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Destination information: Map of Europe Holiday Property The Algarve has long been the year round weekend retreat for the British and has proven itself as a great investment area. It is a Golf enthusiast's paradise so if this your game you'll have a huge choice of courses to play at.
Health wise , there are many benefits to visiting this part of the world. The Algarve climate is warm in summer and mild during the winter and has far less rain fall than in the UK helping people who suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis. There is also less pollution than the UK and therefore those with Asthma find their symptoms abate when visiting or living here.
Central Portugal is largely undiscovered by those from the UK. An area of many contrasts where you find lots of villages which seem to have missed the recent advances in technology and where you'll still find donkey's instead of tractors. However down the road you'll find modern shopping centres and all of the things you'd expect from modern living like mobile phones and broadband.
Central Portugal is very much up-and-coming for holiday rentals with rural cottages for rent or villas with pools near the stunning cliff laden coastline. There is plenty to see and do with the world heritage town of Tomar or the old walled town of Obidos nearby. This along with beautiful beaches azure seas little towns and villages carved into the cliffs gives you a wonderful place to be for holiday or retirement.
On
the far western edge of Europe, Portugal is famous for
its 560 kilometres (350 miles) of Atlantic coastline
and its character as a maritime nation of discoverers,
traders, and fishermen. The soul of this gentle country
lies away from the beaches, however, in the rural landscapes
and tiny whitewashed villages such as Óbidos, Elvas,
or Marvão. Many people still live traditionally, tending
the family olive groves, peach orchards, or vineyards,
or making a living in small fishing harbours, with a
peeling boat and a net of sardines. Cities such as Lisbon
and Porto, Évora and Coimbra are filled with fine museums
and galleries, elegant townhouses and gracious plazas.
Lisbon, the capital and site of the huge World Expo
trade fair in 1998, is a city of great beauty and atmosphere,
its steep and narrow cobbled streets lined by elegant
houses with wrought-iron balconies, no two of which
are alike.
Over the last 2,500 years, Portugal has been variously invaded by the Phoenicians, Romans, Vandals, Visigoths, Moors, Spaniards, and French. When the English John of Gaunt helped fend off the Spanish in 1386, the Portuguese signed a pledge of friendship known as the Treaty of Windsor that has lasted for over 600 years. The following year, the king married John of Gaunt's daughter Philippa, and their son Henry the Navigator became the inspiration behind Portugal's golden age of discovery. In 1498, the Portuguese sea captain Vasco da Gama made the first successful voyage round the Cape of Good Hope and opened up the sea route to India. In 1500, Cabral sailed west to colonise Brazil. Portugal then spread tentacles across the world to India, China, Indonesia, Africa, and South America, creating an empire of enormous wealth. The economy of present-day Portugal is supported by the export of port and cork, sufficient for almost every wine bottle in the world, although its mainstay is tourism and the millions of holidaymakers who head to the sunny Algarve each year. Portugal has an immense artistic and cultural heritage, sharing many influences from Europe. Typical artistic achievements include the elaborately decorative azulejos (painted, glazed ceramic tiles), which have formed part of Portuguese architecture since the 1400s, and the mournful, soul-searching songs of fado. The Manueline style of art, noted for its delicate design, life-size figures, and realistic backgrounds, emerged in the early 16th century. Cubism became a popular form in the 20th century, with Paula Rego perhaps one of the best known contemporary painters of Art.
The
capital, Lisbon (Lisboa), is a city of hills and viewpoints,
tumbling down to the River Tagus. Thundering trams and
careless cars make the centre as busy as any European
capital, but in the ramshackle backstreets of its old
bairros (quarters) Portuguese charm reasserts
itself. One of the best viewpoints is the Castelo de
São Jorge, above the ancient bairro of Alfama, where
the dark cavernous cathedral is also found. Cross the
main square (the Rossio), to the Bairro Alto, the city
nightlife centre, full of picturesque tumbledown houses.
On the river front is the exquisite romantic medieval
castle, Torre de Belém and adjacent, the striking giant
modern Monument to the Discoveries. Close by is the
magnificent Jerónimos Monastery. The pick of the city's
many museums is the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum featuring
world-class historical and art exhibits.
Second
city of Portugal and the home of port wine, Porto (Oporto)
is famous for its high-level bridge and its picturesque
rabelos (traditional boats for transporting port
wine). In reality, however, it's a gritty commercial
city. The centre is a jumble so get your bearings by
climbing the Torre dos Clérigos. The heart of the old
city is the cathedral; below is the Barredo, a vertiginous
confusion of shanty houses. Along the riverfront the
Cais de Ribeira is an ideal area to eat fresh fish.
Other buildings which merit a visit are: the house of
Henry the Navigator (Casa do Infante); the Stock Exchange
(Pálacio da Bolsa), famous for its Alhambra-inspired
Arabian Room; and the lavishly gilded church, the Igreja
de São Francisco. The best museum in the city is the
Museu Nacional de Soares dos Reis with its excellent
collection of art and sculpture. The port shippers'
lodges are on the south bank at Vila Nova de Gaia. Most
offer tours on weekdays.
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Portugal