If Portugal is still just a maybe on your list, 2027 is the year to upgrade it. Porto just picked up four new Michelin stars in 2026. The Douro Valley makes wine the point of the trip, with terraced vineyards you can see from a river cruise or a long lunch at a private quinta. Lisbon rewards slow walking — custard tarts at Pastéis de Belém, the MUDE design museum, and the tiled façades of Chiado and Baixa. Comporta’s umbrella pines and Atlantic dunes anchor the coast, with newer private-pool villas built right into the landscape. Inland, Évora becomes a European Capital of Culture in 2027. And Madeira adds island adventure to the trip — hiking the levadas, swimming in Porto Moniz’s lava-rock pools, tasting Madeira wine aged for decades. Here’s how I’d build a Portugal trip around it all.
Happy Travels!
