Over half a million travellers from 178 countries have voted for the European Best Destinations 2023. Portugal has two locations in the 20 most voted destinations (out of over 400 destinations) awarded the title of “Best European Destinations 2023”.
Discover Portugal, perfect for a city break, a sunny holiday, a romantic getaway, shopping, culture or immersion in nature. Or living!
1. Porto Santo island (Madeira Archipelago)
This island, the little sister of the main island of Madeira, is accessible by plane or ferry and offers wellness hotels, trendy bars and restaurants, the most beautiful sunsets in Europe, and a sunny climate almost all year round.
Porto Santo is an invitation to discover paradisiacal beaches, historical heritage and geological exuberance.
Visiting Porto Santo is discovering a golden island famous for its nine-kilometre sandy beach. The smallest inhabited island of the Madeira Archipelago is only an hour and a half flight away from Lisbon, in the extreme southwest of Europe, 500 km from the African coast and 1000 km from the European continent.
If you want to disconnect from your tumultuous life, experience nature, relax, and have no goal in the day except watching the sunset, waiting for a good spa treatment, a game of golf or a nautical activity, then Porto Santo is really for you.
2. Faial island (Azores Archipelago)
This year go wild and green and experience eco-responsible adventures in the Azores. Greener than Iceland, less expensive, and with a more moderate and milder climate, the Azores are a prime destination for lovers of nature, outdoor sports, hiking, gastronomy, and even for lovers since they are ranked among the best wedding destinations in Europe.
Considered by the European Commission a European Destination of Excellence (EDEN), Faial has many sweeping landscapes, unique birds and plants and iconic geological formations, all surrounded by a magnificent blue, pure and lively sea. With Sao Jorges and Pico they form a triptych of unique and bewitching islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. A place where sailors crossing the ocean like to stop over for a few days or… a lifetime.
The biodiversity of Faial is vibrant: 855 vascular plant species can be found throughout the island, 57 of which are endemic (that exist only in the Azores). The sea of Faial is an extraordinary mosaic of colours, shadows, smells, sounds, silences and emotions. It is emblematic in the life forms it holds, such as cetaceans, seabirds, sharks and all other inhabitants.
Source: europeanbestdestinations.com