So you're heading to Portugal? Let's get it right.
We've put together the ultimate guide to visiting Portugal — everything you need to know. The best towns to base yourself in and the ones to skip. The Algarve, Lisbon + Porto, the Silver Coast surf, the Azores and Madeira properly. Where to stay, our favourite hostels, the pastéis de nata trail, the money playbook that dodges the Euronet ATM trap, how to get around — and so much more. Over 1,000 hours of research, time on the ground and community submissions. This is the guide you need.
Every review is from a paying Aussies In member — unfiltered, unedited.
"Read every blog on the Algarve, then this. Half the spots they push are overrun and they don't say so. The hidden coves chapter and the 'when Lagos is too busy go here' breakdown was worth the cover price three times over before we'd left the airport."
Don't usually pay for guides, sceptical generally. The Porto chapter sold me, then the Douro Valley day-trip plan, then the smaller towns. Skipped most of the Lonely Planet checklist and ended up with the trip everyone else came home wishing they'd done.
Was torn between the Azores and Madeira and the breakdown made it easy. Went Madeira based on the call in the guide, weather window was exactly as described, did the levada walks the locals do rather than the influencer ones. Came home a Portugal convert.
Excellent. Knocked off half a star wishing for more on the Alentejo since the coast and the cities are so well covered. Otherwise the most useful single thing I've read on Portugal and definitely the cheapest.
Bought the Italy guide. Then the Vault. Then Pro. That's how good these are. I'm pre-ordering every guide before they exist. The community alone is worth it.
Reviews are from verified Aussies In buyers. Names abbreviated for privacy. No reviews have been removed or edited beyond grammar.
4 preview chapters are free below. 9 chapters — the bulk of the guide — unlock with purchase.
Most travellers spend 20–40 hours researching a trip like this — scrolling Reddit threads, saving Instagram videos, watching YouTubers in monetised content loops, comparing 12 blog posts that all say the same thing. This guide is what those hours should have given you.
"Knowing what to skip is worth as much as knowing what to do."
Lisbon + Around, Porto + the Douro, the Algarve, Central + the Silver Coast, the Alentejo, and the Islands (Azores + Madeira) + Hidden Gems
Alfama vs Bairro Alto vs Príncipe Real, tram 28, Belém's custard tarts (+ the queue trick), the Sintra fairytale-palace day, Cascais beaches, the LX Factory
Ribeira + the Gaia port lodges (which cellars to tour), Livraria Lello, the Douro Valley wine country by train/boat/car, Guimarães + Braga
The Algarve (Lagos, the Benagil cave, Sagres, Tavira), Nazaré's giant waves, Ericeira + Peniche surf, the Rota Vicentina coast walk
São Miguel's crater lakes + Furnas hot springs + whale watching, Madeira's levada walks + Pico do Arieiro sunrise — how to get there + what it costs
10 days, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 1 month, plus the classic Lisbon–Porto–Algarve loop. Pick yours, copy the route
Portugal is easy on paper but the right prep makes it materially better — Sintra needs a timed entry to skip the queues, Belém's tarts are a 90-minute wait without the bypass, and the Euronet ATMs at every corner will skim you blind. A bit of upfront work and the country opens right up.
ETIAS (the EU's new pre-travel authorisation) is rolling out for visa-exempt travellers. Apply online (~€7, valid 3 years) before you fly. Confirm latest rules at etias.com closer to departure.
Sintra's three big palaces all need timed entries booked online — they sell out 3-4 weeks ahead in summer. Pena Palace queues 2+ hours without a slot. Book through parquesdesintra.pt.
Belcanto + Alma + Loco (the Michelin scene) need 4-6 weeks ahead. Casual high-end (Cervejaria Ramiro for seafood, A Cevicheria) need 1-2 weeks. Walk-ins for the famous spots = 90+ min queue.
Alfa Pendular (Portugal's high-speed) is dramatically cheaper at 30+ days out. Lisbon → Porto at booking window = €24; at 7 days = €40. Use comboios.pt or the CP app.
The famous quintas (Quinta dos Malvedos, Quinta do Crasto) need 2-3 weeks ahead in season. The scenic Douro train + boat day-trips from Porto are easy walk-ups in winter, booked solid in summer.
Bolt is the dominant ride-share in Lisbon + Porto — cheaper than Uber. English is reasonable in tourist zones but offline Portuguese helps in Alentejo + small towns.
Local Portuguese SIMs need a Fiscal Number (NIF). EU-wide eSIMs (Airalo, Holafly) work instantly + cover you across Schengen if you're hopping to Spain.
The famous bakery in Belém has TWO queues — sit-down (90+ min wait) + takeaway (5 min). The takeaway counter is around the corner from the obvious entrance. Same tarts, fraction of the wait.
Nazaré's giant winter swells need pro-level skill (and tow-in). The shoulder-season beach breaks at Praia do Norte work for intermediate surfers. Surf schools book up around the big-swell weeks.
Euronet (orange/black machines on every corner) skim cards + give 5-10% worse rates. Multibanco ATMs (inside banks) give the proper bank rate. Always decline 'pay in AUD' (dynamic currency conversion).
Both work on metro + bus + tram. Top up €5-10 at any metro station — saves you single-ticket pricing on the famously cheap public transport.
Portugal is small + well-connected. Fast trains link Lisbon + Porto, buses cover everywhere the trains don't, Bolt + Uber are everywhere and dirt-cheap in the cities, and a rental car unlocks the Algarve, the Douro + the Alentejo. The islands are a short, cheap flight. You rarely need to plan far ahead.
The Alfa Pendular + Intercidades link Lisbon ↔ Porto in ~3hr (A$30-A$55, book ahead for the cheap fares), plus Lisbon → the Algarve (Faro/Lagos), Coimbra, Évora. Comfortable, scenic, central-to-central. The Douro line (Porto → Pinhão) is one of the prettiest train rides in Europe.
TIP — Book Alfa Pendular / Intercidades on cp.pt a week or two ahead for the cheapest fares. Regional trains you just buy on the day. Lisbon → Sintra + Cascais are cheap commuter trains (use a reloadable Viva Viagem card).
Bolt + Uber run in every city + are remarkably cheap (a cross-Lisbon ride is A$6-A$10). For intercity gaps the trains don't cover, Rede Expressos + FlixBus coaches are comfortable + cheap. Lisbon + Porto also have clean, cheap metros.
TIP — Bolt is usually a touch cheaper than Uber in Portugal — have both. From Lisbon/Porto airports, the metro is the cheapest way into town; otherwise Bolt beats the taxi rank.
The cities are better without a car (parking is a pain), but a rental unlocks the Algarve's hidden beaches, the Douro wine estates, and the Alentejo's empty backroads. Cheap by Euro standards (A$30-A$50/day). Roads are good; tolls are electronic.
TIP — Sort the electronic toll system at pickup (the rental desk offers a transponder/Via Verde device — take it, or you risk fines). Drive the Algarve + Douro; train/bus the cities. Park outside old-town walls + walk in.
The Azores + Madeira are short flights from Lisbon/Porto (2hr, A$60-A$150 — TAP, Ryanair, Azores Airlines). Within the Azores, SATA inter-island flights + ferries connect the islands (Faial–Pico–São Jorge triangle by ferry).
TIP — Book island flights 3-4 weeks ahead for the cheap fares. São Miguel is the easy first Azores island (most flights, most to do). Madeira's airport is a famously dramatic landing — window seat.
Every mistake below is one this guide prevents. The numbers aren't theoretical — they're sourced from our community's actual reported losses on previous trips. Add them up and the math becomes hard to ignore.
You'll get every avoidance technique, every booking lead time, every scam-dodge, every Aussie-tested workaround. Lifetime updates. Money-back if it doesn't earn its keep.
Where to go. Where to stay. What to eat. How to get around. What to skip. Every answer in one place — researched by Aussies who've actually been.