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.
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Our Portugal walking Holidays
Alentejo & Algarve self guided walking holiday, Portugal
Independent coastal walking holidays in the Alentejo Coast
From
€480
8 days
ex flights
Madeira walking holiday
Small group walking tour of Madeira
From
£1095 to £1771
8 days
inc UK flights
Walking holiday in Madeira
Walk through the wild and varied scenery of Madeira
From
£1349 to £1699
8 days
inc UK flights
Portugal walking tour
Self guided walking tour in Portuguese Schist Villages
From
€1029 to €2229
8 days
ex flights
Coastal walking holiday in Portugal
The very best walks from the 125km selection of coastal trails
From
£1799 to £2049
8 days
inc UK flights
Azores walking holiday, Portugal
Walk to Cete Cidades and the Fire Lakes
From
£2349
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.
01273 823 700
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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.
More about Portugal walking
Our travel guide has recommended Portugal walking routes and not-to-be missed highlights, displayed on our interactive map, with advice on getting the most from your walks.
You’ll have a whale of a time on walking holidays in the Azores, with short and generally easygoing coastal routes around islands such as Pico and Faial offering magnificent views.
Walking in Alentejo introduces you to a sparsely populated and beautiful region where the landscapes, both rural and coastal, seem to have gone virtually unchanged for centuries.
Madeira is a fabulous destination for a walking holiday, wonderfully verdant with a real ‘paradise island’ vibe to it, and itineraries that follow some of its most beguiling scenery.
Our Portugal Way travel guide explains one of the most popular routes on the iconic Camino de Santiago, with the option to walk either inland or along the wildly beautiful Atlantic coast.
Walking holidays in Peneda-Gerês National Park connect you to the landscapes and communities, following the Via Geira Roman road, shepherd’s trails and pilgrimage routes through the mountains.
