10 Top Tips on Visiting Portugal

The secret of a memorable trip to Portugal remains on trying to escape the crowds and look for the out-of-the-way places. Many tourists still see Portugal as synonymous with Lisbon and the Algarve. However, there is so much more to see that you will lose half of the country’s enchantment and mystery if you stick to the busy places.

Here are 10 top tips on how to make the most out of your trip to Portugal:

1. Rent a car and drive around the country. It is possible to travel the entire length of the country by motorway (“A” roads), which is a great advantage for drivers. Motorways are not free and you will have to pay a toll. Also, be careful not to get onto the “Via Verde” lane as you join the motorway as these are only for “subscribed” drivers. The advantage is that you will be able to discover the country at your own pace and get away from the crowds.

2. Avoid weekends and public holidays when visiting major touristic sites, such as Sintra, Óbidos and others. These will likely be packed with people and you will have little chance of getting to know the “real” place. Remember that many Portuguese people take advantage of weekends and holidays to visit the country themselves.

3. While in Portugal, avoid all companies that advertise sightseeing tours at bargain or extremely attractive prices. You will likely spend a whole day stuck in a coach, stopping for 5 minutes for a quick photo, and travelling miles and miles. Many of these companies will try to impress you by the quantity of places you visit on a single day. The typical Lisbon - Óbidos – Alcobaça – Batalha – Nazaré – Leiria – Lisbon tour is simply too much and will wear you out! In addition, there is often no precise information about the size of the bus/ number of seats/number of languages spoken on tour! Get advice from Tourist Offices or other reliable sources.

4. Keep away from the déjà vu, clichéd sights. Although some of more historic, famous sights are unavoidable, you can find out hidden treasures. Some hints on places to discover:

· Historical Villages of Portugal - They are villages built in stone (essentially granite and sometimes schist), usually located on high mountain tops where the Portuguese could defend themselves against the Moors, the Spanish and even the French invaders. They are found in the Serra da Estrela area and near the border with Spain. Many stand inside castle walls and preserve traces of medieval times. They are villages where time has stopped, places that take us back to a far distant past: Piódão, Belmonte, Castelo Novo, Idanha-a-Velha, Monsanto, Almeida, Castelo Mendo, Castelo Rodrigo, Linhares da Beira, Marialva, Sortelha and Trancoso.

· Portuguese Nature Parks – Though not very well-known, these Parks are protected areas where the human presence is not very common and you can appreciate Nature’s appeal in all its magnitude. Go to Parque Natural da Arrábida (40 km from Lisbon) for walks or jeep tours ; Go to Parque Nacional da Peneda-Gerês (in the North) where you will find a wild and impressive landscape; Go to Reserva Natural do Estuário do Sado (near Setúbal) if you are particularly keen on dolphin or bird watching; Go to Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e Costa Vicentina, a region graced with a wild beauty that is extremely popular for water sports, particularly surfing and body boarding.

5. Take the opportunity to have an unforgettable experience. Take part in the harvest at the Alto Douro Wine Region in September at one of the many wine estates or have a cooking experience in the Alentejo region, where you will sample your own recipes. These are simply two of the things you can try out whilst in Portugal.

6. Hire a bike and discover the country while you keep fit: Cycle along Aveiro’s streets with a BUGA, a bicycle that can be hired for 1€ ; Ride a bike on the Guincho bicycle lane, a 5km lane that extends from the Casa da Guia, in Cascais town, to Guincho beach; Ramal de Mora lane in Évora, Alentejo, is a 20 km track available for walkers or cyclists, starting from Chafariz d’El Rei in Évora. Well, you will need to go to Portugal in order to discover all the cycle lanes available to sports lovers.

7. Go for a coffee in one of the historic, charming cafés of Portugal:
· A Brasileira, in Braga.
· Café Majestic in Porto, boasting an Art Nouveau façade, a luxurious tea room and huge Art Nouveau mirrors.
· Café Santa Cruz in Coimbra, a beautiful building with domed ceiling and stained glass windows.
· The renowned cafés of Lisbon: Café Nicola, in Rossio, with its Art Nouveau façade; Café Benárd, with a more classical decoration, and homemade confectionary specialities; A Brasileira , where you may sit next to the great poet Fernando Pessoa, sculpted in bronze as a mundane man having a little cup of coffee.

8. Look for a terrace that will literally take your breath away: The Casal de Loivos terrace, in the Alto Douro Wine Region. When you reach Casal de Loivos terrace (“miradouro,” in Portuguese) sit down and relax. Breathe in the silence and enjoy the peacefulness of the place. Watch the river flowing slowly past down below. An absolutely magnificent spot.

9. Visit Lisbon in May, when the city is covered with violet… The Jacaranda tree, an ornamental tree of Middle Eastern origin, blooms in an abundant, gorgeous manner all over Lisbon , painting it with a myriad of little violet flowers. This magnificent spectacle lasts for two to three weeks.

10. Visit the Alentejo region during spring time. The fields will be thickly covered with lovely, brilliantly-colored flowers and the plains, dotted with cork oak and olive trees, will create a wonderful opportunity to unwind and relax.

Baroque May in Óbidos

Abril 16th, 2009, in www.jornaldascaldas.com

It will take place, between the 2nd and 30th May, in the village of Óbidos, another edition of the season of music "May Baroque." Six concerts will be performed, divided into the sanctuary of the Senhor da Pedra and one in Auditorium São Tiago. Besides the musical component of this event, the schedule this year includes a thematic visit "Travel the Baroque in Óbidos" in the Town Hall Museum, on May 16th. Throughout the month of May, fans of classical music will have an opportunity to watch shows where the municipality, together with the Company Municipal Óbidos Patrimonium, focus on music quality, seeking to draw attention to the musical heritage of Óbidos.The tickets for the concert cost 5 euros and can be purchased at the Tourism Office of Óbidos. For holders of the card "Via Verde para a cultura" the entry is free.

Program is available in http://www.obidos.pt/.

For further information on Óbidos http://www.portugaltrails.com/showCity.php?id=26 .

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Hey Gastronomy Lovers!!!

The Portuguese love a good meal in the company of family and friends. Our rich and varied gastronomy, together with our excellent wines, is always a pretext for warm and memorable get-togethers. Accept our challenge and begin an unforgettable meal. Then why not sample a Portugaltrails gastronomic tour, in relaxing and luxurious surroundings?

Day 1
Lisboa / Évora

Arrival to Lisboa airport. Pick-up of the car.Drive to Évora. Accommodation at the hotel. If you have time and feel full of energy visit this beautiful city, a World Heritage Site by Unesco.Your cooking experience starts in the evening(Class operates between 6:00 and 7:00 pm). Let’s start preparing :• The famous dogfish soup, Alentejo style;• “Migas”(bread potage) with pork, Alentejo style;• “Encharcada” (egg and almond porridge) a recipe of the Stª. Clara Convent.When you feel like a real chef, you may reserve a table at the Sabore’Ar restaurant, where you can taste your recent culinary work (dinner starts at 8:30 pm). At the end you will be very proud of the diploma that you will be receiving.

Day 2
Évora / Reguengos de Monsaraz / Évora

After the learning experience from the previous day, we suggest you to visit the Herdade doEsporão, a famous wine estate well known for its wines, as well as its historic heritage. You can take a guided tour and have a meal at this Estate.We suggest you spend the afternoon discovering the hidden secrets of small villages like Vila Viçosa, a scrupulously clean town, full of flowers and streets lined with orange-trees.Continue to Estremoz, rising on a hilltop it is surrounded by two sets of fortified walls. The old town is an enchanting place with its narrow and winding streets lined by whitewashed houses with a great variety of traditional chimneys.

Day 3
Évora / Lisboa

Spend a quiet morning in this enchanting walled city with a unique atmosphere or drive to Lisboa and do some last minute shopping. Parque das Nações (the Park of Nations) hosts a wide variety of facilities, including a pleasant shopping centre.

Book your tour here! http://www.portugaltrails.com/showTour.php?id=1025&s=2

Get to know Lisbon!

On the right hand side of the Tagus (the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula), Lisbon is a major European city, with a metropolitan area containing up to 2.5 million people (which means that 1 in 4 Portuguese people live in the Lisbon area). It was considered by the world renowned Lonely Planet guidebooks to be one the top 10 cities to visit in 2009.

It seems that the city’s name stems from a Phoenician expression, “Alis-Ubbo”, which means “serene harbour”. In fact, Lisbon was built around the immense Tagus’ mouth.

Although the river’s mouth is quite large towards the west, it has a large gulf that gives it a somewhat oceanic quality. It was always a good port and it still is one of the most important ones in Europe today, but it is also good for a great variety of nautical sports. Lisbon is connected to the south by two very characteristic bridges, engineering masterpieces which give the capital a particular charm.
Lisbon has a dozen different faces, of different urban landscapes, each and every one with its own urban rhythms and lifestyles. With an undulating topography, many of its monuments are seen from afar on top of their hills. It has seven hills, all of them densely urbanised. Some say that Lisbon is, architecturally speaking, a white city, which gives it its markedly Mediterranean character. Lisbon has a very good transport network, especially its underground lines, abundantly decorated with artworks: each station has its own colour scheme and theme. Lisbon is also dotted with the picturesque yellow electric trams, whose trajectories are of great tourist interest.
This is a very sophisticated, complex and cosmopolitan city. It has always been like this, with people from all around the world walking its streets. It has an unrelenting appetite for culture, hosting a multitude of events, and dozens of attractions, theatres, night-life spots, football stadiums, churches and museums. You have no time to get bored in Lisbon. Moreover, there is a typical cultural expression that was born in Lisbon: the Fado, a nostalgic, mysterious type of song that enthrals and awes all those who hear it.

Lisbon is made up of many different boroughs. In Lisbon - Alfama, Baixa and Bairro Alto you can find the hustle and bustle of an historic city. Lisbon - Belém, by the riverside, pays homage to the Portuguese Discoveries, with its great and renowned monuments. If you fancy modern acrchitecture, you shouldn't miss Lisbon - Eastern Lisbon where the Parque das Nações boasts a variety of facilities as well as cultural and leisure areas. Lisbon - Estrela, Lapa and Doca de Alcântara is a charming, quiet area of the city. By Lisbon- Greater Lisbon it is meant the wider area of the Portuguese capital.

To get to know more about this wonderful city and all its hidden secrets and most interesting spots visit http://www.portugaltrails.com/showRegion.php?id=112