The Beiras form a vast region covering the center of the country. The coastal strip (Beira Litoral) is cultivated and low lying, including the marshlands of the Aveiro lagoon and the Bairrada wine region, but the Beira Interior is made up of austere landscapes of boulder-strewn plateaus and bare mountains. The mainland’s highest peaks are in the Serra da Estrella, reaching almost 2,000m (6,500 ft.). The land here has an epic grandeur. Rough-hewn villages and the few cities preserve a hearty cuisine and age-old handicraft traditions. Cutting a green swath through the region is the valley of the River Mondego, the longest wholly Portuguese river.
The far north is made up of two contrasting regions. To the northwest, the Minho is green, its hills covered with trellised vineyards and dissected by fast-flowing rivers. It’s well populated, a center for the textile and footwear industries. Farther east lies remote Trás-os-Montes, a region whose name means “beyond the mountains.” Here, life can be harsh; locals sum up the climate as “nine months of winter, three months of hell.” The high plains are bare and empty, but starkly beautiful. Girdling the north, the River Douro flows from the Spanish border to the Atlantic near Porto. Farthest east it forms the frontier and cuts a deep canyon where vultures and eagles soar. Downstream, its banks are cultivated to grow grapes, creating perhaps the world’s most beautiful wine region.
Finally, the Azores islands are nine specks of grass-covered volcanic rock rising from the Atlantic, containing Portugal’s highest mountain (the astounding volcano of Pico) and a unique variety of landscapes and culture. Subtropical Madeira enjoys a climate of year-round spring. Its mountainous interior and thick forests are a paradise for hikers.
When to Go
Summer is the most popular season, when it can seem that half of Europe is heading to Portugal’s beaches. July and August are the hottest, most expensive, and most crowded months in the Algarve and other beach destinations. Although Atlantic breezes generally keep the coast relatively cool, if you are planning to tour in the interior, it can get seriously hot—topping 100°F (40°C). Humidity, however, is usually low. You get better deals if you go in September or June, when the weather is still good.
Portugal’s climate is similar to California’s. Lisbon is Europe’s sunniest capital, and along the coast the country enjoys mild winters and warm summers. Average temperatures range from 77°F (25°C) in summer to about 58°F (14°C) in winter. Spring can be a great time to visit, when wildflowers paint Algarve clifftops, Alentejo pastures, and northern hillsides with color. Temperatures are more extreme inland. Winters in the northern hills can be bitter, snowfall is common, and there is some (limited) skiing in the Serra da Estrela mountains. Winter can also bring delights. In February, groves of almond trees are covered in snow-white blossoms in Trás-os-Montes and parts of the Algarve. Cool but sunny winter days can be best for exploring the cities or playing a round of golf on one of the Algarve’s many excellent courses.
Lisbon’s Average Daytime Temperature (°F & °C) & Monthly Rainfall (Inches)
| JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUNE | JULY | AUG | SEPT | OCT | NOV | DEC | |
| Temp. (°F) | 57 | 59 | 63 | 67 | 71 | 77 | 81 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 63 | 58 |
| Temp. (°C) | 14 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 25 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 22 | 17 | 14 |
| Rainfall | 4.3 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 3.7 | 4.1 |
Madeira has its own subtropical climate and boasts year-round springtime. When it rains on one side of the island, you can often escape to sunshine on the other side, with a short scenic drive over the mountainous interior. Weather in the Azores is mild, but unpredictable. July and August are the driest months and the best for viewing the islands’ famed hydrangea blooms.
Lisbon and Estoril enjoy 46°F (8°C) to 65°F (18°C) temperatures in winter and temperatures between 60°F (16°C) and 82°F (28°C) in summer.
Public Holidays
New Year’s Day (Jan 1); Carnival (Feb or early Mar—dates vary); Good Friday (Mar or Apr—dates vary); Freedom Day (Apr 25); Labor Day (May 1); Corpus Christi (May or June—dates vary); Portugal Day (June 10); Assumption (Aug 15); Republic Day (Oct 5); All Saints’ Day (Nov 1); Restoration of Independence (Dec 1); Immaculate Conception (Dec 8); Christmas Day (Dec 25). The Feast of St. Anthony (June 13) is a public holiday in Lisbon, and the Feast of St. John the Baptist (June 24) is a public holiday in Porto.
Events
Where Spain has its fiesta, Portugal has festa. There are countless traditional celebrations held up and down the country. Just about every village has a festa of some sort. Many have a religious origin, based on a pilgrimage (romaria) to honor a local saint. Others are feasts created around a prized local product. In the Algarve, for example, Lagos celebrates traditional almond, fig, and carob cakes in July; Portimão and Olhão hold two of the biggest food-based festivals at the height of the summer season in August, the former focused on sardines, the latter on shellfish. More modest is the Festival of Sweet Potatoes held in November in the pretty west-coast town of Aljezur. The pattern is repeated up and down the country. Some such events are humble: where villagers carry a holy statue through the streets, attend a church service, and then follow up with a communal barbecue, performance by the local folklore group, and a wine-fueled baile (dance). Others go on for several days, attracting big-name performers and crowds of visitors.
The bigger festivals are concentrated in the summer, but there is always plenty going on in Portugal. Kicking off the year, Madeira’s capital, Funchal, hosts one of Europe’s most spectacular New Year’s Eve parties, with the city streets strung with colored lights and a dazzling firework display over the bay. February sees carnival celebrations around the country. Many are rather less-glamorous imitations of Rio. Once again, Funchal’s is the biggest: Madeira islanders claim their emigrants took the carnival tradition to Brazil. For a more authentic experience, head to northern villages like Podence in Trás-os-Montes or Lazarim, near Lamego, where young men still act out pagan traditions by dressing in bizarre colored costumes, donning devilish masks, and chasing girls around the streets.
Easter is an altogether more solemn occasion, especially in the religious center of Braga, where Holy Week processions feature masked marchers and bejeweled floats along with fireworks, folk dancing, and torchlight parades. Students in Coimbra’s ancient university will paint the city red in early May with the Queima das Fitas celebrations, when they mark the end of