Holiday rentals and lettings in Portugal

• Choice from coast to countryside: Whitewashed villas, city apartments and rural quintas sit within easy reach of the Atlantic, with pools, terraces and air conditioning widely available.
• Six very different regions: The Algarve, Lisbon, Porto and the Douro, the Alentejo, Madeira and the Azores each offer a distinct holiday, so choose the base that matches your plans.
• Highly rated stays: Guests score Portuguese properties generously, praising quiet locations, generous outdoor space and hosts who share genuinely useful local tips.
• Best in spring and autumn: May, June, September and October bring warm days, swimmable seas and noticeably lower prices than the peak weeks of July and August.
• Plenty to fill a week: Tram rides in Lisbon, port tasting in Gaia, Algarve clifftop walks, Madeiran levadas and whale watching in the Azores.

Portugal covers everything from sea-facing apartments in Portugal in Lisbon and Porto to whitewashed villas in Portugal in the Algarve and stone quintas in the Douro. Families often choose a villa with a pool inland, while couples favour compact city flats. If you are still torn between countries, villas in Spain make an easy comparison. Most homes are self-catering, so you cook when you like. Look out for these features when you compare:

• A private pool or shared plunge pool for the long, dry summer
• Air conditioning, which matters far more inland than on the coast
• A shaded terrace or churrasqueira for grilling sardines at dusk
• Walking distance to the sand at a villa near the beach
• Parking, plus proximity to a course if you are here for golf in Portugal

Filter by these first and the shortlist shrinks to homes that genuinely suit your trip.

What are the best areas to stay in Portugal?

For a first visit, the Algarve is the safest choice for reliable sun, beaches and short transfers from Faro. The table below details regions for specific interests:

What do our guests say?

Guests rate Portuguese stays highly, and the reasons repeat: welcoming hosts, spotless homes and outdoor space that gets used from breakfast to late evening. Ratings of 9.5+ are common across the country, whether the property sits in a northern village, a pine wood near the Atlantic or a fishing settlement on Madeira. Reviewers also mention how easy it is to reach a beach, a bakery and a decent restaurant on foot.

Here are our top-rated holiday rentals and lettings from the past year:

1. Quinta do Bairro - 10.0+: A pet-friendly studio with a garden in Rossas, northern Portugal, praised for its calm rural setting and easy access to the Serra.
2. Recanto Do Pinhal E Mar - 9.8+: A country house for four at Carrico in central Portugal, with a hot tub and a garden a short drive from the Atlantic dunes.
3. Casa Homem do Mar - 9.7+: A two-bedroom house with a balcony in Paul do Mar, Madeira, loved for its sea views and quiet village location.

Portugal occupies the south-western edge of the Iberian peninsula, with 900 kilometres of Atlantic coast plus the Madeira and Azores archipelagos.

✈️What is the best way to get to Portugal?

Flying is by far the most practical option from the UK. Here are the most common ways to get to the country:

• Plane: Direct flights leave most UK airports year round, including Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Faro serves the Algarve, Lisbon suits the capital, Sintra and the Alentejo, and Porto covers the north and the Douro. Funchal on Madeira and Ponta Delgada in the Azores also have direct UK services. Flight time is roughly two and a half to three hours.
• Car: Driving from the UK means two long days and a Channel crossing, so most visitors hire a car on arrival instead. Motorways link Faro, Lisbon and Porto, tolls are collected electronically and the airport desks issue the transponder you need. A car is genuinely useful in the Alentejo and the Douro, and largely unnecessary in central Lisbon.

🥗Where to eat in Portugal?

According to Google Maps data and reviews, Casa Guedes Tradicional is the best rated restaurant in Portugal. Below is a table showing the top 5 highly-rated restaurants hand-picked by our travel experts.

⭐Our guests' recommendation: Our guest traveller Emma Wilson recommends the Taberna Sal Grosso in Portugal: a tiny Lisbon dining room where the daily blackboard, the house wine and the unhurried service turn a quick supper into the evening.

☀️When is the best time to visit?

Come in May, June, September or October if you want the best of Portugal: sea temperatures are comfortable, daytime highs sit in the mid-twenties and rental prices are well below the July and August peak. Madeira works all year, while winter suits city breaks and walking.

Spring

• Best for: Walkers, cyclists and anyone touring the Alentejo and the Douro.
• Weather: Warm, bright days around 20-24C with occasional showers in the north.
• Atmosphere: Wildflowers everywhere and beaches that still feel like your own.

Summer

• Best for: Beach holidays, families and surfers on the west coast.
• Weather: Hot and dry, often above 30C inland and in the Algarve.
• Atmosphere: Busy resorts, late dinners, saints' day festivals and street parties.

Autumn and winter

• Best for: City breaks, wine harvests, whale watching and Madeira.
• Weather: Mild, wetter in the north; the Algarve and Madeira stay gentle.
• Atmosphere: Quiet, good value and far easier to book at short notice.

⭐Our Hosts' recommendation: Our Portugal local expert, the team of Recanto Do Pinhal E Mar recommends coming to visit central Portugal in the shoulder season. From Carrico you can be walking through pine forest before breakfast, swimming off a near-empty Atlantic beach by midday and eating grilled fish in a village restaurant by evening, with Coimbra, Nazare and Obidos all within an easy drive. You can read more about local tips on the team's page.

1. Ride tram 28 through Lisbon
2. Taste port in Vila Nova de Gaia
3. Walk the Algarve clifftops
4. Follow a Madeiran levada
5. Watch whales in the Azores

1. Ride tram 28 through Lisbon

   The yellow tram 28 grinds up from Martim Moniz through Alfama, past the Se cathedral and out to Campo de Ourique, and it remains the cheapest sightseeing tour in the capital. Board early to get a window, then hop off at Miradouro das Portas do Sol for rooftops and river. Afterwards, walk down through Alfama's lanes, where laundry hangs above tiled doorways and a fado bar opens on almost every corner. Finish with a custard tart in Belem.

2. Taste port in Vila Nova de Gaia

   Across the Douro from Porto, the port lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia line the quay, and most run tastings that explain the difference between tawny, ruby and vintage in under an hour. Cross the Ponte Luis I on the upper deck for the view, then work along the waterfront. Extend the day with a train or river cruise into the Douro Valley, where terraced vineyards climb the slopes above Pinhao and harvest runs through September.

3. Walk the Algarve clifftops

   The Seven Hanging Valleys trail between Praia da Marinha and Praia de Vale Centeanes is the finest short walk in the south: ochre cliffs, sea arches and sinkholes over roughly six kilometres. Start early, carry water and detour down to a cove for a swim. Further west, Lagos gives access to Ponta da Piedade by boat, while the wilder coast around Sagres draws surfers to long Atlantic swells.

4. Follow a Madeiran levada

   Madeira's levadas are irrigation channels turned into footpaths, and they thread through laurel forest, along cliff edges and past waterfalls. The Levada das 25 Fontes is the classic, while Vereda dos Balcoes suits an easier morning. Take a torch for the tunnels and expect cloud on the north side. Back in Funchal, the market, the botanical gardens and a toboggan ride down from Monte fill the rest of the day.

5. Watch whales in the Azores

   The waters around Sao Miguel and Pico are among Europe's best for cetaceans, with sperm whales resident year round and blue and fin whales passing through in spring. Trips leave from Ponta Delgada and Lajes do Pico and are guided from clifftop lookouts. Pair the boat with the crater lakes of Sete Cidades, thermal bathing at Furnas and a walk up Pico, Portugal's highest peak at 2,351 metres.