If you crave picturesque natural scenery, idyllic weather and miles and miles of coastline, then book a flight to Portugal. Take a flight to Portugal and visit one of Europe’s most unpretentious, but undeniably beautiful countries. Portugal has enough UNESCO World Heritage Sites to keep any nature-lover happy and enough cultural marvels to render any traveler awestruck. Portugal’s past seeps through in present-day Portugal. Annual folk festivals, quaint fishing towns and the simple savoring of fresh seafood and rich wine uphold the Portuguese way of life.
Find a cheap flight to Portugal and explore medieval towns, windswept coastlines, and romantic hideaways. Relax on the beaches in the Algarve, shop for pottery in Porto, wander the open markets in Lagos, party with the locals in Lisbon, or remain reclusive in one of the luxury resorts in Portimao. Whatever you choose to do, you’ll be grateful you booked a flight to Portugal.
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Summers in Portugal can reach 85 F and are hot and dry. It’s quite nice on the coast though, where the eastern sea breezes cool the summer air. The northwest parts of the country get heavy rains from the end of November through the beginning of March.
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There’s no wrong time to book a flight to Portugal: With remote beaches, a vibrant city life and festivals scheduled for every month on the calendar, Portugal is an excellent destination for all seasons.
Peak Season: Flights to Portugal are packed in the summer months, when the long, sunny days and comfortable nights cooled by the tidal winds of the Atlantic Ocean have visitors flocking to the shores from all corners of the globe.
Off-peak Season: The transitional times between winter and summer tend to be the best for booking Portugal cheap flights, when the beaches are less crowded and the rates are lower throughout the months of spring and fall.
Find cheap flights to Portugal
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Because of Portugal’s popularity as a major European travel destination, cheap flights to Portugal touch down at a handful of airports throughout the country. Once you’ve collected your luggage and passed through customs, Portugal’s network of trains and busses will help you reach your final destination efficiently. Rede Express and Renex are two bus companies that specialize in cheap coach travel from Lisbon to other popular Portugal destinations such as Faro, Oporto, Braga and the resort cities in the Algarve.The following chart gives approximate journey times from
Lisbon(in hours and minutes) to other major cities and towns in Portugal.
| | Air | Road | Rail |
|---|
| Faro | 0.40 | 3.00 | 4.00 |
|---|
| Porto | 0.45 | 3.30 | 3.00 |
|---|
| Funchal | 1.40 | - | - |
|---|
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- Most cheap flights to Portugal touch down at Lisbon International Airport, where domestic flights depart for other Portugal cities. If you're staying in Lisbon, you'll have plenty of Lisbon hotels to choose from. As the departure point for Portuguese explorers in the 16th and 17th centuries, Lisbon has been a bustling cultural capital for hundreds of years and is home to unique literary, musical and artistic traditions. Spend an evening out in the cobblestone streets of Bairro Alto, and keep your ears open for the haunting refrains of the fado, Lisbon’s own nostalgic musical genre. If you’re traveling to Portugal for a vacation in the Algarve, you can find Portugal flights to Lisbon or Faro airports.
- Take a trip to Sintra, located just a stone’s throw away from Lisbon and easily accessible by train and bus. Sintra is home to some of Portugal’s most picturesque man-made sights, including Technicolor castles and mansions that are open to the public for visits. Be sure to stop by the Palacio Nacional, the Palacio Regaleira and the Pena Palace. If your Portugal flight is scheduled during the summer, spend time admiring the beautiful ballerinas at the Sintra Ballet Festival (Noites de Bailado em Seteais) or dance the night away at the Sintra Music Festival (Jornadas Musicais de Sintra).
- The Douro Valley in Costa Verde produces the region’s famous port wine, which is savored by viticulturists who book flights to Portugal each year, eagerly waiting a sip of the new vintage. Porto, the capital of the region, is full of historic taverns on ancient cobblestone streets that invite visitors to enjoy glasses of port wine before snuggling in at their Porto hotel. An aged bottle of port makes for an excellent memento, but be sure to check the rules and regulations regarding customs before boarding your return Portugal flight with a premier bottle of port.
- If you couldn’t find a cheap flight to Portugal during the sizzling summer months, don’t fret – the beaches of Costa Verde and the Algarve are just as beautiful in the cooler seasons. Favorite stretches of sand include the beaches of Lagos, Cascais, Praia de Leirosa and Ponte de Lima. For a truly spectacular fall evening, take a drive to Cape St. Vincent in the Algarve and watch the sunset on a cool fall night. The naval fort at Cape St. Vincent is where Christopher Columbus was said to get his sailing instructions from the Queen. According to seamen, this point is the western most point of the world and where you’ll see some of the most colorful and awe-inspiring sunsets. Hotels in the Algarve range from luxury resorts to rented beachside homes.
- Fatima is a spot of spiritual importance, and visitors from around the world book flights to Portugal to take part in a pilgrimage that draws them to this town 76 miles north of Lisbon. In 1917, three children claimed to have seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary in Fatima, and the Basilica of Fatima was later built to commemorate the event.
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Portugal flights land at a number of international and domestic airports, namely in Lisbon, Porto and Faro.
Lisbon Portela Airport (LIS): The airport is located just 4 miles from downtown Lisbon, and is where most Portugal flights arrive.
Funchal Airport (Madeira) (FNC): The airport is located just miles 10 miles northeast of Funchal.
Faro Airport (FAO): Cheap flights to Portugal for a vacation in the Algarve will land at Faro airport, located 2.5 miles from downtown Faro.
Porto Francisco Sa Caneiro Airport (OPO): The airport is located 6 miles northwest of Porto.
Ponta Delgada (The Azores) (PDL): The airport is located less than 2 miles from Ponta Delgada.
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No visas are required for trips lasting less than 30 days, but you’ll still need a passport valid for at least 90 days after your trip.
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No visas are required for trips lasting less than 30 days, but you’ll still need a passport valid for at least 90 days after your trip.
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A New England native but explorer at heart, Melisse has lived in four U.S. cities, spent a summer in Hawaii, made her way through wine-producing regions in Australia and New Zealand, and traveled around Europe while studying abroad in London. She is the Content Manager for the U.S. and Canada at Cheapflights.