Portugal is known for its vibrant Atlantic, bustling cities and long sunny beaches. Read Rantapallo’s destination guide and plan your own holiday!
Portugal has many faces
Portugal’s location on the west side of Spain, right on the Atlantic coast, offers visitors a maritime experience. In a long and rather narrow country, climate variations are considerable, but they make Portugal an even more diverse travel destination.
Both city tourists and active holidaymakers enjoy Portugal. The country is perfect for a car holiday. Shorter distances and good transport connections make the country an easy destination for self-employed travelers as well. Many great cities and attractions can be reached in just a few days by public transport or car. The journey is accelerated by beautiful vineyards, cherries and almonds, as well as idyllic small villages.
The capital, Lisbon, and Porto, which gave its name to port wine, are both visually and mentally pleasing cities with plenty to see. The Atlantic holiday island of Madeira and its endless outdoor activities are also loved by tourists. The Azores archipelago fascinates nature tourists and whale watchers.
In addition to popular cities, Portugal’s beaches are well worth a visit. A sun worshiper should head to southern Portugal. The Algarve region is home to Albufeira, a popular beach resort with a wide range of sandy beaches and a wide range of activities in the area. Entertainment is also provided by the well-maintained golf courses, which attract enthusiasts of the sport from all over Europe.
The Lisbon cityscape is like a postcard.
Warm all year round
Short for PT by abbreviationfinder, Portugal is one of the warmest countries in Europe. Spring and summer are arranged sunny and temperatures drop as high as 35 degrees. Winters are wetter and cooler, but temperatures just below ten degrees are hardly seen in Portugal.
Southern Portugal is slightly warmer and drier than the north. The islands in the Atlantic are also warmer, but slightly wetter than the mainland. The best time to travel to Portugal is from May to October. The warmest is from June to September, when the average daily temperature is about 20 degrees. The wettest is during the winter months.
Which Portuguese destination is right for you?
Travel to Portugal is typically for beach, active and city holidays. The country’s capital, Lisbon in particular, attracts tourists, but the country’s beach and nature attractions also play a part in the tourist flow.
Lisbon is a beautiful city with great shopping, good restaurants and a diverse cultural offerings to create the perfect setting for a city break. Also, day-trip destinations are located outside of Lisbon, including the castles known as Sintra and Cascais beach destination, talking about the Lisbon city break in favor of it.
As a legacy of expeditions to Portugal, in addition to the mainland, there are wholesale islands that are like made for relaxation. Located in the direction of the Canary Islands, Madeira is an island developed almost apart from the rest of the world, characterized by endless greenery and floral splendor. In Madeira, in addition to the scenery and lounging in the seawater pools, you should also enjoy the island’s title wine.
Slightly north of Madeira is the Azores archipelago. As a travel destination, it is quite reminiscent of the above: exotic nature surrounds everything. However, unlike Madeira, efforts have been made to avoid the influx of tourists to the Azores, which makes the archipelago a more serene resort than Madeira.
The price level in Portugal is favorable from the Finnish point of view, which is reflected in the prices of both accommodation and food. The country’s currency is the euro.
A relaxed holiday atmosphere in Portugal
Culturally, however, the Finnish traveler easily adapts to Portugal, as there are no huge cultural differences. Southern European relaxation and lively culture is also prevalent in Portugal. For a Finn, this may lead to collisions, for example with regard to times of day, as things do not always happen with the agreed time.
The majority of Portuguese are Catholics, which is visible to tourists especially as handsome churches, but also as a stronger attitude towards religion.
Portugal is spoken in Portugal, but in areas favored by tourists, English is also excellent. The Portuguese spelling is very similar to Spanish, so it is easy for a Spanish-savvy tourist to interpret menus, for example. Before the trip, of course, for the sake of courtesy, it is good to learn a few basic phrases in Portuguese – the Portuguese do not want to be treated in Spanish any more than the Finn in Swedish.
FLIGHTS, ACCOMMODATION AND MOVEMENT IN PORTUGAL
The city of Porto has given its name to port wine.
Direct flights to the destination
It is easy to travel from Finland to Portugal on direct flights, as the Portuguese TAP Portugal operates between Helsinki and Lisbon. Flights can also be booked as codeshare flights via Finnair. A direct flight takes about five hours, and at its cheapest, flights cost about 300 euros.
You can travel to Lisbon more cheaply with non-stop flights, with a maximum travel time of about six hours, depending on the stopover. The cheapest connecting flights cost about 180 euros, depending on the time and the airline. Non-stop flights from Helsinki to Lisbon are offered by Lufthansa, KLM and Iberia, among others.
Portugal is also on the lists of several travel agencies and the range of leisure flights is wide, as the agencies organize package tours to the coastal resorts of southern Portugal and the islands of the Azores and Madeira. Many of Portugal’s popular resorts are also typical sudden destinations where you may find very cheap departures for last minute bookings.
Accommodation is plentiful and reasonably priced
There are relatively plenty of overnight stays in the country’s largest cities and most popular beach resorts. The selection can always be found from affordable hostels in cities to luxury hotels in golf resorts.
When the summer season is at its strongest, prices are also at their peak. Of course, during peak hours, hotels are also more complete than at any other time, so it is worth taking care of your reservations well in advance. Compared to the Finnish price level, accommodation in Portugal is very affordable. You can stay in the hostel at the cheapest price of 20-30 euros per night, the prices of reasonable hotels start from about 60-70 euros. The location and time affect the price level a lot.
