Rough Guides - RG Snapshots Portugal: Porto & the Rio Douro

Flying to Faro, Lisbon or Porto takes two to three hours from airports around the UK and Ireland, and usually the cheapest flights are with budget airlines such as easyJet, Jet2, Ryanair, Aer Lingus, Monarch Airlines, thomsonfly or flybe. Between them they fly direct from around twenty regional British airports, plus Belfast and Dublin, and although Faro on the Algarve is the most common destination you should be able to find a route that suits you. Not all routes are daily or year-round: some Algarve flights are summer-only, and other Lisbon or Porto routes have a reduced winter service. Fares vary wildly and, depending on promotions, can be as low as 50 or 65 each way, though youll have to travel off-peak and book a long time ahead to get this sort of deal. Around 120 total for a return flight is more common, but if youre tied to school holidays or book late youre likely to pay nearer 150200 return.

The main scheduled airlines flying to Portugal are the national carriers TAP and British Airways: TAP flies regular services from London to Lisbon and Porto, while BA serves Lisbon and Faro. Youll also be able to arrange add-on sections to London from regional UK airports. They are not necessarily more expensive than the budget airlines, and flight times may be more convenient that said, youre unlikely to get a rock-bottom deal and the fully flexible fares offered can run into the hundreds.