Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Welcome to
Portugal
Medieval castles, cobblestone villages, captivating cities and
golden beaches: the Portugal experience can be many things.
History, great food and idyllic scenery are just the beginning…
Ghosts of the Past
Celts, Romans, Visigoths, Moors and Christians all left their mark on the Iberian nation.
Here, you can gaze upon 20,000- year-old stone carvings in the Vila Nova de Foz Côa,
watch the sunset over mysterious megaliths outside Évora or lose yourself in the elaborate
corridors of Unesco World Heritage sites in Tomar, Belém, Alcobaça or Batalha. You can
pack an itinerary visiting palaces set above mist-covered woodlands, craggy clifftop castles
and stunningly preserved medieval town centres.
The Portuguese Table
Freshly baked bread, olives, cheese, red wine or crisp
vinho verde
(sparkling wine),
cata-
plana
(seafood stew), smoked meats - the Portuguese have p erfected the art of cooking
simple, delicious meals. Sitting down to table means experiencing the richness of Por-
tugal's bountiful coastline and fertile countryside. Of course, you don't have to sit, you can
take your piping -hot
pastel de nata
(custard tart) standing up at an 1837 patisserie in
Belém, or wander through scenic vineyards sipping the velvety ports of the Douro valley.
You can shop the produce-filled markets, or book a table in one of the country's top dining
rooms.
Cinematic Scenery
Outside the cities, Portugal's beauty unfolds in all its startling variety. You can go hiking
amid the granite peaks of Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês or take in the pristine scenery
and historic villages of the little- explored Beiras. More than 800km of coast offers a multi-
tude of places to soak up the splendour. Gaze out over dramatic end- of-the-world cliffs,
surf stellar breaks off dune-covered beaches or laze peacefully on sandy islands fronting
