Portugal with Michael Portillo: release date, locations, episode guide and everything you need to know

Portugal with Michael Portillo sees the seasoned traveller setting off to discover the heart and soul of the European country that's right next door to his beloved Spain. Presenter, train aficionado and former Conservative cabinet minister Michael Portillo will journey from the country’s second city, Porto, in the north to the beaches of the Algarve in the south and even the island of Madeira as he searches for hidden gems and uncovers the Portugal many holidaymakers never experience.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Channel 5 series Portugal with Michael Portillo…

Portugal with Michael Portillo release date

Portugal with Michael Portillo starts on Channel 5 on Saturday, March 1 2025 at 8.30 pm (repeated March 6 at 7 pm). Episodes run weekly every Saturday at the same time.

Portugal with Michael Portillo locations and what happens

Michael Portillo visits Portugal’s rich and varied locations, from Porto in the north to the beautiful beach resorts in the south. He starts his journey in Porto, where he samples the nose to tail eating tradition that involves eating every part of an animal, as well as learning to make a handmade brush and sampling port. He then discovers the ancient Roman cities of Coimbra, Portugal’s original capital, and Braga and visits one of Portugal’s biggest festivals, the Feiras Novas. Further south, Michael explores the region of Sintra and gets to grips with the real Algarve. He also explores the island of Madeira, Portugal’s jewel of the Atlantic.

Portugal with Michael Portillo episode guide

Here's our guide to the episodes in Portugal with Michael Portillo...

Episode 1 on Saturday, March 1: Porto
Michael's journey starts in Porto, which he last visited a decade ago. "I’m struck by how much this fascinating second city has changed since I was last here,’ he says. ‘Porto today is smarter, slicker and very hospitable."
Michael visits the bustling Bolhoa food market to experience the local tradition of nose-to-tail eating, where every part of the animal is used in dishes. That sees him tuck into tripe stew, pig’s ear salad, and deep fried, stuffed intestine. "I thought it might be very rubbery but it’s soft and it’s tasty. Why not eat tripe?'" he says.
As well as sampling some of the city’s famous port, Michael also helps to fix an aging port barrel, braves a wet shave in a soap and perfume boutique and handmakes a brush. He also visits enchanting hidden neighborhoods and explores monuments such as the former stock exchange building, the Palacio da Bolsa, which has walls covered in gold. "For many Porto is flyover territory as they head for the beaches in the south but many are discovering it’s a top notch city break," he says. "This city of pride and grit as well as vistas and gastronomy ensnares you, and I’m a willing captive."

Episode 2 on Saturday, March 8: Ponte de Lima and Braga
Michael's journey continues in the north west, where he visits Ponte de Lima, which is the oldest town in Portugal, plus the city of Braga. He enjoys the Felrus Novas festival and meets pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago route. He also climbs all 573 steps up to the holy shrine of Bom Jesus de Monte. Here he visits the city’s oldest grocery, established 130 years ago, where he buys a side of salted cod, Portugal’s national dish, for an evening’s feast in the lush countryside surrounding the city. Michael picks produce with renowned local chef Renato, before helping to cook a meal in Portuguese cast iron pots, over fire. Michael’s journey ends on the streets of Braga with belly dancers who have revived the ancient art that is thought to first have migrated to northern Portugal with the arrival of the Romans.
And will Michael remember visiting the 'river of forgetfulness'? 

Episode 3 on Saturday March 15: The Algarve
Stretching for 125 miles along its Southern Atlantic coast, the Algarve has been voted the world’s best beach destination three times since 2020. It attracts up to 5 million visitors yearly, drawn to its golden cliff-backed beaches, delicious seafood and international resorts. Michael seeks out the hidden history and secret places in between the bustling tourist hotspots, beginning on its wild Atlantic coast, 15 miles west of the resort towns of Lagos and Praia da Luz. Here he meets Paolo, a specialist fisherman, who risks life and limb every day in search of one of the Mediterranean’s most sought-after seafood delicacies, goose barnacles, which live on jagged cliffs and exposed rocks pounded by the ocean. Once harvested, Michael and Paolo cook up the prized crustaceans on a stretch of pristine beach, where Michael learns that they can fetch more than 70 Euros per kilo at market, due to the extreme risks involved in finding them.
Heading further inland, Michael discovers two very special towns that were once part of a vast Muslim Empire that ruled over much of modern-day Spain and Portugal. In Loulé, he visits a master coppersmith who makes traditional Algarvian cooking dishes called Cataplana, by hand, from a circular sheet of copper. Then, in the ancient city of Silves, MIchael learns how Portugal’s Islamic heritage is still evident in the castle that tops the Old Town. He also visits one of the Algarve’s oldest vineyards, which employs sheep and goats to help control weeds and fertilise the vines. But the sudden influx of 300 ravenous sheep almost knocks Michael off his feet.
Moving east, Michael heads into Faro, capital of the Algarve, where most visitors touch down at the airport. Here he discovers a bone chapel built from the historic bones of more than a thousand Carmelite friars. His journey concludes near the neighbouring fishermen's town of Olhão, the gateway to one of Portugal’s most important and beautiful areas- the marine reserves of Ria Formosa, home to lagoons, islands and one of the world’s largest colonies of seahorses. Michael ends up on one of its barrier islands, where he enjoys fresh oysters at a beach restaurant owned by expat Nicola and her Portuguese husband, Miguel, who tells him why she swapped the UK for a far more relaxed pace of life on the Algarve.

Episodes 4 to 6
Please check back as we'll be adding as the series progresses.

Is there a trailer?

No, not yet but if one becomes available we’ll add it to this page.

All about Michael Portillo

Michael Portillo is a former Conservative MP and cabinet minister but after he retired from politics he branched into broadcasting, making a number of travel series including Great British Railway Journeys, Great Continental Railway Journeys, Great Australian Railway Journeys, Michael Portillo’s Long Weekends and Great Asian Railway Journeys. He’s also presented Portillo’s Empire Journey, Dinner with Portillo, Portillo’s State Secrets and Portillo.