🇵🇹 Portugal or 🇮🇹 Italy
Which one, honestly
Portugal leads on the sea and value for money. Italy leads on cities and food.
A normal day costs about $125 in Portugal and $165 in Italy.
Side by side
- 🇵🇹 Portugal🇮🇹 Italy
- Apr, May, Jun, Sep, OctBest monthsApr, May, Sep, Oct
- $125A normal day$165
- 2h 45m to LisbonNonstop from London2h 35m to Rome
- Very goodBeaches and seaGood
- Very goodCities and cultureExceptional
- Very goodFoodExceptional
- Very goodNature and hikingVery good
- Very goodValue for moneyGood
- Very goodEasy to get aroundVery good
- Cheap trains along the coast, a car for the wine countryGetting aroundFast trains, genuinely excellent, book in advance
- The Algarve in August, when it fills up and doubles in priceWhen to avoidThe middle of August, when the cities empty and half the good places shut
Pick by what you want
🇵🇹 Choose Portugal if
you want Europe on a smaller budget, with the ocean, and you do not mind cool water.
🇮🇹 Choose Italy if
you want three cities in ten days, you care about food and museums, and you would rather take a train than a ferry.
Full Portugal guide →Full Italy guide →
And what the world thinks
Dead even. The next vote breaks the tie.
Compare something else
Written and checked by hand. Nothing here about visas or entry rules: those change often and depend on your passport, so check an official source.