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So I've got two weeks of vacation time and it's a good possibility I might try to do a 10-14 day trip to Europe.
After being very impressed by Lisbon/Sintra when I went there for NYE last December I decided earlier this year that I would return to Portugal Labor Day week of 2017.
However, some things are coming up for me that will delay me being able to take a vacation. I decided I will probably have to wait until the end of September at the earliest, but likely it will be early or mid October before I can go anywhere now.
I had planned on checking out the southern beaches in Portugal in the Algarve region. I reallllly really want to be able to spend time in the water though.
Can anyone give any experiences with Algarve area beaches around end of Sept/middle of October? Is it usually warm enough to spend a good deal of time in the water? Accuweather.com is showing average temps around 75ish starting in October. In Hawaii, the water would be freezing at that kind of daytime temperature. Anyone have experiences going this particular time of year??
Also, I am open to going somewhere warmer (would Greece be a good option...?). I just really kinda had my heart set on returning to Portugal. I would likely do 3-4 days in Algarve area, 4-5 days in Lisbon and 2-3 days in Porto with a day trip to somewhere while either in Lisbon or Porto.
Looks like the sea temperature would be around 66-70 degrees Fahrenheit in September/October. If you choose Greece, maybe somewhere like Corfu would be ideal? Mostly b/c of the water temps.
So I've got two weeks of vacation time and it's a good possibility I might try to do a 10-14 day trip to Europe.
After being very impressed by Lisbon/Sintra when I went there for NYE last December I decided earlier this year that I would return to Portugal Labor Day week of 2017.
However, some things are coming up for me that will delay me being able to take a vacation. I decided I will probably have to wait until the end of September at the earliest, but likely it will be early or mid October before I can go anywhere now.
I had planned on checking out the southern beaches in Portugal in the Algarve region. I reallllly really want to be able to spend time in the water though.
Can anyone give any experiences with Algarve area beaches around end of Sept/middle of October? Is it usually warm enough to spend a good deal of time in the water? Accuweather.com is showing average temps around 75ish starting in October. In Hawaii, the water would be freezing at that kind of daytime temperature. Anyone have experiences going this particular time of year??
Also, I am open to going somewhere warmer (would Greece be a good option...?). I just really kinda had my heart set on returning to Portugal. I would likely do 3-4 days in Algarve area, 4-5 days in Lisbon and 2-3 days in Porto with a day trip to somewhere while either in Lisbon or Porto.
Never been to the Algarve in Oct, but if you do end up in Portugal and looking for a day trip close to Lisbon: check out Sesimbra. It's a beach town with white wash village about 45 mins from Lisbon. Beeyootiful!
I'm doing similar research for my November trip, but I'll probably end up in Southern Spain due to better weather. One of my coworkers went to Canary Islands last winter and she said the weather was warm enough to sunbathe in.
Looks like the sea temperature would be around 66-70 degrees Fahrenheit in September/October. If you choose Greece, maybe somewhere like Corfu would be ideal? Mostly b/c of the water temps.
Never heard of Corfu actually...
I definitely need to compare average water temps around that time of year in places I'd be open to going to....
Never been to the Algarve in Oct, but if you do end up in Portugal and looking for a day trip close to Lisbon: check out Sesimbra. It's a beach town with white wash village about 45 mins from Lisbon. Beeyootiful!
I'm doing similar research for my November trip, but I'll probably end up in Southern Spain due to better weather. One of my coworkers went to Canary Islands last winter and she said the weather was warm enough to sunbathe in.
Well, i've been to the places on your itinerary, though not in Oct. So I want to see some place new. It's either Seville / Cordoba or Sicily, still undecided.
If you are talking Southern Portugal or Spanish beaches you are talking British Tourist Slum City. Simply lift up great britian and dump there population in Portugal. Yuck! You would have to step over the Fish and Chips shops and British Pubs.
I don't understand why any American would travel to Europe to go to a beach, but it's your money.
If you are talking Southern Portugal or Spanish beaches you are talking British Tourist Slum City. Simply lift up great britian and dump there population in Portugal. Yuck! You would have to step over the Fish and Chips shops and British Pubs.
I don't understand why any American would travel to Europe to go to a beach, but it's your money.
Well, i've been to the places on your itinerary, though not in Oct. So I want to see some place new. It's either Seville / Cordoba or Sicily, still undecided.
Nice...
I saw Segovia and Montserrat during trips to Madrid and Barcelona last December then did Lisbon but didn't have time to make it to Seville/Cordoba.
My boss was in Spain during the same time as I and really enjoyed her time in Seville (as well as Malaga). I'd love to see Sicily one day as well. So many places on the list....
Ok so right now I am leaning towards taking the entire 2 weeks off but I still have yet to decide if I will only do Portugal or not. Last year I did quite a few stops over an 18 day trip (1 day in London to see a friend during an overnight layover, with the rest of the trip spread across Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon with 1 day trips out to Segovia, Montserrat and Sintra). I can't really say I 'wouldn't' do that type of trip again but I keep telling myself I should focus on one country and spend my entire time there so as not to be running around so much. Plus it would save me the flight expenses between countries although they really weren't that high.
Then again I love variety and different experiences. I actually woke up today thinking how much fun it would be to start with 2 days in Dublin (with no plans, just bar crawling), hop over to some other random destination (Marseille? Geneva? somewhere in Greece?) and spend the last 10 days in Portugal.
My biggest issue *always* with traveling is deciding where to go!
One possible advantage of starting in Dublin is that AI seem to be offering some low price fares these days, possibly because of Ryanair. Keep an eye on their transatlantic fares, Oct is off season as well. They also have low priced fares to Portugal, maybe they would have a cheap DUB layover?
October in Dublin could be wet & damp or pleasant, they used to have a theatre festival in Oct, dunno if that's still a thing, there is some sort of big cultural festival there this year Sept or Oct.
Portugal beaches are all Atlantic ocean waters & colder than the Mediterranean waters of Spain, etc... anytime.
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