When traveling to European countries, many people often choose to travel on a tour because they think that traveling on their own will be very difficult when applying for a visa and planning an itinerary. Is this true? If I travel to Portugal, can I travel on my own or do I need to go through travel companies?

Currently, Portugal is starting open tourism policies to promote the country’s tourism development.

Therefore, Portugal is currently issuing visas to both tourists traveling on tours from

pre-registered travel companies or to tourists coming to Portugal on their own.

Why should you travel to Portugal?

If you are planning to go to Europe, Portugal is a destination not to be missed.

Below are a few reasons why traveling to Portugal is becoming increasingly attractive to Vietnamese tourists.

Temperate climate:

Portugal has a cool climate in the north and a warm climate in the south, suitable for vacation trips.

In addition, tourists can visit Portugal all year round. Summers are usually cool and have little rain,

and winters have a lot of snow in the high mountains, suitable for many winter sports.

Many beautiful and pristine beaches:

The climate and geographical location help Portugal own many of the most beautiful beaches and bays in Europe.

Some beautiful and impressive coastal areas such as Praia da Franquia, Praia da Baleeira, Praia do Ancão,… attract tourists with many strange and pristine landscapes such as sand dunes, pine forests, vertical cliffs,… In addition, , many tourist activities such as windsurfing, swimming, diving, etc. help enrich visitors’ beach experience.

Fresh cuisine:

Most of the cuisine here is not too elaborately prepared but the ingredients are fresh and good for health.

Portuguese dishes are mostly made from meat, fish and many other seafood such as grilled sardines, Bacalhau cod,

Polvo octopus and grilled potatoes, etc. You can easily find a variety of dishes at tourist destinations in Portugal, enjoy and enjoy the food during your trip.

Wine paradise:

You must definitely try and visit the wine warehouse when traveling to Portugal. This place is known as the land of world-famous wines such as red wine, white wine, especially Port wine. Visitors coming here have the opportunity to visit many grape fields, explore wine processing stages,

visit the famous Alentejo and Douro wine cellars,…, enjoy and buy wine as gifts for relatives.

Country of festivals:

Attending festivals is an ideal cultural experience for tourists.

Coming to Portugal, you will be amazed by the diversity of festivals here from culture, sculpture, religion to contemporary festivals.

Some famous festivals that many tourists choose when coming to this country include the wine festival, Carnaval festival, FIESTA sand sculpture festival, Festa do Colette Encarnado bull festival,…

The ideal time to travel to Portugal

Most months of the year can be suitable to travel and explore Portugal because each season here will bring you very different experiences.

March – May: It will be more convenient for you to move and visit places. At this time, the weather will gradually warm up, extremely pleasant, the scenery will also be full of life, helping you have a great trip. Memorable Portuguese calendar.

June – August: At this time, the sun’s lighting time is up to 10 hours per day. At this time the weather on land is very warm while in the ocean it is extremely cool. If you love activities such as surfing, swimming, and yachting, then arrange to come to Portugal around this time.
September – November: In the fall, in Portugal there will be golden sunshine all day, pleasant clear weather, slightly chilly in the evening. With weather like that, you can freely go to your favorite tourist destinations without worrying about problems like the weather being too cold or the sun being too hot, right?
February – December: From December to February of the following year is when Portugal enters winter. You can visit the fruit garden, wear warm clothes to walk around in the cold weather and take sparkling check-in photos.

How to get around in Portugal?

Public transportation in Portugal is relatively developed, with quality service and cleanliness. Furthermore, these means are very economical and do not cost too much, so you can rest assured.

If you come to Portugal, you can try many different means of transportation such as boat, train, bus or taxi. Depending on your schedule, you can choose the most suitable means of transport.

Accommodation services in Portugal

Portugal promotes tourism development and creates diverse accommodation services for tourists. Depending on your personal needs and budget, you can choose to book many different types of accommodation through tour agencies or booking applications (Traveloka, Agoda, Booking,…), specifically:

Dormitory or dormitory room: This type is suitable when you travel in a group or family. Service fees will be softer than hotels, usually ranging from 10 to 25 Euro/night (equivalent to 250,000 to 650,000 VND/night).
Camping tent: If you want to experience exploring nature in the closest way, camping overnight at tourist destinations in Portugal is an interesting idea. The fee for each tent ranges from 10 to 20 Euro/night (equivalent to 250,000 to 500,000 VND/night).
Hotel: This is the most popular type of service and has the most diverse prices in Portugal. Depending on needs and rental location, prices can vary from 30 to 80 Euro/night (Equivalent to 780,000 to 2,200,000 VND/night).

Top 10 tourist destinations in Portugal

Guimarães Project Portugal

This is considered an ancient structure, built in the 10th century and used to be the ancient capital of Portugal. The project includes the Igreja de São Francisco church, Castelo de Guimarães castle and the famous Museu de Alberto Sampaio museum with many religious art collections of the time.

This place has become an attractive place for tourists thanks to its unique Gothic architecture, historical significance and impressive natural landscape surrounding the castle, suitable for strolling, camping and learning about history. local history.

Torre dos Clérigos tower

When you come to Porto city, you definitely have to visit the Torre dos Clérigos tower, this is a structure that offers the most beautiful panoramic view of Porto. You can come at any time of the day, but it is ideal to see the city at sunset. Therefore, many tourists choose the tower as a stopping point to save many souvenir photos, as well as feel the beauty of the city from above.

Estação de São Bento Station Portugal

São Bento Station was built in the early twentieth century and is a work that recognizes a historical milestone in the relationship between the two countries Portugal and Germany. This is also the busiest station in Portugal, attracting many tourists to visit.

Visitors coming here can experience local travel culture and explore the art inside this station.

A special feature of São Bento is that the structure is made from wrought iron and glass with more than 20,000 handmade bricks. The tiles are all hand-painted by artisans with content about daily life and important events throughout Portugal’s history. The bricks are placed in the large lobby area of the station, where most people can admire them.

Praça da República Square

Praça da República Square is a historical building from the Middle Ages, once used as a place to buy and sell goods in the past.

Today, the square has become a bustling gathering place for residents and tourists thanks to its open space and eye-catching architecture.

You can visit many ancient houses around the square, learn about the history of the area and enjoy many local dishes.

Around Praça da República there are many restaurants and cafes suitable for you to stop and rest, watch the streets and relax and breathe fresh air.

Lisbon city Portugal

If you travel to Portugal, don’t forget to spend a few days visiting the capital Lisbon.

This is considered one of the largest and most vibrant cities in this country.

The city attracts millions of tourists every year thanks to its ancient and modern beauty. The nature here is poetic and inspires many tourists and explorers to explore this land.

Lisbon has a long history, so it also holds many world cultural heritages with many traces of time, such as the Gulbenkian museum with many artifacts dating back up to 2000 years.

In addition to beautiful scenery and historical vestiges, the city also owns many places for visitors to easily explore local culture such as restaurants serving local cuisine, parades performing traditional Fado music. Portuguese traditions, vibrant night music bars,… Lisbon is definitely an interesting destination with many values of this country.

Ribeira neighborhood

The neighborhood has a large area and is located adjacent to the romantic Douro River, so this is an ideal place for many families and couples to choose for a vacation. In addition, Ribeira owns many unique destinations such as ancient buildings, Porto wine cellars,… bringing many strange discovery experiences to visitors.

One of the things visitors should not miss when coming to the Ribeira neighborhood is experiencing the nightlife here. During the day, Ribeira has a rustic beauty, at night the neighborhood becomes vibrant and charming with many lights from festivals, restaurants, bars, etc.

Visitors will be able to integrate into the lives of local people. Local people, sipping a glass of beer and admiring the irresistibly magical city.

Sintra Old Town

Sintra or “Glorious Garden of Eden” is an ancient city, once recognized as a world heritage site.

The city has existed from the Middle Ages to today and possesses many architectural works of historical value. Visitors coming here can spend time admiring many splendid ancient palaces such as Castelo dos Mouros or Palácio da Vila.

In addition, the old town of Sintra is also surrounded by hills full of pine trees, so the air here is very fresh. Tourists coming here often choose pine forests as a place to camp, walk, sightsee or take souvenir photos.

Douro River Valley

The Douro Valley owns the river of the same name stretching nearly 900km on the Iberian Peninsula. The river winds through the hills creating a picturesque scene that every visitor must stop to capture a few memorable moments.

In addition, the valley is also famous for many vineyards and famous wine factories that attract many tourists to experience and explore the wine making process.

After exploring the winery, you can move to Vila Nova de Gaia to take a cruise up the Douro river or take a train to enjoy majestic views of the valley in many different ways.

Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela National Park

Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela National Park has a diverse landscape, Mediterranean climate and many beautiful beaches, making it a popular choice for summer trips to Portugal.

Normally, tourists often participate in activities such as climbing, camping, sightseeing, visiting to learn about nature and animals in the area, etc. In addition, visitors can ski at Loriga (belonging to the city of Loriga). Seia Street), which is also part of the national park in winter.

Berlengas island region Portugal

The island area is located on the Central Coast of Portugal. Although the area is not too large, the island still attracts many tourists every year thanks to its peaceful beauty. If you come to the islands, don’t forget to visit the fortifications, which were once used as a shield to protect the coast from invaders.

In addition to its historical significance, the fortification area is also an ideal place to preserve many beautiful moments of a Portuguese sea.

In addition, visitors to the archipelago often participate in marine activities such as diving, swimming, windsurfing, bird watching, joining fishermen to catch fish, enjoying seafood, etc. All create tourist experiences. unforgettable fun.