Why we love it
Portugal offers a gentler coast, serious wine country and beautiful, design-led stays.
We shape the journey around the season, the right places to stay and the way you like to travel, pairing it beautifully with the Douro valley or a Lisbon stay where it suits.
every summer has a story
Best for
Coast, vineyards, design hotels
Best time
April to October
Style
Relaxed, characterful, coastal
Pair with
the Douro valley or a Lisbon stay
Atlas note
We tailor the routing, the stays and the pace entirely around you.
every summer has a story
Whitewashed mornings, long lunches and the sea always somewhere in view.
Where to stay
The hotels we recommend in Portugal.
A handful of stays we would book first, each arranged as part of a bespoke itinerary shaped around you.
Swipe to explore · the stays we would book first
The places
Where to go in Portugal.
The corners of Portugal we know best, what to see in each, when to go and how we would shape the days. Swipe each card for more, and open the panels for the detail.
Swipe to explore · the regions worth knowing
The coast · capital on the Tagus
Lisbon
Hills, light and tile, with the Tagus always somewhere in view. Lisbon pairs the trams and miradouros of the old town with design-led hotels, tiled facades and some of the best seafood in the country.
Don't miss
- The Alfama and its trams
- The miradouros at dusk
- Belem and its tower
- The Jeronimos Monastery
- A fado evening
- Warm pastel de nata
The south coast · cliffs and golden sand
The Algarve
Golden cliffs, hidden coves and some of the warmest water in Portugal. The Algarve runs from the dramatic sea caves of the west to easy beach days and clifftop resorts along its softer eastern shore.
Don't miss
- The Benagil sea cave
- Praia da Marinha
- The cliffs at Lagos
- Ria Formosa
- A boat along the coast
- Grilled fish by the sea
The north · river and terraced vines
Douro Valley
Terraced vineyards falling to a slow green river, and the home of port. The Douro is quintas and cellar tastings, lazy river cruises and long lunches above the vines, all an easy reach from Porto.
Don't miss
- A quinta and cellar tasting
- A cruise on the river
- The terraced vineyards
- Pinhao and its station tiles
- Porto and its cellars
- Lunch above the vines
The south · rolling, romantic country
Alentejo
The rolling, romantic south, all cork oaks, whitewashed towns and big skies. The Alentejo is slow lunches and country estates inland, then the quiet, pine-backed beaches of Comporta along the coast.
Don't miss
- Evora and its old town
- Country wine estates
- The beaches at Comporta
- Cork oak country
- Monsaraz hilltop village
- Long farmhouse lunches
The Atlantic · a green island
Madeira
A green Atlantic island of cliffs, gardens and walking trails. Madeira is dramatic sea views and subtropical gardens above Funchal, levada walks through the laurel forest and natural pools cut into the volcanic rock.
Don't miss
- Funchal and its gardens
- The levada walks
- Cabo Girao cliffs
- The laurel forest
- Porto Moniz rock pools
- A glass of Madeira
Signature experiences
Once in a lifetime.
The rare days we open up across Portugal, from the famous to the few-ever-see. Each one arranged privately, as part of your journey.
Swipe to explore · rare days out
The Douro · on the river
A private boat down the Douro
Your own boat along the terraced river, with a winemaker's lunch and a cellar tasting at a private quinta.
The Algarve · by sea
A hidden-cove swim and long lunch
A private boat to the Benagil caves and a cove you reach only by water, with a table laid on the sand.
The Algarve · from the air
A helicopter tour of the coast
Lift along the cliffs and sea caves of the western Algarve, the whole golden coastline laid out below you.
Lisbon · after dark
A private tile and fado evening
A guided walk through the city's tiled history, then a private fado recital over dinner in the Alfama.
Porto · in the cellars
A private port lodge tasting
A guided tasting through a historic port lodge, the great vintages poured straight from the cask for you.
Madeira · on foot
A guided walk through the laurel forest
A private guide along the island's levadas, deep into the ancient laurel forest, with a mountain lunch to follow.
The Alentejo · among the cork oaks
A long dinner at a country estate
A private chef and the estate's own wines, served under the stars among the cork oaks of the Alentejo.
Things to do
What to do in Portugal.
The icons worth seeing, and the rare, one-off experiences we can quietly open up for you.
Not to be missed
- Ride Lisbon's trams between the miradouros
- Surf or sun on the Algarve
- Port tasting in the Douro Valley
- Fresh seafood and warm pastel de nata
Rare & remarkable · by private arrangement
Beyond the obvious.
The experiences we quietly open up for travellers who want something few others will ever have.
- A private boat down the Douro with a winemaker's lunch
- A helicopter tour of the Algarve coast
- A privately guided tile-and-fado evening in Lisbon
In frames
Portugal, in frames.
A few moments to set the mood. Click any image to view it larger.
Good to know
Portugal, answered.
When is the best time to visit Portugal?
April to October. We will refine the timing around your dates, the weather and the wider journey.
Who is Portugal best suited to?
Coast, vineyards, design hotels. Tell us how you like to travel and we will tell you, honestly, whether it is the one.
Can Atlas&Co. arrange the full Portugal itinerary?
Yes. We shape the whole journey, including the stays, transfers, guides and the details, and can pair it beautifully with the Douro valley or a Lisbon stay.
shall we?
Every Portugal journey we plan is private and made to measure.
Tell us your dates and how you like to travel, and we will shape the stays, the routing and the details around you.