Portugal holidays

Lisbon is the city that's changed most in the past decade. The yellow trams, the azulejo-tiled façades, the seven-hill geography and the cliff-top miradouros (viewpoints) are all still here, but the food scene has gone from "good seafood" to "world-class new Portuguese", the Time Out Market is one of the great food halls, and the LX Factory and Marvila neighbourhoods are full of design hotels and rooftop bars. Three nights minimum.

Porto is Lisbon's smaller, hillier, more atmospheric rival. The Ribeira waterfront on the Douro is one of Europe's prettiest urban views, the Livraria Lello bookshop is a Harry Potter pilgrimage, and the port-tasting lodges across the river in Vila Nova de Gaia are an essential half-day. Add the Douro Valley up-river — terraced vineyards, port-house quintas, and the Pinhão wine villages — for a 2-night extension.

The Algarve is bigger than UK travellers realise. The western Algarve (Lagos, Sagres) has the dramatic limestone cliffs and the Atlantic surf coast; central Algarve (Albufeira, Vilamoura) is the family-resort heartland with the broadest range of all-inclusives; the eastern Algarve (Tavira, Olhão) is much quieter, with shallow sandbars and Portuguese flavour. Most UK travellers default to the centre but our designers steer to west or east for second visits.

Portugal's Atlantic islands are the surprises. Madeira has year-round mild walking weather, levada water-channel hiking trails, and Funchal's old town. The Azores — nine volcanic islands four hours from Lisbon — are Europe's "Hawaii", with whale-watching, hot springs, and dramatic crater lakes. Both pair beautifully with a 4-5 night mainland Portugal trip.

Portuguese food rewards travellers who like seafood. The bacalhau (salt cod) is the national obsession (1,000 recipes for it, the saying goes), but the Portuguese kitchen is also pork (porco preto, leitão suckling pig), grilled fish across the coast, the famous pastel de nata custard tart, and the under-rated Portuguese wines (Vinho Verde, Douro reds, Alentejo blends, Madeira fortified). Cheap, simple, generous — exactly the right register for a Portugal holiday.

Portugal pairs naturally with Spain (Lisbon-Madrid AVE in 4h, Lisbon-Seville drive 5h) and with Morocco (3h flight Lisbon-Marrakech). 14-day Iberia itineraries combining Portugal and Andalusia are one of our most-booked combos.