Our favorite boat trips for your Christmas holidays in Portugal

Are you one of the lucky ones who’s spending the Christmas holidays in Portugal? Well done! The time between Christmas and New Years in Portugal is usually beautiful. It’s not too busy and the weather is often very sunny but of course a bit cold. You can expect temperatures around 20 degrees celsius in the sun during the day but it may get rather chilly in the night and early morning (around 5 to 10 degrees).

To give a special touch to your Christmas holidays in Portugal and make this time of the year even more magical, we suggest you to pick a sunny and quiet day and to book a lovely boat tour. Not all tour operators keep their boat tours running during the winter period, but others do, also during the Christmas holidays in Portugal. We’ve selected our top 5 boat tours to do during your Christmas holidays in Portugal. Enjoy!

Top 5 boat tours to do during your Christmas holidays in Portugal

1. Boat tour to the cave of Benagil

This boat tour is surely a best-seller during the Christmas holidays in Portugal. This one hour boat tour to the famous cave of Benagil is the best way to explore the coastline of this region. The cave of Benagil is the most popular among all rock formations in Portugal and maybe even Europe. To visit this cave should be on top of your list of things to do during your Christmas holidays in Portugal! The cave boat trip starts at the typical fishermen beach of Benagil, near Lagoa, in the Algarve. You’ll get on board on one of Ruben’s grotto boats. These boats are specially designed for these tours. They are easy to board and small enough to truly access the caves. When the ocean tide allows, you’ll be able to get into the caves and make impressive pictures!

2. Caves & dolphin watching from Albufeira

This boat trip from Albufeira is one of our personal favorites. This boat trip takes about two hours and is great to do with friends or family. We invite you to get aboard of Insomnia, a rigid inflatable passenger boat. We’ll take you to enjoy the stunning coastline of the Algarve with a great view from the Atlantic. We’ll first visit some of the most impressive caves around Albufeira, including the famous cave of Benagil. To complete this excursion, we’ll try to find some wild dolphins. The dolphins we search for are wild animals, so we can never guarantee we find them. Fortunately, the experience crew know the secrets to find them and we see dolphins on almost all of our trips. Wouldn’t this boat trip be the right magical moment during your Christmas holidays in Portugal?

3. Bottom fishing from Alvor

If you’d like to go fishing during your Christmas holidays in Portugal, we’d invite you to come aboard on “Donzela”. This fully equipped sport fishing boat belongs to the local fisherman Miguel. Miguel would be happy to take you to the best and most unkown fishing spots, to find great ground fish. Bottom fishing tour starts from Alvor, in the Algarve, a typical fishermen town. Bottom fishing from Alvor is great as there is a broad variety of fish to catch thanks to the warm Gulf Stream that passes by the coast of the Algarve. The main species that we usually catch during the bottom fishing from Alvor are Sea Bass, Stone Bass, Garfisch, Bream, Squid, Cuttlefish and Mackerels.

4. Sunset Sailing in Lisbon

If you’re spending your Christmas holidays in Portugal in Lisbon, we recommend this sunset sailing cruise in the Tagus River! This trip takes about three hours and during the winter season, it starts at 15h30. In our opinion, this sunset cruise is one of the best ways to enjoy the Tagus River and also Lisbon.

This romantic sunset sailing tour is a great way to get the most out of your holidays in Lisbon as you’ll get a great perspective over the city. From the boat, you’ll have a unique view over the city and its most emblematic landmarks. At this time of the year, as the sun sets, you’ll also see some of the many Christmas lights that decorate the city. Don’t forget to bring some warm clothes as it gets rather cold after the sun has set.

5. Dolphin watching in Setúbal

Only half an hour drive from Lisbon you can embark on this magical boat tour to encounter wild dolphins. The three-hour boat tour of dolphin watching in Setúbal takes place on a luxurious catamaran known for its security and comfort. We’ll guarantee you’ll have an unforgettable moment for your whole family: dolphin watching in their natural habitat.

In Setúbal, in the Sado River, lives a resident community of bottlenose dolphins. A team of experts and marine biologists will go with you on the boat tour. They will do all they can to make sure you get to observe the dolphins. Despite the fact that this pod of dolphins is resident, they are wild animals, and we cannot guarantee a 100%. Fortunately, we spot dolphins on 95% of our trips, so the chance is very high. It is a true adventure!

We’d like to remind you that these boat tours are subject to the ocean and weather conditions. During the winter period, chances of bad conditions are higher and some trips may be cancelled. So, we recommend you to keep an eye on the local weather forecasts and in case of dubious conditions, stay in touch with your tour provider. In case your boat trip is cancelled, we’ll do our best to find you another trip or reschedule. If that’s not possible, we’ll fully refund you.

The good news is that the forecasts for the coming days seem good, so go ahead and book your boat trip during your Christmas holidays in Portugal!

If you’ve got any other suggestions or are looking for a different kind of boat tour or watersport, feel free to contact us by phone or email. Happy Christmas holidays in Portugal!