For Americans wanting to get away and relieve stress, few places can match Portugal with its beautiful beaches, historical treasures, warm people and reasonable prices. And, you'll enjoy the opportunity to explore a fascinating western European country that most people know little about. Start in Lisbon, with its excellent museums, but take a look at some other cities from north to south; compare the magnificent medieval churches, monasteries and castles. In the southernmost region, the area known as the Algarve boasts the finest beaches in Europe. This area was the western extremity of the Moorish occupation in Europe, and here you'll find the remnants of Arabic influence in Portugal.

Who goes there? Thanks to its “undiscovered” status, Portugal is still a venturer destination, but it certainly has all the attributes to attract a broader group. When do they go? Thanks to its Mediterranean-like climate, visits to Portugal can only be spoiled by rainy springs and falls. It's quite warm in summer, pleasant in winter.

Choose a real getaway on Porto Santo, an island accessed by boat or air from Madeira. Activity choices include boat trips, diving, golf, mountain biking, paragliding, sportfishing, waterskiing or windsurfing. It’s a long list!

Stomp on the grapes during the fall harvest at the vineyard Lagarada in Douro.

Listen to fado, a musical style that evolved in Lisbon’s old quarters and largely consisting of deep, plaintive laments sung to a guitar accompaniment. Listen to the music by candlelight; some venues serve food.

Amalia, in black dress and shawl, was the fado singer who took the music overseas. Visit her residence which now is a museum.

Go deep-sea fishing off the Algarve coast.

Stay in a farmhouse in the Alentejo region in southeast Portugal, where you may have chances for cycling, horseback riding, even waterskiing on area lakes or reservoirs.

Attend the Feast of Sao Joao (Saint John) in Porto where on a June night revelers do battle through the night with lemon balm and leeks.

Go scuba diving in the Algarve where you can dive year-round. Do a night dive. Other options include surfing, waterskiing and windsurfing.

Go to a bullfight in Lisbon or at one of several venues not too far from the capital.

See the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) in Alentejo. The walls are lined with the bones and skulls of 5,000 monks, laid out in a variety of intricate patterns.

Go horseback riding anywhere along the Algarve coast; there are many stables to choose from.

Travel the olive oil route in Alentejo (as well as tracking the wine route), and visit the area’s olive oil museum. Add tastings of the area’s sheep and goat cheeses to this list.
Go to Madeira for New Year’s. Or go for its Carnival.

Sample Portugal’s green wine. It is not green, merely consumed when young. Follow the Vinho Verde route through the Minho region.

See street parades at Lisbon’s mid-June festival celebrating St. Anthony the matchmaker.

Visit ghost towns, and we’re talking about towns that were emptied hundreds of years ago. For example, Arouce, one of many tiny abandoned villages dotting the Serra da Lousa landscape; Ourem, with a charred and allegedly haunted castle, and the abandoned medieval Marialva, with its decayed churches, houses and walls.

Go to the beach on the Algarve, then check out the casinos in the evenings.

If history is your thing, visit the town of Tomar, which has the most romantic castle in Portugal and a 12th century church established by the powerful Knights Templar.

Visit the Tile Museum in Lisbon. When walking the streets, admire the tiles used as small decorative art pieces or used to cover entire exterior walls of buildings. Then, buy some tiles to take home.

Play golf. Portugal seems to have been made for duffers.

Tour the Douro wine region in the north, the home of Port wine. Travel by car or train, or take a one- or two-day boat trip on the Douro from Porto to the Port-producing estates. Viewing by helicopter is an option, too.

Go bird-watching in the mountains and highland plains of Madeira.

See any number of Portugal’s historic hilltop villages located in the heart of the country. One of those is Belmonte, home to a Jewish quarter whose residents practiced their rituals in secret for so long beginning with the Inquisition that, by the late 20th century, they did not know they were Jewish. A pousada (historic building converted into a hotel) in town is a former convent.

For more information, consult the Portuguese Trade and Tourism Office at www.visitportugal.com

back to top