Walking in Portugal travel guide

Forget the golf courses and beach resorts. Give the Algarve the elbow. Portugal is much more than a summer holiday hotspot and there’s no finer way to discover its hidden villages and rural heartland than on a walking holiday. From the coast, where Atlantic rollers crash against isolated beaches, walk through soft hills crowded with cork and eucalyptus, flower-choked valleys, wheat fields and rocky uplands. Locals share a smile and a story as you arrive at whitewashed villages, pausing for a pastry or glass of local wine, but most trails remain untroubled by both tourists and trophy-seeking trekkers.


Portugal and walking – the greatest double act no one’s ever heard of. Hike through a rich, rural landscape on excellent trails, just don’t expect company.![]()

Self guided walking holidays run throughout Portugal, made possible by well marked routes and generally easy terrain, but joining a small group guided tour is definitely the best way to discover the Azores and Madeira, Portugal’s wilder offshore territories.
Read on to discover more in our walking holidays in Portugal travel guide.
Read on to discover more in our walking holidays in Portugal travel guide.
Is a walking in Portugal for you?
Go on walking in Portugal if…
Don't go on walking in Portugal if…
Portuguese Coastal Way walking holiday
The scenic alternative to the classic Portuguese Way
From
€825 to €975
8 days
ex flights
Alentejo & Algarve self guided walking holiday, Portugal
Independent coastal walking holidays in the Alentejo Coast
From
€567
8 days
ex flights
Azores walking holiday, Portugal
Walk to Cete Cidades and the Fire Lakes
From
£2779 to £3149
8 days
inc UK flights
Walking holiday in Madeira
Walk through the wild and varied scenery of Madeira
From
£1449 to £1749
8 days
inc UK flights
Coastal walking holiday in Portugal
The very best walks from the 125km selection of coastal trails
From
£1949 to £2699
8 days
inc UK flights
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Portugal walking or need help finding a holiday to suit you we're very happy to help.

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Best time to go walking in Portugal

You’ll enjoy some of the longest sunshine hours in Europe here, but the best time to go on a Portugal walking holiday is spring and autumn, when it averages only 20°C.![]()

With the centre and south getting 3,200 sunshine hours per year, Portugal is a pleasant, sunny destination pretty much any time, although temperatures can shoot up to 40°C inland in high summer, making walking uncomfortable. On the coast, Atlantic breezes take the edge of the inferno, but expect the high 20°Cs. The best time to go on a Portugal walking holiday is spring and autumn, averaging 20°C. In February, almond blossom peppers the Alentejo and Algarve, while May is all about wildflowers. Come autumn, the sun-scorched landscape has re-greened and the grape harvest is gathered. Even midwinter sees four to six hours of sun, albeit with occasional morning frost.