LISBON | LISBOA | PORTUGAL
Portugal
Portugal is one of the oldest nations on the continent, boasting a diversity of traditions and a proud seafaring history, outstanding monuments, where castles and churches meet futuristic new buildings and technologies, while ancient traditions are upheld as vigorously as new trends are embraced.
This is the magic of Portugal!
Despite its diminutive size, the country is blessed with a variety of landscapes, from verdant mountains and golden plains to beautiful river valleys and miles of sun-drenched beaches.
Lisbon | Lisboa
In a city that has been influenced by many different far-off cultures over time, there is still a village feel in each historic neighbourhood. Stroll through the Pombaline grid of streets in the Baixa district that opens on to the Tagus in Praça do Comércio, then follow the river to discover some of the city’s most beautiful parts: the monumental area of Belém with its World Heritage monuments, the mediaeval quarters and the latest contemporary leisure spaces, such as the Parque das Nações
Along the coastal road you’ll find beaches and beach resorts that combine villas and hotels from the beginning of the 20th century with marinas, terraces and excellent golf courses. Further along the coast you’ll come across world-renowned surfing beaches, but also the palaces scattered across the cultural landscape of Sintra, a World Heritage Site.
The wide variety of landscapes and heritage is always close by, whether to the north or south of the capital. With beaches, natural parks, cultural routes and accommodation for all tastes, it is hard to escape the Lisbon region on a visit to Portugal.
Portuguese food and wine
Portugal faces the Atlantic, smells of the Atlantic, breathes the Atlantic, has an Atlantic soul... but its cuisine is more Mediterranean than it seems. A paradox! The three essentials of the Portuguese diet are wheat (delicious bread), wine (wonderful reds and whites) and olive oil (very aromatic), called the "Mediterranean triad", which suggests a strong bond with its neighbours to the east.
The Portuguese love olives; they eat a lot of cheese and use sautéed onion and garlic as the basis of almost all their dishes. All very Mediterranean customs. However, coriander is the national aromatic herb. Ginger and chillies give an exotic touch to some of the dishes, such as the popular "piri-piri" chicken, garnished with a chilli sauce which also goes perfectly with barbecued fish. Across the country, it is known as "frango da Guia" (charcoal-grilled chicken), its fame being traditionally associated with a restaurant in the Algarve.
Wine tourism is very fashionable in Portugal.
It’s not just about knowing the vines and tasting the wines, because innovative tourist complexes have been emerging around the vineyards where you can learn and enjoy using all five senses. Wineries, restaurants, wine bars, wine routes and modern wine spas with grape-based beauty treatments are just some of the temptations you can encounter on the wine routes. Vineyards cover the hillsides and plains from the Minho to Faro. Getting to know Portugal through its wines is an enjoyable and different kind of contact with the culture of the country.
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