🇮🇹 Italy or 🇵🇹 Portugal
And what the world thinks
Dead even. The next vote breaks the tie.
Which one, honestly
Italy leads on cities and food. Portugal leads on the sea and value for money.
A normal day costs about $170 in Italy and $130 in Portugal.
Side by side
- 🇮🇹 Italy🇵🇹 Portugal
- Apr to May, Sep to OctBest monthsApr to Jun, Sep to Oct
- $170A normal day$130
- 8h 45m to RomeNonstop from New York6h 50m to Lisbon
- GoodBeaches and seaVery good
- ExceptionalCities and cultureVery good
- ExceptionalFoodVery good
- Very goodNature and hikingVery good
- GoodValue for moneyVery good
- Very goodEasy to get aroundVery good
- Fast trains, genuinely excellent, book in advanceGetting aroundCheap trains along the coast, a car for the wine country
- The middle of August, when the cities empty and half the good places shutWhen to avoidThe Algarve in August, when it fills up and doubles in price
Pick by what you want
🇮🇹 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.
🇵🇹 Choose Portugal if
you want Europe on a smaller budget, with the ocean, and you do not mind cool water.
Full Italy guide →Full Portugal guide →
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.