Tourists are welcome in Portugal this summer.
The Iberian peninsula is looking like the place to be this summer, as Portugal has joined neighbors Spain in announcing that tourists won’t need to quarantine when visiting. As another European country keen to restart their crucial tourist economy, Portugal – like Italy and Greece – will be open for tourists this summer, and the lack of quarantine is likely to make it an attractive option for UK visitors.
In an interview with Observador, Portugal’s foreign minister Augusto Santos Silva stressed that “to tourists who come by air, Portugal will not impose a quarantine”, instead focusing on “minimal health controls” to keep travelers and locals safe. In fact, although the border with Spain is currently closed until June 15, those arriving by air are welcome in the country right now.
Still, for a late-summer getaway, Portugal is looking pretty nice, with the twin beauties of Lisbon and Porto an ever-attractive option, and the coast of the Algarve being a firm favorite with tourists. Equally important is the fact Portugal managed to sidestep the worst of the pandemic, allowing them to reopen restaurants and cafes this month, with hotels set to join them on June 1. Meanwhile, the sweeping beaches of the Atlantic coast will be back in business on June 6, although they’ll make use of social distancing rules such as 1.5 meters between sunbathers, and a traffic light system to indicate how full the beach is, which will be trackable via an app.
