Portugal Regions Map

Map of the Regions of Portugal for the Traveler

As our Portugal Region Map shows, mainland Portugal is currently divided into 5 administrative regions (there are 7 regions in all, including the island regions of the Azores and Madeira not shown on the map).

Portugal is an undiscovered treasure trove for the tourist on a budget, from the whitewashed villages of the Alentejo to the cities of Porto and Lisbon, you'll spend less here than you will in other European cities. As an emerging culinary destination, you might well be surprised by the quality of the food these days.

Portugal impresses me with the innovations in tourism evident in its interesting rural places like the Schist Villages of the Centro region near Coimbra. Declining populations in these rural mountain villages became an opportunity for Portugal tourism; Portugal developed hiking trails, mountain biking facilities, stores selling native arts and crafts, and began the process of converting village housing for tourism. But instead of the villages becoming a rural tourist "Disneyland," young workers on the project became enamored with the new world they created, and began to move in.

Today the villages are vibrant places, proud of the traditions that identify them. If you like river swimming, kayaking, mountain biking, trekking, and other activities combined with good food to keep you going, the Schist Villages will amaze you. The success of this project has spawned other development of rural spaces, as you can find at Aldeias de Magaio, an artist haven that welcomes tourists, especially those who are interested in learning.

The tourist looking for rural traditions can find other opportunities in the northern Norte region.

Can't find your favorite region of Portugal on the map? Well, Portugal hasn't always been divided in the regions you see here. The regions map you see above shows regions defined recently using guidelines from the European Union. If you think that this is nuts, you're right; the regional reorganization you see in the map above shows the NUTS II regions. (NUTS: Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics.) Below, the regions are broken into sub-regions of Portugal, many of them historic; on the right is a list of the main towns to visit in Portugal.

Other Portugal Destinations

Consult our Portugal Travel Directory

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