Famous names such as Nicholas Cage, Kate Moss, and Oprah Winfrey have been reported to be fans of one of Portugal’s most famous products. If you’ve guessed Port Wine, you’re wrong. They all love CLAUS PORTO soaps, a natural, creamy, luxury soap that’s been made in the city of Porto since 1887. They’re now sold at luxury shops around the world, in a colorful Art Deco-design packaging. In Lisbon you may get them at special gift shops such as Meio da Praça which we just told you about, as well as at a couple of museum shops such as that of the Berardo Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. In Paris you may find them at the Galeries Lafayette department store, in London you may look for them at Harrods, and in New York you may see them available at Saks Fifth Avenue.
These soaps have become more popular than ever in the last couple of years since Oprah Winfrey named them one of her favorite things on her program. She was introduced to the Portuguese soaps by Lafco, a shop in New York that had been sending her products to try over time. She never really responded until one day when the shop got a call from one of her show’s producers requesting more samples of the Claus Porto soap. As soon as Oprah mentioned the product on her show, the shop’s phones started to ring off the hook, and even now, a couple of years later, they still get calls asking for “Oprah’s soap.”
In reality these soaps have been a favorite luxury item of European elites for some time, with fashion names such as Chanel having requested custom-crested versions.
The main quality of the soaps that make them so unique and special is that they’re all traditionally made, using manual milling and drying processes. They’re therefore much more expensive than the typical supermarket soap, going for as much as 15 euros.

As if visiting Lisbon wasn’t already inexpensive enough, several of the city’s hostels are now on sale if booked through GoLisbon.com’s booking service. And Lisbon’s hostels are no ordinary hostels, having topped lists of the world’s best in the past couple of years. This type of new budget boutique accommodation is mostly found in the very center of the city, and offers shared and private rooms, while also providing comfortable public spaces such as lounges and kitchens for guests to meet each other. Young travelers are the biggest fans of hostels, knowing that they’re no longer just a place with a bed and a shower, especially those in Lisbon.
You may take a look at all of Lisbon’s hostels here, or consider Alfama Patio Hostel which has been singled out with a “best staff” award last December. It is currently offering a 15% discount if booked through GoLisbon’s booking service, while an even bigger discount is offered by Costta Rooms, lowering their usual rate by 20%. The same discount is offered by Kitsch Hostel, while the relatively new Lisbon Calling is bringing down its prices by 10%. Another option is Olá Backpackers, offering a 15% lower rate if you book through GoLisbon.

Those travelers wishing to stay closer to the beach this summer should consider staying in the seaside town of Cascais, just a short train ride away from Lisbon.  That’s where Ana’s Cottage is currently offering a 20% discount, while its Ana’s Cottage Cobre has lowered its rates by 10%.

And because summer often means more than just a long weekend away, many travelers choose to move up north from Lisbon. The likely destination is usually Porto, and for complete information about that city, there’s our Go Oporto site. In Portugal’s second city it is also possible to stay in hostels at cheaper-than-usual prices when booked through our site. Oporto Vintage Studios and Oporto World Heritage Studios are both offering a 15% discount at the moment, or you may also consider Belomonte Apartments, which are now 20% cheaper.

The February issue of the American magazine Conde Nast Traveler features a cover story called “Europe’s New Deal – Four Rising Destinations, Low on Crowds and Cost.” One of those four destinations is “a gem of a Portuguese city” – Porto.

Naturally, the author highlights the port wine and the wine region nearby, but also notes the contemporary and traditional cuisine. You can read the entire article here, and those interested in visiting Portugal’s second city can get complete information on GoLisbon’s sister site GoOporto.com – Oporto Tourist and Hotels Guide.

Portugal is now the world’s 14th most popular tourist destination and by 2020 it expects to be in the top 10. While that’s good news for the country’s economy, it may sound like bad news for you as a tourist. But before you imagine your Portugal visit to be rubbing shoulders with crowds of old folks rushing out of tour buses, be assured that most of the country is actually still tourist free. Despite the increased number of visitors, Portugal remains an undiscovered country because most tourists don’t leave their resorts in Algarve or the luxury hotels of Madeira. Even Lisbon is really only overrun with tourists in August and Easter weekend when most of Spain seems to have crossed the border.

Most of Portugal’s tourists are also mostly coming from only a handful of countries, mainly from Spain, UK, Germany, and France. The main reasons to visit the country as reported by tourists is the geographical proximity and culture, good weather, and low prices. That means you just may have many of the country’s most charming towns all for yourself, especially if you go off the beaten path.

While Sintra, Obidos, and Evora are top choices after Algarve and Lisbon, you should not overlook the north, especially Portugal’s second city, Porto (or Oporto in English). From there it is easy to reach some of the most elegantly-preserved old cities in the country such as Braga, Guimarães, and Viana do Castelo, or visit the World Heritage Douro Valley.

As you must have already seen, GoLisbon is not just a guide to the Portuguese capital, but also a complete guide to Portugal, and you should visit the Portugal section for information about all that the country has waiting for you — still without the crowds.

Just when you thought we couldn’t possibly tell you about another film festival coming to Lisbon (GoLisbon has told you about the Digital Film Festival, the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and the Horror Film Festival), here comes another one celebrating French cinema! It starts tomorrow, October 2nd, and will screen the best of the latest French films until the 12th in Lisbon, and until the 2nd of November in other Portuguese cities (in Coimbra from the 13th to 18th of October, Porto from the 21st to the 26th, and Faro from the 29th of October to the 2nd of November).

This is a non-competitive showing of films produced (or co-produced in France), and will include 25 premieres in the 45 features screened. They’re shown in French with Portuguese subtitles at São Jorge Cinema in Avenida da Liberdade and at Cinemateca, the city’s film museum not too far away.
A number of France’s film stars will come to Lisbon for the event, which for nine years has drawn thousands to see the original stories created in the land of Méliès.

GoLisbon.com has established itself as the most complete online source for information about Lisbon. And now we’re going to do the same with Portugal’s second city, Porto (or Oporto in the English world).These two cities have as much in common as they have in unique differences and should be the two main stops in the country for those looking to experience the culture and soul of Portugal (the beaches of Algarve can be saved for the end of the trip…)

Porto is growing as a favorite tourist destination (especially for short city breaks among Europeans), and while it’s cleaned up to better welcome this larger number of guests, it still maintains an Old World atmosphere that unquestionably makes it one of Europe’s most charismatic cities.

Overlooking the centuries-old boats that carry its world-famous port wine down the Douro River are magnificent turn-of-the-century bridges and monuments surrounded my colourful medieval houses… In between it all are new world-class cultural attractions by Pritzker Award-winning architects –- the Serralves Museum and Casa da Musica.

If you haven’t yet heard much about Porto or its attractions, we invite you to look at the new (and still partially under construction) GoOporto.com website. You’ll have plenty of ideas on what to see before or after a visit to Lisbon…

Click here:
Porto (Oporto), Portugal — Tourist Sites and Hotels Guide