Portugal - Articles & Travel Stories

Portugal offers beautiful landscape with its many rivers, valleys, mountains and forests. And it also has a rich culture and a variety of multisport activities to tempt its travelers.

Summer is the high travel season in the Mediterranean. The best time to take a Mediterranean cruise, however, is in the spring (May-June) or fall (September-October).

Top ports of call in Portugal include Lisbon and Port, the Azores islands, and the wine region of the Douro Valley where towns and villages like Pinhão and Régua are fun places to sample the ports of the country.

Favorite ports on the Douro River include the thriving city of Porto, Ferradosa, and Pinhao in the wine region, and Régua-where one of Portugal’s finest 18th-century palaces brings the history of the region into clear focus.

Between March and May and September and October are the best times to visit Portugal. July and August are the hottest months and see the most crowds as they mark the holidays for Portuguese families.

Considered one of the most untamed rivers of Europe, the Douro, stretching from the Atlantic Coast of Portugal into the Iberian heart of Spain, enjoys a longer cruising season than most European rivers due to its relatively southern location on the continent. More months of warm weather and milder winters allow Douro River cruise operators to start in March and run cruises through late November.