So why visit Portugal? The simple answer is, Portugal has it all, including beautiful beaches to sun yourself on, championship golf courses, history and culture, an amazing interior to explore, an array of land and water activities and a great club scene. The Portuguese people have a deep respect for their heritage and traditions, hence the many festivals that are held throughout the country all through the year. These festivals and fiestas are a great way for you to experience the local culture, traditions and cuisine.

Algarve golf course

Portugal is well known for its great choice of golf courses with a number of courses designed by the 3-times British Open champion Sir Henry Cotton who lived in the Algarve. Most courses are found in the Algarve but there are good golf courses all over Portugal including the Lisbon area.

Mainland Portugal and its islands offer more than 500 miles of coastline making it a popular destination for water sports enthusiasts. Windsurfing, surfing and sailing are extremely popular with the more experienced surfers heading to the Lisbon Coast. Away from the sea Portugal’s rivers are becoming more and more popular with kayakers and canoeists. Read more »

The Portuguese island group of the Azores command an amazing Atlantic Ocean location 930 miles from Lisbon. The unspoilt islands attract mainly outdoor activity enthusiasts looking for isolated holidays in beautiful volcanic surroundings with verdant green farmland, amazing lakes and beautiful wild flowers. Most holidays to the Azores are taken on the islands of Pico, Faial, Sao Jorge, Terceira and Graciosa; however the lesser known islands of Santa Maria, Sao Miguel, Flores and the tiny island of Corvo are becoming more popular.

The islands offer a very slow pace of life in a romantic atmosphere, tiny hamlets full of character, quaint old towns, intriguing churches and amazing festivals. As you wander through the beautiful farmland you will come across isolated farmhouses, fruit orchards and vineyards. Read more »

Located on the south west coast of Portugal, Lagos is one of the oldest towns in the Algarve. Just 10 miles from Portimao and 50 miles from Faro, the town is a historic seaport, thriving market town and attractive beach resort. The town itself is a fishing harbour set in a beautiful bay and surrounded by crumbling walls. Holiday packages to Lagos give visitors the chance to enjoy the real Portugal in a vibrant atmosphere together with charm and sophistication. The old pedestrianised old town is a maze of narrow cobbled streets with whitewashed houses, attractive squares, beautiful architecture, cultural and historical attractions including museums and churches.

Lagos

Lagos has a wide range of beaches ranging from small secluded cove to the vast expanses of the amazing Meia Praia. The main Meia Praia beach, to the east of Lagos, is a magnificent stretch of sand and shingle which can be reached by ferry or bus. There are many beaches found on the promontory to the south of the town. This coast offers a mix of tiny coves, caves, grottos and strange rock formations. Read more »

Located just 15 miles from Oporto in Northern Portugal, Povoa de Varzim is a major seaside resort on the Costa Verde (Green Coast). Originally a major fishing town in the area, the resort has become a delightful cosmopolitan summer retreat but still with reminders of the

Povoa de Varzim

towns origins. The town boasts historic churches, museums and a beautiful harbour which is protected by an 18th century fort and is where the local fishing boats land their catch of sardines, hake, sea bream and seaweed which is dried and then sold as fertilizer. Povoa de Varzim is an attractive, sophisticated town with traditional black and white mosaic pavements, beautiful gardens and a town hall where a monument to the town’s most famous resident, the 19th century novelist Eca de Queiros, stands. Read more »

Located on Portugal’s Algarve, just 25 miles from Faro airport, the popular beach resort of Albufeira attracts a wide range of visitors. The beautiful beaches and lively nightlife brings both the young and old, and families with children flocking to the resort on their bargain holidays

Albufeira

to Portugal. The resort has plenty of restaurants serving a choice of traditional Portuguese and International cuisine, cafes and bars. Try some traditional fish and seafood dishes at the restaurants around the Fisherman’s beach for a taste of the real Portugal. Along the seafront, towards Praia da Oura there is no-end of lively music bars which stay open until the clubs and discos open at night. Read more »

Faro is a lively provincial capital which is often overlooked by visitors when visiting Portugal’s Algarve.  Just 5 minutes from Faro airport, this historic town offers a taste of real Portugal in an exciting lively atmosphere. Thanks to dry hot summers and mild winters Faro is a popular choice for holidays throughout the year, including holidays in December when temperatures are still around the 20C mark. Visitors to Portugal

Faro

on their bargain holidays often miss out on this fascinating town by rushing off to the beach resorts of the Algarve.

Faro has an array of restored buildings of varying architectural styles which are surrounded by crumbling medieval walls. The historic old town, the Cidade Velha, has charming cobbled streets with white-washed buildings, a town square lined with orange trees and surrounded by elegant buildings including the Read more »

The old port and fishing village of Alvor sits at the mouth of the River Alvor in western Algarve. Just 5 miles from Portimao, 12 miles from Lagos and about 40 miles from Faro, Alvor is popular with families and couples looking for a quiet resort with uncrowded beaches. The resort

Alvor

is slightly less developed than other resorts on the Algarve, mixing the old with the new. The narrow cobbled streets are lined with the original traditional fisherman’s cottages which are a focal point of the town. Alvor has much to offer everyone on their cheap holidays to Portugal, including a vast sandy beach, a fishing harbour, riverside square, waterfront promenade, the ruins of a 13th century castle and a 16th century church. Read more »

Located on the island of Madeira’s south-east coast, Funchal is a unique historic town. Set in a deep natural harbour with an amazing backdrop of mountains and vibrant green hills, Funchal revels in some of the best weather on the island. The town is steeped in history which dates back over 500 years which is shown in the steep cobbled streets which date back to the 16th century, exquisite colonial buildings and the elegant

Funchal

squares. Now a vibrant, bustling town, Funchal is home to nearly two-thirds of the islands inhabitants who share the areas natural beauty, exotic tropical vegetation and beautiful gardens with the people who choose one of the many cheap package holidays to this amazing island of Madeira. The town’s hotels offer a high standard of accommodation along with small quintas (country houses) and guest houses. Read more »

Portuguese grilled sardines

Whether you’ve got a week or a month for travelling in Portugal, the country has much to offer to international tourists. Recently, the small coastal country has gained a reputation for its food. With a long history of exploration, Portuguese food consists of a wide variety of international spices. Portuguese cuisine is also heavily influenced by other Mediterranean cuisines, with a heavy penchant for olive oil and garlic.

Tour in Porto – tripe & red wine

Being a coastal country, Portugal features a lot of fish and seafood in its cuisine. A food tour to Porto, however, wouldn’t be complete without the meaty tripe—a speciality of the Porto region. Tripe is animal intestines but, in Porto, mixed with red wine, beans, sausage & black pepper, the dish is particularly flavorful. Because many of the wines from the Duoro valley near Porto are rich, full-bodied reds, most of the cuisine you’ll encounter will usually be meat & rice dishes.

You’ll find many of the local apartments in Porto in the Ribeira district, just along the Duoro River. Restaurants, bars and cafes in this area are a popular place to find good food and interesting people.

Food specialties in Lagos

Located on the southern coast of Portugal, Lagos has several food specialties.  The southern region of Portugal, the Algarve, is famous for its sardines which many locals cook throughout the day—a simple snack food for the barbeque! The Algarve region also has two other main-dish specialties, if you’re on a food tour through Lagos and the surrounding region:

Chicken piri piri: This barbequed chicken dish is served with the local piri piri sauce. Piri piri is a spicy sauce, made of a particularly hot chile. The Portuguese introduced the sauce into their cuisine from their colonies in Mozambique and Angola. Though it’s mostly used with

Cod in Portugal

barbeque chicken, it’s also a popular seasoning for grilled fish & shrimp.

Salted cod: Called “bacalhau”, salted cod is a staple dish of Portugal. It’s even a traditional Christmas dinner in some parts. While it’s a popular food from many of the seafaring nations during the times of colonisation, the Portuguese are known to have specialized salted cod into as few as 365 different recipes (one for every day of the year), or as some legends have it, over 1000 different recipes.

Food in Lisbon, with an international flair

If you’re staying in one of the many Lisbon apartments in the trendy Bairro Alto neighbourhood, you’ll be near many of the restaurants—restaurants popular with both the locals and the tourists. Food in Lisbon, the Portuguese centre of tourism, is renowned around the world for its high-class chefs and international cuisine, not to mention five-star Portuguese restaurants. Within the Bairro Alto neighbourhood are many small cafés and local eateries—perfect locations to find an undiscovered restaurant.

Whether you’re on a country-wide food tour in Portugal, or just visiting Lisbon on a short break, you’ll find food is as much a part of the local culture as anything else—maybe even more so. If you hop from city to city, consider staying in one of the many apartments on offer throughout Portugal. With hundreds of apartment & bed and breakfast options, you’ll be living a bit more like a local while travelling.

The quiet beach resort of Ofir is located about 22 miles from Oporto on Portugal’s Costa Verde (Green Coast). The Costa Verde lies in the north-west of Portugal where vineyards producing famous Portuguese wines including Vinho Verde and Rose, rivers and beautiful green countryside add to the areas unspoilt charm. Not only does the region have some excellent countryside to explore, it also offers a magnificent coastline with sweeping bays where visitors can relax on their last minute holidays to Portugal.

Ofir, Costa Verde

Ofir is one of the best beach resorts on the Costa Verde, offering good hotels, a beautiful beach and wonderful scenery. The resort is surrounded by pine forests and the beach is edged with sand dunes. The long wide sandy beach is lapped by the Atlantic and the warm waters are very popular with windsurfers. Other water sports on offer in Ofir include snorkelling, surfing, sea kayaking, sailing and fishing. There are so many secluded bays and coves along the coastline which are perfect for relaxing in the sun that you will be spoilt for choice. A boat trip is an excellent way to see the dramatic Costa Verde coastline.

Although Ofir has some restaurants and bars there is a wider choice at Fao which is just a couple of miles inland from the resort. Dating back to Roman times, Fao sits at the mouth of the River Cavado and is a great place for fishing and canoeing. Nearby on the river bank is the old fishing town of Esposende where you can take a leisurely stroll and discover the quaint town squares and historic old buildings.

Costa Verde coastline

The best way to explore the Costa Verde is by car. The amazing scenery is both tranquil and beautiful with charming hillside villages, castles and churches just waiting to be explored. Another way to explore the surrounding countryside is by taking a guided tour on bicycle or horse back. A trip to the volcanic Arcuentu Mountain, where wild cats and deer roam, will give you amazing views from its summit and great photographic opportunities. Take a 30 minute drive from Ofir to Portugal’s second largest city Oporto for a day trip not to be missed on your family holidays to Ofir. Famous for being the home of Port Wine, Oporto is a historical city with great sightseeing and shopping opportunities, restaurants, bars and plenty of nightlife along the city’s

Arcuentu Mountain

riverfront. The gothic Church of St Francis and the Palacio da Bolsa are just two of Oprto’s historic buildings worthy of a visit. An opportunity not to be missed is a guided tour of Oporto’s wine cellars, including wine tasting sessions in the cellars.

Ofir enjoys hot summers but not as hot as the south of Portugal. Temperatures average about 25C during the summer with low humidity levels which make very pleasant weather conditions. June, July and August have 10 hours of sunshine a day with the waters of the Atlantic Ocean hovering around 9C. Even summer evenings enjoy temperatures of 15C, ideal for dining at in the restaurants and having a drink or two at the bars. Most of the rain falls during the spring, autumn and winter months when temperatures hover around 15C.