Luxury holidays in Portugal

With its wild coastlines, cork-studded countryside and wallet-friendly cities, travellers flock to Portugal for its diverse yet accessible mix (and stay for the custard-filled pastéis de nata). Take in the cobbled streets of Lisbon, drink in the Douro Valley, escape the crowds in the Alentejo or bounce down to the cliff-backed beaches of the Algarve, with boutique hotels waiting at the end of every olive-grove-lined road.

Destinations in Portugal

  • Known for its cork trees and rolling plains, the stunning region of Alentejo offers visitors a genuine sense of Portuguese rural life.
  • The southerly Algarve is Portugal’s sand-flanked footnote. An ever-mild climate and broad beaches lined with shallow bays make it the country’s postergirl for seaside family holidays, with a smattering of surfers attracted by its Atlantic rollers.
  • If Cadaval is on your holiday-destination radar, you’re likely after an albariño or have a taste for touriga (just two of the region’s famed wines). An hour north of Lisbon, Cadaval’s tucked into the picturesque countryside of the Serra de Montejunto.
  • Former fishing village, Cascais (‘kesh-kysh’) grew into a genteel summer resort under the patronage of the Portuguese royal family.
  • This north-western patch of Portugal is golden by name ('Douro') and golden by nature, with sepia-tinged hills and amber-hued valleys.
  • Go with the flow in effortless Ericeira; the surf mecca where Lisbon’s cosmopolitan weekend crowd mingle with barefoot bohemians along miles of unspoilt beaches.
  • Home to artful azulejo tilework, the Age of Discovery and a custard tart that spawned a movement, Lisbon is a city as soulful as the fado tunes that soundtrack its streets.
  • Laced with lush vegetation and set over 6,000 feet above sea level, Portuguese island Madeira impresses with its rolling landscapes, terracotta-tiled towns and breathtaking black-sand beaches.
  • Rising from the banks of the Douro passing through it, Porto is a hilly, historic mix of bridges, Baroque churches and narrow mediaeval alleys…
  • Let the days slip away in Alentejo’s red-roofed region of São Teotónio, where ripe blueberries bloom in nearby farms, locals totter about afternoon tasks and golden-sand beaches fill with flocking sunseekers.
  • Though you’re only two hours from the coast, Portugal’s stark Serra da Estrela mountain range is far off the beaten tourist track. Visit for the hiking routes that take in the Zȇzere river valley, glacial lagoons and Dali-esque granite boulders.
  • Brushing up to Spain’s border, you’ll find the small southern Portuguese town of Tavira.
  • This rugged coastal region of northern Lisbon plays three roles, each of them well: respected wine region, aquatic playground, and historic stronghold.

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