Lonely Planet Portugal (Travel Guide)

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Planning tip: Don’t feel limited to these popular drawcards. Keep a lookout as you wander the city as azulejos are scattered all over, and discovery is part of the fun. 9. Follow Porto's street art trail The country’s rail network is headed by CP (Comboios de Portugal), which has handy rail network maps online. They run four main types of long-distance service: Local experts share their love for the real Portugal, offering fresh perspectives into the country's traditions, values and modern trends to make your travel experience even more meaningful

Key events: Festas do Sítio Nazaré, Queer Lisboa Film Festival, Feiras Novas Ponte de Lima, Concertos na Avenida Porto, Festival Flamenco Lagos. October is harvest season in wine country Next up is Sintra, a village with palaces, whimsical mansions and enchanting woodlands, plus some enticing places to stay for the night. Fun insights that will pique your curiosity and take you to the heart of the place – embrace Alentejo's slow paced vibe with olive harvesting and horse riding; discover riverside Porto by bike and stop for freshly grilled seafood in Afurada; dive in the crisp waters of the human-made Azibo reservoirWith cloudless skies most of the year and little light pollution, the artificial Great Lake Alqueva in Alentejo is one of Portugal's most perfect spots for stargazing. These extraordinary conditions made the lake the first official starlight tourism destination in the world, as certified by Spanish-based Fundación Starlight. Several local companies offer stargazing and nighttime tours of the lake, and budding astronomers can also visit the observatory. Practical information on money, getting around, unique and local ways to stay, and responsible travel Portugal’s famous port lodges are located in Porto’s cross-river sister city Vila Nova de Gaia. Gaia, as it’s more commonly called, is easily reached via a stroll or metro ride across the iconic Ponte de Dom Luís I, which was built by a disciple of Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower fame). Tour and taste Porto’s eponymous tipple at vintage cellars such as Ramos Pinto, Graham’s or Taylor’s, with the latter offering stellar views of the Douro River from its rooftop terrace. Portugal has a decent railway network that connects major cities and towns across the country. Although trains don’t go everywhere, journeys on board are affordable, comfortable, convenient, and often the most scenic way to travel. Trains connect popular tourist hotspots, including Lisbon, Faro, Lagos, Porto, and Coimbra. The mountains, the seaside, cobblestone-lined city streets? Portugal has plenty of options when it comes to travel. With a week at your disposal, you can combine a bit of urban adventure with scenic getaways nearby. If you have Lisbon in mind, you can spend several days there, along with day trips to Cascais, Sintra and the beach-dotted Setúbal Peninsula, or spend a couple of days in Évora or on the lovely Alentejo coastline.

Portugal is home to the well-known wine regions of Alentejo (which produces bold and hearty reds) and Douro (the home of port), but you can find wineries and vineyards practically all over the country, including on the Azores and Madeira archipelagos. The Portuguese have a special fondness for the Minho, a verdant region of vineyard-covered valleys, mountainous wilds, isolated beaches and picturesque river towns that seem little changed by time. The gateway to the region is Braga, a city with Roman ruins, a fabled medieval cathedral and tranquil flower-trimmed plazas sprinkled with outdoor cafes and restaurants. Planning tip: Can't be there for Fat Tuesday? There's an alternative. In Podence, a small village in Portugal’s northwest, Carnaval is celebrated differently from the rest of the country – here, it’s a unique end-of-winter celebration that inherited the pagan traditions of former Celtic settlers and is part of Unesco's Intangible Cultural Heritage list. Villagers take part in the Caretos (masked men) parade, and they cover their faces with handmade tin or leather masks depicting a demon-like figure and wear cowbells around their waists. 8. Stay in a traditional schist villagePlanning tip: During the summer, the terrace of the cafe transforms into an open-air stage for free live concerts and DJ sessions from Wednesdays to Friday nights. 12. Have a Porto picnic

Spring arrives with a flourish, bringing warmer temperatures and abundant sunshine in both the north and the south. April sees a profusion of wildflowers in the south. Easter processions add excitement, as does Liberation Day (April 25), when you can see parades and fireworks in some towns.Planning tip: Pre-booking is required, although admission is free for kids under 8, with scheduled starry observations happening during the day or at night. 10. Road trip on Estrada Nacional 2

March days are rainy and chilly in the interior and the north of Portugal, though the south sees ample sunshine. Prices and visitor numbers remain low. Typically the rainiest month of the year, November in Lisbon is cold rather than freezing, but life moves indoors. One of the largest tech industry events in Europe takes over the city at the beginning of the month, and after hours, nightlife hotspots get crowded. Only two lines to Spain operate: the Celta, a train that runs daily between Porto and Vigo, and a line from Lisbon to Badajoz, where you can change to onward services to Madrid. There are no international trains in the south. The 76m-high (249ft) Torre dos Clérigos, designed by Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni in the 1700s, is Porto’s signature landmark. The baroque tower soars above the city rooftops and visitors can climb 225 steps to reach far-reaching city views from the top. It's not an experience for the claustrophobic – the structure definitely wasn’t built with big crowds in mind!Porto’s west coast location, at the intersection of the North Atlantic Ocean and the Douro River, makes for some epic sunsets. When the daylight starts to fade, Porto hipsters grab a beatbox and some cold beers and head to the narrow park along Passeio das Virtudes, which slips down the hillside in a series of terraces. When you see how busy this place gets, you’ll realize that Porto sunsets are serious business. The beachfront at Foz do Douro is another top spot to catch the sun's last rays, as is the Jardim do Morro in Vila Nova de Gaia. 11. Experience world-class acoustics inside the Casa da Música Outside of Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve, you might encounter people with limited English. For smooth sailing, it helps to learn some Portuguese. If nothing else, locals appreciate the effort to speak their language, however rudimentary your accent. When entering a room, it’s polite to say " bom dia" (good day) or " boa tarde" (good afternoon) to those around you. Be mindful of petty crime