Portugal is a small country in Western Europe, officially the oldest nation in the continent, a member of the European Union, and where modernity and tradition go hand in hand. The territory of Portugal is divided into mainland Portugal, a strip of land leaning against the Atlantic Ocean, on the west side of the Iberian Peninsula, and two archipelagos in the Atlantic Ocean, Madeira, in front of the West African coast, and the Azores, halfway from Europe to North America.
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Visit Portugal
Despite being a small country (mainland Portugal has an area of about 90,000 km2, or 35,000 mi2), Portugal has a great physical diversity, with mountains and valleys to the north, plains and beaches to the south, tropical forest in Madeira and volcanoes in the Azores, but also cultural diversity, with a population concentrated in coastal cities, more conservative and religious in the north of the continent and in the Azores, and more relaxed and outgoing in the south of the continent and in Madeira.
Visiting Portugal means discovering a country with a long history and one of the oldest borders in Europe and discovering that, in a small rectangle of land and some islands, there is an enormous diversity of landscapes, traditions and customs, but also people with very marked identity and sense of nationality.
Regardless of the purpose of your trip being pure leisure, culture, adrenaline or fun, Portugal has destinations for all tastes. Cities with ancient history, villages where people still live in a traditional way, villages facing the sea, snowy mountains in winter and flowering in spring, endless plains, cliffs that fall into the ocean, rivers that touch our souls, black volcanic lands , green forests of lush vegetation, waterfalls, lagoons and beaches of turquoise water, Portugal has all this and more.
HOW TO USE PORTUGALTRAVELDESTINATIONS.COM
If you want to travel in Portugal, but have not yet decided where, then portugaltraveldestinations.com was designed for you, serving as inspiration, first, and then as a companion in the planning of the trip. You can travel through the site in three ways: explore by regions, plan your trip, and trip ideas.
Explore by regions
As a reflection of the extraordinary diversity and quality of the offer of tourist destinations in mainland and island Portugal, we decided to separate destinations by regions. We divided Portugal into nine regions:
- Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, and the metropolitan area,
- Algarve, the portuguese beach destination par excellence,
- Madeira Islands, two islands and some islets near the coast of Africa,
- Porto, the “capital” of the north and whose ancient name gave Portugal his own,
- Douro Wine Region, the home of Port wine and some great scenery,
- Azores Islands, nine vulcanic islands that are like gardens in the middle of the ocean,
- Northern Portugal, the birthplace of Portugal, full of history and pride,
- Alentejo, plains without end at the footsteps of Lisbon, and
- Central Portugal, a mixture of mountains, valleys and river beaches.
In each one of them you will find everything you need to know about the main destinations in that region. We tried to have a homogeneous distribution of these destinations throughout the Portuguese territory, but it is inevitable that there are regions more represented than others, since this reflects our choices as travellers in Portugal.
For each region, you will find suggestions for places to visit,, what to see and do, places to sleep, what to eat, and in some cases , a suggested itinerary, of one or more days. These routes should not, however, be viewed in a rigid way. They all derive from our interests, but can be adapted to the visitor’s tastes. Our suggestions should serve as inspiration, a way to open your horizons and not limit them.
Plan your trip
If you want to plan your trip to Portugal (and today, more than ever, one has to plan ahead), you will need to know the answers to basic questions about Portugal and the Portuguese.
- What covid-19 restrictions are in place, either in terms of the regime of entry into the country, or in terms of internal functioning?
- How does transportation works?
- How is the weather and what is the best time to visit?
- What kind of people are the Portuguese and how can I communicate with them?
- What kind of accommodation can I find, and where can I book stays?
- What should I know about the History of Portugal and the Portuguese?
- What festivals and events mark the year in Portugal?
- What currency is used and how can I use money and bank cards?
- What food and drinks should I not miss?
You can find the answers to these and other questions in “Plan your trip”.
Trip Ideas for travelling in Portugal
Finally, you can also search for your favorite destination in Portugal according to the type of travel you prefer. We present suggestions of destinations divided into nine themes:
- Roadtrips, for those who want to know Portugal more in depth,
- Beach, for lovers of water and the sun,
- Hiking, for those who enjoy contact with Nature,
- Train travel, for lovers of slow and contemplative travel,
- Cities, for those who have little time and want to make the most of it,
- Villages, for those looking for serenity and isolation,
- Places to stay, for those for who where to stay is as important as where to go,
- Food, for those who want to discover a rich and tasty gastronomy, and
- Wine, for lovers of the drink and all the culture, history and landscapes that come with it.
We hope that portugaltraveldestinations.com can help you dream and choose your next destination in Portugal.
