Europe · Destination guide
Coasts, cities and islands with direct options from Yorkshire and Manchester.
Where to go
Is it right for you?
A strong fit for
Families, couples, city breaks and golf.
We would think twice for
Travellers expecting Mediterranean sea temperatures, because this is the Atlantic, and even in August the water is refreshing in a way the Algarve's brochures politely skip.
What we would want you to know
Season and exact base change the balance between beach and exploring.
We’ve been here
Madeira is the part of Portugal we know best: our anniversary trip in April 2025 took us from Funchal and Câmara de Lobos up to Pico do Arieiro and along the levadas. Si has also been to Lisbon for a trade event and Beth for a city break, while Porto and the Algarve come from research and client enquiries, and we always say which kind of advice you are getting.
From our trips
Filmed by us on the trip itself and shown without sound. No stock footage.
Weather and seasons
Portugal's weather changes more from north to south than its size suggests. Lisbon averages 28°C in July, usually tempered by an Atlantic breeze, while the Douro Valley and the Alentejo inland bake in summer and are far better in May or late September. Porto and the green north are the wettest part of the country, and even Lisbon averages 133mm in November, so an autumn city break needs an umbrella. Madeira runs on its own mild calendar, never very hot and never cold, with spring flowers and a famous New Year. Lisbon and Porto stay open all year, and January in the capital still reaches around 15°C.
Worth timing a trip around
Lisbon's biggest street party: neighbourhood parades on the evening of 12 June, then the old quarters fill with grilled sardines, pots of basil and music until dawn.
Porto stays up all night for its patron saint, with fireworks over the Douro at midnight and crowds tapping each other on the head with plastic hammers.
Funchal decorates its streets with flower carpets and holds a parade of floral floats, usually a few weeks after Easter. Hotels in the city book early for the parade weekend.
Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims gather at the sanctuary on the anniversaries of the first and last apparitions, many walking for days. Roads and rooms nearby are full, so avoid those dates unless you are going for them.
Fireworks light the whole amphitheatre of Funchal's bay at midnight, watched from balconies, the harbour and ships offshore. Rooms with a view of the bay sell out months ahead.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15°C | 9°C | 15°C | 74 mm |
| February | 17°C | 10°C | 15°C | 63 mm |
| March | 18°C | 11°C | 15°C | 60 mm |
| April | 20°C | 12°C | 15°C | 60 mm |
| May | 24°C | 15°C | 16°C | 27 mm |
| June | 26°C | 17°C | 18°C | 8 mm |
| July | 28°C | 19°C | 18°C | 2 mm |
| August | 29°C | 19°C | 19°C | 1 mm |
| September | 27°C | 18°C | 19°C | 10 mm |
| October | 23°C | 16°C | 18°C | 68 mm |
| November | 18°C | 12°C | 17°C | 133 mm |
| December | 16°C | 10°C | 16°C | 71 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Lisboa Geofisica, 1 km away at 77 m. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 14°C | 6°C | 14°C | 98 mm |
| February | 16°C | 7°C | 13°C | 105 mm |
| March | 16°C | 8°C | 14°C | 114 mm |
| April | 18°C | 10°C | 14°C | 144 mm |
| May | 21°C | 12°C | 16°C | 73 mm |
| June | 22°C | 14°C | 17°C | 32 mm |
| July | 24°C | 15°C | 17°C | 5 mm |
| August | 24°C | 15°C | 17°C | 13 mm |
| September | 23°C | 14°C | 17°C | 31 mm |
| October | 21°C | 13°C | 17°C | 116 mm |
| November | 17°C | 10°C | 15°C | 69 mm |
| December | 16°C | 8°C | 14°C | 155 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Porto, 11 km away at 70 m. Rainfall is from the same station and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
| Month | High | Low | Sea | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 19°C | 14°C | 19°C | 181 mm |
| February | 18°C | 13°C | 18°C | 156 mm |
| March | 19°C | 13°C | 18°C | 142 mm |
| April | 20°C | 14°C | 18°C | 116 mm |
| May | 21°C | 15°C | 19°C | 52 mm |
| June | 22°C | 17°C | 21°C | 33 mm |
| July | 24°C | 19°C | 22°C | 9 mm |
| August | 25°C | 20°C | 23°C | 16 mm |
| September | 25°C | 19°C | 24°C | 63 mm |
| October | 24°C | 18°C | 23°C | 198 mm |
| November | 21°C | 16°C | 21°C | 232 mm |
| December | 20°C | 15°C | 20°C | 173 mm |
Temperatures are 2015 to 2024 averages from NOAA records for Funchal, 4 km away at 56 m, adjusted for the 257 m difference in altitude. Rainfall is from the GPCC rain-gauge analysis (Deutscher Wetterdienst) for 2010 to 2019 and shows the typical (median) month, so one freak storm does not skew it. Sea temperatures: NOAA OISST, 1991 to 2020.
Things to do
The riverside district where the Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower celebrate the age of Portuguese exploration in carved Manueline stone. Queues build from mid-morning, so book timed tickets online and arrive at opening.
Hill palaces and gardens in the forest above Lisbon, led by the painted Pena Palace and the Moorish castle walls. Take the train from the city rather than driving, because parking is scarce and the lanes are narrow, and book palace entry for a set time.
Lisbon's oldest quarter is a tangle of steep lanes, washing lines and viewpoints over the river, and the old yellow tram 28 grinds up through it. Ride early to get a seat, and keep bags zipped, because pickpockets work the busiest trams.
Portugal's song of longing is sung in small houses in Lisbon's Alfama and Mouraria, and in a distinct student style in Coimbra. Performers expect silence during a song, so order food and drinks between sets.
Porto's riverfront quarter faces the port wine lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia across the Douro, linked by the double-decker Dom Luís I bridge. Tours with tastings run all day; book ahead in summer, and cross on the top deck for the view.
Terraced vineyards fold down to the river east of Porto, and the train from the city follows the water for the last stretch to Pinhão. September is the grape harvest, the most atmospheric and the busiest time for quintas offering tastings.
Old irrigation channels contour around Madeira's mountains, with level paths beside them through laurel forest and along cliff edges. Some routes have sheer drops and dark tunnels, so take a torch and check which trails are open, as storms and rockfalls close sections.
Portugal's oldest university crowns the hill above Coimbra, with the gilded Joanina Library as its showpiece. Library visits run in small groups at set times, so book a day ahead in summer.
A walled Alentejo city with a Roman temple at its highest point and a chapel lined with human bones. Summer afternoons are fiercely hot, so spring and autumn suit a visit, ideally with a night to enjoy the quiet streets after the day-trippers leave.
In winter the swell off Praia do Norte builds the giant waves that big-wave surfers travel from around the world to ride, watched from the lighthouse fort on the headland. Big days are forecast only a few days ahead, so it suits a flexible trip.
Food and drink
Custard tarts in crisp, flaky pastry, best eaten warm with a dusting of cinnamon. Every café sells them, and one fresh from the oven beats a packaged one by a mile.
Dried salt cod, soaked and cooked in more ways than there are days in the year. Bacalhau à Brás, shredded with egg, onion and thin fried potatoes, is the easiest place to start.
Porto's heavyweight sandwich of steak, ham and sausage under melted cheese and a spiced beer and tomato sauce, often with a fried egg and chips. One is a meal, so share it if in doubt.
A simple soup of potato and finely shredded kale with a slice of chouriço, served everywhere from family tables to festival stalls.
Madeira's drink of sugar-cane rum, honey and lemon juice, stirred with a wooden stick. Câmara de Lobos is known for it, and it is stronger than it tastes.
Fortified wine from the Douro, aged in the lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia. White port with tonic is the summer aperitif, and a glass of tawny is the classic end to dinner.
Money
Eating out in Portugal still costs less than in Spain or France, and the lunchtime dish of the day is remarkably good value. City hotels are another matter: Lisbon and Porto rates have climbed steeply, and both cities add a nightly tourist tax. Summer weekends and the June festivals push prices higher still. The money goes furthest on a central city hotel, which saves taxi rides up the hills, and on a hire car fitted with an electronic toll device if you plan to use the motorways.
Flights and transfers
Faro takes direct flights from Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Newcastle for most of the year, thinning in winter. Lisbon and Porto are served year-round, mostly from Manchester among the northern airports. Transfers along the Algarve are short and simple.
Flights from UK airports
Route check September 2026. Some routes are seasonal and schedules change, so we confirm the live options when we quote.
Practical details
Same time as the UK
Euro (€)
Portuguese; English is widely spoken in Lisbon, Porto, Madeira and the resorts
Type C and F, 230V
On the right
Safe to drink across mainland Portugal and Madeira, though many people prefer bottled
Not expected; round up or leave 5 to 10 percent for good service
Entry for British passport holders
Visa. No visa needed for tourist stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area.
Passport. Issued less than 10 years before you arrive, and valid for at least 3 months after the day you leave the Schengen area.
The EU Entry/Exit System is now in use, so you may be asked to register your fingerprints and photo at the border on your first visit. It is free.
Summarised from the FCDO travel advice on gov.uk, checked 29 September 2026. Rules change: read the current entry requirements and the full travel advice before you go.
Questions we get asked
Lisbon for scale: palaces, river views, a bigger choice of hotels and easy day trips to Sintra and the Cascais coast. Porto for a smaller, more compact city with the port lodges and the Douro Valley close by. Both are hilly, so comfortable shoes matter more than anything else you pack. Many people do Lisbon first and save Porto for a return trip.
Three full days covers the old quarters, Belém and a day in Sintra at a sensible pace. Add a fourth for Cascais or a slower day of viewpoints and cafés. Beyond that, most visitors are happier moving on to the coast, such as the Algarve, for the rest of the trip.
Easily, and it is one of our favourite two-centre shapes. Trains run from Lisbon to Faro and other Algarve towns, or a hire car covers it by motorway. We usually suggest three nights in Lisbon first, then a week on the coast, flying home from Faro.
Not really. Madeira has dramatic cliffs, gardens and walking, but very little natural sand, so most swimming happens in hotel pools, lido complexes and natural rock pools such as those at Porto Moniz. If a sandy beach matters, the neighbouring island of Porto Santo has a long golden one, a short flight or ferry away.
Many understand it, but Portuguese is a different language, and opening a conversation in Spanish can go down badly. English is widely spoken in Lisbon, Porto, Madeira and the Algarve, and a simple obrigado (or obrigada if you are a woman) for thank you is always appreciated.
Mostly from October to April, and far more in the north than the south. Porto and the Minho are green because they are wet, Lisbon is drier and the Algarve drier still. Summer is almost rain-free across the mainland, while on Madeira the north coast catches more cloud and rain than sunny Funchal.
Photographs
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