With a long history, both within and outside the country’s borders, stunning coastlines with rocky cliffsides overlooking the sparkling Atlantic Ocean, and delicious wine enjoyed with spectacular views, places to visit in Portugal are well worth your time.
City tours, local food and wine, and coastal exploration on Portugal vacation packages
Portugal vacation packages start and end in Lisbon and Faro, with options for Iberian tours combined with Spain as well as itineraries visiting Morocco. Travellers make the most of places to visit in Portugal with knowledgeable local guides for the cities of Lisbon, Tomar and Porto, community-based homestay dinners that offer a genuine experience of local culture and food, and exclusive accommodation at the Pousadas historic hotels.
Activities on Portugal vacation packages include Lisbon city tours with visits to the Belém and Alfama districts, orientation walks of Coimbra and Evora, stopovers in the Capela dos Ossos-Chapel of Bones, port wine tasting, and scenic drives and coastal hikes on the Algarve Coast. There are also exciting optional excursions in tour comparison Portugal, such as dinner with Fado entertainment and half-day trips to Sintra Palace.
Ready to plan your trip? Visit our tour comparison Portugal to find the right tour for you.
Want a taste of that insider Portugal tourism knowledge we mentioned before? We have collected the best facts from real life tour guides. Impress them on tour with how much you already know.
- Portugal is located on the Iberian Peninsula to the west of Spain, and boasts a vibrant, colourful capital, Lisbon.
- Cities to visit include quaint Coimbra, home to Fado music; Porto, with its UNESCO World Heritage Listed port and celebrated wine cellars; Guimarães, featuring historic castles; the fishing city of Aveiro with its colourful boats; and Évora, one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Portugal with a fascinating history of Moorish conquests.
- Lagos, with its vibrant nightlife, Faro, home to a charming old town of cobble-stoned laneways within the beautiful Algarve region, and the epic surf waves at Peniche and Sagres are some of Portugal’s most visited coastal destinations.
- Fátima is one of Portugal’s most important religious sites and is a popular destination for pilgrims.
- Portugal’s most celebrated natural sites include the valleys of the Rio Douro, the mountains and waterfalls in Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês, the windswept mountains of Serra da Estrela, deserts of the Alentejo, the dolphin’s playground of Sado Estuary Nature Reserve, and the offshore islands of Azores and Madeira.
- The historic town of Tomar was the last town commissioned by the Knights Templar, under the orders of the fourth grand master, Gualdim de Pais.
- Portugal was a significant contributor to the Age of Discovery with navigator Ferdinand Magellan, who was the first to circumnavigate the globe, explorers Vasco de Gama and Bartolomeu Dias, and Prince Henry the Navigator all from here.
- Portugal is one of the oldest countries in the EU, having maintained essentially the same borders since it was founded in the 12th century while most of Europe have tussled over ownership.
- Notable kings of Portugal include Afonso Henriques, the country’s first monarch, and Miguel I.
- Football is Portugal’s most popular sport, and they have produced some stars such as players Cristiano Ronaldo and Luis Figo, and coach Jose Mourinho.
- The Portuguese Empire claimed Brazil in 1500, and colonialisation began in 1534 – which is how Brazil came to be a Portuguese-speaking country.
- Other former Portuguese colonies include Angola and Mozambique.
- Some of Portugal’s most important products and creations include cork, luxury shoe making and Claus Porto soaps.
- Portugal’s most significant musical contributions include singer Nelly Furtado and the Lisboa Menina e Moça – Fado song.
- Portuguese water dogs were bred in the region of Algarve, and were traditionally taught to aid fishermen by herding fish into nets and retrieving items such as tackle.
Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC
