Cities with ancient and contemporary attractions, colorful medieval villages, charming seaside towns; ancient castles, romantic
palaces, and a rich architectural and archaeological heritage. Constant sunshine, green natural parks and mountains,
grand rivers, and a vast coastline. It all adds up to Portugal's surprising variety of landscapes and cultural treasures -- an astonishing variety for such a small country, which combined with lower prices than in other European destinations, makes it one of the most rewarding travel experiences in the world and one of the most beautiful countries.
Portugal is proud of its UNESCO-protected World Heritage Sites, since no other country of comparable size has more. There are currently 16 sites on the list, with several others hoping to join soon (Marvão,
Lisbon's Baixa district,
Vila Viçosa,
Arrabida,
Mafra Palace).
The country's 16 World Heritage Sites are:
Jeronimos Monastery
Belem Tower
Sintra
Evora
Batalha Abbey
Alcobaça Abbey
Tomar's Templar Castle and Convent
Elvas Fortifications
Guimarães
Porto's Old Center
Douro Valley
Coimbra University
Prehistoric Rock Art of Côa Valley
Angra do Heroismo
Pico Island Vineyard Culture
Laurisilva Forest
These 3 experiences capture the essence of Portugal:
THE AGE OF DISCOVERY
All of Portugal recalls the Age of Discovery -- in ornate stonework
inspired by India
(Batalha
Abbey, Convent of
Christ, Jeronimos
Monastery, Belem
Tower), in marvelous blue-and-white tile panels evocative of Chinese
porcelain, in the gastronomy influenced by the sea and with the flavors of
Africa and the Americas, in the art, Indo-Portuguese furniture, and porcelain that decorate the royal
palaces and fill Lisbon's
museums, and in the fantastic gilt and baroque church interiors made
with the gold discovered in Brazil. And gazing into the horizon from
dramatic capes (Cabo de
São Vicente and Cabo da Roca)
is just as inspiring today as when Prince Henry the Navigator, Vasco da
Gama, or Magellan stood on the same spots and dreamed of discovering the
world.
MEDIEVAL ROMANCE
It's impossible not to become enchanted by Portugal's
perfectly-preserved medieval villages, such as Obidos, Marvão, and
Monsaraz. It's inescapable falling under Sintra's
spell with its bewitching atmosphere of surrealist palaces and lush
vegetation. Portugal is a country that invites you to travel back in time
and scale walls of ancient castles and wander around extravagant royal
palaces, many of them converted into fabulous hotels where you can live like
a king amid lavish old furnishings or stylish modern design. It tells
tragic love stories and episodes of epic battles as you admire World
Heritage monuments in Alcobaça
and Batalha. In
Portugal it is possible to experience a fairytale.
SUN, SEA, & SAND
Algarve, the
southernmost province, has the most annual sunshine hours in Europe and some
of the continent's most beautiful beaches.
In the island of Madeira,
with its exuberant landscape, it's spring all year long. Throughout the
country, the climate is mild and the entire coastline offers sandy beaches,
many of them deserted, others among the most popular in the world for water
sports such as surfing and windsurfing. The islands of the Azores have
always been one of the world's best sites for whale-watching. The country's
golf courses were designed by the world's most renowned architects and rank
among the best in the world. In charming fishing villages it is still
possible to feel ultimate relaxation and the breeze and spray of the ocean
without maddening crowds. Award-winning resorts such as Vale do
Lobo, Quinta
do Lago, and Vilamoura
are among the best you'll find anywhere in Europe. Best of all, in Portugal
you can have a beach all for yourself -- just head to the Alentejo
coast or to a secluded cove in Algarve.
Choose the best hotels for you in Lisbon, Porto, Sintra, Cascais, Estoril, Fatima, Albufeira, Faro, Lagos, Vilamoura, Funchal, and in other popular destinations in Portugal.
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