Hi, everybody!
Please, some help: me and my wife have a vacation about 10 days - end of March , beginning of April - and planned to spend it in Portugal and (or) Spain . Spain experts (from blessed Thorn Tree forum!) warned me about difficulties in Spain on Holy Week (all people out, prices up). Is the same in Portugal?
Are there quiet places to go (and see) , or better to try and change dates/direction?
Any recommendations?
Thank you.
I went to the Algarve in March (twice) and on one occasion it was for Easter (staying in Armacao de Pera), we found prices to be quite reasonable and it was very quiet on the tourist front - though local town centres were all open and operating as normal though some specific tourist businesses were closed (eg fun/water parks). The weather was reasonable but you could not swim in the water, at least not without a wet suit! Some of the popular beaches and towns on the south west coast were a little busier with tourists (eg Lagos, Luz) and the west coast surf beaches were busy, but more so with locals rather than tourists.
If you are there for Easter I'd recommend an early morning drive up to São Bras de Alportel to see the unique celebrations which involve the townsmen carrying flower torches (Festa das Tochas) through the town.
The spanish have a holy week with easter and the Portuguese have one holiday easter day (always on a sunday) so life doesn't get disrupted. March/april could still be cold, but if you come from northern Europe it will always be warmer than at home. Many of the summer features in the Algarve (like outside swimming pools, some restaurants won't be open yet), but the south will be quite green and clean.
I would choose Lisbon and surroundings. It offers lots of places to go around with a rented car, staying in different hotels and having countryside and city experiences in the same holiday.
Chose Portugal!
The weather is nice (In March / April you can actually go to the beach if you're lucky) and the hotels are not full neither expensive since in Portugal they have only 2 days free in that week and not the all week like in Spain. Everybody in Spain takes the week off so you can imagine hotels, restaurants, etc... I would recommend you to fly to Lisbon or Faro. In Lisbon spend 2/3 days in the city, then you can go 1 day to Sintra and visit the beautiful village, the castle, the palace and start you way down the south where you can stay in Sagres (and around) for 2 days and then head to Tavira, an historical city very tranquil and nice in that time of the year.
As I said, the prices in Portugal for accommodation and food are quite cheap and the food is really nice (better than the Spanish in my own opinion).
Useful links:
Portugal Tourism: http://www.visitportugal.com/Cultures/en-US/default.html</a> Algarve Tourism: http://www.visitalgarve.pt/visitalgarve/vEN/</a>
Accommodation:
In Lisbon chose one hotel in the city center (between Marques de Pombal and the downtown). The Residencial Alegria is a nice choice and has a nice situation (around "Principe Real")
In Tavira I highly recommend to stay in Monte do Alamo. Is a beautiful guesthouse (rural tourism), 5 min away from the city center, the historical city of Tavira. Try Rosário's specialties on a dinner warmed by a nice fireplace with a great view over the sea.
Also check:
www.toprural.com</a>
www.booking.com</a>