Always start in Lisbon, which, with its surroundings, contains a wide selection of what the country has to offer: historical monuments, superb beaches, trendy nightclubs and traditional neighbourhoods.
To the north, Porto is the country’s 2nd city and, for many, the economic heartland. It certainly beats faster than the rest of the country, but the town maintains a typically Portuguese welcome.
These are the 2 big cities, but the Portuguese cultural and historical past is present in the so-called smaller ones, especially the university towns, Coimbra and Évora, or in the first capital of the country – Guimarães.
In the centre, other towns have more personal interests: in the centre, Fátima has one of the most respected Catholic shrines in the world, and Tomar was the seat of the order of the Knights Templar.
Extraordinary monuments dominate certain cities – monasteries, abbeys, convents and pilgrimage sites such as Mafra, Alcobaça, and Batalha. There’s also the iconic Buçaco forest, the ski fields near Covilhã and several regional wine routes.
Portugal has become famous for its beaches, most enticingly in the Algarve, where it is still possible to escape the crowds: on the islands around Tavira, on the west coast and north of Sagres.
Other less developed ones are found from the Alentejo and Estremadura to the traditional Silver Coast in Beira Litoral. In the north, the sea is decidedly colder.
The most dramatic and verdant scenery is in the north around the spectacular gorge and valley of the River Douro and in the mountainous natural parks of Serra da Estrela, Peneda-Gerês, Montesinho, Alvão and the Serra da Malcata.
Some rural villages in Trás-os-Montes still live a surprisingly traditional existence rooted in agriculture. Finally, along the border with Spain, you find fortified communities, from Valença do Minho in the north to Mértola in the south. Most have fantastic castles and are still little touched by tourism.
