beautiful beaches. Serra de Estrella National Park, the largest nature conservation area in Portugal, offers an amazing demonstration of how the ice age shaped the mountains and lakes. You may also like to take a dip in the natural swimming pools found in Serra da Lousã and Serra do Açor. Important towns include Guarda, Trancoso, Viseu and Castelo Branco. The best beaches of the region are Costa Nova and Figueira da Foz.

The region allows you to explore the most mysterious aspects of the medieval history by offering a visit to the Knights Templar castle in Tomar. The Convent of the Order of Christ in the castle complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered one of Portugal’s historical treasures, definitely a must-see if your holiday to Portugal takes you into this region.

Porto e Norte

This is the northernmost region of Portugal, home to the Douro River and valley of Portugal. Foz Côa Archaeological Park is another attraction which features 30,000 years old rock engravings from the Upper-Paleolithic period. This region is ideal for a more adventurous holiday, offering river and canal cruises on traditional moliceiros barges, canoeing, climbing, cycling and other adrenaline fuelled sports and activities.

Rich in natural beauty, Porto e Norte also features the Peneda-Gerês National Park, the only National Park in Portugal, spread on an area of 170,000 acres.

Porto, the capital of the region offers some wine-tasting attractions, while the Alto Douro vineyards have been declared one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. Porto also features attractions like the Romanesque church of Cedofeita, Romanesque-gothic Cathedral, the Baroque Clérigos tower and the colorful Cais da Ribeira.

Golf Of Course!

Portugal offers some of the most popular golf courses around the world, with only the Algarve offering 19 of them, which welcome novices and professionals alike. Important golf courses include Vilamoura in Algarve and Quinta de Mariana in Estoril courses. Everyone from beginners to experts can play on the courses.

Other activities include tennis, horse-riding, sailing and fishing are popular, visiting the Zoomarine, visiting a theme park or water park, go-karting, boat trips for dolphin watching and attending a motorcycle or car race at the Estoril racetrack, which is famous around the world.

Weather and Climate

The climate of Portugal is one of the main reasons why it is such a tourist magnet. The summers see 12 hours of sunshine a day, with an average temperature of 30°C. While during the winter the temperature never falls below 15°C, even during the coldest months of December and January, with at least 6 hours of sunshine every day. Portugal sees 50 rainfall days from the months of November to March.

The north-western region has mild winters with high levels of rainfall, but the summers there don’t last long. However, the north-eastern region has longer winters and hot summers. In the southern regions of Portugal, summers, which remain from March to October, are significantly warm, the effects of which are ameliorated by a breeze in Estoril, which blows consistently from the months of July to August. It rains little in the South, except for some occasional showers during the spring and autumn seasons, all of which makes Portugal an ideal location for your next holiday!