About Portugal Trip Planner

A Greek who plans trips for a living, and three friends who live in Portugal

We won't pretend to be Portuguese. This site is built by the founder of Greek Trip Planner, and three friends who live and work in Portuguese tourism check what we recommend. Here's who we are, what we've seen ourselves, and how we handle the rest.

Plan my Portugal trip, free How we check our advice

Founder story

Hi, I'm Panos

I was born and raised in Athens and trained as an engineer. I've always liked two things: solving problems and travelling. I combined them in Greek Trip Planner, together with four friends who work in Greek tourism: a tour operator, a transfer company owner and two hotel people.

That project taught me what separates useful travel advice from filler. Useful advice comes from people who actually move travellers around, who know how long a transfer really takes, which hotel is honestly walkable and when a famous sight is worth the queue.

I visited Porto in 2024 and Lisbon in 2025. Planning both trips, I found myself asking the same questions travellers ask me about Greece every day. Which base? How many days? Is the famous place worth it, or is the place next to it better? The usual online answers were the same ones I see about Greece: generic, out of date or written by someone who stayed a weekend.

What I know, and what I don't

I know Porto (2024) and Lisbon (2025) first-hand. I don't yet know the Alentejo, the Azores or the Douro the way I know the Saronic islands, and I'd rather tell you that than fake it. That's why three friends who live in Portugal and work in its tourism industry are part of this, and why every guide says who checked it.

Panos

The people

Who's behind the recommendations

One founder who works in travel, and three friends who live in Portugal and work in tourism there every day, in and out of season. Between them they see where visitors stay, how they get around and what they eat.

Founder · Athens

Panos

Founder of Greek Trip Planner and Portugal Trip Planner. Engineer by training. Builds the trip planner, writes and edits the guides. Visited Porto in 2024 and Lisbon in 2025.

Porto · Short-term rentals

Manuel

Manages Airbnb apartments in Porto. He hears every guest question, from which neighbourhood is quiet at night to how to get in from the airport, and knows which areas work for a first visit. Checks our Porto recommendations.

Lisbon · Transfers

Afonso

Runs a transfer business in Lisbon and drives the routes himself: the airport, Sintra, Cascais and further afield. He knows real driving times, where traffic bites and what a fair fare is. Checks our Lisbon and getting-around advice.

Lisbon & the south · Food supply

Sofia

Supplies food to hotels and restaurants in the tourist areas of Lisbon and southern Portugal. She sees which kitchens buy fresh, local produce and which cut corners. Checks our food and restaurant recommendations.

Our method

How we know what we know

Every guide on this site carries one of three labels, so you always know where a recommendation comes from.

Label 1

Been there

One of us has personally visited, eaten there, stayed there or done the trip. Only these places can get an Editor's Pick ★.

Label 2

Local check

One of our friends who lives in Portugal has confirmed it's current, worth it, and priced the way we say.

Label 3

Researched

Built from primary sources (Turismo de Portugal, operators' own timetables and prices, traveller data) and labelled as such until one of us has been.

Cities known first-hand: 2
Friends living in Portugal: 3
Source labels on every guide: 3
Paid Editor's Picks: 0

What carries over

What Greek Trip Planner taught us

Portugal isn't Greece. But planning trips there taught us lessons that apply here too.

How tourism works behind the counter

Running Greek Trip Planner with operators, transfer companies and hotels showed us how tours are priced, which add-ons are padding and what makes an operator reliable. We use that to vet who we recommend in Portugal.

Realistic timing

The most common planning mistake is cramming. We plan around real travel times: trains to Porto, the drive to the Algarve, Sintra queues, inter-island flights in the Azores.

Honesty about the hotspots

When a famous place is overrun or overpriced, we say so and suggest the alternative. Greece taught us that the second-best-known place is often the best day of the trip.

A planner that asks first

The free AI planner runs on the same engine as Greek Trip Planner, fed with Portugal-specific data. It asks about your pace, budget and interests before it builds a day-by-day plan.

The same rules on money

Affiliate links are disclosed, Featured Partners are labelled and kept apart, and nobody can buy an Editor's Pick. Those rules were set on Greek Trip Planner and apply here unchanged.

Every season, not just summer

Portugal works all year: Lisbon in winter, the Douro at harvest, Madeira in any month. Our friends live there all year, so we hear what changes between seasons.

Transparency

How we stay honest

Being upfront costs us nothing and earns your trust. Here's how we operate.

★ Editor’s PickNever for sale

Editor's Picks come only from places one of us has personally visited. No hotel, restaurant or operator can pay to become one.

Featured PartnerAlways labelled

Some businesses pay for a Featured Partner placement. They're clearly labelled, shown in separate sections and never mixed in with our picks.

Affiliate links, disclosed

Some links earn us a small commission if you book (hotels, tours, transfers, car hire, insurance). It costs you nothing extra and never decides what we recommend.

Labelled by source

Been there, Local check or Researched. If we haven't seen it ourselves, the guide says so.

Read our Editorial Policy & Disclosure

Fair question

“If it's good, why is it free?”

Because it started the way Greek Trip Planner did: with friends asking for advice. We were already answering WhatsApp messages about which neighbourhood to stay in in Lisbon and whether the Douro is worth a day. A free planner and honest guides are a better version of that.

The site pays for itself through affiliate commissions and labelled Featured Partner placements, not through you. We'd rather earn a commission on a hotel we'd book ourselves than run ads.

FAQ

Questions people ask us

The ones that come up most, answered honestly.

Why is a Greek writing about Portugal?

Because the problem is the same one I've been solving for Greece. Both countries live off the sea and off tourism, and both get flattened into two or three famous names. Travellers arrive with Santorini or Lisbon in mind and miss most of what's there, or plan it badly.

I built Greek Trip Planner to fix that for Greece. Portugal Trip Planner uses the same method and the same rules. The difference is that I'm a visitor here, not a local, so I lean on friends who live in Portugal and I tell you which is which.

Have you personally been everywhere you write about?

No, and we won't pretend otherwise. I know Lisbon and Porto first-hand. Our friends in Portugal cover other parts of the country. Everything else is researched from official and primary sources until one of us has been.

Each guide says which applies: Been there, Local check or Researched. You can read the details in our editorial policy.

Who are your friends in Portugal, and what do they check?

Manuel manages short-term rental apartments in Porto, Afonso runs a transfer business in Lisbon, and Sofia supplies food to hotels and restaurants in Lisbon and the south. Each one checks the part of our advice that matches what they do every day: where to stay, how to get around, and where to eat.

Is this the same as Greek Trip Planner?

It's the sister site: same founder, same AI trip planner engine, same editorial rules. The content, recommendations and partners are separate and specific to Portugal.

How does the site make money?

Mainly affiliate commissions when you book a hotel, tour or transfer through our links, at no extra cost to you. Some businesses pay for clearly labelled Featured Partner placements. Editor's Picks are never for sale. The full detail is in our editorial policy.

Can you help me plan my trip personally?

The free AI trip planner handles most trips well. If yours is complicated (several weeks, the islands plus the mainland, accessibility needs), email us and we'll do our best.

What's the best time of year to visit Portugal?

For most of the mainland, April to June and September to October: warm, greener and calmer than midsummer. July and August are peak season on the Algarve, with the crowds and prices that come with it. Madeira is mild all year, and the Azores are best from late spring to early autumn.

Contact

Say hello

We like hearing from travellers: a question about your trip, a correction (things change fast in Lisbon), or just news that your trip went well. If you live in Portugal and think we got something wrong, we especially want to hear from you.

Confirmed corrections go into the guide, with the update date
Businesses: see our Featured Partner program instead

Email panos@greektriplanner.me Featured Partner program

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