Travel Guide: Cheap flights to Portugal
Portugal Airlines and Airports
Airline and airport information plus insider tips for Portugal
Portugal's beaches, climate and affordability make it a hugely popular destination. The country juts into the Atlantic Ocean and it is from here that the greatest explorers set off to Africa, India and South America. Today, the abundant seas surrounding Portugal inform its hearty cuisine with dishes such as cataplana and octopus stewed in wine.
If you've recently booked cheap flights to Portugal, you'll have plenty of magnificent sights to look forward to seeing. Lisbon, the beautiful capital city offers scope for weekend breaks and holidays as does the northern city of Oporto, which gave its name to the wine (and the country). The island of Madeira (capital Funchal), which gave its name to the fortified wine, lies 600 miles southwest of Lisbon and 500 miles from Africa. The Azores (between Portugal and North America) are divided into three groups: the eastern (Sao Miguel - capital Ponta Delgada - and Santa Maria), the central (Terceira, Graciosa, Sao Jorge, Pico and Faial) and the western (Corvo and Flores). Finally, busy Faro Airport is the gateway to the Algarve, a dream land for holidaymakers and golfers with unspoilt beaches, warm waters and almost endless sunshine.
Find the best flight prices to Portugal
When to fly to Portugal
Peak season:
The Algarve enjoys good temperatures year-round. Even the average winter temperature is a balmy 14 degrees Celsius. In summer average temperatures are in the mid-20s, but in July and August, they can reach 30 degrees Celsius. The Azores and Madeira enjoy mild temperatures year-round. Average temperatures range between 19 degrees Celsius in winter and 24 degrees Celsius in summer. In the north of the country summers can hit the mid-20s but winters are cool and rainy, so be sure to take an umbrella on your cheap flights to Portugal.
Off season:
It's hard to pick a bad time to visit Portugal and its islands. The winters are milder than the UK's with temperatures of about 14 degrees Celsius in the Algarve and 19 degrees Celsius on Madeira. The further north you go the greater chance of cold weather and rain, and there is some snowfall mostly in the Serra da Estrela mountains.
Getting Around
Flights: TAP Air Portugal, the national airline, flies between Faro, Lisbon, Porto, the Azores and Madeira. If you are visiting The Azores, apart from airports in Ponta Delgada, Santa Maria and Angra, there are flights to the other islands and ferry boats between the islands.
Bus: there is a good, cheap bus system which connects the country's biggest cities and towns. Once your cheap flights to Portugal have landed and you've made your way to your hotel, buses are an excellent way to see the country's splendour.
Train: the Alfa Pendular runs from Braga (north of Porto) to Lisbon and on to Faro. In addition, there are intercity and regional trains that offer a decent network throughout the country.
Lisbon also has an underground metro, and a ride in one of the city's ancient funicular railways (elevadores) is a tourist staple.
Taxis are cheap, but renting a car gives you complete freedom. Auto Jardim, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Nationa/Alamo, Rentauto and Sixt are some of the car rental companies that can be found at the major airports. The Holiday Autos website has regular sales too.
Flying to Portugal
Major Airports in Portugal:
Faro (FAO)
Oporto (OPO)
Funchal (FNC) on Madeira
Lisbon (LIS)
Ponta Delgada (PDL) - The Azores
Airlines serving Portugal include:
BA
XL Airways
FlyMonarch
easyJet
Tap Air Portugal
Avro
Air Berlin (from Stansted to Palma and then on to Oporto)
Bmibaby (Cardiff to Faro)
Flybe
Flyglobespan
Jet 2
Monarch Scheduled
PGA Portugalia Airlines (from Manchester to Lisbon, Faro, Funchal and Oporto)
Ryanair from Dublin to Faro
SATA International
TAP Air Portugal
Thomsonfly
Charter airlines include:
MyTravel Airways
First Choice Airways
Thomas Cook Airlines
Thomson
Avro
In-flight Reading
Jose Mourinho: Made in Portugal - the Authorised Biography
by Luis Lourenco and Jose Mourinho.
An excellent biography of the “special one” telling the story of his journey from assistant coach to Sir Bobby Robson to newspaper-favourite and the most sought-after club manager in Europe.
Selected Poems
by Fernando Pessoa
The poet was born in Lisbon in 1888 and is seen as one of Portugal's most notable writers of all time. This book offers a good spread of his work.
Journey to Portugal: In Pursuit of Portugal's History and Culture
by Jose Saramago
The novelist travelled throughout Portugal in the late 1970s in an attempt to produce a book that would offer a new way of looking at the country.
Going to live in Portugal: All you need to know to enjoy your new life in the sun
by Sue Tyson-Ward
A guide book on how to turn that two-week holiday into a way of life.
Insider Information on Portugal
Pay a visit to windswept Cape St. Vincent in the Algarve to look at the lighthouse. The cape - about six kilometres beyond Sagres (look out for the local lager) - is Europe's most southwestern point, and is where the ancients thought the world ended. It is also the site of the Battle of Cape St. Vincent (between Britain and Spain).
If the music on your friend's CD player was a tad boring during your cheap flights to Portugal, listen to some Fado - the Portuguese blues. The more popular forms of Fado are to be heard in cities by the sea, such as Lisbon or Porto.
Portuguese souvenirs vary with the region. There's no such thing as a catch-all stick of rock really. From the Algarve bring back wicker crafts, straw hats and baskets, copper and tin objects, ceramics, and sweets made from figs, almonds and eggs. From The Azores, embroideries and lace, blankets and bedspreads, artificial flowers made with fish scales and blue and white ceramics. From Madeira, as well as embroideries, tapestries and wicker work, a pair of red-rimmed leather boots. If you've made savings on cheap flights to Portugal, you'll be spoilt for choice when shopping for souvenirs.
Travel Tips
- Finding Cheap FlightsOur golden rules for finding a cheap flight
- Airlines with low-cost ticketsAn essential guide to how the main carriers operate
- Before You GoAdvice on everything you need to do before you set off
- Regional UK and Irish AirportsFlying from the four corners of the UK and Ireland
- Glossary of Flying TermsAn A-Z of common terms you’ll need to know
- Travel Sickness and DVTHow to stay happy and healthy in the air
Travel links
- Currency converterFind the current exchange rate
- MapPortugal Map from Multimap
- Destination GuideLonely Planet's guide to Portugal
- EventsLocal events calendar
- EventsLocal events calendar
- WeatherThe weather in Portugal today
- Currency converterFind the current exchange rate