Category: Stories –> Travel

Portugal is a popular destination for Northern Europeans for the same reason Florida is popular with North Americans: Plenty of sun, sand and sea make this part of Europe ideal for beach vacations, and mild winters and short flight times from almost all major capitals provide a quick escape from ice and snow (especially popular with golfers). But springtime here holds some special benefits for savvy travelers: For walking, hiking and cycling holidays, summer temperatures in some areas of the peninsula, especially inland or further south, can be hot, and winters often damp. But balmy spring is just right. From March through May, temperatures are typically in the sunny Fahrenheit 60s throughout the country, perhaps climbing into the low 70s in the south. It’s a great time to head outside and get physical! Portugal is best-known for its summer beach resorts, so spring is normally a less crowded time to visit—with the exception of Easter Holy Week, when religious festivities throughout strongly Catholic Portugal and Spain and coincidental school holidays mean many locals hit the highway. (Easter is on April 17th this year; Holy Week is the week before.) There are some other interesting things going on during this season, though, where any crowds will at least be more geographically concentrated: Portugal’s Freedom Day on April 25th, which marks the end (in 1974) of what had been the longest dictatorship in Europe, and is usually celebrated (particularly in Lisbon) by concerts, parades and events. May 12th and 13th are marked by pilgrimages to Fátima, in central Portugal, where in 1917 three shepherd children saw the first of six apparitions of the Virgin Mary. University students are graduating, so in towns like Coimbra with famous old universities you may see them strolling the streets (and singing!) in their traditional robes. Throughout