Portugal November 2024

Hi folks. My attempt to escape the sleet and wind at my home (Western Germany) worked very well in Portugal. In the last two weeks of November 2024, I did a round trip of 1,000 km (Lisbon – Évora – Algarve – West Coast – Lisbon). I am really happy, saw a lot, met great people and would like to share it with those of you who want to escape the changeable and cold weather for a few weeks. Portugal really works very well and I am surprised that I only met a few cyclists there. What is good?

1. Weather: I had sun almost every day with about 20 C (70 F) and no rain. Only one day there was a strong wind, but as a tailwind. I still saw some people at the beach. I had almost ideal cycling weather.

2. Vegetation: the country is burnt out and yellow in the summer heat. In November, everything was green and fresh.

3. Day length: the sun sets around 5:30 pm according to local time. So you have a whole hour more than in the other countries of Europe.

4. No tourists: except for Lisbon, there are only a few tourists, so that even the beaches in Algavre are enjoyable again (in summer I couldn't stand the crowds there).

5. Variety: the landscapes are different, so it's not boring to drive. Everything I saw was overwhelming.

6. Easy to reach: by plane, you can be in one of Portugal's airports from most European countries in just 3 to 4 hours.

7. Accommodation: since there are only a few tourists, a laot of accommodation is available, including in holiday parks, at prices of 30 to 50 euros (often for entire apartments). I usually booked spontaneously with booking.com in the evening at the place where I arrived at sunset. With the low prices, I didn't feel like lugging a sleeping bag and tent with me.

8. Price level: The price level is generally very moderate and cheap (in the hinterland you can get a glass of good wine for 0.80 cents).

9. Communication: almost every Portuguese person can speak proper English and at least enough English words to be able to communicate.

10. People: I have experienced iPortuguese people as incredibly polite, friendly and warm-hearted.

I will definitely be going back there.