Backpacking Portugal: 11 best places to visit
The most rewarding stops for backpackers in Portugal, ranked and mapped — and real routes through them, written by travellers who went.
Read Portugal stories1
Lisbon
Lisbon
Hills, trams, miradouros.
2
Porto
Norte
Port wine and riverfront.
3
Sintra
Lisbon
Fairytale palaces in the hills.
4
Algarve
Algarve
Golden cliffs and coves.
5
Madeira
Madeira
Green volcanic island of levadas.
6
Lagos
Algarve
Dramatic sea caves and beaches.
7
Douro Valley
Norte
Terraced wine river.
8
Azores
Azores
Volcanic mid-Atlantic isles.
9
Coimbra
Centro
Ancient university city.
10
Obidos
Oeste
Walled medieval village.
11
Nazare
Oeste
Giant-wave surf town.
Backpacking routes through Portugal
Real trips through Portugal, drawn on maps by the people who took them.
Lisbon to the Algarve: Ten Days of Tiles, Cliffs and Cheap Trains
A ten-day Portugal route from Lisbon and Sintra down to Lagos, Sagres and Faro — with 2026 costs, bus and train logistics, and the beaches worth the walk.
Porto and the Douro: Northern Portugal by Train and Riverboat
Backpacking northern Portugal: Porto, Guimarães, Braga and the Douro Valley wine train to Pinhão, ending in Coimbra. Routes, costs and when to go.
Been backpacking in Portugal?
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