Finally pulling the trigger on going to Portugal for about 3 weeks next year. First order of business is exactly when to go. We already have a few fall commitments so spring works better for us. I’m thinking early April - my wife is thinking end of April and into the beginning of May.

Hoping to start in Lisbon, then the Algarve, then the Douro Valley and finish in Porto. I don’t think a couple of weeks earlier or later will make much difference unless there are festivals or holidays or some other event that might occur in this time period. Anything happening in that time frame in these areas that we need to plan around?

I’ve been reading through many great trip reports and doing research so once we nail down the exact dates I’ll have more detailed questions. Thanks in advance for any info you can give me.

Just keep in mind that Portugal gets pretty busy around Easter, which is April 5 next year.

We traveled over Easter a few years ago, completely overlooking how busy it would be.

I had not paid attention to when Easter was next year so thank you for the heads up. Exactly the kind of info I need.

My 3-week trip was in April. Sintra in early April was decidedly chilly; otherwise the weather I encountered was lovely. If you haven't checked, you might look at weatherspark.com for some excellent climate data.

kja - the weather you had is just what we are hoping for. For us, cooler is better than too warm. And thanks for the weatherspark hint. Looks like April weather should be just right.

I hope April works as well for you as it did for me!

kja - me too! Three possible Lisbon hotels I’ve found in various trip reports that we are considering are Hotel Britania Art Deco, Altis Avenida and Hotel da Baixa. They all seem to have good reviews and unless I’m missing something I don’t think I could go wrong with any of them. Any opinions on a clear winner?

I don't know those particular hotels, though they all look well located. Of the three, the Hotel da Baixa appears to be in a particularly dense section of the city. As I recall that area, it had a bit of an urban canyon feel and I personally would prefer something a bit more open, but my memory could be mistaken.

We, and several friends/family before, and after us, enjoyed staying at Hotel da Baixa.
Check out my trip report.

virginiafish - thanks. I had read your trip report and saw you liked that hotel so that is why it is on my list. I hope we have as much fun as you did.

Hi John. In 2022, our three-week trip started in Lisbon, then traveled to Sintra, Tomar, Coimbra, the Douro Valley, Porto and places in between. One of our most fun trips. Portugal is marvelous. Here are the details. Have a great trip.
https://travelswithmaitaitom.com/portugal-2022/

Maitai - as usual you posted the gold standard for Portugal trip reports. I don’t think we have the stamina to do everything you did. The hotel you stayed at in Lisbon is on our short list as are the Quintas you stayed at in the Douro Valley. We haven’t traveled to Europe since 2019. Time to climb back on that horse. Hope we can remember how to do it.

I'd also consider the Alentejo, fab in the spring. Wildflowers, ancient villages, storks in olive groves, and an underappreciated coast.

You can try and fit Madeira in your trip. The place is really beautiful.

Gardyloo and suadkrkmusic1579 - thanks for the recommendations. I’ll check them out.

I can't speak to the other hotels mentioned, but my husband and I stayed at Hotel Britania Art Deco and couldn't have been happier with our choice. The rooms were very spacious, the front desk staff lovely and breakfast delicious.

Kiddo - good to hear good things about this hotel. Thanks.

I would give out a shout for guimares, aveiro and evora if you have time. I spent a month driving around Portugal last May and we had a brilliant time - those 3 stood out in the sense that they weren’t that big but very memorable !

mahemick - thanks for the shout out. I’ll check them out.

"Hope we can remember how to do it."

Judging from your past reports, I have all the faith you will.