Portugal Tours in March 2026

My second exodus trip in portugal and once again the food (especially the picnics) was exceptional. Not quite enough cycling to burn off all the calories from the pasteis de natas and other delicious pastries/cakes! The scenery on this trip was the best I have experienced on an exodus trip - on other trips I've found some great scenery interspersed with longer stretches on roads with nondescript views, on the porto to lisbon trip it was multiple stunning beach/cliff views with forest, boardwalk, bays and quaint villages. Hotels were generally of very good quality (worth the superior comfort level advertised). The start hotel was changed to the Hotel Vila Gale which was OK but could do with a refurb of the rooms (doesn't look as good as the planned hotel neya).

Was a good tour all things considered with the weather being so stormy. Hotels were great, breakfasts were super. It would be better if the tour groups size was smaller and the buses were smaller and filled with only one language group. One of the male guides told off colour jokes in Portuguese, not appropriate in mixed groups. For the parts of the tour that were cancelled due to bad weather, we were not offered a small refund or other option to do. Hotels should not be outside of the towns as food choices for supper were very limited at least 4 times. Herin was to book an extra night in Madrid for us and did not. He quoted a much higher price than the hotel gave us.

Our guide Rocio offered an excellent experience during a challenging weather week. We saw beautiful scenery, hiked a variety of types of trails and learned along the way. Her knowledge and positive, proactive approach made for an extremely memorable trip.

I really enjoyed this holiday, and would recommend it to others. I would confirm (in my opinion) that this is a level 2 walking holiday, however I do need to caveat that with I missed the day 4 walk, which was apparently the hardest. I liked the mixture of inland and coastal walks, as a whole week of just coastal walks may have been a bit "samey". I was quite rainy (off and on) for the week we went in March, sunglasses for 5 minutes, then hood up for 5 minutes, but this didn't spoil the holiday at all (but bring waterproofs if coming early or late in the season). Even though we stayed in 3 different places, this tour did not feel rushed.

We thoroughly enjoyed our Madeira trip and feel we came away with a good sense of the island's ecology, history and people. The hotel was well located and sensibly we stayed in one place, going out each day to explore a different part of the island. The tour leader Joao was knowledgeable, entertaining and considerate to all group members. The warm weather was also a welcome contrast to the UK in March!

Very good walking holiday Weather was wet sometimes and waterproofs and fleeces for evening needed in March. Lovely area and interesting walks, not difficult at any point. Great guide and comfortable hotel near SPAR. Most days there are coffee stops and 9/9.30 starts so relaxed and with great restaurants in evening. It’s scenic if you like cliffs but it’s not remote. Even in early March there were always other walkers and the best viewpoints often had crowds of people. Usual efficient Explore organisation. Recommended if you like easy/moderate walking with mature/retired interesting people.