Boutique hotels in Portugal

Portugal has quietly become one of Europe's best countries for small hotels. Old townhouses in Lisbon and Porto, manor houses in the Minho, farm estates in the Alentejo and wine quintas above the Douro have been restored with a light, confident touch, often by Portuguese architects whose names now travel the world. Prices remain gentler than in much of Western Europe, and service tends to be warm and unhurried.

The cities

Lisbon and Porto lead our ranking. Lisbon's boutique hotels sit on its hills, in Alfama, Príncipe Real and Chiado, many with terraces looking over red roofs to the Tagus. Porto's are tucked into the steep Ribeira and the elegant streets around Rua das Flores, with the port lodges of Vila Nova de Gaia across the river. Coimbra, Guimarães and Évora are smaller university and heritage towns best explored on foot.

The coast

The Atlantic shapes much of the country. Comporta and Melides, south of Lisbon, have become a byword for relaxed, design-minded beach houses among rice fields and pine forest. Further south, the wild Alentejo coast around Vila Nova de Milfontes gives way to the Algarve's cliffs and coves at Lagos and the calmer lagoons of Tavira. Cascais and Ericeira offer sea air within an hour of the capital.

Islands and interior

Madeira and the Azores are volcanic islands with a mild climate all year, known for walking, gardens and hot springs. Inland, the terraced vineyards of the Douro Valley, the hilltop village of Monsaraz and the granite mountains of Peneda-Gerês show a slower, rural Portugal.

When to go

May, June, September and October are ideal almost everywhere. July and August are hot inland and busy on the coast, while Madeira is pleasant even in winter.