According to The Telegraph everyone seems to be going to Portugal right
now. Indeed, this week the country reported gleefully on another record year
for overseas arrivals. Just over 12.7 million foreigners visited the country in
2017 – up 12 per cent year-on-year. Here's why it is proving so popular.
1. Lisbon’s timeworn charm
“Set against the ever-present backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean, this dainty
sun-kissed city lives in a Latin fairytale of timeworn manners and
traditions,” says Telegraph Travel’s Lisbon expert, Guyan Mitra.
“Check out the century-old wooden trams and iron funiculars that still lurch
and rumble their way through the city. Or witness the best of this bygone
heritage by wandering through the Baixa district, where age-old herbalists,
haberdashers and tailors rub shoulders in the baroque streets of the ornate
city centre.” Portugal's capital is a "Latin fairytale" according to our expert.
2. Pretty Porto
“With its medieval heart, contemporary buzz, magnificent gold-leaf-laced
churches – oh, and a rather nice signature tipple – Portugal’s second city
merits a visit at any time,” writes Telegraph Travel’s Adrian Bridge. Carved in two
by the Douro river, downtown Porto has a faded sophistication, while the
seaside suburbs have witnessed something of a renaissance in recent years, home
as they are to a burgeoning collection of bars, restaurants and cafes, which
offer an authentic slice of local life.
3. The wine, of course
Portugal’s national drink (port or porto) is ubiquitous across the country,
particularly in its eponymous home. Any bar and restaurant worth its salt will
sell the fortified wine, but for larger quantities head to one of Portugal’s
plentiful off-licences, which sell anything from dusty, 100-year-old bottles
worth €1,000, to more affordable vintages.
JK Rowling taught English in Porto back in the 1990s and was a regular at
the Livraria Lello bookstore, which is one of the most famous shops in the
city. Apparently, its decorative bookcases, carved wooden ceilings and lavish
staircases inspired the Hogwarts Library in her Harry Potter books.
Nowhere does custard tarts (or pastel de natas, as they’re called here)
quite like Portugal. And perhaps nowhere in Portugal does them as well as
Pasteis de Belém in Lisbon, which is why queues for the sweet, rich and
perfectly crisp tarts often stretch along the pavement.
6. The weather
Perched on the western edge of Europe, Lisbon is the continent’s sunniest
capital city, boasting an average of 2,799 hours of sunshine a year,
pipping Athens, which has 2,771 hours of sun a year, to the
post.
7. It has Madeira
“Madeira is not Ibiza. It attracts a more mature clientele, and raving is
limited to enthusing about the island’s dramatic scenery and botanical
wonders,” writes Telegraph Travels’ destinations expert, Gavin Bell.
Bell was particularly enthused by the island’s cornucopia of fine food and
wine, plus the landscapes which he said could have been “dreamt up by
Tolkien”.
8. Your pound goes further
The vote for Brexit hit travellers in the wallet, but trips to Portugal
soften the blow. Yes, it takes the euro, but the country remains one of the
most affordable destinations on the Continent, offering visitors the elegance
of Western Europe for Eastern European prices. In fact, in its annual Holiday
Money Report, the Post Office declared Portugal the second best value destination for
a European getaway, after Bulgaria.
9. This bridge
Located in Lisbon, this record-breaking structure is named after the famous
Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama.
10. This spectacular stadium
Portugal’s unexpected victory at Euro 2016 ignited further interest in
a sport that already enjoys semi-religious status across the country. There are
bountiful opportunities to watch a game, but for something special head to
Estádio Municipal de Braga, a stadium carved out of a rock. Listen out for the
phrase “o jogo Inglês”, which means “the English game” and is used
disparagingly to describe boring football. Charming.
11. You can whack people with mallets
St John’s Day (June 23) is celebrated with gusto in Porto. There are church
services, all-night parties and, weirdly, inflatable mallets, which are used to
club fellow revellers with.
12. The beaches are exquisite
Portugal’s exquisite coastline, reliable weather and fine seaside resorts
make it one of Europe’s best destinations for a beach break.
13. The waves
Thanks to the rolling swell of the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal is one of
Europe’s best surfing destinations with a wave for every ability. Best of all,
the breaks are relatively uncrowded.
14. It boasts ‘Europe’s answer to Hawaii’
Floating in the Atlantic Ocean, some 850 miles from mainland Portugal, the
Azores was described as “the Hawaii of the Atlantic” by Telegraph Travel’s Chris
Leadbeater. “They are lost in deep seas; steep-sided, beautiful, wild,” he
wrote. “This is not to say the weather matches the glow of Pacific America –
cloud and rain dog the Azores as much as sunshine – but such climactic
inconstancy only adds to the aesthetic. Every day is different.”
15. Its secret cities
Everyone has heard of Lisbon and Porto, but how about Guimarães, Tavira
and Sintra? If those names don’t ring any bells you’re
missing out on an opportunity to discover what Portuguese cities were like
before the tourists arrived.
16. Opulent hotels abound
And because money goes further in Portugal, a luxury stay is refreshingly
affordable.
17. The nightlife
From the thronging streets of Lisbon and Porto to the pumping seaside
resorts of the Algarve, Portugal’s love for a night on the tiles is no secret.
Less known, however, is the country’s growing affection for Afro-house, which
is being imported from Africa like its going out of fashion. The genre has
found fertile ground in Lisbon’s vivacious clubbing scene, but it’s poised to
spread across the country.
18. Fado bars
At the core of Portugal's musical tradition is the distinctive song form, fado –
literally “fate” – which is predominantly slow, resigned and melancholy in
character. The music is lyrical, soulful and accompanied by guitars – the
Spanish-style guitar known in Portuguese as viola and the Portuguese
pear-shaped guitarra. To catch a live performance drop into one of the
country’s wonderful fado houses.
The Douro might not conjure the imagery of the Seine or even the Thames,
but it’s comfortably one of the most beautiful waterways in Europe, as it
snakes through vineyards, bucolic villages and Porto, where it is spanned by
the city’s iconic iron bridge.
20. There’s a chapel made from bones
The interior of the Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of Bones) in Evora is, rather morbidly, decorated with human
skulls and bones from some 5,000 corpses. The chapel was built by a Franciscan
monk in the 16th century, who wanted to remind worshippers that life is
transitory.
21. It has one of Europe’s best pools
The Leça Swimming Pool complex, designed by the eminent Portuguese
architect, Alvaro Siza, is one the continent’s best bathing spots. Overlooking
the Atlantic Ocean in Leça da Palmeira, near Porto, its saltwater swimming
pools are carved into the rugged shore and are popular with architecture
aficionados as well as bathers.
22. It’s home to Serralves
The most visited museum in Portugal, Serralves is also one of Europe’s most
influential contemporary arts museums. Located in Porto, this wonderful
exhibition space sits in manicured gardens, which are scattered with works from
the likes of Richard Serra and Claes Oldenburg.
Source: The Telegraph | See the original article here.
