September is one of the most recommended months to travel around Portugal when tourism starts to decrease, allowing you to know and enjoy it, with no haste, no queues and no crowds.

Depending on the region, the climate becomes also very nice, days are still bright and long and temperatures mild, there are even some hot days when going for a swim feels great.

And because we adore September, we would like to share some of the most genuine and interesting experiences to be lived in Portugal during this month.

The Harvest Season

Although the dates of the grape harvest season vary depending on the climate and the degree of ripeness of the grapes, September sometimes until October, is the best month if you want to enjoy the beauty of the vineyard landscapes during the grape harvest time.

Douro region is fabulous during this time, with autumn colours which decorate the terraces overlooking the River landscape. There are quite a lot of wineries that have grape harvest programmes in which you can participate. A day spent in between the vines with the traditional grapes picking, the typical region meals made in iron pots and the ritual of grapes stomping, with the sound of local chants. And whilst some grape stomp and cheerful dance at the wine press, others play the more traditional instruments of the region.

A moment to be driven by your senses and travelling in time, taking part in the traditional grape Harvest in the Douro.

Vinho Verde Wine Fest

For those who visit Porto city, this event which has the elegant Vinho Verde as protagonist, happens every year in September. It is an excellent option to feel the relaxed atmosphere of Oporto, enjoying a fabulous sunset at the end of the afternoon. In Alfandega do Porto you can find and participate in exhibitions, wine tasting, gastronomy, oenotourism and tutored wine tasting, show cooking, music, amongst many other activities.

If you still have a few days to explore the north and with your palate already refined by the Vinho Verde we suggest you to explore the beautiful Minho, with its elegant villages, so rich in history and traditions, with a landscape that charms you with the deep green of the vineyards.

Pilgrimage to Nossa Senhora dos Remédios in Lamego

The city of Lamego on The South Bank of Douro River is a place which is worth visiting by its historical richness. The origins of this town go back to the Roman presence in the Iberian Peninsula, to the legendary Cortes de Lamego where D Afonso Henriques was acclaimed King of Portugal. But besides this historical richness it also keeps a strong religiousness which can be seen in its several monuments, being the most emblematic the sumptuous and monumental baroque shrine of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, which from its 600 metres height, answers the believer’s calls, granting relief for their distress.

The pilgrimage dedicated to Nossa Senhora dos Remédios, happens every year between six and eight of September. During this procession the Virgin is carried by a cart pulled by coupled oxen, making Lamego the only place in the Catholic world where the statue of the Virgin is carried by animals.  Religion combined with music, gastronomy and the most genuine traditions of this place, it is worth going to this festival.

Feiras Novas in Ponte de Lima

A Minho region feast with all its charm, in the oldest village of Portugal, the beautiful Ponte de Lima. It is worth just to scroll the streets of this historical village and delight yourself with the small treasures to be discovered.

In September the village gains even more life with the Feiras Novas celebration. This feast has been celebrated over centuries in honour of Our Lady of the Sorrows who, although not being the patron Saint of Ponte de Lima, soon became the devotees chosen one. The Feiras Novas celebration happens on the second weekend of September and it is night and day; a three-day partying where music, fireworks, gigantones and cabeçudos (Giants and Bigheads) are kings as well as the folklore and the accordions or the livestock and Portuguese horses contest.

A religious ceremony noteworthy.

White Night in Braga

Maybe inspired in Paris, the Braga’s White Night is one of the glitziest events in town and has thousands of visitors every year, since its first edition in 2012. This artistic and cultural event happen in the first weekend of September in the historical centre of Braga an offers a big variety of activities between concerts, innovative performances, museums opened all night. Perfect to get to know this historic city with its solemn monuments but with a modern and contemporary lifestyle, as it is one of Portugal’s cities with the youngest population.

The city dresses in white so, dress yourself up, for one of the most interesting cultural and artistic events in Portugal

To know better the culture of a country, taking part on its more secular and rooted traditions, as the grape harvest, the religious pilgrimages, which cheer up the villages or the more cosmopolitan events, which allow you to get to know the life in the small villages or the cities atmosphere.

These are some of the charms of Portugal in September but there are a lot more. For more information contact our team who will be glad to help you to discover all the charms of Portugal, at any time of the year.